Public relations people like to talk about anticipating or “getting in front of” a crisis; in fact, for a taste of a real-life crisis simulation, check out this stress-inducing story by The New York Times‘ Sapna Maheshwari. But the truth is, it’s a myth to think that you can prevent most events that could wreck…
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Back-to-back hurricanes Harvey and Irma were unprecedented in their impact, destroying lives and homes, wreaking billions in damage, and knocking other news out of the headlines (a minor challenge for the media and public relations professions.) But the storms of September also brought some good news. Experts tell us that the U.S. is improving in…
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As public relations professionals know, there are many different types of media interviews. Some are features based on in-depth contact with company representatives. Others involve a chance to comment about a breaking news story or issue. In the latter case, we sometimes experience disappointment. We work to generate a quick opportunity for a client or…
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Do you work in digital PR? If you work in public relations at all, the answer is yes. The difference between digital PR and “traditional” PR is fuzzy, yet worth examining, because it has transformed our profession in so many ways. And with change come challenges. In some ways PR hasn’t changed that much. We…
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Have you been ghosted lately? Don’t laugh… if you’re a PR agency or other service business, chances are it has happened to you. I don’t mean that thing where a friend or dating partner suddenly stops returning all texts or calls. I’m talking about business or “corporate ghosting,” which can be just as infuriating and…
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Simmering issues of diversity and gender discrimination in the tech industry were spotlighted this week when an internal memo penned by a Google engineer went viral, causing a public relations earthquake for the company. Although the 10-page “anti-diversity” memo was actually more nuanced than some reports gave it credit for, its thesis triggered a quick…
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As all PR and social media pros know, a brand’s digital presence is both very powerful and very fragile. In the attention economy, we want to break though and engage customers, and a good way to do that is by showing personality. A flippant attitude or a risky tweet can take a brand even further….
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Sean Spicer just might be the most famous public relations person in the country, but it’s not from leading by example – unless walking away from the world’s worst communications job counts. In a clever but dubious bit of newsjacking, the owner of the Bunny Ranch brothel offered Spicer a PR job at his company….
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Last month Mary Meeker of Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield, Byers released her Internet Trends report for 2017, and all 355 slides are well worth a read for anyone in tech public relations or digital marketing. Here are some of the most relevant trends for PR. Internet ad spend surpasses television spend. The lines will cross in…
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The common public relations wisdom about brands and politics is that they don’t mix. When an issue fuels consumer anger or public debate, it should be avoided at all costs. The bigger the brand, the more risk-averse the marketing team tends to be, with good reason. But nowadays there’s pressure for brands to take a…
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Any PR or marketing expert will tell you that for a brand to connect with customers, it should convey authenticity. But what about brands that don’t have a compelling story, or who have strayed from their roots due to their very success? Can authenticity be designed after the fact? It seems right up there with…
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A great PR campaign can generate positive brand awareness, which is clearly desirable. Who wouldn’t welcome a profile in a major national publication, or a Q&A with an influential trade? What about a flood of LinkedIn comments? That kind of engagement is always a good thing. But how valuable is it? How many PR programs…
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It’s inspiring to meet newly minted public relations or communications grads looking to crack that first job in their chosen field. And though the first break is rarely easy, for anyone set on a career in PR there are likely to be forks in the road at the beginning of the career journey. I often…
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Some PR agencies fall into a trap of chasing only only large, brand-name clients. This is in part because like attracts like; large brands can bring more of the same, they reason. A PR firm may also think that doing media relations for well known brands can be easier than work for unknowns, because journalists…
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What’s the cost of a brand crisis? As video of United Airlines passenger Dr. David Dao being violently dragged from his seat went viral last month, the media – and a global audience of prospective customers – were shocked. It may not have hurt the airline’s stock price in the long term, but CEO Oscar…
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Some say the goal of a great public relations program should be to build brand reputation, while sales and marketing actually drive sales. The reality is that the lines between PR and marketing are getting blurrier all the time. The two can and should work together – much like brick and mortar. A strong public…
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A few years ago I dropped in on a client’s booth at an industry conference, and the company CEO introduced me – the founder of his company’s public relations agency – as the “publicist.” Who, me, a publicist? What he didn’t realize was that for some PR people, the term is faintly pejorative. It implies…
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At least one company learned something about PR and reputation from the United Airlines fiasco earlier this month. Over the weekend, Twitter and Facebook lit up with smartphone videos of a fresh instance of passenger distress on an airplane. This time it was a scuffle between an American Airlines flight attendant and a passenger who…
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Not long ago, a chief executive could lead a business, even a large one, fairly quietly, leaving public relations and social media management to the corporate communications team. The CEO job was mainly to deliver a strong financial performance. Today, things are different. A capable business leader is expected to also serve as a brand…
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The public relations team at United had probably just started to breathe easy after the infamous “leggings” crisis when a second PR disaster hit. And this one’s a doozy. Late Sunday, a United passenger who refused to give up his seat on an overbooked flight was forcibly removed from the plane by police, to the…
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Brand Pepsi fell flat this week with its bafflingly tone-deaf ad featuring Kendall Jenner, but in the wake of a public relations backlash, the brand did at least one thing right. After Twitter lit up with nasty tweets and late-night comics poured on scorn, Pepsi reacted quickly. Its response was so simple, sensible, and honest…
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Can influencer marketing work for B2B brands? PR programs with influencer tactics evoke emerging YouTubers or glitzy Kardashian-type personalities, but influencer marketing works in B2B public relations, too. The names may not be as glamorous, but the impact is real. Here’s why. Most B2B companies operate in a competitive category characterized by a long selling…
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Mistakes in PR planning or execution are costly, particularly when you consider the typical investment in a top public relations agency. But errors aren’t always predictable, which is one reason why PR is both endlessly fascinating and frustrating as a career. Years of experience have taught us that when a program isn’t working, there’s a…
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Most companies hire PR agencies to help them get out positive news. But what happens when the juiciest stories about a business aren’t flattering? What, if anything, can a PR or corporate communications expert do to turn things around? Consider Uber’s rough ride of late. First, a video of founder Travis Kalanick arguing with a…
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In today’s volatile media and social environment, good PR comes at a premium and brand reputation is fragile. Look at Trump’s dressing down of Nordstrom, or the controversy Uber runs into just about every time Travis Kalanick does anything. (More on that later.) Some argue that presidential tweets might actually be good for business, even…
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Has public relations finally won the respect of journalists? Sure, PRs and media work together, and we need each other. But the relationship between “flacks and hacks” is an odd and uneasy symbiosis. That’s why a recent piece in the Columbia Journalism Review about PR professionals and the war between our 45th president and the…
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Does a startup business always need to hire a PR agency? There’s no shortage of advice on the question, and much of it is contradictory. Mark Cuban famously advised young companies not to bring on an external PR firm, reasoning that an entrepreneur is the best person to handle media contact. I’m a Cuban fan…
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A couple of weeks ago, I was called by two journalists wanting public relations insights on companies hit with blowback for comments about our new president. Should brands get political, they wanted to know? I shared my perspective that brands shouldn’t always shy away from controversy, summarizing with, “You can’t put your head in a hole,…
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As journalists grapple with “alternative facts” and the Trump administration’s war on the media, some professional public relations people are putting ourselves in the shoes of those who act as spokespersons for the new president. Those shoes are pretty uncomfortable. As the Trump and the media squared off, I was struck by a provocative post…
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Good customer service and good public relations have never been more aligned. One of the quickest ways to understand an organization’s reputation is to look at its response to a consumer complaint. A company can spend millions on a brand reputation campaign, use high-powered PR agencies, and reap the benefits of CEO thought leadership, but…
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