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Contributions of PR pioneer, Dan Edelman, are everlasting

February 01, 2013

It was with great sadness that PRWeek learned last month of the death of Daniel Edelman, who passed away at age 92 after a long battle with illness.
 

Fortune will favor the brave as PR's next generation takes over

January 01, 2013

2013 is upon us quicker than a New York minute and this is an excellent time to look forward to the year ahead and the prospects for the communications industry.
 

Women in senior roles would bring new energy to agencies

November 30, 2012

PRWeek's Agency Business Report, released each May, is one of the most highly anticipated issues in our calendar year, profiling 50 firms and analyzing the financials of almost 200 others.
 

Importance of presidential debates is difficult to dispute

November 01, 2012

As you read this, you are just days away from voting for the next president. You're also less than a month removed from three hotly contested debates between President Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney.
 

Quote approval is not in the best interests of comms pros

October 01, 2012

The subject of quote approval came firmly into the spotlight when writer Michael Lewis revealed he had to get approval on quotes he used from Barack Obama for an in-depth profile in the October issue of Vanity Fair.
 

Presidential elections push the envelope of communications

September 01, 2012

There's a reason politics is often credited as the place where the most cutting-edge and innovative communications strategies and techniques are invented.
 

Culture clashes highlight the difficulties of global comms

August 01, 2012

The cover feature focuses on the PR market in Japan and the challenges that country is facing as it addresses a loss in confidence in institutions such as government, media, and business in the aftermath of last year's earthquake and tsunami.
 

Latest programs elevating PR are best use of time, resources

July 01, 2012

It is fairly well documented that PRWeek was not particularly impressed with the PRSA's initiative at the end of last year and the start of 2012 to define, or redefine, PR.
 

"Doing good" means little if not supported by real action

June 01, 2012

The subject of doing good being good for business is a recurring theme in PRWeek and it is getting more important.
 

Linear advertising now looks as old-fashioned as the Masters

May 01, 2012

This year's Masters golf tournament became mired in controversy because one of the three commercial and media partners of the legendary golf tournament, IBM, now has a female CEO.
 

Comms pros fueling trust's rise in the corporate consciousness

April 01, 2012

Edelman's latest edition of its Trust Barometer predicted it would take the financial industry a decade to reconstruct its reputation following the crisis of 2008-09.
 

Social media's future will force disciplines to learn to get along

March 01, 2012

It was fitting Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide chose Social Media Week to announce the launch of an exciting and potentially groundbreaking venture to house its social media activities.
 

Ethical missteps of a few are a concern for the entire industry

February 01, 2012

Ethics and PR is a subject that crops up again and again, especially when crises emerge that hit the headlines in the national press and the industry engages in another period of hand-wringing.
 

PR enters 2012 with equal parts caution and optimism

January 01, 2012

If 2009 was a year of recession and 2010 was one of retrenchment, it's fair to say 2011 was a great year for PR and communications.
 

PR rarely causes problems, but it frequently solves them

December 01, 2011

Much of the discussion at PRWeek's recent NEXT Conference at The TimesCenter in New York revolved around cementing communications' place at the epicenter of corporations and organizations to ensure it is embedded in top-level strategy and plays a fundamental role in how companies do business.
 

Occupy Wall Street highlights perils of corporate complacency

November 01, 2011

What are we to make of the Occupy Wall Street protests that broke out in New York City in September and subsequently spread across America and the rest of the world?
 

Taking customers for granted will ensure success won't last

October 01, 2011

Brands are fragile things these days - especially those that have appeared on the scene relatively recently.
 

PR firms still have work to do to build their own reputations

September 01, 2011

If you play devil's advocate and peer into the future, it is possible to paint a scenario where prospects don't look so rosy for PR.
 

When giants of social media compete, brands stand to win

August 01, 2011

The pace of change in social media channels shows no sign of slowing.
 

Path to true innovation needs to be discovered by agencies

July 01, 2011

Agencies across all disciplines have been trying to reinvent their operating model for decades.
 

Facebook fiasco reveals litany of simple PR practice missteps

June 01, 2011

Acres of newsprint and myriad computer bytes have been devoted to the ignominious episode involving Burson-Marsteller and its abortive attempts on behalf of Facebook.
 

Agencies must find answers for a lack of diversity

May 01, 2011

The subject of diversity in the PR and communications industries is one we return to again and again here at PRWeek.
 

CEOs must insist on making agency culture their business

April 01, 2011

Over the past few weeks, PRWeek's staff has been reminded of the importance of an often overlooked element that distinguishes agencies from one another - culture.
 

Twitter serves dual role in crises

March 18, 2011

A number of well known personalities have faced trouble lately for running their mouths on Twitter—a nightmare that doesn't look like it will go away for PR professionals.
 

Brands need original content to connect with female consumers

March 11, 2011

Marketers and PR professionals have been trying to figure out how to reach women for years.
 

Senate hearing attacks the value of PR

March 04, 2011

A Senate hearing this week scrutinizing a government contract awarded by the General Services Administration should serve as a red flag to the PR industry that there is more examination of contracts to come.
 

Lofty valuations aren't reason enough to party like it's 1999

March 01, 2011

Remember the Web-based pet shop Pets.com? Or online grocery Webvan? Or fashion website boo.com, which squandered $180 million in just six months in a maelstrom of publicity, but burned out just as quickly?
 

Acquisitions showcase industry race to digital

February 25, 2011

Porter Novelli's purchase of technology and social media PR agency Voce Communications is a shot across the bow to the PR world that right now it's an all-out race to digital.
 

Apple falls behind Google in subscriptions launch

February 18, 2011

Google and Apple continued their head-to-head battle this week as the search behemoth followed the iPhone firm in unveiling a digital content subscription service - but with a more publisher-friendly version.
 

Super Bowl ad faux pas call for PR follow-up

February 11, 2011

Save for Darth Vadar and Justin Bieber, the 2011 Super Bowl commercials did not live up to the laughs of years' past.
 

Quality products are more important than corporate quirks

February 04, 2011

The controversy over speculation that Chick-fil-A supports anti-gay groups raises the issue of how much room there is in the corporate structure for cause, value, and beliefs.
 

Independence is enticing, but networks have their benefits

February 01, 2011

The developments at WPP PR giant Hill & Knowlton in early January once again demonstrate the intense pressure firms are under in a network structure and the constant fuel required to turbo charge their revenues and service offerings.
 

Timing of the nutrition labeling initiative spurs criticism

January 28, 2011

Criticism surrounding the Grocery Manufacturing Association (GMA) and Food Marketing Institute's nutrition labeling initiative is indicative of heightened media and consumer scrutiny in the food industry.
 

Comcast-NBCU giant must push positive initiatives in merger

January 21, 2011

The FCC and US Department of Justice gave the Comcast-NBC Universal merger the thumbs up this week, yet both media companies have remained quite silent.
 

Verizon and AT&T wasting precious comms time

January 14, 2011

Now that Verizon Wireless thankfully put to rest exhaustive rumors and finally unveiled an iPhone compatible with its network much of the world can move on.
 

Less may be more in tobacco industry fight

January 07, 2011

The tobacco industry faced an onslaught of media attention this week as federal regulators informed tobacco companies that they are required to disclose changes made to their product's ingredients.
 

Talent remains crucial, but its defining qualities are changing

January 01, 2011

Talk to any senior executive in the PR business, on the agency or the client side, and they will tell you that attracting and retaining the right talent will be the most crucial factor in determining whether they are successful in 2011.
 

Census data isn't just a way to pass the time

December 17, 2010

A recent application launched by The New York Times, based on data from the Census Bureau, provides more than just fun facts to share ­- it's a goldmine of information for marketers and PR professionals.
 

Retailers need PR-driven product innovation

December 10, 2010

When promotions and deals go sour, marketers should look to product innovation and PR. Better yet, marketers should look to product innovation and PR before promotions and deals go sour.
 

Banks should prepare for WikiLeaks fallout

December 03, 2010

The WikiLeaks firestorm is not dying down anytime soon with the statement from founder Julian Assange that he will release documents early next year from a major US bank.
 

Big money fails the midterm exam on effective messaging

December 01, 2010

US voters spoke loud and clear on November 2 when they catapulted the Republican party into control of the House and put a severe dent into the Democrats' hold on the Senate.
 

PR needs to hire for the future, not get stuck in the past

November 19, 2010

For a company to truly make a push in a new direction it must do more than just adopt new branding or a slogan. It must also hire the type of people who align with where the company wants to be in the future.
 

Web companies need privacy education PR plan

November 05, 2010

Google's mass e-mail to its Gmail users this week on the Google Buzz privacy lawsuit is another reminder that Internet privacy is a deep concern for individuals, and web-based tech companies are losing the PR battle over the issue.
 

True understanding of brand gives PR a unique advantage

November 01, 2010

The evolution of PR and communications into a much more important part of the overall marketing mix is defined by the increased attention paid to it by CEOs and CMOs at corporations and brand owners.
 

News Corp. alienates viewers in spat over fees

October 22, 2010

In the latest dispute over fees for television programming, the media conglomerate and a prominent cable provider have yet again put viewers in the middle.
 

Gap shows it can learn from mistakes with logo debacle

October 15, 2010

Gap's recent attempt to change its logo, likely to help lagging sales, was met with serious 2.0 resistance. When the company released the logo, consumers said, through Twitter, Facebook, etc, that they preferred the original blue box design, prompting the company to respond.
 

Vocal companies will benefit from green marketing guidelines

October 08, 2010

This week, the FTC announced proposed changes to its green marketing guidelines, in an attempt to protect consumers and avoid "greenwashing."
 

Facebook fails to use "Social Network" opportunity

October 01, 2010

The Facebook movie The Social Network is opening in theaters today, and what better way to denote the occasion than to discuss the potential PR fallout of the film and how it characterizes Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
 

PR must brace for challengers to its role leading social media

October 01, 2010

The battle to decide who "owns" social media marketing is heating up. Publicis is the latest agency network to address the way it tackles social media at a group level.
 

No rest for weary BP after well "death"

September 24, 2010

After five months, BP's oil well has finally been declared "dead." The crisis is over and BP can move on. Well, not so fast
 

Study shows failures in PR, blogger relationships

September 17, 2010

The findings of a recent study conducted by Burson-Marsteller on messaging should be a sobering wake-up call for the PR trade.
 

Obama administration needs to learn to simplify

September 10, 2010

Back-to-school week in Washington kicked off a renewed focus on the economy as President Barack Obama released plans for federal investment in transportation and called for tax breaks for businesses.
 

Need for expansion bonds media and PR

September 02, 2010

The second annual Fashion's Night Out is set to take place on September 10, bringing shoppers together with retailers and influencers from the fashion world.
 

Longtime comms investment assists JetBlue in Slater saga

September 01, 2010

The elevation of a recently unknown JetBlue flight attendant to national media prominence following his extraordinary outburst as a New York-bound flight taxied into JFK Airport has already become modern folklore. Steven Slater went from obscurity to Facebook phenomenon with more than 211,000 followers in a shade over a week.
 

NYT falls short again in its portrayal of PR

August 27, 2010

The PR industry was once again the subject of mainstream media analysis this past Sunday when The New York Times published a 5,100-word article titled "In Case of Emergency: What Not to Do." The subtitle was "PR Missteps Fueled Fiascos at BP, Toyota and Goldman".
 

Agencies must think carefully before joining up

August 13, 2010

The US Army has just released the statutory five-year review of its $1.35 billion marketing and advertising program, including its PR and communications requirements.
 

Healthcare should be on the front foot over social media

August 06, 2010

Novartis received a letter this week from the Food and Drug Administration, stating that a Facebook widget posted to a product website misled consumers, failed to communicate risk, and misbranded the drug.
 

Tablet computers herald new age for magazine publishers

August 01, 2010

Apple may have sullied its reputation with the botched response to problems with the iPhone 4, but the iPad tablet computer continues to blaze a trail and establish a new medium that will have widespread repercussions for publishing, communications, and marketing.
 

Comms teams can smooth personnel transitions

July 30, 2010

Companies including Wal-Mart, IBM, and, most notably, BP experienced executive shake-ups in recent weeks. These situations require communications teams to make transitions easier through transparency, media relations, and other strategies.
 

PR measurement goes way beyond ad value

July 23, 2010

One of the most commented-on pieces in the July edition of PRWeek was our Gloves Off debate about measurement and whether advertising value equivalency should be used to assess PR campaigns.
 

Communications can restore finance reputations

July 16, 2010

Much like this time last summer, criticism of President Obama and his administration is at a high for the year. His critics have called out the government response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the stimulus results, Obama's reported waning popularity with the American public, and how badly they expect the Democrats to fare in the midterm elections.
 

Culture of openness should not be feared

July 09, 2010

When public money is spent on communications it is natural that citizens want to know about it, just as they like to know how every penny of their tax money is dished out. That presents challenges for PR agencies who suddenly see their billing structures opened up for everyone to see.
 

Easing SOX would provide welcome transparency

July 01, 2010

This week, Sarbanes-Oxley was in the news as the Supreme Court examined a lawsuit involving the act and eventually struck down a small part related to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. However, the entire act is still "fully operative as a law."
 

A seat at the top table must not be cause for complacency

July 01, 2010

There has been a lot of talk recently, not least in the pages of PRWeek, about how PR and communications is finally on the front foot and being given credit for the uniquely useful and essential contributions it makes at all levels of companies and organizations.
 

Business Wire takes the right steps in response to hoax release

June 25, 2010

It's been a tough week for the newswires.
 

Consistent message helps P&G in diaper rash crisis

June 18, 2010

In its communications effort surrounding claims that its new Dry Max product causes diaper rash, P&G has shown the effectiveness of consistent messaging in a crisis.
 

PR industry should not be complacent

June 11, 2010

The great and the good of the communications industry congregated in Arizona last week for the annual PR Seminar gathering of key client and agency chief executives.
 

Clear customer communications needed when price is concerned

June 04, 2010

When AT&T announced changes to its data usage plans this week, analysts heralded it as "positive for the entire communications industry, as data usage will continue to grow." But customers weren't as happy with the changes, venting on Twitter and blogs about the possible increase in costs and the uncertainty of how much data they actually use.
 

BP still cleaning up mess of a response to oil spill in Gulf

June 01, 2010

No one in their right mind would want to be in the shoes of BP chief executive Tony Hayward at the moment, despite the fact that he leads one of the world's largest corporations.
 

Internal changes must accompany crisis communications

May 28, 2010

Another week, another crisis. This time, it's Johnson & Johnson's McNeil division, which is now facing possible criminal penalties for the lapses in the manufacturing process that led to recalls of children's medicines last month.
 

Access to information must be consistent in crisis

May 21, 2010

Since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig and subsequent oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, BP has been caught in a media and political firestorm about the effect it will have on the environment.
 

Facebook needs to evolve communications on privacy issue

May 14, 2010

In the past week alone, Facebook has faced a slew of media reports questioning the company's understanding and respect for user privacy.
 

Wise social media counsel avoids lawsuits

May 07, 2010

The decision of a New Jersey court to order a blogger to reveal her sources is another stark reminder that the worlds of user-generated content and social media are just as subject to defamation procedures as professionally produced content.
 

PR pros must view Apple's iPad as a true game-changer

May 01, 2010

The lines stretching out of Apple stores and onto the streets on April 3 bore testament to the enormous power of the iconic Steve Jobs-led brand and the excitement and anticipation generated by the launch of the company's new iPad product.
 

Cause campaigns need to align with the brand

April 30, 2010

KFC made waves a few weeks ago with its creation and then promotion of the Double Down, a sandwich made with two pieces of fried chicken instead of bread.
 

Travel delays offer communications opportunity

April 23, 2010

As airline delays affected thousands of travelers this week, some companies used the crisis to leverage products and services that could ease the plights of the stranded travelers.
 

Promoted tweets a positive move for Twitter, PR industry

April 16, 2010

Twitter launched its much-anticipated advertising platform this week, explaining how "promoted tweets" will show up in users' search results.
 

ProPublica piece on PR wrongly focuses on sins of the past

April 02, 2010

Connecting the dots and following the back story is what comprises great investigative journalism.
 

Twitter's epiphany provides a real pat on the back for PR

April 01, 2010

Last August, PRWeek used Twitter as an example of the wrong way to use a corporate blog.
 

Solid reputation takes continual effort

March 26, 2010

Toyota and Tiger Woods have a lot in common these days. Both brands are embroiled in major reputation crises and both continue to get bombarded with new issues on an almost daily basis.
 

PR should take leading role in PSAs

March 19, 2010

A recent study from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management found some anti-binge drinking PSAs have the opposite effect on their viewers.
 

Integrated approach will extend life of 'big' TV

March 12, 2010

The Oscars on March 7 pulled in its highest ratings in five years: 41.3 million viewers.
 

Generic approach renders multicultural marketing ineffective

March 09, 2010

The book 'Game Change' caused quite a stir when it reported that Senator Harry Reid referred to then Senator Obama as a "light-skinned African American with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted one."
 

Communications pros should have prevented latest round of FDA warnings

March 05, 2010

Sixteen food manufacturers received warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week for making misleading health claims on food packaging.
 

Understanding your staff is the first step in its retention

March 01, 2010

Agency leadership has long talked about the need to retain top talent, whether through financial incentives, training programs, or even sabbaticals.
 

Southwest reacts to seating dust-up with aplomb

February 19, 2010

When director Kevin Smith was recently booted from a Southwest Airlines flight for reportedly not fitting in a standard seat, he immediately took to Twitter to share his thoughts with his 1.6 million followers.
 

Pre-game tactics the big winner at Super Bowl

February 12, 2010

Although a number of the ads at this year's Super Bowl were labeled misogynistic or ageist, others dull, the pre-game chatter was deafening leading up to the big game.
 

Cross-industry coalition would protect ideas in review process

February 05, 2010

PRWeek supports the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) decision to protect its member-agencies' ideas during the pitch process.
 

Social engagement is now the big game for building brands

February 01, 2010

Pepsi's recent announcement that it would not advertise its soft drink during this year's Super Bowl shocked and no doubt rankled a few nerves at ad agencies and broadcasters alike.
 

Hiding behind SOX embarrasses and belittles PR industry

January 29, 2010

In 2003, PRWeek grimly predicted Sarbanes-Oxley would commence an era of vague financial reporting for marketing companies. Sadly, but not surprisingly, we were right.
 

'Times' paywall move provides real opportunity

January 22, 2010

'The New York Times' made news this week when it announced that beginning in 2011, it would start charging frequent visitors to its Web site.
 

Google does good with China move

January 15, 2010

Few countries have dared to directly confront China on its range of human rights violations with as much force as Google did this week.
 

NHL's smart moves win fans back

January 08, 2010

On New Year's Day, NBC televised a game that has become that sport's centerpiece attraction. Hint: It's not a bowl game.
 

Market to your niche, but do not forget everyone else

January 01, 2010

If you're a brand selling the basics - food, auto, financial services, household products - avoiding some other basics in your campaigns is a good idea, namely sex and race.
 

Facebook makes calculated risk

December 18, 2009

As the social networking leader, Facebook holds a privileged position. It has the power to set the tone in a still evolving community where more and more of us are spending more and more time.
 

Firms must speak up quickly where stimulus funds are concerned

December 11, 2009

The Hill reported this week that two Republican senators were questioning wasteful stimulus projects, including a multimillion contract awarded to Burson-Marsteller.
 

Rethink your celebrity hire

December 04, 2009

Celebrities are used to move a lot of product in the US, and globally. They endorse liquors, clothing, phones, cars, political causes, and even other celebrities.
 

Recognition of online reality will help FDA stay relevant

December 01, 2009

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) held public hearings in mid-November with industry leaders to gather information about using social media and the Web to promote FDA-regulated medical products.
 

Agency tool building shows promise

November 20, 2009

As the progression to online communications got underway, communicators moved from the phones to the Web, managing blogger relations and monitoring social networks.
 

Demand ROI or risk your profession

November 13, 2009

The theme for this year's PRSA International Conference was "delivering value," in particular PR's role in driving business.
 
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