Stories by Nicole Schuman

National days are a great way for brands to engage with not only influencers and fans on a topic, but also to reign in some new faces. Today, for National Doughnut Day (June 7), some brands like Dunkin’ and Krispy Kreme create actionable items to bring consumers through their doors. Others, like the Salvation Army regale us with nostalgia, teaching us about the importance of the origin of the holiday. And there are always those brands with icky content, trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Keeping research a secret is a bad look for Pfizer, especially during a time when a spotlight shines on the Alzheimer’s disease. And upon further reading, it can seem somewhat baffling to have kept the information, which may have proved useful to researchers, from the public. Pfizer now faces a brand crisis in which a large population of those affected by the disease may garner distrust to a company that looks like it kept profits the first priority.

Communicators can perform what looks like magic when they win approval from the C-suite. But what looks like magic starts with reading and understanding data, and presenting it in a comprehensive way. Check out the strategic takeaways from our webinar: How to Prove Social Media ROI to the C-Suite

Eight brilliants students became co-champions of the National Spelling Bee in historic fashion on May 30, 2019. While many communicators will never have to spell the likes of these grammatical behemoths, mistakes can occur even with simple words. Spelling remains one of the top priorities of communications professionals, because spell check cannot always save a true blunder. Typos and misinterpretations still happen.

There is always more to the story of data collection than just a consumer’s well-being. For Amazon, and marketers everywhere, emotional-recognition voice software could help provide the most specific personal insights to date to promote product recommendations, targeted ads, and eventually, the creation of products that could impact and relate to mental and physical health.

The Players’ Tribune will celebrate its fifth birthday this fall, and even with its distinct focus on first-person content from athletes, the content structure and delivery has evolved with the times. In addition to written content, TPT has taken on video and podcasting, as well as event marketing—whatever medium it needs to take to deliver the best treatment for an athlete’s story.

These limited time releases can do a number of things for Target, or really any other brand who is looking to create a splash in the marketplace. But is it worth it? Is it worth riling up loyal customers for a few days of publicity?

How does an airline that hasn’t sold a ticket since 2001 appeal to the public and resurrect a brand? We asked Sara Joseph, SVP, lifestyle & hospitality lead at BerlinRosen, TWA Hotel’s PR firm of record, about re-rolling out a brand that sparks fond memories and has an opportunity to tell its story to a new generation.

Jaime Primak Sullivan, star of “Jersey Belle” and president of Bridge and Tunnel Entertainment, shared the backstory to her success of her online video series #cawfeetawk at Social Shake-Up 2019. She also offered insights on adapting to the ever-changing nature of digital communications, all while being a working mom, and how to answer the question: “How do you do it all?”

Seven years ago, Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin launched TheSkimm from their living room couch. Both were 25 years old, working in the news industry as producers, and found themselves in the midst of a crisis: How could they move forward in an industry that they loved, but in which they didn’t see a lot of innovation or routes upward?