Subscription Content

All we seem to hear about today are toxic workplaces. Ellen, McDonald’s, the Washington Football Team. What’s behind this spate of media reports and how can communicators protect their companies from being the subject of one of these stories?

The pandemic and social unrest have made their mark on crisis management, Katie Paine argues. She makes her case with examples from Jerry Falwell Jr and the university he formerly ran and Rio Tinto, the minerals conglomerate that put profits over public perception when it destroyed sacred lands.

Many companies say they listen to their customers, but how many do? And do they act on what they’ve heard? In an interview, Ryder CMO and EVP Karen Jones told us the idea that led to a new campaign came straight from the mouths of customers.

PR pro Stephen Payne offers an update on what communicators need to know about the CCPA and European Union data privacy rules. In short, there’s a lot to monitor and regulation seems to change almost daily.

Both The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Hearst publications were caught flatfooted after allegations appeared in the media that their brands’ values failed to equate with reality. In her regular Image Patrol feature, Katie Paine analyzes the slow response to each PR crisis and provides tips for how brands should handle such issues.

Our latest survey of PR pros found them working harder than before the pandemic, but for a reason that left them thinking the future looks bright. In addition, more than 80 percent of survey respondents said the industry will rebound to its pre-pandemic size and that PR’s prestige has risen during the past five months. The pandemic has illustrated that businesses need strategic communication, respondents said.

As part of our pandemic interview series with new executives, we spoke with Elana Gold, the new chief marketer at Del Monte Fresh Produce. Hired during the pandemic, Gold discussed keeping customers at the apex of marketing during the pandemic as conditions change constantly and remote working is the norm.

For years, Adobe executives believed that getting a large volume of media coverage across a wide range of publications was more beneficial than fewer articles in targeted media. Using media measurement and analysis, Adobe’s Dr. Jennifer Bruce showed this was not the case.

As the pandemic has changed many aspects of life and business, it’s natural to think communicators are adjusting their messages and how they’re delivered. Nicole Schuman of PRNEWS found PR pros at brands and organizations are making subtle and significant changes in the wake of the pandemic.

More than a decade after the advent of hashtags, trendjacking may be evolving into a longer-term play. In the wake of social unrest, brands have begun chiming in on issues unfolding over a course of weeks or months rather than days. Sophie Maerowitz looks at the evolution of trendjacking and visits with brands and organizations that are using the tactic to enhance awareness.