The Public Relations Blog

Here, you win by demonstrating your ethical know-how

Is fakery rife in the PR industry? Lying has unfortunately become more common with some PR practitioners – especially lately, with the majority of outlets slashing their seasoned workforces. This leaves tightened budgets, added responsibilities and time-crunched junior practitioners with little experience and apparently no problem turning their heads when it comes to unethical tactics.

Talk to ethics experts and they’ll tell you that the best defense against ethical problems is keeping it real. Professionalism – not exaggeration – is the key to the future of the PR industry. PR is all about building relationships and brands; if the brand image tumbles because of a faulty message, that can damage your relationships, products and services.

What to do about the swelling shooting epidemic

It’s not surprising that gun shops are doing brisk business, or that parents are turning more and more to home schooling. It’s because crisis situations like terrorist threats, criminal attacks and active shootings are becoming a pervasive headline throughout the United States.

Most people don’t expect to be at the mercy of an active shooter. Although mass shootings are rare, the number of incidents in which a gunman has opened fire on a crowd has doubled in the last seven years, primarily in businesses and schools, based on a study by the FBI.

Communicating properly results in a successful, winning team

I read one of John Maxwell’s iconic quotes the other day: “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.”

Don’t underestimate the value of entertainment

We could say a lot of things about Donald Trump, but one thing we know for sure is that he is having a blast.

Though initially he was lampooned by the media, the mega-millionaire business tycoon and unsolicited presidential candidate embraces publicity and can seemingly say whatever he wants: Gaffes are fine; name-calling works; insults are humorous. Through it all, his ardent followers cheer him on because of his Pied Piper-esque ability to attract enthusiastic crowds from Iowa to New Hampshire.

Cision releases 2015 Social Journalism Study

How have journalists’ attitudes changed regarding their use of PR? That is the question the 2015 Global Social Journalism Study asked of 3,000 journalists (comprised evenly of women and men) from six countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Sweden and Australia. The annual study sponsored by Cision and the Canterbury Christ Church charts the changing ways journalists use social media to communicate with PR professionals.

Do they stay or do they go?

OK, here we go again. Reputations are floundering; our heroes are no longer heroic. From Jared Fogle to Bill Cosby to Brian Williams, questionable decisions will either show resilience or that the ultimate mistake can destroy careers.

The solution: A damage control team has to always be on deck. Honesty and transparency will help mitigate the problems, but with the advent of social media and round-the-clock news both off- and online, you’d better be quick to take action.