Leading comms at a large organization is never easy — especially in the bristling political landscape we are all experiencing right now — but smooth collaboration among departments can keep leadership united through even the fiercest reputational storms.

At Ragan’s 2024 Future of Communications Conference in Austin, Texas, industry experts gathered to share their best advice on how communicators can promote unity and create clarity amid increasing societal and organizational complexities. The opening keynote panel addressed the challenges and benefits of getting different departments on the same page around messaging and deciding when an org should speak up on key issues.

Moderator Marco Pena, EVP and GM of Edelman Austin, led the conversation with Anh Selissen, chief information officer at the Texas Department of Transportation; John Hallock, chief communications and marketing officer at Quantum Health; Elizabeth Monteleone, chief legal officer at Bumble; and Alise Marshall, senior director of corporate affairs and impact at Pinterest.

Read on for their best advice.

Values and vision

As businesses face calls to take public stances on social issues, panelists discussed when and how companies should respond. Marshall argued for a consistent, values-driven approach: “Instead of shape-shifting to match the moment, take a long view,” she urged, advising organizations to focus on what matters most to their consumer base and avoid opportunistic “performative” statements that lack authenticity.

She emphasized the need for companies to reinforce shared values and truths that orgs use to keep their heading through rough seas, and she advised communicators to work with leaders to frame company missions around community service and societal impact, rather than solely shareholder value alone.

“Regardless of that polarization that we see across the electorate, folks still want the same basic things out of this life,” she said. “They want to be able to go to work in a dignified manner and role. They want to be able to give back to their communities and to those loved ones.”

Reinforcing these shared values by providing clear evidence of non-performative community impact, as well as opportunities for employees to get behind a message of societal support, can help companies meet consumer and staff expectations without inciting partisan ire.

Although Monteleone said Bumble favors “policies, not politics,” it is a women-founded, women-led and women-focused organization that has consistently been supportive of reproductive healthcare — a highly politicized topic during the 2024 election. The company organized election triage and crisis teams to ensure both legal and communications alignment around Bumble’s response to the outcome of the election and its implications.

“It’s key for every industry… to continue to stick to the mission and the values that you as a company are committed to,” she said. “There are a ton of things that are going to come up. You don’t need to respond to every single one of them. But on those that we have committed to, regardless of what the political landscape is going to be, we’re going to continue to show up. And that consistency builds trust. It builds authenticity in your employee base and your consumer base. “

Truth and consistency

When in doubt, Selissen advised, get back to the heart of any comms role — delivering on business objectives through clear communications. “Every organization has a critical mission,” she said. ”Regardless of political landscape… you have a core mission to deliver open and accurate information, regardless of the function that you serve.”

It can be easy to shy away from directness when societal dynamics require organizations to make decisions and express positions on issues that impact the business, but transparency and consistency are the best path to both employee and public buy-in.

Clear protocols and policies around what issues the organization will address can help even the most ardent employees know what to expect. “I think that we don’t give the employee base enough credit,” Marshall said. “They understand that the leadership of a company is facing lots of different complex questions and navigating lots of different dynamics and has to be thoughtful and measured and how to move.”

Hallock explained that Quantum Health positions marketing and communications under corporate communications to maintain narrative control around the expression of company values when working with different clients — say, an airline that operates under different regulations than an oil company.

Partnering with legal and IT from the outset is critical to that balance because it can help organizations pick their battles and choose when not to speak up — and it’s the guidance from corporate levels that ensures that awareness of nuance is consistent across the board. “I see corporate comms continuing to take a larger, more strategic role in most companies, because … it lends itself to just being the most powerful lever to bring all these things together.

Key Takeaways:

• Values-driven messaging: Anchor communication strategies around shared values to build unity amid polarization.
• Accuracy and collaboration: Engage legal and IT teams early to ensure accurate, regulation-compliant messaging.
• Consistency: Maintain a consistent stance on core issues instead of reacting to every societal trend, building authenticity with both consumers and employees.
• Integrated communication structures: Make sure leadership is positioned to help craft clearer, cohesive storytelling across functions and channels.

For more lessons from Comms Week, join us a FREE webinar Nov. 19.

The post One org, one voice: How to keep comms consistent in a charged political climate appeared first on PR Daily.

A crisis plan is not a one-and-done document; preparedness requires a constant commitment to proactive planning, situational awareness and flexibility. 

Jay Weisberger, who leads external communications for DPR Construction and has 20 years of experience navigating everything that can go wrong in the construction industry, addressed this aspect of crisis comms during Week 1 of PR Daily’s Crisis Communications Certificate course. Read on for his best advice on setting your business up to survive and mobilize when the unexpected happens. 

Crisis-ready mindset 

As any communicator who’s been through a major crisis knows, emergency situations don’t happen in a vacuum — and they don’t just happen to one organization.   

“We love it in communications when a crisis happens to someone else and we don’t have to do anything,” Weisberger quipped. But 10 minutes later, he noted, that problem could be yours. He emphasized that communicators should plan with an “imaginative mindset” that considers how interconnected issues can evolve. 

If that sounds like a pessimistic way to live, consider this: Assuming anything can go wrong and thinking through the ripple effects will help you develop plans before a risk becomes a crisis. 

• Identify “adjacency crises”: Weisberger pointed to the impact that Boeing’s recurring crises have had on not just airlines, but any business that depends on air travel to run smoothly. “Something happens to somebody else. It feels like you’re in the clear, but wait a minute,” he said. “Where is your vulnerability, actually?”  

• Find the ripple effects: Weisberger recommended that communicators run “thought experiments” to envision various crisis scenarios and potential ripple effects. These might not directly impact you but could do damage in the long run. 

Among the “what-ifs” to monitor and have a plan for, Weisberger floated infectious disease outbreaks, workplace injuries and violence, security breaches and information leaks, disruptive activism and legislation that impacts your business. 

In particular, he flagged predictions that “within two to three years, almost every company (is) going to deal with some form of deepfake video” or other malicious creative. “We really need to be paying attention to the threats that are out there and following the best practices that are beginning to be even more and more thoroughly developed so that we can inoculate ourselves from some of the lower-hanging fruit,” he said. 

Appraisal and action 

When a situation arises that requires a comms response, take a beat to classify it. In Weisberger’s experience, many communicators are quick to label any disruption as a crisis, which can lead to unnecessary escalation or misaligned responses. “Don’t confuse an incident with a crisis,” Weisberger advised. “Just because something happens does not make it a crisis.”  

• Assess the impact: An operational delay may initially appear critical, but if it doesn’t affect overall objectives or stakeholders, it may be manageable without full crisis response. And situations require additional investigation: “Sometimes things happen on the field that aren’t exactly what you saw on tape,” Weisberger said.  

• Shore up your contingency plans: “Think about where your firms are vulnerable,” Weisberger suggested. In the construction industry, that could mean supply chain delays or equipment recalls; he and his teams develop plans that outline response thresholds for each. 

• Look at the long game: When Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsed in March 2024, it didn’t have an immediate impact on DPR Construction, which has a local office. “However, the Port of Baltimore is now closed, and we get all kinds of material deliveries to ports all over the country,” Weisberger said. And there’s the human aspect to consider with regard to employees, their families, and the well-being of local communities: “Those of us in the construction industry really felt this because the only fatalities were to construction workers on the bridge at the time.” 

Train, prepare, empower 

An effective response requires a well-trained, confident team that knows exactly what their role is in a crisis situation. “A plan unused is a useless plan,” Weisberger stressed. By running crisis drills and simulations, communicators can ensure that their team is ready to adapt as situations unfold. 

• Conduct regular crisis training: “Think about who are the right stakeholders,” Weisberger said, explaining that leaders in particular may need spokesperson training and crisis drills to help them feel confident and prepared. Ensure everyone knows what priorities to focus on at every stage of a crisis or incident. 

• Prioritize efficiency: Weisberger pointed out that large organizations must especially consider who to mobilize in a crisis to ensure that information flows quickly to decision-makers when it matters most so that the right information reaches the right people at the right time.  

• Get your information in order: Outline who your audiences are and what each stakeholder set expects. Although Weisberger said that in his experience, “the public is reasonably accepting and forgiving … they do expect us to be accountable for whatever parts of a crisis that they feel we should be able to be accountable for, reasonably.” Leaders must be ready to address core concerns transparently and empathetically. 

Finally, Weisberger advised viewers to keep their crisis plan updated. “Make sure you’re refreshing that knowledge on some manner of recurring basis, even if it’s just within the comms infrastructure of your organization or within your firm or within your practice.” 

After all, preparedness isn’t only about predicting the next crisis, but about developing the awareness and adaptability to respond effectively when the unexpected occurs.  

“The faster you can mobilize in those first moments of a crisis, the better off you’re going to be,” Weisberger said. 

Learn more about crisis preparedness at Ragan and PR Daily’s 2024 Future of Communications Conference, during Comms Week, Nov. 12-15.  

The post Adjacency and ripple effects: Thinking dynamically in the face of crisis  appeared first on PR Daily.

As an unusually hot summer clings to many regions across the globe and hurricane season churns on, extreme heat, poor air quality and sudden storms pose hazards to not only residents but those who work outdoors — requiring their employers to be a communications conduit and a source of support.

In these conditions, working outdoors can become life-threatening without the proper resources, policies and support from employers. On top of that, line workers for energy and power providers have received threats in recent months from the very public they’re employed to help.

We spoke with Michelle Delery, director of corporate internal and external communications at Entergy Corporation, and Kim Selph, director of digital customer experience, communications and marketing for Tampa Electric, about the evolving challenges of keeping both personnel and consumers safe, informed and connected.

Simplifying and quantifying messages for frontline workers

Reaching deskless workers is a chronic challenge for communicators across a variety of industries, but is especially important for frontline energy employees. Entergy’s methods for alerting employees of climate conditions have evolved in recent years, expanding to include more multimedia across every available channel — digital signage, employee apps, email, and especially in-person communications from on-site leadership.

“We work with the business to make sure our outdoor safety messages are easy to understand and follow,” Delery said. “And of course, we ensure that they are being updated as the environment changes.”

And although conditions can be more volatile than they were in decades past, communicators have access to more robust, real-time data — weather apps, air quality alerts and tracking technology — which didn’t exist five or ten years ago.

“We have access to information today that we might not have been able to capture years ago,” explained Delery. “In the past, general weather advisories were often sufficient, but now, real-time information and adaptability are crucial to meet our stakeholders’ expectations.”

During the last hurricane, Tampa Electric relied on its employee app, an intranet homepage takeover dedicated to the storm, and regular email updates. “Leaders also received regular, updated talking points which aligned with our messaging for that day, to ensure every based was covered,” Selph said.

Her team makes a point of getting in the field to better understand workers, their mindset and the challenges they face through direct conversation and connection.

“Many communications people work in a corporate office and sometimes have little interaction in the field,” Selph explained. “It’s important to get out there and understand their realities and identify the channels that work best for them. They often get a lot of their information from in-person meetings and communicate with their cell phones. You should keep this in mind when communicating this important information.”

Perfecting policies

Policies must change to keep pace with new climate realities. Delery points to Entergy’s “Work/Rest/Hydration” schedules, which include reminders about staying cool by removing PPE and extra clothing during breaks and spending time in air-conditioned break areas.

That sometimes means working around egos in favor of safety. “We are always cognizant that front-line employees may be overly confident in their ability to manage the heat,” Delery said..

But it’s not just the heat. “Air quality is a more prominent concern today than it was 10 years ago,” continued Delery, citing wildfires and pollution as threats to communities and employees. “Companies now need to incorporate air quality advisories and provide protection against harmful pollutants in addition to heat protection.”

Selph echoes the need for preemptive communication. “We anticipate scenarios in advance, with pre-established language and approval processes to ensure rapid action when needed. Every hurricane season, we prepare templates with before, during, and after-storm messaging for stakeholders, updating them annually to keep them fresh and ready for deployment,” she said.

Nailing the timing

Both Delery and Selph agree that there’s no room for delay when it comes to safety messaging.

To get the right message to the right people — at the right time and in the right way — Tampa Electric works ahead of any disaster warnings through scenario planning, developing pre-established language that can be adapted and deployed quickly, and streamlining approval processes to avoid last-minute revisions.

“For tropical systems, we maintain a set of four scenario-specific templates, which include before, during and after the storm messages for each set of stakeholders,” Selph said. “They are mostly pre-written with segments that can be tailored to the unique situation. We ensure these templates are updated and reviewed annually before the storm season begins to guarantee they are ready for deployment.”

When a storm strikes, a single executive is the “incident commander” responsible for final approvals.

Similarly, Entergy regularly runs tests of its communications response plans to ensure they’re updated. However, “it’s important to remind everyone that safety trumps speed when communicating about hot weather and storm risks,” Delery said. “Nothing is more important than ensuring that our employees, contractors and customers remain safe.”

Know your options and find your allies

Selph advises communicators working in industries that hinge on weather and climate conditions to have a range of options for receiving information, matching those preferences, and ensuring that everyone knows the best place to find the most accurate, up-to-date messages.

“Know your consumers’ preference in terms of whether they’d like to receive a text, email or voicemail and communicate to them in their preferred method,” she said. “For employees, ensure they know what channel should be considered their ’single source of truth’ and have back-up communication methods available for senior leadership in case connectivity is lost due to severe weather.”

One of the best ways to ensure cohesive messaging within a given community is to build a close relationship with emergency management officials and other important partners so information is shared consistently, cohesively and collaboratively. “You want to have these contracts in your phone and to know them prior to the emergency occurring,” said Selph

But don’t try to do it all yourself. After all, an entire community leaps into action when a storm or urgent weather condition arises. “Ensure you stay focused on your lane, which for us includes weather-related incidents that involve electricity,” Selph said. “For example, what to do if you encounter a downed line, how floodwaters can hide downed lines and when and how to safely use generators.”

Her team also works with the government to ensure they have official messaging and resources on hand — even for unexpected occurrences such as scammers who target customers during and after crises.

ESG evolved

For energy companies, environmental, social and governance (ESG) work isn’t a hope or a vague pledge. Their future and the lives of many of their customers relies on the ability to deliver power to communities experiencing unpredictable climate and weather conditions. And in many regions, aging energy infrastructure has strained these companies’ capabilities in recent years.

As a result, Entergy’s ESG policies have shifted to focus on infrastructure resilience. “It’s more important now than ever to strengthen and modernize the U.S. power grid as severe weather events become more frequent,” Delery said. “Accelerating resiliency investments will allow us to respond better to each storm and ensure our customers have not only reliable but affordable power.”

Entergy is aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To keep up with its goals, Delery emphasizes the need for strong corporate governance systems that emphasize ethics, transparency and accountability. “We’ve seen the focus on governance practices continue to grow in recent years,” Delery said. “Good governance measures help businesses manage risks and opportunities.”

Learn more about how communicators are evolving their practices to build resiliency and prepare for the future at Ragan and PR Daily’s 2024 Future of Communications Conference in Austin, Tex., Nov. 12-15.

The post Adapting to extremes: How communicators in the energy industry save lives appeared first on PR Daily.

It’s practically impossible to encounter a space in which people aren’t discussing politics at the moment. Whether you’re setting policies around interpersonal workplace discussion or helping external comms professionals who work with your organization determine when, where and how to navigate choppy political waters, keeping your comms world steady is a tall order. 

There’s no sure-fire, one-size-fits-all way to ensure that tensions won’t flare whenever political (and politicized) topics arise — or that your organization won’t accidentally stumble into a political brouhaha in the public sphere.  

“Fair and consistent methods are ideal, obviously, but the legal and cultural environments that we’re in,” said Christina Frantom, internal communications lead at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc., during a recent Ragan webinar. “It’s like you’re walking a tightrope in heels.”  

But Frantom also offered some practical, actionable advice for training your comms muscles to stay balanced in those stilettos. Read on for her best tips. 

Start with respect and clarity 

At Mercedes-Benz, a global organization with employees all over the world, comms is responsible for defining what respect looks like in the different cultural and political environments where its people and marketing appear. 

“This kind of information is really important, not only to have on the books, but also to communicate clearly and to make sure that you’re communicating in all of the different cultural and language areas that you need to be,” Frantom said. 

It’s not possible to get it right every time, to monitor and discuss behaviors in a wholly neutral way in every environment and interaction. But standardizing policy and procedure helps. 

“Having a general, respectful workplace policy is really important,” she said. And it must stay as adaptive as possible. 

Comms isn’t alone in this venture, and it shouldn’t be. Legal and colleagues in other HR roles should be treated as teammates to help comms leads iron out the different sensitivities across markets and business operations when developing and distributing policies that empower employees to remain informed and respectful. 

The power of memory and positivity 

Frantom recommends what she calls “remember campaigns” that raise visibility and awareness of important cultural moments and political issues that might impact employees or public discourse. It’s a reminder that “hey, we’re here and we’re committed to providing a safe and fair and respectful work environment,” as she puts it. 

Digital signage on comms platforms serves as a visually neutral, positive heads-up for employees that can incite congenial activity and celebration rather than rewarding conversations about news headlines or points of division. 

Frantom emphasized the need for positive reinforcement rather than punitive measures when possible. Rather than “making examples” out of people for less respectful and more harmful choices, try thanking and calling out people who show respectful behavior like celebrating others and navigating difficult topics with grace. Frantom also says it’s important to respect privacy, emphasizing that monitoring private channels is counterproductive unless a complaint arises. 

Of course, conflict has to be addressed when employees don’t respect others.: “Where we draw that hard line is with any kind of inflammatory, aggressive or threatening behavior,” Frantom added. 

Channel manager mentality 

Comms professionals are in the unique position to emulate and influence behaviors through example. While you might write and distribute policies, you’re not an enforcer — and that gives you the ability to connect with employees at their level. 

“The number one goal and the number one role of comms professionals: We are more channel managers than we are executioners of a particular policy or procedure,” Frantom said. 

That includes both internal and external social channels, intranets, newsletters, town halls, Q&As and beyond. 

“If you’re not engaged in social listening, then you’re behind,” Frantom said, and advised comms pros to ensure that social channels are monitored at least eight to 10 hours per day. 

Being that mediator and moderator can be tough, but she encouraged comms pros to take heart, because “there are ways to do it that everyone can get involved in where everyone wins.” 

Remember that most politically or culturally motivated disagreements stem from a lack of understanding and cultural differences rather than malicious intent. 

In case of emergency 

It’s impossible to avoid all politically motivated conflict in the workplace. When that happens, it pays to be prepared with templates and approved language that can be deployed for employees and for press at a moment’s notice. 

Employees can also be an asset in these scenarios. Having your brand’s priorities, position and mission articulated and aligned with employees ahead of time also can save you stress and minimize pitfalls. 

“Understand how you’re representing yourself as a brand, but more importantly, how your organization wants to represent itself to its employees,” advised Frantom, “then flip them to brand ambassadors so that they’re armed with the information they need in their communities or in their work environments.” 

Sometimes that alignment can ensure that employees know what the brand won’t comment on; other times it’s providing policy information.  

The bottom line 

Ultimately, voting is a right and employers must respect that. Unfortunately, the act of voting itself is sometimes a topic of contention around election days, but the best bet for any organization is to ensure that their employees have the space to make their voices heard. 

Encouraging voting participation means ensuring that everyone is aware that employees should have a lighter meeting load, flex time or a work-from-home policy on election days and whenever employees need to participate in their local election process. 

Post-election, join us during Comms Week at the Future of Communications Conference in Austin, Tex., Nov. 13-15, where we’ll host discussions and post-election reflections on lessons learned for tomorrow, and for the future. 

The post A tightrope in heels: Comms advice for politically contentious times  appeared first on PR Daily.

There’s no such thing as a “sure thing” when pitching, but as communications and PR pros know, telling an original and captivating story is key to earning media placements and approvals for even the most ambitious initiatives.

In the cinema and publishing worlds, the demand for “high concept” stories is a recurring drumbeat among literary agents and screenwriters. Well-executed, high-concept stories have major potential to capture the attention of both audiences and gatekeepers such as literary agents, publishers and studios.

Framing a story of any kind through this lens can be a great way to express why a story is powerful and drum up excitement about it.

But what does “high concept” mean, and how can we apply it to comms and PR? Let’s find out.

What are high-concept stories?

High-concept stories are based on big-picture, big-idea premises that have broad audience appeal, offer something an original twist on or mashup of familiar elements, and can be explained in as few words as possible.

These premises are often styled as “what-ifs,” “X meets X,” or “this but with that”:

• What if the genius serial killer helps the protagonist catch the antagonist? (“Silence of the Lambs”)
• It’s “The Lord of the Rings” meets the “Wars of the Roses.” (George R.R. Martin’s actual pitch for the “Song of Ice and Fire”/”Game of Thrones” series.)
• A mockumentary comedy but with vampires. (“What We Do in the Shadows”)

Sometimes, a well-executed, high-concept story can even launch a whole genre or trend by fundamentally twisting the tone and plots typical of a preexisting genre. Just look at the way “The Hunger Games” ignited an appetite for young-adult dystopian stories with female leads.

A few more examples of these ideas playing out successfully:

• Films such as “Judge Dredd” and “Blade Runner” (like Phillip K. Dick’s novels before them) helped shape the cyberpunk genre, a gritty, often-dystopian twist on preexisting science fiction. Another branch of the genre emerged when “The Matrix” mixed in superhero-like themes.
• The film “Apocalypse Now” retold Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” set during the Vietnam War.
• “Parks and Recreation” applied the appeal and mockumentary style of “The Office” to a small-town parks department, while “Abbott Elementary” did the same in an underfunded elementary school.

How brands do high concept

How does this take shape in the comms and PR world?

Think of brands doing something so unexpected and original that they ignite a wave of copycats, related products, memes and other trends. For example:

• Volkswagen’s “Lemon” print ad, and more recently, Pepsi’s “More Than OK”. (What if a brand panned its own product?)
• Macintosh/Apple’s 1984 commercial. (Brand meets iconic dystopian story and changes the ending.)
• Nike’s Air Jordan 1 release, one of the most iconic examples of fashion and footwear brands tapping into fandom with a limited-edition (and celebrity- and star athlete-led) product drop. (Brand meets celeb +What if only the first fans scored the highly coveted product?)
• Wendy’s irreverent tone and roasts on Twitter, which led to a swath of brands developing their own irreverent social media voices. (Millennial humor but with a brand account.)

All of these examples…

• Tapped into an audience they might not otherwise be connected with.
• Reversed expectations around how a brand should behave.
• Made others want to get in on their game.

Applying the principle

Now that we have our aspirations, let’s get back down to Earth: Not every story, campaign or initiative you pitch is going to be as great an idea as the Air Jordan 1. Not every social media campaign is going to be as surprising and original as the first-ever Wendy’s roast.

And ultimately, the most powerful pitches are those in which the product, campaign or initiative itself is strong.

But you can apply the same storytelling — and storyselling — principles that make high-concept ideas attractive to any pitch, story or idea, whether you’re aiming to get a campaign covered by a news outlet or  trying to pilot a new comms initiative.

Here are some ways you might strengthen your pitch (or the idea itself) by applying high-concept storyselling principles:

Make connections to similar big wins and explain what’s next.

• Is your organization simplifying its name? It might be easily explained to stakeholders by comparing it to Dunkin’ Donuts shortening its name to Dunkin’.
• If last year’s DE&I video series got the best engagement of any content your comms team ever created, explain how you plan to recreate that success by adding a new and original twist.

Draw from the headlines and research.

• The election has been dominating the news cycle, and your organization’s voter registration push aims to help people feel empowered to participate.
• Employee satisfaction is on the decline, so your comms team plans to organize a volunteer event because studies show they have a statistically high likelihood of boosting an employee’s sense of loyalty, connection and wellbeing.

Prioritize actions over individuals.

• If you’re pitching a celebrity-focused campaign, the pitch shouldn’t just be about who they are, but what they’re doing in the campaign and why they’re a good fit for the brand or product.
• If you’re writing about a new executive hire, start with what actions and accomplishments made them the right choice for the role.
• When pitching yourself for a promotion or project lead, explain what you’ve done rather than what titles you’ve held.

Use  high-concept phrasing: “what if,” “X meets X,” and “this but with that.”

These can be applied to many types of pitches to explain what makes the core idea both appealing — because it’s like something that already worked — yet original. Applying these phrases to create original premises can inspire great opening lines when pitching journalists or your organization’s leadership.

• What if a celebrity marketing campaign starred an astronaut and took place in space?
• What if a CEO tangibly showed they cared about employees?
• It’s Snickers’ “you’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign meets Old Spice’s “the man your man could smell like” campaign.
• It’s an annual retreat meets a music festival.
• It’s a contender in the Chicken Sandwich Wars, but it’s vegan.
• It’s last year’s employee recognition celebration, but with a gamified UGC challenge.

Ultimately, pitching and ideating through a high concept lens can give audiences a frame of reference for understanding the potential of your story by drawing parallels to successful examples, while still emphasizing what makes it different, surprising and notable.

Jess Zafarris is the director of content for Ragan and PR Daily and an author, editor, journalist, TikTok creator and game maker.

The post High-concept comms: Crafting a Hollywood-worthy pitch appeared first on PR Daily.

The Transportation Security Administration isn’t exactly known for its sense of humor — when you interact with them in airports, that is. But it’s a whole different vibe, as the kids say, on its social media accounts, where the TSA cuts loose with relatable travel memes, humorous tips, a bit of snark and adorable photos and videos of bomb-sniffing dogs and their shenanigans.

Emily Bonilla-Pieton, lead social media strategist for the TSA within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, joined Ragan and PR Daily’s Director of Event Programming Alyssa Smith for a Power Conversation at the 2024 Social Media Conference at Disney World. They talked about the creativity, strategy, trust and communication that goes into showing the lighter side of an organization known best for enforcing stringent regulations.

The TSA’s social media accounts are managed by two separate teams: a customer care team that runs its “Ask TSA” accounts and a strategy team, which embraces “content creation and edumacation” as Bonilla-Pieton put it.

She and her team have built such a profound level of trust with leadership that there are no approvals required for her to post a meme or joke to social media.

“In our role it is extremely important to not be too humble, to admit that you are the subject matter expert,” Bonilla-Pieton said. “We are engaged and connected with the public, day in, day out, after hours, on the weekends, you name it. We are connected to what the audience is saying, how they are reacting to our posts. … We are the voice for the public.”

Such freedom requires trust from leadership who values both the knowledge of social media managers and the importance of meeting customer needs and expectations for a social media account. After all, many will follow for information, but others follow for edutainment, and no one knows better what followers want than the person immersed in the platform and interacting with them every day.

That trust does require a mutual commitment, however. “We are mindful of the audience, but we also respect the agency’s rules and policies and regulations,” she said. “It’s a perfect marriage of meeting the audience where they’re at, but being on top of what we’re trying to push out for the agency.”

Watch below to learn more about this team’s social strategy, how they stay on top of trends and more.”

The post The TSA’s social team is free to post without approvals. Here’s why appeared first on PR Daily.

With the maturity and ongoing popularity of TikTok has come the phenomenon known as TikTokification — that is, an emphasis on bite-size, relatable, authentic and community-based content across platforms, online spaces and experiential activations.

The term has been circulating across sectors for long enough that the think pieces surrounding its benefits and drawbacks have come full circle. This brings us to today, when it’s clear that this style of content is here to stay thanks to its ability to capture attention amid the noise, as described in LumApps’ whitepaper, “Your Go-To Guide for Creating Impactful Videos to Enhance Your Internal Communications Strategy.”

The next generation of employees will enter the workforce having thrived on and even played a hand in shaping this content ecosystem. Earning their interest, attention and even loyalty will require employers to connect with them through familiar formats, much in the same way Slack and similar tools rose to meet Millennials’ workplace communication preferences.

Fortunately, it doesn’t require high production value or polished writing to create impactful comms that hit the same way a scrollable TikTok does.

According to TikTok’s 2024 What’s Next report, successful content creation in 2024 revolves around “curiosity, imagination, vulnerability and courage. … The unknown and uncomfortable is what creates the unimaginable — and those brave enough to create for it won’t just keep up, they’ll flourish.”

Whether that means creating TikTok-style videos or simply embracing what makes them effective, communicators may find new ways to connect with employees using these tips.

Don’t stress about polished production

Many of the videos that go viral on TikTok and Instagram are wobbly selfies shot while the creator is lying in bed or wandering the streets. This approach makes the creator personable, approachable and authentic compared to a shot obviously filmed by a crew.

Of course, this type of content isn’t suitable for every situation: Keep it more formal for layoffs and M&A. But if you have the opportunity to deliver a message with off-the-cuff, reactive video content, seize it. A celebratory selfie video from the CEO after a successful quarter may be better received and build trust more effectively than a stuffy, overproduced corporate video that puts distance between leadership and employees.

Push beyond comfort zones

Remind reluctant executives that sometimes it takes feeling a little cringey to get to a baseline comfort level with different media and formats.

“It is essential to consider both engagement and the desired outcome,” said Sean Winter, general manager, North America, at LumApps. “In other words, are you asking employees to consume something, understand something or act on something (or all three). This is where more modern forms of communication can really make a difference not only in how your employees understand, but also in how they then use that knowledge to get better at their job.”

Video can also help with efficiency: Can a 30-minute meeting be a 30-second video recap instead?

Get to the point, and keep it snappy

It’s long been known that capturing attention within the first three to five seconds is critical to keeping audiences absorbed in a piece of content. This usually takes the form of an exciting opening line or headline that makes audiences want more, but it can also mean getting creative with formats and narrative structure. Feed surprise and curiosity to keep eyes on your comms.

And of course, keep the message tight. Recent data has shown an appetite for longer-form videos on platforms such as TikTok, but you’re still looking at three to ten minutes, and that intro is vital for convincing audiences to stick with it. Get right to the heart of your message and ensure that every moment counts and every word is necessary.

Edutain your audience and tap into passion

One of the factors that keeps users coming back to TikTok, according to the What’s Next report, is its likelihood of introducing viewers to new interests, and humor remains a major draw for viewers. Communicators have the opportunity to ensure that their messaging sticks in employees’ minds by considering creative and entertaining ways to announce new policies.

Lean into employee interests to keep people invested. Have a lot of book lovers among your employee community? Look to #BookTok for discussion and engagement inspiration.

“Look at your favorite LinkedIn influencers (even humorous ones like Corporate Bro),” said Mary Davis, product marketing manager at LumApps. “They have engaging, funny and quick content that does a really good job of getting their message across.”

And don’t forget the music that keeps TikTok thriving: Verizon head of communications Andy Choi rewrote Beyoncé’s song “Texas Hold ‘Em” with a teambuilding message for a quarterly update.

Make it a conversation

Nothing translates a viewer to a loyal follower on TikTok better than the sense that they are seen, heard and valued as a member of a creator’s community. The same principles apply to comms content.

“Reply, reply, reply,” is a mantra for TikTok creators, and both communicators and leaders can do the same on intranets, in Town Hall Q&As and beyond to help employees feel seen.

Employees themselves also make the best subject matter experts for their roles. Consider working with employees in different departments to develop training videos for their colleagues and successors to maintain institutional knowledge over the years.

Keep community at the heart of the equation

“TikTok is a place where diverse voices, collaborative formats, and subject matters have flipped everything we know about traditional storytelling on its head,” the What’s Next report reads. “Content on TikTok is designed to be reinterpreted and built upon, so mobilize our community and give them an equal seat at the table to shape your brand’s identity and narrative.”

Crowdsourcing content from employees provides a wealth of top-notch content and helps employees embrace an organization’s culture. Ignite belonging by trusting them to authentically carry messaging forward.

For example, as part of its “Disney Cast Life” campaign, Disney Parks rallied its cast members to promote the launch of the Guardians of the Galaxy-themed Cosmic Rewind ride, allowing them early access to the ride and encouraging them to tease the experience with social media posts.

Make new tech your friend

Most communicators have an extensive archive of announcements, reports, policies, town hall messages, event videos, blog posts, emails and beyond. These archival materials can be repurposed into shorter-form intranet posts, social media materials, and vertical video. If you’re stuck or overwhelmed, try using an AI chat tool to adapt content that may have begun as a PDF into an engaging video script.

A communicator’s job today is much more than posting the latest policy updates to the intranet: It’s about helping employees feel they’re part of something. Look to platforms like TikTok, where communities thrive, to find out how to build loyalty and enthusiasm among your own workforce. Drill down into more tactical video production tips in LumApps’ whitepaper, “Your Go-To Guide for Creating Impactful Videos to Enhance Your Internal Communications Strategy.”

The post How TikTokification can help internal communicators build culture and community   appeared first on PR Daily.

Usually this feature includes lots of little updates. But let’s start this week with a big-picture look at the conflict between humans and AI as it’s playing out on Instagram.

Instagram appears to be struggling to navigate a future between the human creators that have long defined its platform and AI-driven updates (ostensibly) intended to assist with content discoverability for viewers.

Its Meta AI virtual assistant, which rolled out in place of Instagram’s traditional search bar in April, has been lambasted for — among other complaints — making it difficult to find creator content, and even pretending to have a child.

And perhaps antithetical to its goals, the AI tool was observed last week recommending YouTube and TikTok as a better source for video content that’s available on its own platform. D’oh!

Instagram’s AI search literally tells you to go to TikTok or YouTube for relevant videos

H/t: @griner pic.twitter.com/RHmFvLImf5

— Trishla Ostwal (@trishlaostwal) June 6, 2024

The PR Daily team has also noted that searching for parameters that used to be much easier to access, such as searching by geotag and location for local restaurants and attractions, is now buried and difficult to find.

For those who find the updates to the platform’s search function unhelpful, this feature can be disabled, though the platform will continue to use content on the platform to train the feature.

But are these changes off-putting enough to drive creators away? Even its advice for creators has been confusing and conflicted, with a recent video from the platform muddling instructions for engaging CTAs and captions on Reels. In an April poll from Creative Boom, 75.8% of respondents agree with the statement “Instagram is dying for creatives in terms of reach and engagement.”

With these updates, Meta is, perhaps rightly, thinking ahead to an AI-driven future — but at what cost if it loses the users that originally made Instagram a hit?

In other Instagram news, Meta continues to consolidate its Extended Social Media Universe by testing the ability to crosspost from Instagram to WhatsApp. Instagram is quickly becoming the hub for all Meta social media, with Reels and posts radiating out from there to other Meta-owned apps, underscoring the importance of the app in today’s ecosystem.

Instagram is also encouraging more experimentation, especially with Reels. It’s currently testing the ability to share Reels only with non-followers so that creators can find out to what extent their content resonates with new audiences. You may later choose to share the Reel with your followers, but if you don’t, it will be archived and not appear on your profile. It’s also tinkering with the ability to share a draft Reel with a friend from directly within the app but without publishing — which could be very handy indeed for social media teams.

Instagram also introduced a number of new perks for Broadcast Channels, including the choice to go live only with channel members, create custom themes, hide specific emojis from chat (no more poop or eggplant spams!), and ability to export a QR code that can take users directly to the Broadcast Channel.

X

X continues to be an interesting place for brand safety as it now explicitly welcomes the sharing of adult content. Basically anything goes as long as it is consensual (no word on how that will be determined) and prominently labeled.

Users who regularly post adult content must flip a switch in their account settings that puts all their images and videos behind a warning. Users can opt out of seeing all adult content or choose not to open labeled pieces. Users under 18 or who do not include an age on their profile will not be able to view the content.

While Twitter/X has looked the other way on adult content for quite some time, now it’s officially permitting it. But since X has gutted its trust and safety departments, one must wonder how they will determine which content is consensual or even legal, as CSAM continues to proliferate on the platform.

In less salacious news, X is testing new analytics tools, which will be available only to Premium subscribers. It’s not as robust as the free suite that was available to all users just a few years ago, but it’s a step in the right direction.

X will also soon allow iOS users to sort replies by “verified” users. A reminder that users are not actually verified — with the exception of brand accounts with a golden check and some public figures for whom the check was restored — they’re just those who pay for a checkmark.

Threads

Threads continues to nip at X’s heels with plenty of new features. It’s even eyeing a return to Twitter’s roots by encouraging users to add hashtags “so your post reaches the right people.”

The app is also looking to fine-tune its algorithm by allowing users to swipe, Tinder style, on posts they like or dislike. “We’ll use those signals to show you more posts like the ones you swipe right on and fewer of those you swipe left on,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri said.

YouTube

YouTube is once again trying to become more of a social media platform rather than merely a video platform. All creators will now be able to create posts — think Instagram or Facebook posts — that allow them to interact with their audiences. This feature has been available for some users since last year.

The new “Ideas and Outlines” feature uses AI to show what topics users are interested in, then create an outline to help guide your content. This could be helpful … or it could help make content more homogenous.

Finally, “Breakout Videos” will show creators high-performing videos from similar creators, again as a way to spark inspiration.

LinkedIn

Last but not least, LinkedIn is rolling out new B2B advertising options. It’s  testing the ability to promote short-form video ads alongside “trusted publisher content.”

And it wouldn’t be a weekly social media update story if someone wasn’t doing more with AI in advertising. This week, it’s LinkedIn bolstering its Accelerate program with the ability to exclude companies and get guidance from AI on their best-performing ads.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on X or LinkedIn.

The post New social media features and updates to know this week appeared first on PR Daily.

Struggling to stop the scroll? Video is the answer, said Katrina Marger, video content advisor at video creation PlayPlay, in conversation with editor Sean Devlin at PR Daily’s 2024 Social Media Conference.

A report PlayPlay conducted last year with Hubspot showed that, compared to static content, video results in 1200% more and a 200% increase in clickthroughs.

And of course, to boost engagement rates, keep the audience watching. Keep it short and sweet for social media — many advise a maximum of 60 seconds, but the snappier the better, and link out to longer content if needed. Ensure that videos draw viewers in with a punchy headline, compelling visuals and a thumbnail that makes audiences want to know more.

Plus, captions aren’t just about accessibility; many viewers watch on silent, and the text can draw the eye more effectively than a solo talking head without it. “Subtitles are a must,” she said. “They increase views by 80%.”

Marger also suggested creating a compelling hook in the first three seconds, which is pretty standard advice — but she then suggested applying the same principle to the rest of the video. Change up the angle, the shot or the visuals every three seconds to keep viewers’ attention.

Keep watching to learn how Marger recommends approaching effective calls to action that perform, and find out what metrics can help you improve performance with every video.

The post How to get audiences to watch branded videos appeared first on PR Daily.

Certain phrases, words and structures commonly appear in AI-generated copy, and these “tells” read heavily as robot-speak to anyone who has even casually used ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI text generator.

This is because, as digital trends and AI expert Martin Waxman pointed out in a talk at a recent Ragan conference, LLMs treat words, phrases and formats as data.

“Communicators are data producers,” said Waxman, a PR veteran and educator at the York Schulich School of Business and associate director of the Future of Marketing Institute. “We produce words — that’s natural language processing data. …. We have to start thinking about what we produce as data, and think about how to categorize it, store it and name it.”

That means that every blog post, newsletter, LinkedIn post, YouTube caption, speech, press release or Threads post an AI text generator vacuums into its machine brain is a piece of data that gets munched, analyzed for recurring formatting, structure and phrasing and spat out with whatever specifics you feed it for inspiration.

This large-scale suctioning can lead to linguistic quirks that crop up no matter what you’ve asked generative AI to produce.

Why does it matter whether my copy sounds like a robot?

Think of the worst, most vapid LinkedIn post you’ve ever read, or the most soulless corporate statement you’ve ever read, and then think of how many you’ve read that are exactly like that other one. Think of how rare it is to come across one that’s truly great and stands out from the crowd.

AI text generators are devouring all of them as data, and the preponderance of that data ranges from mediocre to downright awful — which means that the copy it spits out has a high likelihood of being just as dreadful.

In an entertaining (and expressive) post on his blog, Terrible Minds, critically acclaimed author Chuck Wendig accuses chatbots of “screaming twee authorial pablum.”

Still, in the comms world, AI-generated copy has plenty of pertinent applications and streamlines many processes. It’s often a great starting point when the blank page is staring you down, or you don’t have the time to rewrite the same message for 10 platforms.

But it’s critical to remember that core to the comms world is a keen understanding of humanity and reflecting that humanity in any expression from an organization or leader. And if your copy sounds like a robot’s “art barf,” as Wendig terms it, that’s probably not going to do your department any favors on the employee satisfaction front.

Meanwhile, to editors — including your friendly neighborhood Ragan and PR Daily staffers — obvious AI copy reads like nails on chalkboard, especially from, say, a PR pro who’s trying to convince us to cover their creative work using the most generic imaginable phrasing.

How to edit AI-generated copy

Let’s dig into what exactly makes AI-generated copy feel so mind-numbingly drab — the elements you can look out for and rework to make the output sound like you.

Look out for structural clichés.

AI tools tend to write like a high-school freshman’s five-paragraph essay or the most insufferable kind of LinkedIn influencer.

It starts thoughts with phrases such as “In this fast-paced world,” and ends writeups with hackneyed drivel such as “In conclusion, this impactful information has life-changing implications…”

Phrasing like this was boring in high school, and it’s boring now. Worse, it’s unnecessary and slows the reader from reaching the heart of your message.

Instead, provide context through concrete data and information, and cut to the chase with clear and concise takeaways if you need a conclusion.

Take a close look at subheadings if they are included in the output to ensure that they are necessary and informative, and make sure that bulleted lists aren’t repetitive.

Toss the word salad by eliminating or justifying subjective adjectives.

Generative AI loves filler adjectives such as “impressive,” “thought-provoking” and “unique.”

These are highly subjective words that can often be slashed unless they have a specific reason for being there.

Saying that an approach is “holistic” or “comprehensive” doesn’t mean anything unless you qualify it with concrete achievements and express what makes them holistic or comprehensive.

It’s up to you to connect the dots: Who precisely is impressed, and what’s the benchmark for “impressive”? Whose thoughts are being provoked, exactly, and how? “Unique” in comparison to what? If your work doesn’t answer these questions, consider cutting.

Back up your claims: The word “impactful” is not impactful if you do not explain what precise, quantifiable (or even qualifiable) impact was made. “Pivotal” is not a useful word unless you describe the pivot.

Take a close look at words such as “noteworthy” and “remarkable”: Are they necessary? Do they contribute? Are they objectively true?

Once I saw an AI-generated writeup that said a successful campaign “manifested through remarkably innovative and comprehensive communications strategies” — this kind of language is as empty of nutritional substance as an AI-generated image of potato chips.

Edit for…

• Objectivity: Eliminating the adjectives above will often clear out subjective claims from AI-generated copy, but give it an additional once-over to make sure it’s not just happily gushing without explaining why, exactly, the information is important, interesting and relevant to the reader.
• Passive voice: In most cases, it’s best to avoid saying that a project was “spearheaded by” someone. Rather, the leader spearheaded the project. Rather than saying an initiative was “implemented by” an organization, say that the organization implemented it.
• Agreement: Ensure that pronouns have clear antecedents and it’s obvious who’s verbing what. Make sure the subject and object of your verb make sense.
• Logical correlation: Look out for phrases such as “as evidenced by,” because odds are, if an AI chatbot generated the piece, the first part of that statement is not, in fact, supported by any objective evidence in the following clause.
• Conciseness and precision: If what the AI spits out says something along the lines of “it effected transformative change,” you can edit that down to say “it transformed X” — and then explain how. AI also tends to rephrase a point several ways; look for opportunities to cut out those repetitions.
• Tired verbs: There are a few select verbs and verb phrases that AI chatbots, for whatever reason, absolutely love — likely because they’ve been overused in business writing for decades: “delve,” “foster,” “ensure,” “transform,” “revolutionize,” “stand as a testament,” among others. These aren’t words that necessarily need to be removed from every piece of AI output, or your writing in general, but know that editors familiar with reading this copy will recognize these as common recurring terms in AI-generated work. Consider terms that are a bit less played out.
• And finally, numbers: Because AI chat tools are really bad at math and will often simply invent numbers.

If you have any additional “tells” to add to this list, contact me at jessz@ragan.com.

Jess Zafarris is the director of content at Ragan and PR Daily and an author, podcaster, game maker, editor, journalist, audience strategist and creator.

The post Edit your robots: Obvious signs copy is AI generated appeared first on PR Daily.

The travel sector is gearing up for another booming season.

After years of pandemic disruptions and the growing pains of the industry snapping back into place, demand has returned to prior levels, and 2024 promises to be a big year.

But consumers’ priorities and preferences have shifted. As a result, hospitality and travel organizations have had to ensure that the right staff and skills are in place to live up to those expectations — and sometimes put up with customer ire.

Meanwhile, unpredictable weather and climate patterns are changing safety and behaviors around travel, and of course, much like every other industry, AI is changing the game both internally and externally.

We spoke with communicators across the sky, sea and land to see how they’re planning for the upcoming travel season, as well as their predictions for the future.

Trend 1: In a booming travel season, clarity and talent should be top priorities.

The most immediate trend: It’s one heck of a travel season in 2024.

Chris Chiames, Chief Communications Officer for Carnival Cruise Lines, revealed that 2023 was the cruise line’s most successful year ever, and 2024 is expected to top it. “The current and very strong demand for travel in summer 2024 reflects consumer preferences to spend more and more on experiences, and that extended families and friend groups are using travel to spend quality time with people who are important to them,” he said.

Similarly, Veronica Cintron, VP of communications for the Tampa International Airport, said that this year’s spring break was the busiest in the airport’s history, with nine out of 10 of the airport’s busiest-ever days in March and April of 2024. For communicators in the air travel space, that means communicating clearly around crowds and wait times so that customer expectations are aligned with the experience.

“Having the right staffing levels in place, especially during these busy periods, and proper training helps ensure we can run a smooth operation that prioritizes customer needs,” she said. The airport has found success in holding airport-wide job fairs to help potential talent understand the full range of roles. That includes not just airport employees, but the more than 10,000 employees across airlines, the TSA, rental car companies and beyond.

Trend No. 2: Play up low-cost options to meet the needs of budget-conscious travelers.

But the motivation to spend more on travel doesn’t mean that everyone has the budget to do so.

The city of Santa Monica, California, has two new luxury hotels opening this season. Lauren Salisbury, senior director of communications at Santa Monica Travel and Tourism, said her organization and the city as a whole are leaning heavily into happenings and events, including Pride festivals and its annual Pier 360 Beach Festival, which aims to bring families to its beach and iconic pier.

The organization is tapping into the many reasons people travel to Santa Monica while tailoring its consumer-focused messaging to appeal to consumers who might not typically associate it with lower-cost travel.

“As concerns around inflation continue, consumers are increasingly looking to save while traveling,” Salisbury said. To meet this demand, her team has updated the website and marketing materials and is investing in communications that emphasize its free activities and events, as well as ways to make a trip to the city fit cash-strapped families’ budgets.

For Carnival, that means playing up aspects such as all-inclusive options and packages. “While consumer spending on travel is still very strong, people still want value for their money,” Chiames said.

Trend No. 3: Get personal.

Another way communicators can encourage travel for those on a budget is to ensure that consumers know that there are vacation options and experiences for everyone, and that means helping people see themselves in those places and removing barriers for entry.

Chiames said Carnival’s three priorities for marketing and external comms are expressing the ways travel can be personalized, experiential and multi-generational. “That is ingrained in how we promote cruising and talk about the Carnival experience — there is something for everyone, and multiple ways of having fun, however you define it.”

Influencers — micro and nanoinfluencers in particular — have continued to be strong partners for travel organizations in personalizing experiences for potential customers because they are trusted by their niche following and provide honest, experiential-based accounts of different destinations and services. According to research from Morning Consult, more than half of Millennials and Gen Zers use social media to inform their travel decisions, and that trend shows no sign of slowing.

Trend No. 4: To turn employees into ambassadors, connect their work with purpose.

 Many organizations benefit from empowering employees to not just deliver customer experiences, but to also serve as ambassadors for the benefit of both travelers and potential talent.

That means recognition at both the internal and external level, training and clear policies around messaging, and trust to ensure that all parties are on the same page.

“You have to give team members a reason to feel connected and passionate about where they work and what they do — a purpose,” Cintron said, noting that Tampa was dubbed “Best Large Airport in North America” by J.D. Power for the past two years, and she says that it’s because of its commitment to customer service, which its employees carry out.

The airport infuses a sense of purpose into its employee experience by regularly revisiting its benefits packages, offering learning and development opportunities, and finding ways to help employees connect and celebrate. Its recently launched Cultural Intelligence Initiative — fondly dubbed its “People Master Plan” internally—was developed by employees from across the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)’s employees to boost innovation and improve the employee experience.

Trend No. 5: Investing in AI talent and education will prepare travel orgs for the future.

It may come as no surprise that AI is a subject of great excitement and development for travel organizations and their comms teams.

While Chiames said “bogus, AI-generated video content is going to make all of our lives more complicated with regard to issues and reputation management,” it’s also a means of creating better customer service tools and improving internal experiences for employees.

Santa Monica Travel and Tourism sees it as a boon: “AI is quickly proving to be a great tool to help travelers find amazing things to do and plan vacations,” she said, though she noted that the organization is still in an “exploratory phase.”

To unlock that potential at a practical level while protecting the business and its employees, travel comms teams will need to invest in upskilling and talent acquisition focusing on the next phase of generative AI.

Jess Zafarris is the director of content at Ragan and PR Daily and an editor, journalist, audience director, game and puzzle maker, and content creator.

The post 5 trends to help travel industry communicators thrive this year and next appeared first on PR Daily.

Do you know a communications or public relations professional who just won’t stop? Whose knowledge of the discipline is as exhaustive as the average dictionary? Whose list of achievements resembles a CVS receipt?

Think of someone who has faced down crises and battled reputational risk, a comms champion who wields words and wisdom in the name of clarity, trust, authenticity, compassion and inclusion.

That individual may be destined for induction into Ragan’s Game Changers, Class of 2024.

The Game Changers are selected annually by Ragan’s editorial team and the board of Ragan’s Communications Week — which this year will be held Nov. 12-15 in cities around the world, with our flagship Future of Communications event in Austin Nov. 13-15.

These leaders keep comms current, know how to support each and every employee, have a global media impact, and remain ready for any eventuality.

We are currently accepting nominations using this form.

What makes a Game Changer?

Ragan’s Game Changer honor goes to leaders and luminaries in communications and PR whose work has not just revolutionized their own organizations, but sent a shockwave through the profession at large — and the world beyond.

For instance, among our Class of 2023, we honored Halley Knigge, then-director of co-op communication, and now divisional vice president, communications, community and inclusion at REI. Knigge began as a newspaper reporter, and from there she has charted a nimble course across sectors such as healthcare, nonprofits, education and aerospace, where she reshaped creativity for Alaska Airlines before making waves with her firm commitment to brand purpose and values at REI.

We also honored Angie Hu, vice president of corporate communications for Synchrony, who has a reputation for scoring top-notch media results and opening doors for powerful thought leadership across more than a decade. She also made history as the first Asian American woman on Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s comms team.

Then there was Michael Kaye who, in his role as head of brand marketing, communications and social media, expanded OkCupid’s influence around the world, generating the highest volume of press of any year in its history during his first year in the role.

Know someone like this — or perhaps totally unlike this but equally stellar in their accomplishments? Nominate a leader who has fundamentally changed the way we think about comms and PR using this form, and learn more about our Game Changers award program and Comms Week at CommsWeek.com.

The post Call for entries: Do you know a communications Game Changer? appeared first on PR Daily.

This story was originally published on March 13, 2023. 

TikTok faces yet another potential challenge from the U.S. government. The House today passed a bill, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which seeks to force TikTok parent company ByteDance to divest its U.S. business.

The bill, which may encounter more opposition in the Senate but has the potential to become law, is the latest move against the social media app from U.S. legislators who have concerns about national security and the Chinese parent company’s user data practices.

While previous legislation at the federal, state and city level have banned the app from government devices, this bill would have more sweeping implications: The ban would penalize app stores from carrying and updating the app. It’s a notable gambit with stateside implications beyond just socialization and entertainment for its more than 150 million U.S. users, considering that more than 5 million U.S. businesses are active on the app, and it’s estimated to contribute billions to the U.S. GDP.

Social media strategy on TikTok and its vertical-video competitors will be a hot topic at PR Daily’s upcoming 2024 Social Media Conference, March 27-29, and that conversation will be shaped by the passage or failure of this latest bill. We spoke with experts who will grace our stage to get their take on what this means for the future of the app.

Why it’s different

This attempt at a ban is unusual for its overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, especially around national security — and for its speed and decisiveness.

“This could potentially be more serious and real for TikTok,” said Karen Freberg, professor in strategic communication at the University of Louisville. “From what I’ve seen, this has caught everyone by surprise not just for the initial ban being brought up again, but how swiftly it made it through Congress today.”

While legislators seemed to fumble with the mere concept of the app in prior discussions and ban attempts, they’re more targeted with their approach this time around.

“This proposed legislation specifically targets ByteDance’s ties to China and establishes a clear process for addressing perceived risks,” said Carlos Gil, longtime social media leader who also operates the sneaker resale brand HypeSection, which has more than 300,000 followers on TikTok and has benefited from organic growth and engagement on the platform. “Moreover, there seems to be a heightened sense of urgency among lawmakers to address these concerns, which could increase the likelihood of the ban being implemented.”

But it’s a double-edged sword because, as Gil points out, it’s also a news source for U.S. users and presents free speech implications in that regard. “It highlights the need for a consistent and transparent approach to regulating social media platforms to ensure the protection of user data and uphold constitutional principles,” he said.

Implications for TikTok and beyond

If the ban is successful and a divestment remains in limbo, the move could impact the way brands and organizations that have been successful on TikTok interact with and build their audiences. They may have to pivot to other platforms and communities, and potentially lose access to audiences they have cultivated in the past.

“The latest attempt at a TikTok ban could have devastating implications for the creator economy and small businesses alike,” Gil said. “The potential ban serves as a stark reminder of the precarious nature of relying solely on social media platforms. While platforms like TikTok offer unparalleled reach and visibility, they also represent ‘rented land,’ where users have little control over their longevity.”

That said, this presents an opportunity for Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and other platforms capitalizing on vertical video — which it now appears will include X, formerly known as Twitter — to help creators and brands invest more time with them.

“This could lead to heightened competition in the social media landscape, with platforms vying for user attention and loyalty through innovative features and content offerings,” Gil said.

What now?

Freberg noted that brands will need a plan for either outcome. In the event of a ban, she advised brands and organizations to “embrace the different results this could bring to their business and make plans for what to do if TikTok is banned, (and) be actively communicating with creators and influencers they are working with on the platform so they know they are supported. These individuals have built their brand on the platform, and are probably going to raise questions, concerns, and be scared about the uncertainty.”

Gil recommends ensuring that your organization’s content and marketing mix is diversified across channels, and especially includes owned channels such as newsletters and websites. “Building a robust digital presence beyond social media ensures business continuity even in the face of platform upheavals, reinforcing the adage that businesses are only as good as the platforms they inhabit while they remain relevant,” he told PR Daily.

TikTok has reshaped the social media landscape — but what does the future hold for the app, and how should your organization think about it? Find out more from these speakers and many more at PR Daily’s 2024 Social Media Conference, March 27-29, at Disney World.

Jess Zafarris is director of content at Ragan and PR Daily, as well as an author, editor, journalist, speaker, social media engagement strategist and creator. Follow her anywhere @jesszafarris and connect with her on LinkedIn.

The post What a potential U.S. TikTok ban means for your social media strategy appeared first on PR Daily.

AI-generated video often ignites more trepidation about misinformation and deepfakes than optimism about its potential applications, but in either case, communicators will need to familiarize themselves with this medium to prepare for the future. After all, there’s a great deal of potential to be unlocked, as well as pitfalls on the road ahead.

Ragan asked AI experts to look into their crystal GPTs and share what they foresee for the future of video storytelling and how communicators can prepare.

What’s ahead

Given the increasing ubiquity of AI-generated text and images, there’s no doubt that AI will also continue to suffuse all types of video in the coming months and years.

“In the coming years, AI will become the foundation for the vast majority of video storytelling because it will save companies so much time and money,” said Stephanie Nivinskus, CEO at SizzleForce Marketing. And as a consequence: “The ability for humans to discern between videos created with AI versus. without it will become increasingly more difficult as the technology improves.”

Steve Mudd, CEO of Talentless AI, also foresees AI lowering current barriers for entry into video content creation — an extension of an ongoing trend, as platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels have simplified and reduced costs and time for social video creation for the average user.

“With synthetic media, in the time it takes to create one video, you can set yourself up to create dozens,” Mudd said. “For any business that relies on a consistent stream of video content, this can be a gamechanger, eliminating the gaps that you often see in social when people run out of content.”

David Quiñones, VP of editorial and content at RockOrange, is wary of what’s next, but thinks it will have benefits and downsides. “Hopefully, the biggest impact AI will have is in democratizing the space, breaking down the expensive barriers of entry and making the only limits for independent creatives the edges of their imaginations,” he said. “This will likely be ‘disruptive,’ but frankly the larger corporate purveyors of content — music labels, film studios, streaming services and network television — could use a firm shakeup.”

The future is (more or less) here

So far, AI-generated video has largely been found in the realms of deepfakes, AI influencers and one-off stunts, but some brands and organizations are dipping their toes into more practical applications.

Nivinskus pointed out that AI video software company Synthesia, for example, has a video testimonial from Heineken, which has worked with the software. She also expects to see video experimentation from Arizona State University, which partnered with OpenAI to shape an AI-generated future for higher education.

Mudd noted that Perplexity’s daily podcast uses synthetic voices, another application that may be infused into more video storytelling in the future.

But it’s not all sunshine and roses ahead.

During a recent presentation at Ragan’s recent Social Media Conference, Quiñones pointed out the use of AI tool Stable Diffusion to create the opening credits for Disney+’s show “Secret Invasion.” The social media backlash was swift and fierce, with fans angered at what was perceived as a lazy move that replaced human creativity with AI.

He suggests experimentation, tempered by caution — and perhaps waiting for others to trip up first. “As a content professional who also works in crisis management and strategy, I urge my partners not to be on the front line of adopting AI video content,” he said.

Transparency is the way forward

As usual, ethics and copyright are major factors that will shape the flow of AI-generated storytelling. The industry and legislators have a great deal of work to do.

“Synthetic media companies have become a lot more proactive about guardrails in their systems to prevent the unauthorized replication of people’s likenesses” — that is, deepfakes, Mudd noted. “Not knowing what data is being used to train models is casting a pall over the technology and its applications. Big Tech needs to deliver a lot more clarity than they have been.”

This murkiness around sourcing has already resulted in major lawsuits, such as the New York Times’ action against OpenAI.

The key for communicators now: Be honest about what you’re trying and the tools you’re using.

“AI is still a divisive concept for wide swaths of the population,” Quiñones said. “The biggest pitfall is in transparency, or more specifically the lack of it. If you’re showing people something created by AI, you have to tell them so or run the risk of eroding trust.”

There’s also the fact that AI-generated video is still often afflicted by the uncanny valley — “the imperfections found in videos that feature humans,” Nivinskus said. “For example, human eyes are incredibly expressive. In real life, we’ve all seen a skeptic narrow their eyes, an annoyed person roll their eyes, and a surprised person widen their eyes. Most AI-generated videos at this point create humans void of natural eye movements and other distinctly human traits.”

Quiñones sees the “wrongness” of AI-generated video as a benefit for humanity. “Hundreds of thousands of years later, this collective socio-emotional response might just be a saving grace as fully AI-generated content, no matter how well prompted and considered, is simply not satisfying,” he said.

Ready, set

Nivinskus and Mudd advised communicators to learn the basics of common software for AI-generated videos — including Synthesia, HeyGen, Eleven Labs, pika.art and twisty.ai and runwayml.com — by watching video tutorials about how they work. Quiñones also suggested trying out Coursera’s beginner courses.

“Get your hands dirty and start using the software yourself, make mistakes, and in doing so, learn how to do things you never thought possible,” Nivinskus said.

The Ragan editorial team has also tested tools such as Lumen5 and Pictory for converting articles to video. (Stay tuned.)

“Until you’ve actually played with the tools, you won’t really understand,” Mudd said. “The paradigm has shifted. This is not about adapting your old understanding to the new world. This is about throwing out everything you know and embracing a whole new paradigm.”

Learn more about the vast applications and tactics for shaping an AI-fueled comms strategy—as well as cautionary tales—at Ragan’s 2024 Future of Communications Conference, Nov. 13-15 in Austin, Texas, and at Comms Week events around the world.

Jess Zafarris is the director of content at Ragan and PR Daily, and an author, editor and social media strategist.

The post The future of video storytelling in an AI-driven world appeared first on PR Daily.

It’s no secret that traditional news outlets have largely failed to capture viewership and readership among Gen Z and younger millennial audiences. These generations favor short-form video platforms such as TikTok and Reels as not just news sources, but also entertainment platforms, search engines and community spaces. Indeed, nearly 30% of U.S. adults say they get some of their news from TikTok alone. 

At Ragan and PR Daily’s 2024 Social Media Conference, held at Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Resort, we heard from Vitus “V” Spehar, who has amassed more than 3 million followers on TikTok by reporting from under their desk — hence their handle, @UnderTheDeskNews.  

Spehar has several missions: To improve the media literacy of their audiences and help them understand the value of traditional platforms, combat misinformation, and help organizations and non-users understand the platform’s value as a safe community space and an audience-building tool.  

They’re certainly making progress. At first, Spehar was criticized for reporting on TikTok. But now, Spehar has spoken before UNESCO, reported from Capitol Hill, been invited to guest host the Los Angeles Times TikTok account, been interviewed on the Today Show and won a New York Commendation Award for their journalistic work on TikTok. 

Read on to discover some of their best advice from the Ragan stage. 

TikTok and legacy news 

Not only is Spehar reporting from TikTok these days — but so are all of the other legacy publishers. And many have enjoyed great success and a boost in favorability, from the Washington Post’s humorous behind-the-scenes videos to the New York Times’ more traditional and sober approach. 

Spehar’s channel outstrips nearly all of them in followers, though their approach also boosts traditional media: They often green-screen themself over a screenshot of a story from one of these outlets to explain its relevance to their audience, helping build trust in and explain the value of news. 

“I call myself the Flava Flav of traditional media,” Spehar joked. “We can hype each other up, but it takes both of us. When we work together, we have a maximized experience.”  

Discovery platform or national security threat? 

Spehar also addressed the elephant in the room: TikTok is in the legislative firing line. American lawmakers are weighing a bill to ban the platform from app stores in order to force a divestment of TikTok’s U.S. business from ByteDance, citing issues such as data security concerns and misinformation. 

Spehar acknowledged that misinformation and disinformation are a problem across any platform; TikTok reported that 19.4% of results for COVID-19 information contained misinformation — yet for traditional news, 78% of viewers also believe the information about the pandemic on broadcast news to be misinformation. 

Given that predilection toward skepticism, Spehar advised the audience to continue to be appropriately skeptical when using the platform.  

“You have to hold all the same sort of standards that we hold for ourselves in general when we hear somebody say something,” they said. “You have to figure that, of anything [on TikTok], at least 20% might not be true, and we need to double-check it.” 

Meanwhile, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis passed a bill preventing children under 14 from using social media and requiring parental consent for users ages 14 to 15. Spehar framed this legislation as a violation of these users’ civil rights. 

They also addressed the fact that social media is the best tool today to keep younger audiences civically engaged. For example, more than 35,000 new voters registered at Vote.org after Taylor Swift posted a link on her Instagram Story. Younger users are calling their senators to ask them not to ban the app after TikTok creators prompted them to do so and provided the correct contact information. 

“Teenagers were blowing up their phone lines, and they lost that day because literally hundreds of thousands of people were calling them to say ‘don’t ban the app that I live on,’” Spehar said. “Don’t be on the app that has the connection to a community that I can’t find in my local neighborhoods.” 

They said they stand against the ban — and encouraged the audience to do the same — because they get private messages from users who say that their only community and their only friends are on TikTok. “We want comprehensive data privacy protections, which we need,” Spehar said. “But we don’t want one single app, and people are gathering to be attacked in general because it never stops with one with the government.” 

Tapping into the community 

That sense of community was at the heart of their talk. “This is an organic place for assembly as much as it’s a place for free speech,” they said.  

But it’s also a place where organizations can get results — and sales. “This is all awesome, easy, authentic organic content,” they told the audience. “You don’t have to super plan it out. You can be a little spontaneous and it can work for you.” 

Spehar said now is the time to continue to invest in the platform. After all, more than 7 million U.S. businesses are on TikTok, and a sale from ByteDance would take time and additional legislation; they believe any ban that gets approved may take five years to put into effect due to litigation. “This is not something you need to abandon right now because this is not something that’s going to go away by September,” Spehar said. 

They outlined disinformation tactics — fear, digital gaslighting, flooding, deepfakes and synthetic media, conspiracy clickbait, bullying and abuse — and encouraged organizations and individuals who use the platform not to engage in these tactics to boost engagement. Instead, they said to be true to their purpose, do good work and connect with the communities that await them there. 

“There are bots, there are bad actors, there are contrarians.” Spehar said. “Push them out of your mind and focus on your core audience with the people that believe in you. Nothing else matters.” 

With regard to AI, they advised creators and organizations to embrace their humanity. “I urge you to not lean too much on AI, but maintain that level of creativity and sense of self and understanding. You get it; you’re the best person to tell your message,” they said. 

V Spehar’s talk was packed with information, so keep an eye out for those lessons on RaganTraining.com, and don’t miss more insights from speakers at our next show. And learn more in this Power Conversation between V and Jess Zafarris, content director at Ragan and PR Daily, that followed their keynote:

Jess Zafarris is the director of content at Ragan and PR Daily, and an author, editor and social media strategist.

The post How TikTok has redefined news, community and humanity appeared first on PR Daily.

There is hardly a university in the world that hasn’t hosted political activity on campus. They’re critical sites for getting young voters registered, encouraging civic participation and giving students a voice in political discourse.

However, even the highest-ranking schools have stumbled in recent years when navigating contentious, politicized topics and student activity around them. Notably, Harvard struggled to time and align its messaging around the outbreak of the ongoing Israel-Hamas crisis last year.

The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) has this dynamic well in hand: Year after year it has been dubbed a “Voter-Friendly Campus” by the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and the national association for Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (which goes by the legacy acronym NASPA).

The school does so in large part thanks to the work of its Student Affairs department.

But it’s going to be a big year — and especially for UIC, because the 2024 Democratic National Convention will be held just three miles from its campus in August.

Joy Vergara, assistant vice chancellor for student engagement at the university, spoke to Ragan about how her teams and other departments are preparing for the coming election season. She discussed the importance of ethics and compliance guidelines, annual training and efforts to ensure inclusive expression on campus.

Open expression comes first

UIC’s Student Affairs department prioritizes and encourages open expression on campus, including politically oriented events organized by students, faculty and departments.

Its open expression policy emphasizes the importance of facilitating “the free exchange of ideas and the expression of dissent within the university community,” UIC states, provided any demonstrations are done “in a peaceful and non-disruptive manner.”

Empowering the community to engage in these events using university facilities and spaces requires a constant commitment to preparedness, including communicating and implementing safety measures to ensure events do not get out of hand.

“A lot has changed since the last election,” Vergara said. “We are anticipating that there will be more open expression, so we are having more discussion around staffing. We want our students to debate the topics, and we want our students to bring in different speakers. We just want to make sure safety measures are in place so our students can have these different discussions, whether it is left, right, in the middle or independent.”

Open expression and academic freedom policies are distributed and reinforced each semester through the Dean of Students Office.

Student Affairs plays a lead role in creating safe environments for peaceful demonstrations and political events, collaborating with event organizers, demonstrators, faculty or staff sponsors, campus police, and the Public Affairs, Emergency Operations and Dean of Students Administration departments. According to the university’s grid of open expressions policies, procedures and responsibilities for open expression, these parties:

• Annually create and review guidelines and “Incident Action Plans” around demonstrations and political events.
• Outline and document plans and participants in each event to ensure campus safety officials are informed and prepared.
• Monitor events and demonstrations to ensure they adhere to guidelines and do not become disruptive, and activate security and safety protocols, as well as disciplinary action if necessary.
• Monitor social media and news coverage around the events and prepare official statements and responses as needed, as well as respond to media requests for comments and information.
• Maintain open communication with the organizers and demonstrators before, during and after the event.
• Conduct an “After-Action Report,” which is “a detailed critical summary of a recent incident made for the purposes of reassessing decisions and considering possible alternatives for future reference.”
• And far more besides.

Training is critical

All of the above requires a highly trained staff who is well-versed in protocol, communication and ethics every step of the way.

Vergara said that annual ethics training is mandatory for faculty and staff. As someone who has worked at the university for 10 years, she’s done 10 separate ethics training sessions, all of which covered communications around political activity and events. These trainings, which are conducted online with reporting mechanisms to ensure accountability, are guided by on-campus ethics and compliance officers.

Ethics often come into play when external speakers and participants — say, a political activist or candidate — are invited to participate in on-campus political events, and when external organizations rent space for political activities.

“We always want to make sure that the student organizations know what they’re allowed to host on campus, who they can bring to campus,” said Vergara. “There might be stakeholders that disagree with whoever they bring in on campus. And so the student organizations and leaders provide some guidance. We have to carefully navigate what we help our students host versus what the university is allowed to host or not.”

These situations can present fine lines between what is allowed and what isn’t, so it’s important to clearly define what political activities are prohibited. “When the staff is well versed in that, we can ultimately prepare for what the students may want to do and how people may react,” Vergara said.

Student Affairs is also responsible for managing annual registrations of student organizations and communicating with students about what they are permitted to do on campus.

They also lean heavily on the expertise around departments focused on political science, race and beyond. Resources such as “Diversity Dialogue” courses and faculty research are also offered to help staff and students engage in productive conversations around difficult topics. “We can tap into some of this expertise if we’re not feeling confident enough to lead these facilitations,” said Vergara. “Faculty and staff can help you in the knowledge gap.”

Planning ahead

As this sure-to-be contentious election cycle heats up, Vergara and her department are focusing on consistent communications of those open expression policies each semester to ensure students, faculty and staff are able to engage while the other operations of the university continue.

The DNC in August will not only make the campus host to a range of political events and activity, it will also impact campus transportation and logistics. UIC will work with the city and the national conventions to keep the university’s day-to-day operations running smoothly and address any safety concerns as they arise.

Vergara stressed that communicating “time, place and manner” for open expression is critical.

“We need to allow coursework and academic work to proceed and make progress,” she said. “We need to make sure that the community understands when there’s a time and place and manner when open expression could occur.”

Joy Vergara will join Ragan at our 2024 Employee Communications and Culture Conference, April 16-18, in Chicago. Learn more and register.

Jess Zafarris is director of content at Ragan and PR Daily.

The post How university communicators are preparing for a heated election season appeared first on PR Daily.

The Kansas City Chiefs seized a dramatic overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers as Super Bowl LVIII and its whirlwind of brand and celebrity activity concluded last night. The game proved to be record-breaking, clocking in at the longest-ever Super Bowl and featuring first a record-breaking field goal by 49ers kicker Jake Moody, and then an even longer one as Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker broke that very same record later in the game. 

Cameras lingered on Taylor Swift sparingly throughout the game given how thoroughly she has dominated NFL-centric headlines — and even some conspiracy theories — for the past few weeks. Her presence still loomed large, however, as she continued to make news, and both Swifties and official Super Bowl trackers documented her every move at the game. Those conspiracy theories, meanwhile, are likely to rage on given her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s prominence in the game, both for his performance on the field and his bombastic (even aggressive) meme-worthy behavior. 

Beyond Taylor and Travis, these were the potential PR moments we had our eye on at the Big Game. Do you think they stood out? 

Brand blandness, brilliance and bashing 

What ought to have been a bonanza on the advertising front given the $7 million price tag fell somewhat flat for Big Game regulars, as celebrities were packed into ads without the messaging or cleverness to make the spots memorable. In a bid to recover from its difficult PR year in 2023, Bud Light abandoned much of its boldness and humor in favor of a star-stuffed, incoherent mishmash. Despite its alignment with an authentically mustachioed Chris Pratt, Pringles’ Big Game ad also induced yawns. 

A great deal of safety permeated brand strategy, with advertisers leaning on recognizable mascots such as E*Trades pickleball-playing babies and firmly-cemented stars such as Christopher Walken, whose distinctive voice was parodied in BMW’s ad (Will anyone remember that it was a BMW ad?), and Anthony Hopkins (though that regional ad for STōK Cold Brew and Wrexham AFC wasn’t bad thanks to Maximum Effort’s involvement). 

First-time advertisers captured major social media admiration: E.l.f. Cosmetics’ first Super Bowl ad featured Judge Judy as “Judge Beauty” and balanced nostalgia with a fresh feel and positive message, while Etsy told a charming tale of historical international gifting. 

Skincare brand CeraVe’s lengthy and involved prank, which positioned the aptly named Michael Cera as its apparent founder, managed to score major buzz through strange public stunts and an influencer campaign. 

And interactivity was a plus: Doordash’s ridiculously long promo code, for instance, sent viewers scurrying to score in its big delivery activation.  

A couple of advertisers earned negative attention: With a series of four ads featuring the tagline “shop like a billionaire” and related giveaways, fast-fashion outlet Temu generated quite a bit of chatter — plenty of it negative and pertaining to its business and manufacturing track record. Snapchat paying $7 million to play a “not like other girls” card in the social media toxicity arms race shortly after it laid off 10% of its staff was certainly a choice. 

Music magic: Beyoncé beats the halftime show 

Although it would be inaccurate to say that the 2024 Halftime Show, er, ushered in a new era for the annual performance, Usher, Alicia Keys and guest stars including H.E.R., Lil Jon, Ludacris, Will.I.am and Jermaine Dupri didn’t reinvent the wheel as they took the stage. It was only near the end when everyone donned shimmery getups and roller skates that the show dazzled, followed by a performance of “Yeah!” that managed to lift the energy in an attempt at nostalgia that otherwise fell flat. 

The music moment of the night was Beyoncé’s announcement that she’ll be releasing a country album — news which followed Verizon’s ad that centered around the star and teased the new tunes. 

Social media moments: Duo and Dark Brandon 

Everyone’s favorite persistent green owl made a regional appearance at the Super Bowl — though even in markets where it aired, you may have missed the Duolingo ad if you were looking down at your game snacks. In the surreal 5-second ad, the owl, named Duo, birthed a smaller version of himself from his backside as a reminder to do your daily language lesson. 

need another look at my from the super bowl?! #SuperbOwl #SuperBowlLVIII pic.twitter.com/2uroRG4WiT

— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 12, 2024

Unbeknownst to those watching at the time, the brand also made a longer, weirder teaser that ran on social media earlier that day. 

The other surreal, social media-centric moment of the night fell at the conclusion of the game, when Joe Biden’s official account posted an image of the president styled  “Dark Brandon,” a parody of right-wing conspiracy memes, poking fun at the notion that the Super Bowl was rigged. 

Just like we drew it up. pic.twitter.com/9NBvc5nVZE

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 12, 2024

On a less controversial note, fans seemed to have fun watching Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob-driven coverage of the game on Paramount+, with characters from the TV show providing highlights and sideline coverage. 

Nickelodeon’s broadcast pic.twitter.com/N752ALKCR5

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) February 12, 2024

Whether you came for the game or the ads, this year’s Big Game had plenty to remember despite some safe plays. 

Jess Zafarris is the content director of Ragan and PR Daily, and an author, content editor, journalist, social media engagement strategist and creator. 

The post The best and worst PR moments from Super Bowl LVIII appeared first on PR Daily.

Communicators are the reigning monarchs of wordsmithing, and their words are their tools and materials for constructing compelling, persuasive, authentic and authoritative messaging that makes critical connections, reflects their organization’s mission and values, and brings its voice to life.

Punctuation, then, serves as the nuts, bolts, nails and screws that form the structural support of organizational purpose and expression.

In the next few editions of Comms Etymology, we wordwrights will explore how the punctuation we use in our everyday writing came to be, starting with the most used symbols.

Punctuation Etymology Basics

The word “punctuation” is from the Latin pungere, meaning “to prick or pierce.” It’s related to words such as “pungent” and “poignant” — words for things that pack a metaphorical punch (appropriate given that “punch” is also a relative). This word originally referred to the practice of psalm-pointing. The dots and marks used to notate psalms so that they could be sung or chanted inspired many of the symbols we use to punctuate writing today.

• Period (.) comes from the Latin periodus, meaning a period of time. But it could also mean “a complete sentence,” suggesting a segment or time span of speech or writing. Over time, a period became the mark that signified when a complete sentence had come to an end. (The sense of a “time span” is also why both eras and menstruation are called “periods.”)
• Comma (,) is originally from the Greek word komma, literally meaning “cut off,” though it was also used to mean “a clause in a sentence or a line of poetry.” So a comma indicates a pause or literally “a cutting off” of a phrase that is part of a whole sentence or a line of verse.
• The name of an exclamation point (!) is self-explanatory — it’s a mark that exclaims. It’s from the Latin exclamare meaning “to cry out.” But what you may not know is that for a time in the mid-1800s, exclamation points were sometimes known as “shriek-marks.”
• The question mark (?) is an evolution of the 8^th-century mark called the punctus interrogativus, which is described as resembling “a lightning flash, striking from right to left.”

Less Common Punctuation

Ampersand (&)

The symbol we call an “ampersand” was originally a Roman shorthand version of the Latin word et, meaning “and,” with the letters E and T stylized into a ligature, or a typographic combination of letters. Graffiti including the symbol can still be found around the city of Pompeii.

Ligatures were common in Roman cursive, and some persisted into medieval writing styles including the Carolingian minuscule, the standard calligraphic style of the era in Europe. Another that has persisted, even today, is æ.

The word ampersand arose in the mid-1800s and is a contraction of the phrase “and per se and,” which means “(the character) ‘&’ by itself is ‘and’.” An earlier contraction, recorded in the 1700s, was ampassy.

The name of this mark is rather long because the symbol was also used as a part of other shorthand.

For example, an early symbol for et cetera, which is Latin for “and the others,” was an ampersand followed by the letter c. So, the word ampersand just means “the ligature symbol for and or et by itself” without anything else attached.

Pilcrow

If you turn on annotations in your Word or Google document, you’ll see this symbol (¶), called a pilcrow, marking paragraph breaks.

This symbol emerged in Medieval manuscripts: Scribes would mark a break in writing by drawing a little mark in the margin that looked like an embellished version of the mark.

It also inspired the word “paragraph,” literally means “to write beside.” The sense shifted to the actual sections, rather than the mark, in the 17th century as printing technology and notations advanced.

The word “pilcrow,” in turn, is a mangled variation of the word “paragraph.” In Old French, pelagraphe was a variation of the word paragrafe, and this variation was misunderstood in English as pilcraft, which itself was corrupted to “pilcrow,” the word for that same symbol denoting paragraph breaks in modern word processors (and their predecessors).

Interrobang

And now we come to everyone’s favorite mark, albeit one that’s rarely used. The interrobang (‽) was proposed by ad agency owner Martin K. Speckter in 1962 as a tool for copywriters to convey a surprised rhetorical question. Interrobang is a portmanteau of “interrogative,” and “Bang,” which has been printer or programmer jargon for an exclamation point since at least the 1950s.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Comms Etymology for an additional dive into punctuation. In the meantime, hone your writing skills by joining Ragan’s Writing Center.

Jess Zafarris is an author, content director, editor, journalist, social media engagement strategist and creator. Her 13 years of experience in this space have included such roles as the Director of Content at Ragan Communications, Audience Engagement Director at Adweek, and Content Strategist and Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest and Script Mag. She moderated and emceed at events including Social Media Week and Brandweek, and presented at the Writer’s Digest Conference and State of Social. She is also the author of the etymology books “Words from Hell” and “Once Upon a Word” and an educational social media creator who speaks and creates entertaining content about word origins.

The post Comms Etymology: The finer points of punctuation appeared first on PR Daily.

By its very nature, employee communications can be one of the toughest disciplines in which to innovate. The tools, strategies and toughest moments are usually developed, refined and  solved behind closed doors.

Ragan is here to help tip the communications cards and shed light on the winning plays that lead to meaningful engagement, enthusiastic participation and a cohesive workplace culture.

In the 2024 edition of Ragan’s Top Case Studies in Employee Communications and Culture, you’ll find the strategies and storytelling secrets that helped some of the world’s biggest and most respected brands bring their people together, encourage action and foster an environment of productivity, collaboration and fresh thinking.

With more than 50 case studies showcasing award-winning solutions — not to mention tips, takeaways and captivating visuals — this book is the key to stronger and more effective employee comms.

In this book of communications case studies, you’ll learn how:

• CBRE’s “Courageous Conversations” tackled the toughest interpersonal communications employees may face in the workplace: confronting racism, misconduct and ethical violations.
• Warner Music Group jazzed up its corporate brand, modernizing its look and feel while infusing it with its rich and expansive legacy in the music industry.
• ADM committed to the safety and wellbeing of its Ukrainian employees when war broke out — not just with words, but with action.
• Ochsner Health managed the unthinkable, achieving a near-100% COVID-19 vaccination rate among its employees.
• U.S. Bank developed a content series that effectively eased anxieties, clarified expectations and limited turnover in the wake of a major acquisition.

… and how each of these organizations and dozens more planned, delivered and measured the results of their work.

Find out how to get your copy here. 

The post 50+ comms case studies to shape your 2024 strategy appeared first on PR Daily.

It’s time once again for Ragan to uplift our annual class of outstanding leaders whose contributions have redefined the way communicators connect, inform and innovate.

Ragan’s Top Women in Communications awards recognizes the trailblazing achievements of the women who have raised the bar for the rest of the comms world through their work developing high-performance, relentlessly creative work across internal and external communications, HR, public relations and beyond.

The women in our 2023 class have been unflinching in the face of both global and internal trials and daring in their moves to overcome today’s most urgent challenges. They have improved the practice of communications through their deft mastery of data, their cutting-edge commitment to leveling up tech stacks and their keen-eyed ability to strategize and look ahead. Equipped with an unrivaled grasp of audiences and industries — not to mention the importance of empathy — these top-notch professionals come prepared for any merger or restructure, any layoff or leadership change, any crisis or celebration.

From the women who champion DE&I both within and outside of their organizations, to those with their boots on the ground building systems and policies, to the executives leading the charge into the future, these dynamic individuals are changing the practice of communications for the better every day.

Read on for the full list of 2023 inductees, and learn how you can join us for a special awards ceremony on Feb. 28, 2024.

Congratulations to Ragan’s 2024 Top Women in Communications.

Bridge Builders

Melissa Buscher

Vice President, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

SPX FLOW

Laci Hasenour

Vice President of Global Marketing and Global Brand Owner

Berry Global, Inc.

Kimberly Leidgertwood

Vice President, Internal Communications

Cognia

Trish Nicolas

Executive Vice President, rf.engage

Ruder Finn

Yolanda Schufford

Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer

Beyond Finance

Gina Spatafore

Vice President of Corporate Communications & Public Relations

Ancestry

Angela Sullivan

EGM/SVP of Communications

Xero

Racquel White

Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Royal Canin North America

Royal Canin North America

Crisis Navigators

Marisa Bluestone

Senior Director, Communications

Macmillan Learning

Kristy Campbell

Chief Communications Officer

OneTrust

Gina Czark

System Vice President Public Relations and Content Strategy

CommonSpirit Health

Atalanta Rafferty

Co-Founder and Senior Executive Managing Director

RF|Binder

Sara Sendek

Managing Director

FTI Consulting

Data Dynamos

Jacqueline Boggess

Director of Communications

Corn Refiners Association

Alex Christian

VP, Research & Analytics

EvolveMKD

Karen Cyphers

Partner and Director of Research

Sachs Media

Sally Slater

EVP, Head of Innovation

The Bliss Group

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champions

Ti’Ara Brown

Manager, Brand Communications

McDonald’s

Eliza Chlebeck

Vice President, Communications & Community

Andersen Corporation

Jewelyn Cosgrove

Vice President of Government and Public Relations

Melwood

Gigi García Russo

Chief Innovation + Growth Officer

HUNTER

Madeline Hiller

Senior Account Executive

French/West/Vaughan (FWV)

Priscila Martinez

Founder and CEO

The Brand Agency

Leah Reynolds

Principal, Engagement Practice

Buck, A Gallagher Company

Jenny Wang

Senior Vice President

Clyde Group

Dynamic Do-ers

Holland Behn

Lead US PR Manager for Smartphones and Lifestyle – Mobile

Samsung Electronics America

Lenee Breckenridge

Senior Vice President of Communications

UFC

Cortney Collins

Director, US Communications and Employee Engagement at Haleon

Haleon

Kenzie Freeman

Senior Program Specialist, Communications

Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO)

Erin Frostad

Employee Communications and Involvement Manager

Mohegan Sun

Reed Handley

Executive Vice President, Head of Growth, Financial Services Practice Co-Lead

The Bliss Group

Mayra Hernandez Bergman

Vice President, Communications & Marketing

Pepco Holdings

Megan Kessler

Chief of Integrated Marketing and Strategy

PAN Communications

Christina Leeds

Senior Director Public Relations

Amtrak

Stephanie McCay

Director, U.S. Communications

PCL Construction

Claire Nance

Head of Global Communications & Industry Marketing

Activision Blizzard

Jasmine Palmer

Supervisor, Brand Communications

McDonald’s

Krysta Pellegrino

Chief Client Officer

Health+Commerce

Amy Persons

Senior Manager, Earned Media

Aflac

Jordan Phillips

Senior Manager of Public Relations

Avocados From Mexico

Rania Rostom

Head of Global Communications & Marketing for GE

GE

Stephanie Rufo

Senior Manager, Brand PR & Influence

PATRÓN Tequila

Julie Sculley

Director, Corporate Communications

Virgin Pulse

Athena Snow

Senior Manager of Public Relations & Giving

Coldwell Banker Real Estate

Steph Spanos

Senior Director, Corporate Communications & Operations

Exact Sciences

Kristina Spychalski

Head of Communications

Spire Global, Inc.

Michelle Trautman

Director, Marketing Communications

SPX FLOW

Nancy White

Senior Director, Communications

Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association

Alison Zurcher

Director, Internal Communications

Seattle Children’s Hospital

Leaders

Jodi Amendola

CEO

Amendola Communications

Dawn Buzynski

Assistant Vice President, Communications

Hy-Vee, Inc.

Katie Clark

Vice President of Communications

Mattress Firm

Anne DeAngelis

Executive Vice President, Employee Engagement

Zeno Group

Vanessa DeGier

AVP, Communications

Providence

Nina Devlin

Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Keally DeWitt

VP Marketing & Public Policy

GAF Energy

Megan Doern

Public Relations & External Communications Leader

Deloitte Consulting, LLP

Theresa Dolge

EVP, Chief Media Relations Office

Evoke Kyne

Monique Fahlstedt

Senior Director, Internal Communications

ESPN

Melanie Fatouros-Richardson

Vice-President, Communications and Government Relations

SkipTheDishes

Brittany Geldmacher

SVP, Head of Corporate Brand & Communications

Scopely

Erin Griffin

SVP of Marketing & Communications

Riddell

Mara Hedgecoth

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

APCO Worldwide

Suzanne Hendery

Chief Marketing, Communications & Customer Officer at Renown Health

Renown Health

Jennifer Hines

Chief Communications Officer

Tyler ISD

Jessica Hohn-Cabana

VP of Global Communications

Rocket Software

Katie Huang Shin

President

Big Valley Marketing

Ashley Kline Shapiro

Vice President, Publicity ABC Entertainment

The Walt Disney Company

Melissa Lander

Vice President, Communications

Trinity Health

Kate Laufer Gorenstein

Founder & President

KLG Public Relations

Lisa Lesniak

Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer

Advocate Health

Amanda Marotti

Director, Strategic Communications & OCM

AWL Strategies, LLC

Johnna Muscente

Vice President of Communications & Public Relations

The Corcoran Group

Rebecca Nunez

Founder & CEO

The MRN Agency

Lauren Pearson Riley

Director of Communications

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Joellen Perry

Global Head of Public Relations

SAP

Dalya Qualls White

Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

Melissa Sachs

Senior Vice President, Communications

Link Logistics

Lauren Triffler

Director of Corporate Communications

HARIBO of America

Hannah Vazzana

SVP, Chief Communications Officer

Hilton Grand Vacations

Heather Young

Vice President, Communications

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)

Mentors & Coaches

Samantha Anderson

Vice President

EvolveMKD

Cindy Auten

Senior Partner, Communications

ICF

Ellen Bremseth

Director, Strategic Communications

Milhouse

Elizabeth Erpelding

Head of Partner & Client Experience, Marketing and Communication

Albertsons Media Collective

Jessie Monroe

Communications Consultant

Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.

Susan Stipa

Executive Vice President

CG Life

Tech Leaders

Donetta Allen

Chief Social + Digital Officer

HUNTER

Rachel Pipan

Founder

Maneuvre

Kelly Waltrich

Co-Founder and CEO

Intention.ly

Stephanie Wilson

Director, Global Marketing and Communications

ZS

Trailblazers

Diana Castellanos

Head of Marketing & Communications

Atlas Renewable Energy

Adrienne Chance

Senior Vice President of Communications and Executive Director of the SpartanNash Foundation

SpartanNash

Karlin Keller

Senior Director, Employee Communications and Employer Brand

Intel

Erin Lickliter

VP, Associate & Clinical Communications

Bon Secours Mercy Health

Stephanie Lowenthal

Global Head of Communications

Builder.AI

Tess Mattingly

Director, Brand Communications

McDonald’s

Kelly Miller

Managing Director

FTI Consulting

Justine Sacco

Chief Communications Officer

Match Group

Christina Stejskal

VP of Global PR & Communications

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation

Jody Sunna

Vice President Corporate Communications

Philip Morris International

Nichole Tillman

EVP-Communications

Philadelphia Housing Authority

Cheryl Waide

Chief Communications Officer

Vote Run Lead

Sharlene Wells

Senior Vice President of Public Relations and Organizational Communications

Mountain America Credit Union

Visionaries

Sara Aiello

VP, Corporate Marketing

Trellix

Rhiannon D’Angelo-Parsons

Director of External Communications & Media Engagement

Reynolds American Inc.

Gina Faridniya

Vice President, Spaces

Antenna Group

Tori Fernandes

VP, Corporate Communications

The Walt Disney Company

Sara Garibaldi

President

BODEN Agency

Jenna McMullin

Vice President of Communications

Lockheed Martin, Space

Marisol Mendez Peron

Senior Vice President, Communications & Corporate Affairs

Genmab

Jennifer Moreau

Vice President, Public Relations

Dollar General

Kristina Peterson-Lohman

Vice President, Global Communications

Weber

Amanda Schoch

Chief Communication Officer

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Tracy St. Pierre

Executive Vice President, Global Communications & Marketing

Universal Studio Group

Emily Williams

Senior Vice President

Global Strategy Group

Courtney Young

Director Hulu Originals Publicity

Hulu

Jill Zuckman

Partner

SKDK

Rising Stars (Age 30 and Under)

Kristen Blomstrom

Director

The Levinson Group

Julia Brown

Director of Strategy

Kaplow Communications

Jessica Bryant

Account Manager

SourceCode Communications

Samantha Casamento

Senior Account Executive

EvolveMKD

Allison Chavez

Associate State Director of Communications

AARP-Florida

Amy Climenhage

Account Manager

Sachs Media

Sawyer Coffey Noel

Director of Communications and Marketing

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Kelsey Dalton

Senior Media Relations Specialist

City of Hope Orange County

Jane Ha

Manager, Communications

The Walt Disney Company

Sunjay Lee

Account Supervisor

Ruder Finn

Vianca Lopez

Account Manager

The MRN Agency

Samantha Miller

Senior Manager, Internal Communications

Xperi Inc.

Sabrina Negron

Director

FTI Consulting

Annah Otis

Account Supervisor

The Bliss Group

Michele Owen

Communications Director

City of Muncie

Maredie Palmer

Digital Communications and Employee Experience Manager

Dominos

Bailey Williams

Manager, Crisis Communications

McDonald’s

Michaela Zukowski

Senior Manager, Publicity ABC Entertainment

Walt Disney Company

The post Announcing the honorees of Ragan’s 2023 Top Women in Communications awards appeared first on PR Daily.

While “rizz” and “Swiftie,” “situationship” and “goblin mode” are duking it out as the words of the year, we in the communications and PR world have a lexicon of our own.

Our annual words of the year are the terms that have defined your professional life in 2023 — even if you’re tired of hearing them — and will continue to do so in 2024.

We’ll start out with our No.1, official word of the year and move into runners-up.

Ragan and PR Daily’s word of the year: prompt

Following the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, followed by the rise of other conversational AI tools such as Bard, Bing Chat, and Jasper, and image-generation tools including DALL-E 2 and 3, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney, the past year has been defined by the evolution of AI.

Although AI has factored into PR and comms in contexts such as data management and customer service chats, learning the art of the AI prompt truly became a requirement for working in this field over the past year.

Organizations are now seeking AI prompt engineers — roles that can easily pay six figures out of the gate.

Whether it’s for ideation, copywriting, productivity or image development, learning AI has become a must for communicators — to the extent that our network has sought more guidance on this topic than any other this year. (We even launched online AI certification courses for communicators and marketers to help them build their prompting prowess, and navigate the complicated web of ethical and legal considerations that arise from these tools.)

And more change is on the horizon as the technology grows more sophisticated, the future of OpenAI remains uncertain and competing tools arise across existing platforms. (See: “Grok,” farther down on this list.)

Organizations as a whole and communicators in particular will need to be — er, prompt in upskilling in this area to remain competitive in the field.

More top communications and PR words of 2023

Crisis

From wars to weather emergencies, it has been a tumultuous year both inside and outside of organizations.

We’ve heard from communicators whose work has kept people connected during climate change-fueled weather events. Even now, organizations in Tennessee are facing the aftermath of a deadly tornado.

We’ve created spaces for them to talk about the internal and external challenges of crafting messaging and keeping their organizations united during the Israel-Hamas war.

It has by no means been an easy journey, but in the process, communicators have had the opportunity to hone skills such as resilience and conflict management — lessons that will remain critical as the world faces conflict and climate crises to come.

Backlash

Another conflict-based crisis is one that will surely continue to arise in the next year as the 2024 election cycle heats up.

Backlash was a stark point of discussion in 2023, especially around Bud Light’s management of the reaction to trans creator Dylan Mulvaney, who was attacked alongside the brand over their poorly thought-out partnership. The brand’s biggest snafu, however, was its silence toward Mulvaney and its unwillingness to take any stand amid the media and PR maelstrom — a move that left everyone frustrated.

From this instance, as well as Target’s poor handling of messaging around its Pride collection, we learned that it’s mission-critical for organizations to stand by their words and actions and commit to claims around brand purpose.

Owned media

With both trade and consumer-facing news outlets continuing to come to grips with a complex future, organizations that have learned how to tap into communicators’ powers of content development have the advantage of owning the narrative around their organization and wielding a strong employer brand.

Communicators at any organization can act as a brand newsroom — and we’ve increasingly seen them doing so this year, telling both internal- and external-facing stories of employees, crafting thought leadership and beyond.

RTO

This year began with many executives pushing for employees to return to onsite environments — and many did mandate in-office days, if not a full return. Other employers took the opportunity to scoop up talent unwilling to relinquish pandemic-era flexibility by remaining remote- and hybrid-friendly.

As the post-pandemic dust settles and we proceed into 2024, it will be worth noting where flexibility in this arena remains, and where it may shift.

Engagement

One inevitable challenge employers amenable to hybrid and remote flexibility faced this year was ensuring that their dispersed workforces remained connected, informed and committed — making 2023 a year in which communications was essential. Professionals in this space leveraged their knowledge of intranets, newsletters, multimedia storytelling, gamification and more to engage physically distant employees and cultivate a sense of belonging.

Talent

As higher education charts a course into an uncertain future, understanding new paths for talent acquisition and skill-building has been critical for employers. Communicators are drilling down into the best ways to work with HR to find and level up new workers, encourage employees to participate on-the-job training and upskilling, and express these benefits to prospective talent.

X — and Grok

After Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter and its subsequent rebrand to X this year, all bets are off about what exactly the platform will look like in the future. Its culture has shifted too making it a brand safety minefield that has prompted many brands to halt their activity and abandon the platform entirely.

Time will tell whether X’s evolving model will sway users who fled the platform to return for a different kind of experience, but if its culture remains bot-riddled and troll-fueled, it may end up with an entirely different demographic.

New subscription-based features and paid options will continue to change the way users engage on X, as will experiments such as integration with Musk’s controversial AI chat tool Grok. Will Grok have enough of a voice to make this list in 2024?

Threads

Despite ongoing attempts to build audiences on new X competitors such as Mastodon and BlueSky, it appears the winner in the race to get users to commit to an alternative is Meta. The popularity of Threads over others lies in its seamless integration with Instagram, enabling users to easily connect with many of the same people they socialized with on the older platform, as well as its similarity to Twitter’s original functionality.

Parasocial

Cultural phenomena such as the evolution of the creator economy and the force of nature known as Taylor Swift have raised awareness about the dynamics of parasocial relationships — that is, when the details of a person’s life are well-known to external viewers whom the person knows nothing about. This may be nothing new for stars such as Swift, but it may have an impact on Gen Alpha, many of whose lives have been documented on social media as they’ve grown up, with or without their informed consent. We will see in the future how this impacts their professional lives and consumer habits.

So there we have it — the 2023 communications and PR words of the year. What words would you add to this list?

Jess Zafarris is a content director, editor, journalist, speaker, social media engagement strategist and creator. Her 13 years of experience in media have included such roles as the Director of Content at Ragan Communications, Audience Engagement Director at Adweek, and Content Strategy Director and Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest and Script Mag. Follow her on Twitter/Threads/IG and Tiktok @jesszafaris and connect with her on LinkedIn.

The post The top 10 communications words of the year appeared first on PR Daily.

For communicators, crisis has become the norm, a reality that requires a state of constant readiness for controversies — and even emergencies.  

Randi Stipes, CMO at The Weather Company, is no stranger to crises. The organization’s commitment to keeping the public informed, not only of everyday weather conditions, but also during climate emergencies, means it is prepared to care for both its workforce and its users in the event of even the most devastating disasters. 

She spoke at Ragan’s 2023 Future of Communications Conference in Austin last week about lessons she’s learned on the job as a marketer and communicator whose work literally saves lives. These were some of the lessons we learned during her dramatic talk. 

A state of perpetual preparedness 

Even The Weather Channel, the consumer-facing product of The Weather Company, can’t foresee every storm or its impact, so setting the stage is critical to navigating a weather-related emergency — or any other crisis — when it strikes. 

“Every business needs a plan for crisis mode,” she said. “In today’s crazy world, it’s inevitable you’ll use it. … Having a solid comms plan that you can refer back to when things get hectic — that’s critical.” 

That plan’s foundation is its mission, and communicators must make an effort to wholeheartedly champion that mission. 

“You need to carry the torch to evangelize that mission across your organization and beyond,” Stipes told the audience.  

She said communicators act as the “compass and conscience” of their organizations, both internally and externally, a role that requires authenticity and transparency in order to stabilize another keystone in your metaphorical weather-proofing process: Trust.  

“Building trust not only with the media but the public is not a one-and-done action,” Stipes said . 

When the storm strikes 

You have your foundation, infused with purpose, authenticity and trust. But what about the moment itself — when the crisis has arrived and it’s all hands on deck? 

Stipes advised communicators to stay nimble. “Make sure your preparation playbook leaves enough room for agility,” she said. 

That’s where internal trust plays a role: The ability to get everyone on board and work in tandem to do what needs to be done and mitigate any damage. “Leaders need to empower their people to make decisions,” she said. “When we can steer through a crisis the right way, the pride we have for our team and the confidence we have in our own abilities is unmatched.” 

Powered by IBM Watson, The Weather Company relies heavily on technology to stay connected with millions of people during an emergency. Similarly, tech and communication tools can bepowerful allies for keeping organizations connected and on the same page when any type of crisis arises. 

However, Stipes said people will always be the ballast during high-intensity times. “We can’t solely rely on machine learning as we use AI in our comms,” she noted. “Our roles are nuanced and emotional. Humans will always play an essential role.” 

That humanity and empathy serves as the linchpin for survival and a guiding light during the darkest times organizations and employees face together, whether it’s the aftermath of a hurricane or interpersonal conflict during a war on the global stage. “Communicators have the responsibility and opportunity to impact communities by impacting conversations and dialogues,” Stipes said. “Understanding needs to underpin our craft.” 

Communicators who follow this organization’s lead will find they can weather any storm.  

Discover more lessons learned from Ragan’s 2023 Future of Communications Conference in these stories by Ragan’s editorial team: \

• Ragan’s Game Changers on the future of crisis management and employee engagement 
• Top Takeaways from Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference 
• Research: How CEOs influence the comms function 
• How communicators build multigenerational bridges 

Jess Zafarris is a content director, editor, journalist, speaker, social media engagement strategist and creator. Her 13 years of experience in media have included such roles as the Director of Content at Ragan Communications, Audience Engagement Director at Adweek, and Content Strategy Director and Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest and Script Mag. Follow her on Twitter/Threads/IG and Tiktok @jesszafaris  and connect with her on LinkedIn.

The post Weathering a crisis: Lessons in emergency preparedness from The Weather Company appeared first on PR Daily.

You don’t have to look far to recognize the cultural impact and change women are leading in 2023. Women supporting women-led artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are uplifting entire cities’ economies. The “Barbie” movie has become the highest-grossing film of 2023, as well as the highest-grossing film by a female director of all time, in part fueled by the vast, powerful and relatable marketing campaign that accompanied it.

Women have also faced numerous challenges in the marketing industry this year, especially when striving to rise to the top. Global data provided by LinkedIn shows women account for nearly 42% of the workforce in 2023, yet the share of women in senior leadership positions is at just over 32%, and only 25% in the C-suite. In Ragan’s most recent Salary and Workplace Culture Survey, the average base salary of women is $109,148, which is $9,136 less than their male counterparts. While this is progress over the past, it’s clear that there is still much work to be done to break through barriers and biases that women often encounter.

To support the women who are shattering glass ceilings, leveling playing fields and creating opportunities for those following in their footsteps Ragan has launched the PR Daily Top Women in Marketing Awards. These honorees have impacted the performance, reach and awareness of their organizations and inspired those in their professional circles. They work tirelessly to advance the profession while empowering their teams to do their best work and accelerating growth for their organizations.

Judges selected nearly 100 women in nine categories including Agency Leaders, Social Media Marketers and Data/Analytics Leaders to develop a premier list of women leaders who were honored at an in-person event at New York City’s City Winery on Oct. 26.

Congratulations to all of the honorees of our inaugural Top Women in Marketing awards. Let us all continue to support their great efforts in being leaders and their great efforts in moving the industry forward.

Read about just a few of the impressive professionals who made this year’s list:

Alana Visconti

Marking and Communications Director, Publishing and Distribution Strategy, Nasdaq

Alana Visconti embraces change and fuels innovation in marketing. Although she was recently promoted to her marketing and communications role, Visconti spent two years leading Nasdaq’s social media strategy. In just her first year, she expanded content production by 64%, creating more than 4,300 posts that reached 2 billion users. She positioned Nasdaq as a Web3 trailblazer by holding Nasdaq’s historic bell ceremony in the Metaverse, and by leading the launch of an NFT collection, aligned with the tech conference Silicon Slopes 2022. Today she continues to focus on advancing Nasdaq’s partnerships, strategically exploring emerging trends like AI and leading social content with a purpose, all while seeking opportunities to advance ESG initiatives.

Leadership Advice from Visconti: “Dream big! Seek opportunities that are aligned with you and help to support your dreams. Commit to never stop learning and evolving. Always look for ways to take projects, work streams, or roles to a new level.”

Alejandra Caceres

Director of Social Media, Crumbl Cookies

Under Alejandra Caceres’ leadership, Crumbl Cookies’ social media presence has flourished, boosting brand perception, awareness, partnership excitement and, of course, cookie sales. In just six months, her work led to the brand amassing 3.2 million new followers across 14 social media accounts on nine platforms. Also in that time, she spearheaded more than 15 successful social media campaigns, focusing on alignment with target demographics and team collaboration. Caceras’ approach focuses on tailoring content to specific platforms, ensuring that the brand’s content meets consumers where they are, speaks their language and reflects their preferences for engaging with brand accounts.

Lindsay Morgan

Chief Marketing Officer, Pizza Hut U.S.

In a bid to revitalize Pizza Hut’s image and brand in the U.S., 15-year marketing veteran Lindsay Morgan launched a 360-degree marketing campaign that included messaging aimed at younger audiences, contemporary packaging, new food photography and a push into a new category with the introduction of “Melts,” a folded pizza product intended for a single customer. The new product was accompanied by advertising and social media content focused on empowering the individual: Customers were invited to “go solo” and embrace the “World of Me.” The campaign generated more than two billion media impressions across publications, including the websites for Business Insider, CNN, the New York Post and more, and it helped drive a 5% systemwide sales increase for Q4 of 2022.

Maya Wasserman

Head of Marketing and Director of Marketing Communication, Home Entertainment and Sound, Sony Electronics

With more than 12 years at Sony Electronics, Maya Wasserman is no stranger to launching new products, creative storytelling and digital marketing, but her recent work on the launch of LinkBuds headphones and gaming gear brand INZONE shines for its forward-thinking approach and exploration of new channels. For LinkBuds in particular, she developed a mobile-first campaign that spanned social media and the metaverse and incorporated an augmented reality unboxing experience, as well as partnerships with more than 100 influencers, and rising artist Lucky Daye, who worked with the brand to develop an NFT unlocking prizes and real-life experiences. As a result of her work Sony TIME Magazine’s Best Invention of the Year for LinkBuds and a Washington Post Feature surrounding INZONE.

Leadership Advice from Wasserman: “Lead with authenticity and lean into your strengths. Find your own leadership style that works. Also, allow your team to fail and foster an environment of curiosity. Build a culture of ‘test and try’ and let them know it is okay to take calculated risks, and fail, as long as there are learnings from your failures.”

Vanessa Mbonu

Vice President of Digital Marketing and Communications, NAACP

At just 28 years old, Vanessa Mbonu has emerged as a leader at the NAACP and a model for other women in marketing. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, before emigrating to Maryland, Mbonu is an advocate for equity and seeks to uplift women’s voices in her impactful work. She co-produced “UNPCKD,” a virtual event series created in partnership with The Webby Awards that addresses critical issues facing communities of color in online spaces and aims to create a more inclusive internet. Her team’s digital marketing strategy expanded viewership of the NAACP annual Image Awards by more than 70% year over year and increased individual donor contributions. Her work has also resulted in an increase in email list subscribers of more than 30%.

Leadership advice from Vanessa: “Nobody knows exactly how to win 100% of the time. But the few people who have mastered the art of failing fast and pivoting graciously typically end up being the most successful.”

Abby Nelson

Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist, Ascension

Ascension, a prominent non-profit and Catholic health system operating across 19 states with 2,600 care sites, is fortunate to have Abby Nelson on its team. Since her arrival in 2019, Nelson swiftly ascended to a role of immense responsibility as senior marketing and communications specialist. She masterminds marketing strategies for crucial lines of business, such as heart and vascular, brain and spine, orthopedics, sports medicine, and oncology. Nelson’s contributions include the creation of Ascension’s first-ever integrated oncology campaign. Titled “With a plan, comes hope,” this campaign personalized the cancer care journey and highlighted Ascension’s patient-centered approach. It not only aligned with recovery metrics but by December 2022, the campaign garnered 145 million impressions, resulting in more than 8,000 patient engagements. Furthermore, Nelson’s expertise extends to cardiovascular care, where she’s spearheaded a comprehensive campaign spanning TV, online video, and paid search. Her campaigns consistently target high-risk patients and contribute significantly to Ascension’s $28 billion healthcare brand. Her skillful execution, innovative strategies, and patient-centric focus make Nelson a standout figure in the world of healthcare marketing.

Adrienne Cadena

CEO, Havas Street

Adrienne Cadena’s two-decade tenure has driven Havas Street’s growth and reputation. Appointed CEO in 2023, she leads diverse capabilities from large-scale events to sampling campaigns. In 2022, as president, Cadena excelled in creative development and led activations for brands such as Nike, PepsiCo, JPMorgan Chase and LEGO. Notable projects include Merrell’s “More Less” wellness pop-up and a multi-sensory lounge for Norwegian Cruise Line, reaching 18,000 attendees and generating 25,000 social media impressions. The “Welcoming Spirit” campaign for Jim Beam welcomed 70,000 guests at 51 events. Beyond campaigns, Cadena champions diversity and inclusion and has innovative projects in the pipeline. She’s a force outside the office, launching “Run the World Athletics” to empower girls and contributes to The Center for PR. With her strategic leadership and passion, Cadena continues to shape Havas Street’s success in creating meaningful brand experiences.

Kelly Higgins

CMO, Doremus+Co

Under Kelly Higgins’ leadership, Doremus+Co thrives, successfully attracting companies facing transformative change, gaining 10 new clients in the last year, including Meta, AMD and J&J. She spearheaded a successful agency rebrand with a playful visual identity, a new website, and the tagline “Good Company for Complex Brands” while her strategic ads during Advertising Week in Manhattan reinforced Doremus+Co as “Your B2B BFF.” She values empathy in business and focuses on the right opportunities, reducing team stress by focusing on the best prospects best for the company. Higgins ensured Doremus+Co’s presence in a vital Interbrand partnership, contributing to a sector report highlighting B2B brand growth. She was also instrumental in getting Doremus+Co President and Chief Creative Officer Paul Hirsch picked for the prestigious role of Jury President for the first-ever B2B Creative Lions award category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2022. She then made sure he was quoted widely on the creativity and momentum B2B brands are showing around the world. With her B2C approach, Doremus+Co has earned industry accolades, cementing Higgins as a top woman in marketing.

Leadership Advice from Higgins: “It’s a real honor to be recognized as a Top Woman in Marketing. This is a tough industry, often made tougher as a woman. But with the right mix of grit, ingenuity and self-confidence, you’d be amazed at what you can accomplish. It’s been a privilege to build my career working with incredibly talented people to help solve big client challenges. And with all the changes on the horizon — in culture, in tech, in my life — I’m excited to continue this journey.”

Rachel Barek

CEO and co-founder, Said Differently

Rachel Barek of Said Differently has taken an innovative approach to her agency model. After departing from a major marketing firm, Barek expanded Said Differently’s freelance network to 3,000 professionals within a year. She introduced a dynamic approach, focusing on shorter, better-matched talent placements, enhancing client satisfaction. Said Differently’s collaboration with Neiman Marcus led to a remarkable mobile app transformation, improving its rating from 2.5 to 4.5 stars in six months. Due to its success, Falfurrias Capital Partners made a significant investment in Said Differently in September 2022, underscoring the agency’s groundbreaking model. As an openly LGBTQ+ CEO, Barek actively mentors emerging leaders and advocates for reshaping the agency landscape to serve talent better and yield superior results. Her trailblazing spirit and industry impact make her a standout figure in marketing.

Leadership Advice from Barek: “For way too long, agency-side talent has been working within a model that was designed by boomer men. This antiquated design dictated their options for work-life balance. Said Differently’s distributed model is all about trusting and empowering our talent to choose their relationship to work. That means working when they want, the way they want, where they want and on the types of projects that give them the greatest professional satisfaction. Our flexible model is great for women, who over-index as working parents and caregivers. It turns out that when you empower talent to be their best, it’s a win-win for both the talent and the client 100% of the time.”

Sue Burkett

Strategic Marketing Leader, Owens Corning

With more than 40 years of experience in the building materials industry, Sue Burkett’s remarkable achievements go beyond qualifications. She’s championed female consumers’ voices in roofing choices, recognizing their unique preferences. Burkett reshaped the roofing industry by introducing vibrant shingle formulations like Merlot and Aged Copper, appealing to women’s design sensibilities. She created the Shingle Color of the Year, with 2023’s Midnight Plum as the market’s sole purple shingle, lauded by homeowners and contractors alike. Under her leadership, Owens Corning Roofing has earned the Women’s Choice Award for six consecutive years, signifying it as America’s Most Recommended roofing products. Burkett’s strategies in a male-dominated industry have revolutionized the roofing conversation, bridging the gap between roofing and design for women. Her dedication and transformative marketing strategies make her a standout in the field.

Check out all the Top Women in Marketing Profiles.

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In the past year, a proliferation of new social media platforms have hit the internet, vying for participation as leadership changes, data policy concerns, lawsuits and culture shifts rock long-standing platforms and send users looking for new places to spend their time. 

Many users fear TikTok’s data handling practices by parent company ByteDance after dozens of countries, states and cities banned the app on government devices. Facebook’s population is aging even as Meta faces legal challenges over its targeting of underage users. And X, formerly Twitter, has gone Musky, driving away many longstanding users. 

Threads has emerged as a favored Twitter-like option alongside options such as Mastodon and BlueSky. Some brands, such as Amazon, Best Buy and Sephora, are even playing more on LinkedIn.  

As a communicator or marketer for a brand, what happens if your users start to filter away over these concerns? We talked with several social media pros about how they choose their social media battlegrounds and suit up to ensure brand safety. 

Choosing and using your social platforms 

Major brands may benefit from large social teams and hefty resources, but most organizations aren’t in that position. Small teams will need to ensure they don’t bite off more than they can chew. 

“While it sounds great to be on everything, we know sometimes the resources and bandwidth aren’t there.” said Erin Hodges, senior manager of digital for the San Jose Sharks. “So if you are able to be ‘choosey,’ stay focused on the goals you are trying to achieve and align the platforms with that.” 

It’s easy enough to say “go where the audience is,” but in practice, determining where they are can be a real challenge. Thus, cultivating an ongoing relationship with your audience is key. 

“Start wherever you feel less friction, then listen to your audience and adjust,” said Nicole Tabak, a copywriter and content strategist who crafted social media for brands including Harvard University, Time Magazine’s NextAdvisor, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Creative Ladder. 

Of course, these decisions may boil down to where the money is. If you’re investing in paid social, or if your organization relies on social as a direct revenue source, you may have to select platforms that deliver more easily attributable ROI before prioritizing organic play — and ensure paid and organic are playing well together. “You should also be aligned between organic and paid where applicable,” said Hodges. 

These choices will also come down to production capabilities. “If it’s lengthy and difficult to create video content, lean into text-based platforms like X or Threads,” said Tabak. “If visual content is plentiful and copy feels challenging, jump on video and image-based platforms like Instagram or TikTok.” 

“As a social media strategist, you don’t want to stretch yourself thin for an already demanding job, and I always tell people that I’d rather be on a handful of platforms and be amazing than be everywhere and mediocre,” said Syed Ali, a social media strategist who has worked with B2B tech brands Carbon, Databricks and Informatica. “It’s really important to do the homework of looking into your audience personas so that you can build channel-specific strategies while remaining flexible enough to test new and emerging platforms.” 

Do I stay or do I go? 

X has grown to be the elephant in the room in terms of brand safety due not only to Elon Musk firing security and moderation teams, but also because of updates to the platform’s functionality, payment requirements for new users and i community. 

“I see [X] and TikTok as our most risky platforms,” Hodges warned. “The speed of virality of content seems far greater on both than the others and the audiences engage in a way that can be just as harmful as it is helpful. The reality though is every platform has its risks and to always proceed knowing that.” 

These experts see less risk in other brands, including TikTok and Instagram, which seem to be more intentional and constant in their growth and evolution.. 

“I still see Snapchat as something to consider or reconsider especially depending on your target audiences,” Tabak said, “and as crazy as it sounds, TikTok still has a lot of room to grow and many organizations aren’t using all the features and content options, sponsorship and monetization opportunities, and even the TikTok Shop to where I see a lot of growth into 2024.” 

Ali has a different take: He cites LinkedIn, Instagram and Discord as the most reliable platforms for most brands to spend their time in at present. “A lot of people underestimate the power of storytelling on LinkedIn, not to mention the ability to tap into the C-suite and amplify your employees’ and executives’ voices to humanize your brand,” he said. “Instagram continues to grow and will always be an outlet for episodic content and flexing your creative muscles; Discord allows your community to have a closer relationship with the brand, all the while initiating conversations amongst customers, partners and other stakeholders that can’t happen elsewhere.” 

Rising stars 

So what of the text-based, short-form alternatives to which so many former Twitter devotees are fleeing — the Threads, Blueskies and Mastadons of the world? 

“There seems to be a battle royale to see who can scoop up Twitter defectors, but the reality is that there are too many alternatives that all offer roughly the same exact features and haven’t been able to separate themselves from the pack,” Ali said. 

Tabak said she advises all of her clients to be on Instagram, LinkedIn and, yes, Threads. “I’m already embracing [Threads] as a refreshing haven away from the chaos of the seasoned platforms,” she said. But not everyone is so convinced. 

Most seem to agree that the technical capabilities and brand awareness of Meta give it the best shot, but some are put off by how close it is to Instagram and want to keep those communities separate. However, this may attract long-time users whose primary platform is Instagram. 

“I’m not bullish quite yet on Threads,” Hodges said. “Our tests haven’t indicated that our audience is here to stay on it, but with adjustments on creating a more ‘in-Instagram app’ experience vs. separate app, there is absolutely potential and something we will continue to monitor and test.” 

And the newcomers seem to have fallen by the wayside in terms of buy-in since the rise of Threads. 

Ali has a different perspective: “If I had to place a bet, I’d expect platforms like Reddit and Discord to grow because I’m seeing growth and interest in more community-based social networks for folks rallying behind topics and interests, much like Facebook and LinkedIn groups,” he said.  

But, as Hodges discussed, nowhere is perfect. “Every platform carries its own problems and the true risk is in assuming guaranteed success,” Tabak agreed. No one can guarantee your brand will go viral. These networks are living and breathing.

Jess Zafarris is a content director, editor, journalist, speaker, social media engagement strategist and creator. Her 13 years of experience in media have included such roles as the Director of Content at Ragan Communications, Audience Engagement Director at Adweek, and Content Strategy Director and Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest and Script Mag. Follow her on Twitter/Threads/IG and Tiktok @jesszafaris  and connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Ragan has revealed its inaugural class of Game Changers, leaders nominated by a council of communications leaders and carefully selected by our editorial team as emblems of innovation in the industry. The leaders will be honored during Ragan’s Communications Week in a dedicated ceremony at our Future of Communications Conference in Austin from Nov. 6th–8th.

These distinguished communications leaders are recognized for their remarkable contributions, visionary initiatives and unwavering commitment to driving impactful outcomes within their respective organizations and beyond. Along the way, they have deftly redefined the way we face, prepare for and respond to today’s most pressing and complex challenges.

The Game Changers represent a diverse spectrum of expertise, operating at the forefront of multiple functions including HR, digital marketing, design and beyond. Their collective efforts continue to elevate the realm of communications by pioneering solutions and embracing cutting-edge technologies, ultimately fostering enduring and positive change for both internal and external stakeholders.

Ragan extends our heartfelt congratulations to the 2023 Game Changers, each of whom has showcased remarkable dedication to advancing the field of communications. They have demonstrated their commitment to revolutionizing the profession and leading us into the future.

Following the awards ceremony at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference, several members of the class will also participate in panel discussions, sharing their experience and expertise with our attendees.

The 2023 Game Changers are:

Angie Hu

Vice President Communications

Synchrony

Christina Magrini

Vice President of Corporate Communications

Forbes

Damon Jones

Chief Communications Officer

Procter & Gamble

Halley Knigge

Director, Co-op Communications

REI

Lou Dubois

Senior Director, Content, Creative, HD Story Labs and Home Depot TV

Home Depot

Michael Kaye

Head of Brand Marketing and Communications, Archer and Global Director of Brand Marketing and Communications

OKCupid

Sarah Alspach

Senior Vice President, External Affairs

bluebird bio

Stephanie Lowenthal

Global Head of Communications

Builder.ai

Tiph Turpin

Global Vice President of Employee Communications

Expedia Group

Billy Rielly

Senior Vice President, Head of Public Affairs

Consumer Bankers Association

Veleisa Patton Burrell

Senior Vice President

FleishmanHillard Dallas

Mariella Kapsaskis

Head of Corporate Communications

BMW of North America

Felicia Salazar

Deputy Director of Communications

U.S. Department of the Interior

Marc Johnson

Vice President, Corporate Communications

Meta

Kelly Williamson

President, North America

APCO Worldwide

Morgan Painter-Effron

Vice President, Corporate Communications

NBCUniversal

Congratulations to the 2023 Game Changers for their outstanding contributions to the field of communications.

Meet many of these luminaries at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference in Austin, Texas.

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