Stories by Seth Arenstein

You’re a communicator who loves what video can do for your brand. The problem is that you’re a PR army of one. You lack the resources (budgetary and personnel) to create video. PRNEWS has gathered a trio of video experts who believe otherwise. Ahead of a Nov. 19 webinar about this topic, they share tips about how to create video as a PR soloist.

It’s fitting that our traditional monthly roundtable this month centers on measurement. We asked about the state of measurement, issues that continue to exist and what’s ahead. In short, there’s guarded optimism for PR measurement, though there’s still concern that some communicators choose not to measure. In addition, the colleges seem to be doing precious little to encourage students to appreciate the need for measurement.

Charlene Wheeless, incoming chair of the board at Page and a VP for global corporate affairs at Bechtel Corporation, says CCOs must step up in new ways. In addition to their traditional business roles, CCOs need to become stronger leaders who bring additional value to society. She believes Page’s programs can help.

As we celebrate Measurement Month, there’s much reason to be optimistic about the state of PR and communications measurement. Still, there are a number of hurdles blocking the profession’s path, including some communicators’ choice to avoid measurement. We explore some of the major roadblocks and offer advice about how to overcome them.

To mark Measurement Month 2019, PRNEWS and partner PublicRelay surveyed some 350 communicators about their attitudes toward measurement. The findings indicate PR pros are becoming more sophisticated in their attitude toward measurement, particularly with regard to gaining insight from data.

In this age of disinformation, PR pros are more important than ever, says the 2021 PRSA chair Michelle Olson. “If we do nothing except hold up the candle of ethics in business and in our organizations, we will have done our jobs,” she tells us in a wide-ranging interview.

PRNEWS joined with CS&A, an international crisis and risk firm, to survey the attitudes of PR pros about crisis pain points, levels of preparation and post-crisis education. While firms are doing better with their crisis preparation, there is still a long road ahead, the survey of some 200 executives found. In addition, post-crisis lessons seem way down the list, as does preparation for cybersecurity crises.

We at PRNEWS are advocates of following the news for evidence of good and bad PR practices. Today a news vehicle, The Washington Post, is at the center of a news story. The paper’s handling of headlines for its obituary of former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi demonstrates good and bad PR practices.

On first glance, someone who proposes we reduce our use of digital devices might seem out of place as a guest speaker at last week’s PRNEWS Digital Awards breakfast. In the end, though, digital sociologist Dr. Julie Albright offered useful insights for PR pros as they approach the challenge of communicating in a digitally altered society.

Brands need to be certain their values align with the actions they take. For nonprofits that means being cognizant of the sources of donations. As the venerable Royal Shakespeare Company in the U.K. learned this week, hell hath no fury like students with tickets that an environmentally-unfriendly brand subsidized.