This week's PR Roundup looks at the growing tariff conversation on social media, rethinking SEO in regards to AI search, and would you buy the Fyre Festival brand?
A Tariff-fying Landscape for Brands?
What happened: As Trump’s tariffs continue to dominate headlines, they’re also sparking significant social media conversations. New data from Sprout Social shows that following the April 9 announcement of a pause on most tariffs, social media mentions surged by 220% compared to when they were first proposed on February 1.
Social media conversation data on tariffs:
- Since Jan. 26, more than 13.59 million posts across social media have discussed tariffs.
- Conversations have surged in April so far, with a 279% increase compared to the previous period. (Comparing data from 4/1/25-4/24/25 to 3/8/25-3/31/25)
- Canada, China, and Mexico are the most mentioned countries in this conversation:
- China: 2.1M mentions, 24.2M engagements
- Canada: 1.9M mentions, 24.1M engagements
- Mexico: 595,522 mentions, 9.4M engagements
- Social media conversations have focused on how tariffs will affect goods, prices, and costs.
- Goods: 709,742 mentions, 8.7M engagements
- Price: 316,138 mentions, 2.8M engagements
- Cost: 300,430 mentions, 2.9M engagements
Communication takeaways: Tariffs affect everyone in different ways. Businesses will control price increases. Consumers will either absorb or reject those increases.
Layla Revis, Vice President, Social, Content and Brand Marketing at Sprout Social says that in the midst of this economic uncertainty, consumers have become “hyper-aware” of how brands are showing up, and that consumer sentiment is surfacing on social media.
“Tightening budgets are making people more sensitive to being sold to, resulting in higher expectations on brands to be transparent and empathetic to current conditions in all customer communications,” Revis says. “This means brands must understand where their customers are, what they are discussing, and their shifting sentiments in order to build meaningful and impactful marketing strategies.”
Revis also notes the importance of influencers for brands during this time, and that they need to pay attention to how consumers are communicating with them.
“Influencers are trusted advocates, they have access to niche communities and they’re on the front lines of the consumer experience,” she says. “More than 60% of people who frequently buy from influencers are more likely to provide product feedback with an influencer over a brand. I suspect we will see brands lean into influencer partnerships during this time.”
A New SEO Model for the GenAI Era
What happened: In traditional search, which we’ve been used to on Google or Yahoo or Bing for years, users enter a query, and receive search results in the form of web pages. Now, particularly on Google, when a user searches, an AI summary appears at the top of the page, often referencing multiple web pages.
Anyone can see that search engine ranking has changed with the introduction of AI results— fewer web page clicks results in less traffic to websites and less visibility for those who continue to think with old SEO logic.
Paolo M. Luino, SEO Expert and EMEA GM of Kitsune Agencies, launched a new SEO model in response to GenAI and AI search: Search Ecosystem Optimization.
Luino identified three key areas to consider when reevaluating a brand or organization’s search reach:
- Owning a history of search terms: Google will make data less and less accessible, and those who preserve queries and insights today will be able to anticipate user behaviors tomorrow.
- Produce long, structured, quality content: LLMs, like ChatGPT and Gemini, cite solid information sources. Only those who publish complete and updated content can hope to be selected.
- Investing in video (both short and long): Google has included it among the main filters in the search bar. Multimedia content is an integral part of the visibility ecosystem.
Communication takeaways: While a website is not the only way brands and organizations can promote themselves and products to the public, it’s certainly been a traditional method for the past several decades.
As search changes, content strategy needs to as well.
"Until now, SEO stood for Search Engine Optimization,” Luino says. “Today we need to talk about Search Ecosystem Optimization. Because information is no longer sought only on Google, but everywhere: inside a video, on a LinkedIn post, in AI chatbot suggestions. And content must speak to all these channels, in a coherent, deep, intelligent way."
Luino notes that many companies are not prioritizing this, and they will fall behind when it comes to modern search.
"They continue to focus everything on keywords and campaigns—neglecting identity, reputation, and brand protection from misinformation,” he says. "With AI beginning to 'answer on your behalf,' becoming an authoritative voice is the only long-term strategy. The challenge is no longer to be found, but to become the source."
Something to Ponder…Buying the Fyre Festival
What happened: After announcing a reboot of Fyre Festival in various locations near Cancun, Mexico, Billy McFarland has given up the dream. The festival founder, and convicted felon, announced the brand is now for sale, and Fyre Festival 2 as cancelled.
McFarland posted a statement on Instagram: “For FYRE Festival 2 to succeed, it’s clear that I need to step back and allow a new team to move forward independently, bringing the vision to life…Execute the vision. Make history.”
Communication questions: While Fyre Festival has a built-in household name, it might not be the right kind of notoriety. McFarland knows the brand will always dominate headlines, even with a shaky reputation. He calls it "one of the most powerful attention engines in the world."
John Marino, President of Marino, says this level of brand recognition, even when negative, can present a unique opportunity for reinvention and monetization.
"Even a brand scorched by controversy can retain significant value if it’s deeply embedded in the cultural zeitgeist," Marino says. "Fyre Festival is a prime example—despite its infamous failure, the name endures as a symbol of both the power and peril of influencer marketing."
One may consider Martha Stewart who resurrected her brand after going to prison. Or Tylenol after its nationwide recall in the 1980s, after finding bottles tampered with to include lethal cyanide—it’s still a household brand name.
Think about it. Can someone can still be successful with Fyre Festival and flip its current reputation? Feel free to email me your responses at [email protected].
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.