When former NBC News international correspondent Charles McLean's phone rang recently, it was a recruitment agency manager asking for advice on hiring a seasoned communications chief for the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

If done correctly, this forum for information is an effective way to engage the media.

A PR campaign designed by students at Hunter College in New York, and sponsored by the Coach fashion label, is coming under criticism for promoting a fake persona complete with a Facebook profile and blog, according to AdWeek.

NetApp's corporate marketing and communications team has worked hard to help redefine the company for a variety of different audiences.

The PR industry as a whole must do a better job of embracing social media, or else they run the risk of losing the battle against the advertising industry.

In May 2006, casual loungewear brand So Low, based in LA, was only selling on the East Coast. The company looked into building a presence on the West Coast, but after conducting new research on the brand, it found that the age group it was targeting, 25 to 35, was too old.

The 2008 Agency Business Report found that the PR industry had another successful year. These gains can be attributed, at least in part, to increased digital revenues, the improving stature of PR pros in the eyes of C-suite executives, and global companies seeking expertise in multiple countries

A Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) study found that The Wall Street Journal de-emphasized its front-page business coverage in favor of political news during the first three months of News Corp.'s ownership, compared to the prior four months.

When agencies help their consumer-facing companies select a celebrity spokesperson to promote a product or event, all that's usually required is smooth skin or an engaging personality. Yet for public affairs campaigns, the bar is a bit higher.

Despite the economic tumult, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America saw their reputations take a turn for the better, according to Cision's Corporate Media Reputation Index for Q1 2008