Reputation

Most companies remain silent when a competitor makes news. An unorthodox approach is to seize the moment to get your company’s views and executives into the conversation. Just as important is to make sure your customers are aware that you have their best interests in mind at a time of unsettling industry news.

From signage to social media ads to commercials, communicators are always on the lookout for chances to get more eyes on our brand. One time-tested way to slingshot brand awareness into the heavens? Publishing your very own book.

The digital era is wonderful in many ways, though social media can sink a brand that runs a tone-deaf ad campaign quicker than you can say, ‘Why didn’t we have a PR pro at the table in the first place?’ Here are seven tips for PR pros to consider that will help brands avoid cultural missteps when they roll out ad campaigns.

You think it’s too early to begin preparing for Halloween? What a ghostly thought. In fact, Halloween is a wonderful time to dig up some fun for your brand and its followers. Accordingly, here are three scary tips for injecting some excitement into your brand on October 31 that even the devil will find thrilling.

In an interesting twist, Uber announced the launch of a new app, for the gig-economy, starting in Chicago. Some may see this as a sign of getting back to its roots. Uber Works will allow temporary workers to search for jobs in bartending, stocking and cleaning, amongst others.

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.

Neumann stepped down from his role as CEO on September 24th, and less than a week later, on Monday, September 30th, WeWork’s IPO was halted indefinitely. For PR pros working in a startup environment, WeWork’s very public fall from grace holds many lessons to take back to the open office. Let’s look at a few things that communicators at any startup can take away from WeWork’s problems.

Everything old is new again. The nation’s largest public transport system has turned to a newsletter to keep commuters informed and entertained as they learn about the latest developments concerning The L-Train Project. NYC commuters love it.

New-product specialist Kip Knight says a significant majority of launches fail owing to a lack of strategic planning. He offers six questions all marketers need to ask before launching a product or brand to market.

Admit it, we all know Girl Scout cookies. On the other hand, do we know the important role Girl Scouts play in encouraging young girls to become interested in science, math and technology? Do we appreciate the organization’s history? As the Boy Scouts rebrands and accepts girls in its ranks, the Girl Scouts must respond. Rebranding is the organization’s best way forward.