Stories by Seth Arenstein

In this month’s issue, we explain Green Steel and Information Aversion.

While a few crises never seem to end, often with good reason, companies and organizations eventually need to return to relatively normal footing. That’s when a priority for communicators is helping regain external and internal trust.

How has this moment influenced crisis, if at all? What crises can we expect to see in the next few months? We asked Justine Griffin, principal, Rasky Partners and Edward Segal, author, Forbes columnist and principal, Edward Segal Communications.

While fans, management and owners of the second-highest-rated syndicated game show knew Trebek’s time was short, his off-the-charts ability to live and work for months with pancreatic cancer might have provided a false sense of security. That’s one way to explain a series of fumbles and flip-flops, including one last week, to name Trebek’s permanent successor.

In interviews, we found pro bono has several meanings. Strictly, it’s free work. In PR, it also encompasses volunteering at nonprofits. At some shops it includes at-cost or highly discounted work. Some brands consider pro bono tantamount to what many call corporate social responsibility.

Despite a troubled economy and uncertainty surrounding travel and festive gatherings during the 2020 holiday season, demand to look one’s best endures, whether it’s on Zoom or in person. We’ve never seen such domination; seven of the top 10 brands produce cosmetics and the remaining three firmly are rooted in beauty. On the other hand, how many times do you need to hear someone tell you 2020 was an unusual year?

Sometimes, life isn’t clear cut. This week began with an outstanding example of transparency and included a rare show of transparency from the Department of Homeland Security. On the other hand, the week also highlighted that transparency has a long a way to go.

We see more and more agencies preparing for life after the pandemic by establishing practices and offshoots dedicated to post-virus communication and strategy. We asked M Group chief Jay Morakis to dive into the thinking behind establishing such a practice.

Our (almost) year-end look at social media engagement by B2C and B2B brands shows a pattern in both categories. Engagement is off year over year. Data is provided exclusively to PRNEWS by data partner Shareablee.

Measurement is gaining traction in PR and communications, yet it remains a dark-haired stepchild in many quarters. Some of measurement’s pain points include the lack of budgets for data collection and tools, as well as concerns about how well those tools function, according to a news survey of some 500 PR pros.