Latest Posts

Twitter rolled out new tools and controls May 17 that allow users to view and modify the data that helps advertisers target them. Users are now able to turn off interest-based ads entirely (although they would still see other paid posts) or curate their interests to see ads that are more relevant to them. To see which interests Twitter thinks you have, go to Settings -> “Your Twitter data.”

It’s generally accepted that brands are highly vulnerable to crises. We’ve all heard the maxim, “It’s not a question of if your brand will experience a crisis, but when.” The good news is that since communicators work across the enterprise, they are well placed to know where a crisis might erupt. But how about when it doesn’t take an experienced communicator to know that a brand might be vulnerable? We look at two incidents where issues have arisen and brands might be tempted to act.

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If this is true, then you could argue that video and other multimedia content are worth millions. This is especially the case in the very crowded brand journalism waters, where The Coca-Cola Company is using content to simultaneously build brand love and corporate trust. Coca-Cola Journey makes (and sometimes breaks) Coca-Cola news, bringing to life the stories bubbling just beneath the surface of our business. We made this big bet because we believed that authentic stories matter.

Trying to replicate what made a post get 300 likes when your account routinely sees 100 likes per post can make you want to bang your head against the wall…Or, it can ignite a new test-and-learn campaign. Your team can make educated guesses about what worked and incorporate those elements into future posts.

A ransomware attack ravaged the globe May 12 in the form of WannaCry, a program that spread itself through a Windows networking protocol. There was a patch, but that was no help to the countless users who had not updated and installed it. Much of the blame for this has fallen on Microsoft.

A memo that reads,”For your eyes only?” Not in showbiz. On May 10, Chicago media blog RobertFeder.com leaked a harshly worded internal memo sent by talk show host Steve Harvey to all “Steve Harvey Show” employees at the start of this year’s season. The memo airs Harvey’s grievances around a lack of privacy on set and requires employees to make an appointment with Harvey prior to any direct contact. “IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED,” the memo reads, before listing several other studio locations Harvey claims to be regularly “ambush[ed]” by NBC staff.

Owing to social media, consumers have never felt closer to the world of entertainment and entertainers. They color nearly everything we do. So, what is the best way for brands to take advantage of the public’s thirst for show business? While it might seem that hiring Beyoncé or Frank Ocean is the way to go, there are myriad options for brands.

Our weekly roundup of trends, news and personnel moves in communications and PR. This week we have stories about The Macallan scotch using touchable, more woes for United, interactive video for storytelling, the PR lessons from the Comey firing and Reuters finds the identities of influencers and brands who received FTC letters.

You’ve probably either sent or received a version of this work email: “Who posted this tweet on the brand account? I think it’s too [personal/political/off-brand/sloppily written/insensitive/blatantly promotional/factually incorrect/ill-timed].” If you’ve never written or seen an email like that, you should congratulate yourself and your team. You’re managing to speak with a consistent brand voice on Twitter.

President Trump’s dismissal of James Comey as director of the F.B.I. May 9 would have been highly controversial no matter how it happened. But how to work within a scenario like that to ameliorate stakeholder dissatisfaction is a major facet of what we as communicators should practice—and it’s a facet that seems to have been neglected by the administration’s communications arm.