This week's PR Roundup explores the growth of journalists on Bluesky, bankruptcy communications in light of Forever 21 closing, and how brands like Frontier Airlines and Polestar are taking advantage of market changes with messaging.
Journalists Increasingly Engaging With Bluesky More Than X
What happened: Lately, you may hear a lot of folks, particularly in the media, saying, “Well, I have an account on X, but I don’t know the last time I used it.”
(This editor may be one of them…)
A new study released this week shows Bluesky rapidly gaining popularity with journalists, where there is more recent posting activity from their accounts than on X.
Fire on the Hill, a strategic communications agency, partnered with Mercury Analytics to analyze more than 500 journalist profiles for trends regarding platform popularity, activity levels and usage variations across media platforms.
Key findings include:
- 25% of journalists have joined Bluesky vs. 17% on Threads, and 9% on Mastodon.
- 75% of Bluesky media users posted within one month of the research, compared with only 36% of X users.
- Technology journalists are leading experimentation with new platforms; 48% have a Bluesky account.
- 43% of business media have joined Bluesky.
- Meanwhile, 45% of U.S. travel journalists have a Threads account.
Communications takeaways:
While X may have the larger user numbers, Bluesky has the stronger engagement rate among media—something important for PR professionals to know. The research shows that journalists are moving to other platforms and exploring them, if there is a compelling reason to do so.
“This research is a valuable tool for comms professionals to understand how they can engage with journalists effectively, and use social media in a way that aligns with their companies’ values and corporate character,” says Chris Clarke, Co-founder at Fire on the Hill.
“Since the advent of Twitter, microblogging has been a valuable way [for journalists] to communicate, from sourcing for emerging stories to capturing sentiment around key issues,” Clarke added.
David Clare, Director at Fire on the Hill, also made a point about safety and security when it comes to the media’s platform use.
“Recent events highlight sentiment towards X has declined, in part due to changes to its trust and security protocols, which has driven much of the move to alternative platforms,” Clare says.
Forever 21, Forever Bankrupt
What happened: It’s the end of an era for many millennial women.
Forever 21, a clothing store that offered timely trends at discount prices, engaging young shoppers in the early aughts, announced its second bankruptcy this week. And this time, it comes with store closings. All of them. From Times Square to your local mall, the brand, which ushered in the fast fashion era for many, will say goodbye to racks on racks of cropped t-shirts and low-rent dupes.
The interesting thing about this bankruptcy and closing schedule is that it all happened so fast, seemingly without warning—unless you paid close attention to the company. The press, of course, has quickly responded with think pieces, odes and forewarnings.
Communications takeaways: No company ever wants to experience bankruptcy, and it's a difficult PR situation to navigate. However, bankruptcy communications are necessary for various stakeholders: shareholders, employees, vendors, customers and others involved with or connected to a brand.
Sam Reinhardt, a Vice President at Global Strategy Group with expertise in asset management, private equity,and M&A deals, says while no two bankruptcy filings are the same, there are a few essential steps communicators should consider when approaching a Chapter 11 announcement.
Tips include:
- Clearly explain why filing for bankruptcy is the best option, and what the core tenets of the restructuring will be. This can include highlighting what parts of the business are profitable or have potential to be profitable, in order to encourage rescue investors to consider this as an opportunity.
- Keep internal audiences—from the C-suite to employees on the ground—informed on the restructuring to mitigate leaks and ensure internal cohesion.
- Provide regular, substantive updates to external audiences, primarily customers and potential buyers, on how the bankruptcy is progressing, new developments and the state of the business.
- Outline a clear strategy and path forward for exiting Chapter 11, to help boost confidence among internal audiences and existing or potential investors.
Companies Take Swipes at Southwest, Tesla and Promote Opportunities
What happened: Business is not for the weak. Especially when competitors point out your flaws, and try to one-up you. It's a tactic as old as time.
In the airline industry, Frontier decided to take advantage of Southwest Airlines while it was down. The carrier had recently announced it would step back from its long-standing policy of offering free bag checks, starting May 28.
Frontier stepped in and announced a policy for customers to receive a free checked bag for flights departing May 28 through Aug. 18 with promo code FREEBAG. That date doesn’t seem like a coincidence…
“Some airlines are walking away from what travelers love, but we’re running towards it,” said Frontier CEO Barry Biffle in a news release. “Think of this as the ultimate ‘divorce old airline’ deal. If travelers show us the love, we’ll make these perks permanent.”
Another recent example is the Polestar electric vehicle company offering Tesla drivers up to $20,000 towards the lease of a new Polestar 3 if they make the switch. Tesla is certainly not feeling any love, as of late.
Communications takeaways: It takes guts to actively point out a competitor and engage in messaging against them. While it looks like an easy strategy to just attack, the communications strategy must be quite nuanced.
Hugh Allspaugh, Head of Strategy at VSA Partners, says he admires brands that are capable of being this responsive to market changes, for several reasons.
“First, it’s a great way to get earned media,” Allspaugh says. “In the same way people love watching Burger King and McDonald’s tweet at each other, this taps into the trolling competitive spirit that is very in vogue right now. And it’s going to get media coverage.”
“Secondly, in both of these cases, you have brands that are getting negative coverage (Tesla and Southwest), and have audiences that are likely looking to switch,” he continues. “By offering these incentives, you’re getting in front of these switchers, and hopefully getting them to consider your brand.”
However, Allspaugh notes that the strategy only works long-term if it is authentic to your brand and differentiates you from competitors.
“It wouldn’t make the same impact for United Airlines or Delta to start offering free baggage because they already have other perks,” he says. “But for Frontier, known for nickel and diming [as a discount airline], scooping up this feature is going to be extra exciting for folks looking for a new airline provider.”
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.