This weekly feature asks communicators to spot trends and discuss their reactions to them. In this edition we hear from Kira Clayborne, senior manager, digital media, Church’s Chicken. Clayborne discusses how brands should react when it finds fans speaking for them on social.
Premium Content


Begin at the End: 5 Steps For Writing Your Strategic Communications Plan
October 24th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinNo matter your industry or subject, creating a plan to reach goals that will help you arrive at your destination also can assist you to better understand the scope of your communications and marketing. A plan will help you stay organized and make adjustments in case you run into unforeseen challenges and obstacles. It also can help you reduce processes into small, achievable chunks for accomplishing tasks that you’ll need to do to overcome challenges. Here are five steps to help you write a strategic communications plan.

The Week in PR
October 24th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinA weekly roundup of the week that was in PR and a brief look at personnel moves. This week’s edition includes stories about Dunkin’ Brands, Spong’s new name, Ketchum’s WonderLust 50+ study and the founding of American Women in PR.

How to Energize Your Organization’s YouTube Channel Without a Hollywood Budget
October 17th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinWithout Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump appearing in your brand’s YouTube video, and lacking the professionals and budgets of the major broadcast, cable and Spanish-language networks, does your brand’s video stand a chance? Indubitably so, communicators tell us. In this first of this two-part series we’ll concentrate on bolstering your YouTube content; part II, in a future edition, will focus on measurement and analytics.

Why PR Pros Need to Keep Learning and How to Do So
October 17th, 2016 by Stephen PayneThe diversity of knowledge needed in our profession continues to expand. We’re strategic advisors as well as communicators. As such, I’m seeing a greater need for continued learning. When I was in journalism school, I was required to take one marketing class. That’s right, one. Not that regression analysis is part of my day-to-day, but that class gives me more insight now than it did then. Communications is a business. A strong business education is critical to success.

The Week in PR
October 17th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinA wrap-up of the week’s top PR stories, trends and personnel announcements. This week’s edition includes stories about Wells Fargo and its ousted CEO John Stumpf, EpiPen maker Mylan agreeing to pay a fine for underpaying on rebates to government medical authorities and Bisquick’s tone-deaf Twitter comments.

PETA Led Nonprofits in Engagement With Instagram Audience in Q2 2016
October 10th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinOne nonprofit essentially is like every other nonprofit, except for size and the causes it supports, right? Not really. While less unique than snowflakes and fingerprints, some of the most-engaged nonprofits on Instagram in Q2 took different routes to amass their impressive figures.

The Week in PR
October 3rd, 2016 by Seth ArensteinThe reviews were a bit better for Wells Fargo after CEO John Stumpf’s second visit to Capitol Hill in as many weeks. The pre-hearing sentiment on the Hill was a bit better than it had been for his earlier visit to the Senate Banking Committee. Preceding his Sept. 29 visit to a House banking panel the CEO, on Sept. 27, voluntarily agreed to return $41 million of unvested equity and to forego his 2016 salary during an independent board investigation.

Consumer Engagement on Instagram Up 78% for B2C; Anastasia Beverly Hills Tops List
September 26th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinWith only this table of most-engaged B2C brands on Instagram for Q2 ’16 to guide you, one might conclude Instagrammers enjoy photos of cosmetics while quaffing coffee and energy drinks and decorating cakes. Seriously, it’s logical for cosmetics brands to dominate consumer engagement, or actions, on Instagram. A visual platform, Instagram was conceived to display photographs. Beauty is a visual business.

The Week in PR
September 26th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinA look at the top stories of the past week in PR. This week including the not-so-friendly visits to Capitol Hill by Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf and Mylan’s Heather Bresch. Other stories include Facebook’s goof on how it measures time viewing videos, Finn Partners’s growth spurt and a new tech chief for APCO Worldwide.