Clubhouse, the audio-only social media platform, is experiencing rapid growth and making headlines. Still, many marketers have yet to grasp the potential this brand-new platform offers....
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Clubhouse, the audio-only social media platform, is experiencing rapid growth and making headlines. Still, many marketers have yet to grasp the potential this brand-new platform offers....
Continue ReadingSeveral years ago, an automobile insurance company came to our Miami PR Firm asking if we can market a bilingual literacy program for them. We were ecstatic! We had been trying to explain to several of our corporate clients the value of investing in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), also known as Cause Related Marketing. ...
Continue ReadingFrom its origin as a trendy new way to promote a brand, content marketing has grown into a versatile and easily customizable strategy to reach a highly targeted audience. Businesses and organizations across all industries now utilize content marketing to build brand awareness, thought leadership and lead generation. However, it takes more than publishing a few...
Continue ReadingA traditional communication tool ended up in the shadows, thanks to the advent of social media, but newsletters are back and are on the rise again....
Continue ReadingOver the last year, many companies have asked themselves: are we doing enough to address social justice issues that affect our customers and employees? And is it wise for brands to publicly take a stance on such issues? Leaders are understandably hesitant to step out of their comfort zone and court any kind of controversy....
Continue ReadingLet’s be honest: Not every client has a compelling story to tell if you look just at their products or services. So, a little investment in a poll or survey can help raise their profile as a thought leader and relevant voice in their respective industry. But there are a few caveats to observe so that...
Continue ReadingAt its core, PR is all about reputation management with stakeholders. People and brands rightly expect PR professionals to help them connect with important stakeholders, build meaningful relationships and effectively communicate the right messages to them. ...
Continue ReadingWithout a doubt, technology has opened the door to one of the most remarkable and recent inventions, social media. Its thriving popularity is apparent — as of the start of this year, more than 55% of the total global population are now social media users. ...
Continue ReadingWe used to think of Millennials and Gen Z-ers as, well, the young people in our lives, but in recent months the difference between the two generations has become a viral topic. Open any social media platform and you’ll see one generation mocking the other about clothing and hairstyle choices, but the differences between the two...
Continue ReadingOver the past 15 months, the global pandemic has challenged mankind in so many ways, from our very existence to the way we do business, and thankfully, the worst part appears to be behind us. As life goes on, so is the need to communicate, promote, salvage, interact, advise, contain, create – connections, ideas, plans, and...
Continue ReadingLast year was epic in terms of disruption to most businesses and few industries were as disrupted as the real estate industry. While the disruption was immense, it wasn’t all negative. In fact, real estate is having a banner year in 2021, fueled in part by the way the real estate had to change its marketing...
Continue ReadingPitching attorneys to the media as subject matter experts is an effective way to bring exposure to a particular law firm or practice. While pitch topics may not always be law-focused, partners can still bring a unique perspective to the media landscape while highlighting their expertise. However, depending on the size of the law firm, picking...
Continue ReadingCompetition in the Food & Beverage industry is always fierce. With consumers choosing from hundreds of restaurants, F&B brands need to get creative when promoting new products and initiatives....
Continue Reading“Between saying and doing there is the sea,” says a well-known proverb. This quote can be applied to today’s brands as they are called to cross this sea and take their Corporate Social Responsibility strategy to a new level by developing brand activism strategies that mark the transition from storytelling to storydoing....
Continue ReadingMillennial moms are more than their skinny jeans. Eighty percent of children in the U.S. are born to millennial mothers, and with moms controlling 85% of household purchasing decisions, millennial moms grasp about $2.4 trillion in spending power, according to Forbes. Communicating with millennial moms requires rethinking your biases and reworking marketing strategies to ensure alignment...
Continue ReadingCrisis communications as a public relations practice stands out not just in the execution of high level strategies at an amplified pace, but because every crisis communications scenario serves as a stress test for that organization. Whether that crisis plays out in the headlines or gets managed internally, everyone immediately recognizes what worked… and what didn’t....
Continue ReadingTourism and hospitality are two of the most affected industries following the COVID-19 global crisis. Many jobs have disappeared, many companies have gone bankrupt, and many services no longer have a reason to exist....
Continue ReadingYou can’t swing a unicorn these days without bumping into a SPAC conversation (sorry, bad Silicon Valley joke). In days of yore (pre-COVID), the technology PR world would hum with conversations about IPOs, vesting schedules and year-long plans for going public. Like everything else, things are different today. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop...
Continue ReadingRecently a list of the best social media campaigns of 2020 has been revealed and it includes campaigns from globally renowned brands such as Spotify, PlayStation, Bud Light, Ocean Spray, Heineken, Netflix and Pringles. Rightly so, the campaigns offered significant insight to communication pros not just because of the brand name behind the campaigns but because...
Continue ReadingIt’s been a long and challenging 12 months since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Many businesses have moved to remote work or a hybrid workplace model, while others were forced to shut their doors permanently. However, with vaccine rollouts across the United States on a fast track by the...
Continue ReadingWorking with influencers is like braving the wild, wild west. Without any specific guidelines or code of ethics, each brand-influencer partnership is unique and can result in really great coverage, really awful coverage or something in between. ...
Continue ReadingFrom podcasts to Clubhouse, new communication trends are putting oral culture back at the center of communications and public relations....
Continue ReadingIt goes without saying that 2020 was a year we’d all rather forget. While the vaccine proliferation in many parts of the world offers a light at the end of the COVID tunnel, public relations professionals should keep five potential crises in the back of their mind as we work to normalize again....
Continue ReadingFor starters, here’s one piece of useful information: the automotive PR industry is now very similar to the technology PR industry. This is because cars have become devices and drivers have become more of a user. Sounds familiar, right?...
Continue ReadingSustainability is becoming more and more important: People are aware of global challenges like climate change, pollution and social inequality, and they discuss them and ask for solutions. It is clear that companies have a major impact on social and ecological issues, so the pressure on them to operate sustainably is increasing accordingly. Not only because...
Continue ReadingLet this sink in for a moment. Facebook launched in 2004. Twitter became a word in 2006. Instagram? 2010. In roughly the time it takes to conceive a child and see them get a drivers’ license, the innovation of social media disrupted, overwhelmed, inspired and challenged public relations professionals around the world. Both as individuals and...
Continue ReadingLet this sink in for a moment. Facebook launched in 2004. Twitter became a word in 2006. Instagram? 2010. In roughly the time it takes to conceive a child and see them get a drivers’ license, the innovation of social media disrupted, overwhelmed, inspired and challenged public relations professionals around the world. Both as individuals and...
Continue ReadingAs we look forward to this new year of 2021, what do companies need to do to move their brand forward and increase the bottom line? ...
Continue ReadingFor most business leaders, 2020 almost certainly will be viewed similarly to sports accomplishments that include asterisks to denote records set under questionable circumstances....
Continue ReadingIt’s that time of year to look into the crystal ball for the future. 2020 has by all accounts been one of the most challenging years (at least in my lifetime). I think we’re all looking forward to some positive change. So, for 2021, what is the future of communications, the future of PR and the...
Continue ReadingWith Covid-19 still dominating our social and business interactions – and will likely continue to do so well into 2021 – the usual company meetings are bound to look a lot different for some time to come. So it is high time we take a look at how hybrid events combine the best of in-person events...
Continue ReadingCorporate stocks have seen a rollercoaster year due to Covid-19, political turmoil and social unrest all impacting market sentiments. And now news on the vaccines have arrived and are spreading hope on the stock markets again....
Continue ReadingAs the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage on, the world is learning how to cope with it and businesses are looking for new opportunities the crisis presents. In the travel and leisure industry – my closer area of expertise – professionals are already brainstorming now not only about how to survive, but also how to use...
Continue ReadingSuccessful content marketing takes time and energy and let’s be honest, as you begin to develop your strategy, you simply can’t do everything at once. Writing a daily or even weekly blog may seem simple at first, but when you add keyword research, interviews, graphics, photographs, CTAs and careful integration into your broader digital marketing workflow,...
Continue Reading(Oct. 19, 2020 – NEW YORK) – The Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), hosted a lively panel discussion featuring agency leaders from around the world, discussing “The New World Ahead.” Held in conjunction with the network’s bi-annual Fall conference on October 16, this first-time virtual event was attended by nearly 200 communicators from around the world....
Continue ReadingWe live in an era of hyper-connectivity and information overload. Stakeholders are bombarded with messages every moment of the day. This crowded and cluttered marketplace has not only made stakeholders more informed, it has also made them more demanding about what they expect when they interact with brands and corporations. Communicating corporate and brand values has...
Continue ReadingWith crises of democracies and capitalism the end of this decade has brought to us globally, it has become more and more necessary and frequent for diverse interest groups to express their opinions to governments in fast and powerful ways to change the environment around them....
Continue ReadingI’m often asked, “How do you generate new business leads?” There’s no silver bullet to answer that question, but if I had to pick one strategy it would be: the power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)....
Continue ReadingClose cooperation between agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO) is becoming the norm increasingly, as it offers a win-win situation for both sides....
Continue ReadingWhen it comes to promoting a brand or product on social media, it can be difficult to reach the masses of your target audience without a large following. This is why it’s common to see celebrities, athletes and other influencers endorsing various brands on their Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. However, tapping into...
Continue ReadingPitching seasonal media stories is a staple of consumer public relations. The coverage calendar ebbs and flows with many of the same topics year after year, and our job is to find a new angle to help our clients shine. Back-to-school season has been one of the most consistent and far-reaching seasonal stories to tie to...
Continue ReadingDigital PR is simply the evolution of what has until now been known as “traditional” PR. It’s the opportunity to step away from the credibility crises that traditional PR practitioners have had to face so often in the past with new-age tools and tactics that are customisable, effective and measurable....
Continue ReadingThere’s been no shortage of discussion about social media’s seemingly endless potential to bring people closer together. Clearly, it is a powerful tool that can efficiently provide information to the masses and create stronger bonds in any number of communities....
Continue ReadingIn today’s world, savvy PR pros need to be more than just good writers, they need to be knowledgeable about what constitutes optimised digital platforms and they must know how to manage the interaction between these platforms to maximise the chances of achieving the best possible SEO ranking....
Continue ReadingThe most recent research studies on leadership share the image of a future increasingly characterized by skills that have socially and historically belonged to the females. The old “command-economy” mentality by Henry Ford is now outdated and overtaken by the modern working organization, inspired by values such as active listening, empathy, sharing, delegation and inclusion. Organizations,...
Continue ReadingThe global hospitality industry has been dealt a devastating blow by Covid-19. Most hotels and restaurants suddenly lost the majority of their customers and are struggling to keep their businesses alive....
Continue ReadingPR for real estate projects should always be focused on ensuring that clients sell properties. Our clients sell luxury properties as second homes abroad. In addition to traditional PR tools, we have used numerous tactics in past years to further improve the results of our work and help the sales process. For the moment, some of...
Continue ReadingThe Mileage Communications Group celebrates its 28th anniversary in 2020. On this occasion, I am especially proud of what our group has contributed to the PR industry in Singapore and the profound impact we have made in nurturing creative young minds for our profession....
Continue ReadingThere’s little question that businesses around the world have turned their attention to Generation Z, a group that is turning out to be far different than millennials and baby boomers. As such, internal marketing and communications departments as well as outside firms are trying to first understand this audience and then put in place campaigns that...
Continue ReadingManaging reputation for a brand or a company at the turn of this decade has been challenging for a variety of reasons:...
Continue ReadingThe global health and economic crisis that all of humanity faces in 2020 has forced many PR firms to downsize. While size is quite clearly not the ultimate factor determining the quality of services of a PR agency – or how they are a match with their clients – a boutique size and family atmosphere can...
Continue ReadingPossibly right now, more than ever, social listening is an important aspect of your brand and reputation, and even your clients’ brand and reputation....
Continue ReadingWhile I’m writing this, the vast majority of all commercial passenger aircraft are grounded as global and domestic travel is mostly prohibited. However, once this picture changes, airlines will need to quickly regain the trust of passengers and get back into a professional communications mode. This is when communications agencies can step in. But what are...
Continue ReadingBuilding a positive reputation in the midst of a crisis may seem counterintuitive. Yet, as we have seen in the Covid-19 event, the worst of times can bring out the best in people and organizations. Five tools, likely present in your professional toolbox, will improve your ability to guide organizations in enhancing their reputations during a...
Continue Reading“No one’s ever heard of us.” “People know us for the wrong reasons.” “I want it all.” Having represented hundreds of companies over the course of our almost 30 years in business, we have heard these exasperations all too many times....
Continue ReadingGlobally, there has been an increase in public affairs campaigns initiated by various parties including governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses and special interest groups. These campaigns are developed to sway public opinion on various issues or even to lobby for certain changes in regulations or laws....
Continue ReadingWhat do Unilever, Oxfam, Cambridge University and the German Federal Government have in common? They all report against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)....
Continue ReadingAs a PR firm, we counsel clients on social media best practices, helping them to take a fresh look at what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how it’s performing....
Continue ReadingAt a recent dinner at a corporate event, I had the opportunity to listen to a stand-up comedian. Each joke was more macho than the other. And I thought, what a bad image this dinner will give this brand with all the women here and how old-fashioned the whole gig is. At least I don’t want...
Continue ReadingThere are supposedly as many trends to watch as experts you ask. There are about 1,000 PR professionals working at member agencies in PRGN. For your convenience, here we present only the five most important trends that will shape the year 2020....
Continue ReadingIn the first week of January, CES2020 confirmed its role as one of the most important shows for advanced automotive technology, with a record number of new vehicle introductions from automakers for this show, as well as a record number of automotive suppliers and mobility technology systems companies participating in this juggernaut event in Las Vegas,...
Continue ReadingGong Xi Fa Cai! As the Year of the Rat begins January 25, 2020, I wish you all a healthy, wealthy and prosperous new year!...
Continue ReadingIn public relations, we’re always working hard for our clients to get them noticed on lists that decry “The Top This” or “Best Of That.” And yet, like the proverbial shoemaker’s kids, we might not always do it so well for ourselves....
Continue ReadingIt’s that time of year again: as 2019 comes to a close, we’re all staring into that crystal ball, wondering what the future holds for public relations in 2020. I asked our worldwide PR affiliates from the Public Relations Global Network for their ideas. Here’s a smattering of what’s in store for PR. Happy new year!...
Continue ReadingAs a founding member of the Public Relations Global Network, I’m often asked how the network came about, what was behind the important first step and who are the people who made the bold move. For your records, here’s now the beginning of a 27-year journey now called the PRGN....
Continue Reading“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” – that’s what management consultant Peter Drucker said about the power of corporate culture. He asserted that strategy is important but that an organization’s culture is the true path to its success....
Continue ReadingLast year, I wrote an article titled “Escaping The Bangsar Trap” for a leading Malaysian business magazine. Bangsar is an affluent suburb in Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The “Bangsar Trap” however describes the siloed mindset of the privileged, largely English-speaking Malaysian upper middle-class....
Continue ReadingNo matter how hard they try to avoid it, companies often need to deal with disastrous situations – *it happens. But what makes them an actual PR disaster is not necessarily the mere existence of a crisis but rather the way the crisis is being dealt with. There are numerous instances in which companies dealt poorly...
Continue ReadingToday, the public relations profession involves a number of roles and functions, including media relations, corporate and marketing communications, brand awareness, creative solutions, and many more. Depending on your business, your relationship with PR and the role of PR within your organization can vary considerably....
Continue ReadingPublic relations is thriving – and evolving in exciting ways. It’s a great time to be in the business....
Continue ReadingThe worldwide image of business lobbyists is rather negative: they fight to defend only their companies’ interests; they mobilize their energy to keep a status quo when the world is requesting changes; they act in the shadow. But this aversion to lobbying is not a fatality: the root causes of negative mindsets can be changed if...
Continue ReadingToday the notion is on the increase that this is far from enough. Corporations and businesspeople have become seriously worried about their image, as well. What will the press write? How the reputation will be reevaluated by those in the market where they operate? And – last but not least – how they can effectively defend...
Continue ReadingMany times we were in a situation where we had to tell our parents or friends what we were doing for living. More than once we used to get into long (read – very long) stories about our profession. We gave extensive definitions. We used a lot of words. And we still saw that our beloved...
Continue ReadingLet’s face it – most PR pros aren’t in it for the awards… but they sure are nice....
Continue ReadingThere is no question that real estate is an exciting industry. It shapes our cities, creates places for us to shop, work and even shapes the places we take our children to play. As a result, to be involved in the development of new projects – and see them rise out of the ground – is...
Continue ReadingBeing a local boutique PR agency in Malaysia, we do face a fair bit of challenges in terms of recruiting, retaining and most importantly, inspiring a team. After all, we lack the financial and human resource support that an international agency may have....
Continue ReadingVariety is the spice of Europe...
Continue ReadingHow often do you feel you’ve got too many things going on around you? Instead of getting straight to PR work, you suddenly find yourself doing 10 or 100 other things, just not the right one you should be doing? Or maybe it is difficult for you or your team to finish all tasks in the...
Continue ReadingIn today’s world, there’s no escaping social media – especially when it comes to crisis communications....
Continue ReadingMost communications officers know what public relations mean, but rarely do they fully understand everything that should be covered when planning a company’s PR activities for an entire year to come. It’s not only the media, stakeholders or even social media influencers that need to be watched. It’s also about deciding how the company should be...
Continue ReadingIs PR one of your options to start your career? Searching the web for PR jobs can be an enormous task and you’d often be thrown into confusion. The PR industry has become so diversified and almost borderless and at the same time the “think global, act local” thinking leads you in global business. Which means...
Continue ReadingNo personal contact, no investment in your company. The simple truth is: Investing is a people business and Investor Relations is about building relationships. Going on a roadshow to get in direct contact with institutional investors is obviously one of Investor Relations most important activities. Roadshows offer an opportunity to ensure that Investor Relations has a...
Continue ReadingNo matter what you do the request for proposal (RFP) is a fact of life in the world of PR agencies and clients....
Continue ReadingLove them or leave them, the fact is we simply can’t ignore them – the difference that is between employers, the Baby Boomers and their younger employees, the Millennials....
Continue ReadingAfter 40 years of agency history, there are some key learnings I’d like to share on one of still the best PR tools: case studies. Let’s clarify first how we in the German market define a case study: That’s an article showing a solution (product/service) of a client of ours in use by one of their...
Continue ReadingIn the endless ocean of the digital world, social media posts by companies and brands are often overlooked or do not attract the attention of its audience at a desired level. To improve engagement, brands often choose to promote their products by cooperating with influencers thought to be fit for the brand. Influencer marketing – which...
Continue ReadingAlthough PR professionals are usually seen as news-shapers, we’re also news-makers, especially as our industry continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate. And whether it’s tips on how to utilize new social media management tools or an analysis of the latest communications disaster, the PR trades do a vital job in keeping our industry up-to-date....
Continue ReadingAlthough PR professionals are usually seen as news-shapers, we’re also news-makers, especially as our industry continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate. And whether it’s tips on how to utilize new social media management tools or an analysis of the latest communications disaster, the PR trades do a vital job in keeping our industry up-to-date....
Continue ReadingAlthough PR professionals are usually seen as news-shapers, we’re also news-makers, especially as our industry continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate. And whether it’s tips on how to utilize new social media management tools or an analysis of the latest communications disaster, the PR trades do a vital job in keeping our industry up-to-date....
Continue ReadingShould PR professionals be afraid of Artificial Intelligence? On the contrary, they should embrace the advantages provided by AI, starting with an enhanced influence....
Continue ReadingThe public relations agency can serve a number of significant roles in the C-suite. The question is, how do you find true acceptance in the C-suite....
Continue ReadingReduced to the essentials, it is actually quite simple: investors on the capital markets want to earn money and they hate making mistakes. This principle applies universally worldwide and across all investor classes. Sometimes experience, a good nose or a so-called golden hand can help make a worthwhile investment decision. However, in order to assess the...
Continue ReadingOptimizing your schedule is important for making the most out of every workday. It’s true no matter what your profession is – public relations professional, CEO, parent, teacher – since every minute you save allows you extra time for yourself, your family or another client. But, prioritizing goals to maximize your daily schedule isn’t always easy....
Continue ReadingToday, more than ever, employee advocacy and PR are intrinsically linked, and a true connection is necessary when business objectives need to be met. When we talk about messages and communication with audiences, corporate image, the social networks, all this can be leveraged multiple times if the employee advocacy is in place and functioning well in...
Continue ReadingPublic relations is typically defined as a set of actions aimed at creating and maintaining a good image of a person, a company or any organization. The image can be built for the general public (consumers, clients, investors, public institutions, social organizations, etc.) and also for an organization’s own staff (internal communications)....
Continue ReadingDon’t expect a big surprise when reading our answer to this question: No, a formal certificate of any kind of curriculum is definitely not necessary to work and survive in PR – as many agency owners, pr managers and employees without a degree can tell you from their experience....
Continue ReadingNowadays, PR is much more than media relations, press releases or launch events. PR becomes a modern combination of classical and new communication trends – integrated, 360 degree PR strategy including visuals, digital solutions, and, of course, blogging. Blogs fit the taste of those who are looking for interesting pieces of news, non-traditional recommendations or educational...
Continue ReadingHere some ways to end 2018 on a high note. ...
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