This week's PR Roundup examines the current company instability at Nestlé—which has dropped two CEOs in the past year, a new Pew study on news sources and age demographics, and welcome to America's favorite fall activity...not the PSL—football is back!
Nestlé CEO Fired for Relationship with Subordinate, Company in Crisis
What happened: In the latest instance of CEO’s behaving badly, Nestlé’s Laurent Freixe was ousted this week after an internal investigation revealed he failed to disclose a romantic relationship with a subordinate, violating the company’s code of conduct. His tenure lasted only a year—and he’s out without any exit package.
The abrupt leadership upheaval adds to a string of instability at Nestlé, which has seen its shares slide, sales weaken and investor confidence decline. It is the second CEO departure at the brand this year.
This week Nestlé also quickly appointed Philipp Navratil, a long-time insider and head of Nespresso, who will be tasked with calming jittery markets and steering the company back toward growth.
Communication takeaways: The Nestlé story is more than just about a CEO messing up, it’s causing a real headache for the brand’s reputation overall. And it’s not just leadership and the sales team, but communicators who will need to help right the ship.
Selena Rezvani is author of the upcoming “Quick Leadership: Build Trust, Navigate Change, and Cultivate Unstoppable Teams,” as well as a LinkedIn instructor and international expert on leadership. She says Nestlé’s top priority right now for communications should be doubling down on transparency.
“Hiding or glossing over obvious scandals erodes credibility fast (often faster than the scandal itself),” Rezvani says. “When employees and stakeholders see a second CEO exit in a year, they’re watching as much if leaders will be honest, as they’re watching who steps in. So, clearly acknowledge the facts. You could start with “Yes, two leadership transitions in a year is highly unusual.” That’s a non-negotiable first step to rebuilding trust.”
She also notes that the company may not have every answer, but many stakeholders (employees, shareholders, consumers) are looking for some kind of answers.
“In uncertain moments, silence is like a breeding ground for fear…not to mention people filling in the blanks with wrong information,” she says. “Whether it’s an employee town hall, a candid board note or a timeline for what comes next, management needs to over-communicate. Transparency doesn’t mean having every answer, but it does mean sharing what you know, when you know it.”
How News Audiences Differ by Age
What happened: A new Pew Research Center survey highlights just how differently Americans consume news sources depending on their age. Univision tops the list with the youngest audience—median age 39—while Newsmax and Breitbart skew oldest at 63 and 62. The Daily Wire (42) and The New York Times (43) attract comparatively younger audiences, while broadcast networks like CBS (58), NBC (57) and ABC (55) draw older viewership. Cable networks Fox News (55) and CNN (50) also lean older, reflecting the fact that older adults remain more likely to get news from television.
But not all Americans are tuning into these outlets. About 12% of adults don’t regularly get news from any of the 30 sources Pew tracked, including nearly one in five adults under 30. This group is increasingly turning to social platforms, news influencers and podcasts—or simply following the news less closely. The findings underscore an important shift: younger Americans aren’t just choosing different outlets, they’re redefining what counts as a “news source” altogether.
Communication takeaways: With the changing definitions of news, public relations professionals would be smart to include audience demographic research as part of their media relations strategies.
Jenny Wang, SVP at Susan Davis International, says age of audience definitely matters for media outreach strategy and story planning.
“If you’re pitching outlets with older audiences, it’s better to highlight institutional credibility and authority, whereas for outlets with younger audiences, it may be better to highlight cultural relevance and immediacy,” Wang says.
She also considers the audience target for a client or campaign, and matches them with the appropriate outlet.
“If your target audience is 25 to 34 for a particular initiative or issue, you’ll waste effort pitching only sources dominated by those 55 and older,” she says.
There’s also an obvious difference in platform engagement based on age. Gen Z and younger millennials tend to rely on digital sources for their news, including podcasts, social influencers, etc., and pitching those sources should elevate traditional PR methods, such as a press release.
“Given younger audiences are more likely to encounter news through social and other secondhand ways, it’s more imperative than ever to pitch with strong visuals, soundbites, etc.,” Wang says.
NFL Is Back
What happened: September 4 begins a new season of the National Football League, as well as new commercials, influencers, experiences, products…you name it, football will be a part of it.
According to SportsPro, in 2024, the NFL generated more than $23 billion in revenue, and a 2023 Gallup survey showed 41% of U.S. sports fans named it their favorite sport to watch.
And the league continues to dominate TV ratings. In 2024, NFL games accounted for 72 of the 100 most-watched TV broadcasts.
So, it makes sense for brands and organizations to pay attention to the creative campaigns launching on not only national, but local levels, and evaluate whether or not jumping on the cultural event could be a good fit.
Communication takeaways: There’s no denying the NFL and football season is a juggernaut for PR opportunities. Nationally, locally—prime partners will take advantage.
Mike Ford, founder of Skydeo, a leading consumer and B2B audience and insights data company, a former NFL Super Bowl advertiser, and New England Patriot season ticket holder says the NFL moves the entire economy.
“The NFL isn’t just a sport,” Ford says. “It’s a trigger for predictable consumer behavior around food, gear, betting, streaming—you name it. If you’re not aligning your campaigns around the NFL calendar, you’re missing easy wins.”
So what does all this mean for PR and brands? Ford believes it’s a cultural moment to build around.
“The NFL season is a repeatable, scalable, high-frequency engine for behavioral adjustments,” he says. “When we at Skydeo model audience behavior, we see it again and again: predictable spikes in purchase intent tied directly to NFL games. There’s nothing random about this pattern.”
He notes the importance of aligning segmentation, creative and timing around the fan economy.
“The best [campaign] in the world won’t work if it hits the wrong person at the wrong time,” Ford says.
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.