
Why Most Boycotts Fail But Others Win
When is a boycott more than just PR? What makes it work? Recent reports of a slowdown in SoulCycle’s business made me wonder about the staying power of customer boycotts. Why do most fade while others gain traction and even force change? If you missed it, famous SoulCycle fans were outraged when billionaire Stephen Ross, […]
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Don’t Fear The Robot: Why AI Is Good For PR And Marketing
We’re hearing a lot about how automation and machine learning can make our lives easier, as well as how they may threaten our livelihoods in the future. Even in PR, an occupation that’s known as hard to scale and relatively labor-intensive, there are new opportunities to automate large parts of what we do. Entrepreneur and […]
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"Stakeholder Value" Is Good PR — And Good Business
The recent move by the Business Roundtable to redefine corporate priorities by emphasizing value beyond shareholder profits is the latest indicator that corporate reputation’s importance is on the rise. The statement supporting “stakeholder value” is also a good sign for public relations professionals who preach corporate responsibility or even strategic activism in U.S. corporate boardrooms. […]
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Edelman Falls Short As PR Industry Leader
It’s always instructive when PR teams entrusted with managing the reputations of major corporations run into reputation problems of their own. But it’s downright disturbing when it happens to one that presumes to lead our industry. Mega-agency Edelman recently made waves by resigning a lucrative engagement working with for-profit corrections company The GEO Group, a […]
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Why Earned Media Is Still Relevant In PR
As the influence of digital and social media has soared, PR agencies who focus primarily on earned media (once known as publicity) are often warned that they’re falling behind. There are regular calls for PR services to include paid media and other offerings. Many firms like to brag about how little they depend on earned […]
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Why Good PR Matters More Than Ever
The past five years or so have seen drastic changes in the media and cultural landscape that impact PR and marketing. Challenges for PR practitioners include a faster-than-ever news cycle and what seems like constant political and cultural controversy. Combine that with an erosion of faith in government and private institutions, and it can make […]
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A Salute To Independent PR Firms
As the national holiday approaches, it’s a fitting time to consider the importance of independence in the world of PR agencies. For years, advertising and PR firms have touted their “independent” status. But what does that really mean? One thing might be faster growth. In our industry independent agencies have grown at a brisk clip […]
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When The CEO Should Be The PR Spokesperson
Public relations teams and their agencies routinely urge leaders to build a public profile through social media and high-level content. But when should the CEO of a major company serve as its public spokesperson? How should a public role align with an organization’s business goals? Research by Chief Executive magazine and the USC Annenberg Center […]
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What The Best PR Strategies Have In Common
“Strategy” is an overused word, but in public relations or marketing, it’s a key to success. Without the right PR strategy, a program can fall short or even fail spectacularly. Casual observers of the many ways PR generates earned media, like jumping on a breaking story, might conclude that planning isn’t a priority. Some PR […]
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