NEW YORK: As PRWeek's NEXT conference wound down, 40 Under 40 honorees offered key takeaways they will discuss with their corporate leadership and co-workers.

Lisa Passé, senior manager of global consumer PR for Starbucks, participated in several discussions involving the intersection of authenticity, transparency, and storytelling. "We have to be in control of creating that message. We have to be frank and say we absolutely control that narrative."

Cameka Crawford, manager of multicultural communications and community relations for Verizon Wireless, said that ...