Having a brand social video strategy around TikTok is a crucial part of connecting with audiences today.

Dropbox’s head of social media, Susan Chang, has been with the software company since 2014, two years longer than TikTok has been in existence. During her time there, she’s had the chance to craft the social media strategy around the short-form video app from its inception.

“It was just undeniable that TikTok was becoming such a popular way to consume content that we couldn’t not be on it anymore,” said Chang, who occasionally guest stars on her brand’s channel. Dropbox joined just two years ago with a cheeky “let’s go” post. Today, the channel regularly pulls in millions of views on individual videos.

Part of Chang’s strategy was to create videos that felt like they belonged on that platform. “As a team, we needed to be smart about understanding the channel and the audience that was there.”

Ahead of her session at Ragan and PR Daily’s Social Media Conference, Chang shared her best advice for TikTok, including how to be authentic, the evolving role of user generated content and ways to engage beyond videos.

Create videos specifically for the platform

It’s important to understand the audience on TikTok. “You might feel that there are some similarities between [TikTok and other short-form video platforms],” said Chang, “however, the audience is different from the audience that’s on Reels.”

Specifically, TikTok videos need to be tuned into the app’s own unique, self-referential culture. “So much of TikTok is responding to what else is happening on TikTok,” said Chang. “You have to react quickly to the new thing that day.”

When videos are recycled across platforms, they feel inauthentic. “When brands do that, it’s very obvious and people (notice).”

@dropbox This is your sign to stop remixing the same password. Starting today, all Dropbox users can store unlimited passwords and payment cards. Dropbox Passwords lets you seamlessly sign in to websites and apps by storing your passwords. The Passwords app remembers your usernames and passwords on all your devices so you don’t have to—helpful tool to keep safe and secure online. #passwordmanager #passwords #Dropbox #DropboxPasswords ♬ Keyboard_typing sound(894890) – keiichiro Akamine

Don’t ignore the comments section

“The comments section is very special,” said Chang. “Sometimes it’s more interesting and entertaining than the actual video.”

TikTok thrives on engagement between video creators, including through the stitch and duet tools. But the comments section is where engagement can thrive. “You can’t just post (and) leave,” said Chang. “Look at what people are saying, how are people reacting to you. Could you be reacting to their reactions?”

Dropbox’s strategy for the TikTok channel now includes best practices around the comments section and is part of their larger community engagement strategy.

“It’s another way for us to interact with our customers. You’ll see other brands pop up [in the comments] on popular TikTok all the time.”

Build a UGC strategy

UGC has become a critical part of Dropbox’s strategy.

“TikTok is a channel where people love to see someone talking to you and having a conversation with you,” said Chang. With that thought in mind, her team vetted micro influencers who had been previously posting content that felt on brand for Dropbox.

“These (were) real customers using Dropbox, in their actual daily lives, talking about how to use it and why they like it,” said Chang. “Having them say that on our behalf (was) more effective than the Dropbox brand saying (the same thing). When you see an actual customer saying something, it feels much more authentic and it helps you see yourself in that customer.”

As an added bonus, it’s allowed the channel to post more regularly.

“It’s been a great way for us to feature customers (and) also create video content at a much more efficient rate than we previously had been.”

@dropboxDropbox Dash keeps everything you need for that important meeting all in one place. Join the Dash beta program at the link in profile.♬ original sound – dropbox

Followers aren’t everything

“Your executives probably ask you ‘How many followers do you have?’” acknowledged Chang. “It’s one of those key metrics that a lot of brands will track. (But) I don’t feel like followers (are) that important to a channel. Discoverability has nothing to do with number of followers on TikTok.”

TikTok’s discoverability model allows relevant videos to appear on viewer’s For You tab even if a user isn’t following the account — which means any video can go viral.

“We want to know that content we’re publishing is doing well with our audience and that people are watching it,” said Chang. Her key metrics include engagement, as well as ROI on video creation.

“With UGC content, our costs to make each video have come down. That’s also something that we track as a business to make sure that we’re investing (correctly).”

Have fun

The short-form video platform turns 8 years old this September and now boasts over 1 billion monthly active users. A trend Chang has noticed is that increased audience means that more and more public figures or celebrities have joined the platform in earnest. (President Biden’s social team just joined in early February.)

“(The audience on TikTok) love to see the authentic sides of people,” said Chang. “You have to be aware of the beats on the platform on the daily.”

Whether those celebrities can adapt to that platform will be something she’s curious to watch. “You (can’t) only post beautifully produced videos or things (that feel) brand approved.“

Remember: in the end, sometimes you just have to give the audience what they want.

@dropbox Replying to @ch226799000 #Dropbox ♬ Cheers and applause(201652) – おでぃ

Join Chang at Ragan and PR Daily’s Social Media Conference on March 27-29. Chang will speak alongside communications leaders from Alaska Airlines, Hyatt, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Intel, AARP, Wendy’s and more.

The post 5 tips for TikTok brand engagement appeared first on PR Daily.

The Super Bowl won’t kick off until Sunday, but PR practitioners have already been at work for months as they prepare for the biggest brand bonanza of the year.  

Social media mentions will be a key metric this year in measuring interest and excitement around the ads, and some have already earned a greater share of the conversation than others.. 

From Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, NYX Cosmetics was the winner in the buzz bowl, with a big assist from Cardi B. According to data from Sprout Social measuring Super Bowl-related brand mentions across social platforms, a teaser that saw the rapper and singer recreating her “that’s suspicious” meme raked in 8,782 mentions and 156,127 engagements.  

Cardi B recreates her viral “That’s suspicious” meme in new teaser for her upcoming Super Bowl commercial with NYX Cosmetics. pic.twitter.com/U9NpbohXDZ

— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 1, 2024

It’s fairly logical that playing on a meme that became an incredibly popular TikTok sound was successful on social media; it’s also a bold, confident move to call your product “weird,” “suspicious” and “freaky,” but one that pays off here. The smart pairing of celebrity to brand is also paying off here, with the hip, fashion-forward star paired with the budget friendly, youth-oriented makeup.  

The next most-discussed Big Game ad on social media was also thanks to a big celebrity. Pringles released its ad featuring a mustachioed Chris Pratt and earned 4,049 mentions, 60,620 engagements. The ad, which sees Pratt compared to the Mr. Pringles mascot, apparently features real facial hair Pratt grew during the writer’s strike. After he posted about it on social media, Pringles spotted the resemblance to their mascot and a Super Bowl ad was born, Variety reported.  

Chris Pratt becomes Mr. Pringles in a new #SuperBowl ad pic.twitter.com/2FTjNArUV3

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 5, 2024

The third most buzzed-about brand in connection with the Super Bowl was FanDuel. Not only will many people be using the sports book during the game, their Big Game plans were disrupted by the death of Carl Weathers, who is featured in their ad alongside Rob Gronkowski. Weathers died last week at age 76.  

“FanDuel was fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with him during our Super Bowl campaign. We are adjusting our campaign accordingly out of respect for the family during their time of grief,” Fan Duel said in a statement.  

It’s a tragic loss and a disruptive event for the brand — but it also provided a surprise boost in conversation about the ad. How they address Weathers’ death in the ad and honor is legacy will be crucial now.  

Other top-mentioned brands, according to Sprout Social, include Michelob Ultra’s star-studded ad, Bud Light’s ongoing struggles to overcome its influencer controversy and a BetMGM ad that’s for everyone but Tom Brady.  

The commonality? Social media tie-ins, big celebrities and major news all lead to more buzz. No surprises there. 

The music angle 

Outside of brands, the Super Bowl is also a critical moment for all manner of musicians. Halftime show star Usher has been featured in more than 24,000 media articles since Jan. 1, according to data provided by Muck Rack, a respectable number. But the real musical star of this Super Bowl is, of course, Taylor Swift. 

Despite having no official role in the big game — she’s reportedly turned down requests to perform the halftime show herself — she’s been featured in more than 99,000 articles about the game, most circling around her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce, though some involve bizarre conspiracy theories.  

There’s no conspiracy here: Swift is simply wildly popular and has a devoted fanbase. Indeed, the new audience that she brings to the table is changing the composition of Super Bowl ads and putting a new focus on female viewers.  

Which brands will continue to drive forward on their pre-Super Bowl momentum to sales success? And which dark horses will pop up during the game? 

We’ll just have to wait and see.  

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

The post By the Numbers: These brands are already winning the Super Bowl appeared first on PR Daily.

Any rebrand is challenging. People become emotionally attached to even the smallest nuance of logo design and brand colors. But doing a rebrand complete with a full name change? That’s a next-level challenge.  

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service took on that challenge, transforming into Global Refuge. But what didn’t change in this extensive rebrand process is its commitment to advocating for refugees and helping them feel welcome and settled in the United States. In fact, that mission has only grown, as the 85-year-old organization ballooned from about 75 employees two and a half years ago to 560 today. 

The non-profit’s board asked it to determine a name that would help set a bigger table for the many refugees around the world, including migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. It also considered a full rebrand alongside the name change. 

Here’s how LIRS planned and rolled out its new birth as Global Refuge. 

What’s in a name? 

LIRS began this journey with Legend Labs, a brand consulting company based in Austin, Texas. With Legend’s help, LIRS began to conduct deep research including a staff survey, donor survey and a national, statistically significant survey to better understand current knowledge of the brand and what compels people to donate to an organization like theirs. LIRS coupled this quantitative data with qualitative data based on interviews with board members, affiliates, former clients, government partners and others.  

Several key points revealed themselves. 

First was the key role of mission in non-profit names. “We know that in such a crowded brand space, you have to be able to very quickly grab somebody’s attention, and what does your name signal?” Erin Taylor, chief communications officer at Global Refuge, told PR Daily. “And if we were going to change our name, we wanted something that stayed true to our mission, but would allow us maybe quicker recognition in that critical moment where somebody’s trying to learn about you.”  

LIRS also suffered from low name recognition, a true problem. Part of that may have been the acronym itself, which added to what Taylor called “alphabet soup” in the non-profit space. 

The organization was getting closer to what it needed from a new name. But there was still one major decision to be made.  

Reformers 

“Lutheran” played a key role in the original name of the organization. And while it no longer appears in the title, it’s still a vital part of the charity.  

“We are absolutely remaining a Lutheran faith-based organization. Our mission, vision and values have not changed,” Taylor said.  

But the inclusion of the denomination in the name did cause some confusion among the organization’s constituents. The organization helps all, regardless of religion. But for many of LIRS constituents, the inclusion of “Lutheran” in the title was an important touchstone to faith, and removing it hurt. 

Taylor said they recognize and honor that hurt, and that the team has taken time to travel across the country for face-to-face meetings with people skeptical of the name change. But she also stressed that Christian faith is still embedded in the name, albeit more subtly. 

“Refuge is actually an important part of Psalm 46 in the Bible: ‘And so God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,’” Taylor quoted. “And that’s actually a passage that a lot resonates with a lot of members of the Lutheran faith.” 

Ultimately, her team understands not everyone will agree with change, but that it, too, is a core part of Lutheranism. 

“The Lutheran church is in and of itself a reformer, right? That’s how the church formed, started,” she said, referencing church founder Martin Luther, who famously nailed his 95 theses to a church door and started the Protestant Reformation.  

“The idea that that our organization continues to evolve to meet needs and serve clients is really important to us.” 

Rolling it out 

After all this research and conversation, the organization settled on Global Refuge. It was shorter, made up of real words, and eliminated the need for an acronym. It set that bigger table that the board wanted while still retaining faith identity through the inclusion of “refuge,” with its nod to Psalm 46. It also more quickly helped people understand what they did. A quick round of market testing revealed that the name resonated with their target audiences too. 

Now the creative endeavor was over and the hard work of rolling out logistical changes needed to begin. 

The internal rollout was particularly critical.  

“We see our staff as some of our best brand ambassadors, and folks that would need to be early on board in terms of being able to share the news and articulate the why behind it,” Taylor said. 

That work started with an all-staff, in-person meeting in San Antonio, but continued with in-person, in-depth conversations. 

“We tried to reach as many people in person as we could to talk in a transparent way about what this change was and what it would mean for the organization and, critically, what it wouldn’t mean for the organization — again, that the work was not changing,” Taylor said. 

The comms team also created a variety of collateral materials, ranging from an in-depth 15-page FAQ, as well as a physical at-a-glance one sheet on the rebrand. 

The one-sheet also included key messages and even an elevator pitch – a few words employees could share if they met someone for only a brief moment. The team even went beyond just sending collateral materials by providing training to help team members adapt the talking points for their particular audience.  

The internal and external response to the rebrand has been positive. But most important has been the incorporation of client voices into their new identity. 

“Beyond the name, it’s, it’s the storytelling, it’s the inclusivity, it’s the welcoming messaging that we’re building in that will then be reflected across our comms materials,” Taylor said. “So we’re really jazzed about that, too.” 

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

The post Navigating a name change: Practical tips from Global Refuge, formerly LIRS appeared first on PR Daily.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is almost here. Is your brand ready for it?

Held on Nov. 1 – Nov. 2, it is a deeply culturally significant holiday that originated in Mexico but is now recognized throughout Latin America and beyond. The holiday honors deceased loved ones with parties, parades and costumes, according to National Geographic.

Celebrants also give offerings on altars, or ofrendas, to the spirits of relatives who have died to encourage them to visit again.

PepsiCo’s Rockstar Energy drink honors this holiday with its new national campaign, Proud Hasta Los Huesos (Proud to the Bones). The campaign ushers in the upcoming Day of the Dead holiday with custom cans for Rockstar Energy Drinks, Manzanita Sol, Crush and Brisk, part of the “Proud Hasta Los Huesos” limited-edition can collection.

Mexican illustrator and artist Joaquín Nava designed the cans for the campaign, which feature the image of La Catrina, a recognizable symbol for Día de los Muertos.

“Proud Hasta Los Huesos honors Día de los Muertos tradition and encourages the discovery of a new generation of talented Latino creators who use art as a cultural expression, especially those intrinsically preserving tradition,” according to a PepsiCo press release.

Other design elements on the cans include:

• Signature colors surrounded by customary ofrendas (altars)
• Alebrije icons (spiritual guides)
• A Xolo, or Mexican hairless dog
• Feathered serpent
• Other distinct decorative cues like marigold flowers and papel picado (paper banners)

The Rockstar Pure Zero fruit punch can, in particular, is black, white, red and gray. The can is mesmerizing to the eye and a bit mysterious as the stoic, prominently placed La Catrina beckons the observer to take a sip. La Catrina’s hollowed-out eyes seemingly also draws people in to learn more about otherworldly matters around Día de los Muertos.

“Every can has a tie to the Mexican community and culture while recognizing the past, per the release.

PR Daily sat down with Esperanza Teasdale, VP and general manager, Hispanic Business Unit, PepsiCo Beverages North America, to talk about the campaign.

The audience

Teasdale said that this campaign came about because PepsiCo studied Hispanic celebrations and holidays.

Tapping into that knowledge, PepsiCo developed its cans to resonate with audiences and their cultural celebrations.

“Cultural authenticity across all creative touchpoints of the campaign was critical, especially to preserve the symbolism and meaning behind the holiday,” Teasdale said, adding that partnering with Nava was an important element. Nava was given the freedom to bring “his artistic vision to life through the rich cultural lens of Día de los Muertos.”

“(Nava) did a great job leveraging color for our packaging and illustration of Latino custom and nuances,” Teasdale said. “He does beautiful work, very artistic and full of culture.”

The purpose

Teasdale’s said that PepsiCo’s Hispanic business unit team was dedicated to using its employees as a cultural resource for the campaign.

Teasdale said that PepsiCo’s Hispanic Business Unit is comprised of a diverse team from across the Hispanic diaspora, including consultants and a multicultural insights team. They worked together to ensure the campaign authentically captures the “cultural nuances of this beloved Mexican holiday,” she said.

The beautiful artwork draws the eye and piques interest of prospective buyers.

“Our cans, really, (are) the thing people see before they make that purchase,” Teasdale said.

In addition to driving growth, PepsiCo wants to educate more people on what Día de los Muertos is about.

“It’s about celebrating the life of those who have lived on and who have just passed in beautiful ways and encouraging people to make their own ofrendas,” Teasdale said.

The bone (and heart) of the matter

Teasdale said that the campaign slogan felt “really smart” and “beautiful” because it drives home the essence of how people feel about being Latino, “Proud to the Bones.”

“There is a lot of pride, a lot of optimism, a lot of passion. The whole concept captures that really nicely for a moment in time that celebrates life,” Teasdale said.

Rockstar Pure Zero cans are available nationwide; Manzanita Sol and Brisk cans are located in the western and central regions of the U.S. The Crush cans are available in markets including Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

PepsiCo chose these metropolitan areas to cater to some of the largest Hispanic, Mexican and Mexican-American populations located there.

PepsiCo used the @RockstarEnergy Instagram page to promote a limited-edition Rockstar Pure Zero ceremonial box, which includes items to put on people’s own altars like cans, custom papel picada, calavera (skull) candles and La Catrina temporary tattoos. Teasdale said that Instagram was the brand’s choice as it is a “highly visual platform where consumers go to share and be inspired by visually compelling content.”

“With the limited-edition cans serving as the artistic anchor of the Proud Hasta Los Huesos campaign, we knew that Instagram was the right place to showcase the beautiful artwork and rich Mexican culture through visual storytelling that would capture the attention of our socially engaged audience,” Teasdale said.

Teasdale said that the biggest message here for PR and comms pros is to be authentic for the culture they are trying to reach.

“Help people celebrate more who they are,” Teasdale said.

Sherri Kolade is a writer and conference producer at Ragan Communications. She enjoys watching old films, reading and building an authentically curated life. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR/comms speaker in mind for one of Ragan’s events? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com.

The post How Rockstar Energy celebrates Día de los Muertos with pride, optimism and passion appeared first on PR Daily.

Public relations professionals are good at getting the word out about other people, brands and initiatives. But some might find it hard to give that same time, attention and energy to their own personal brands.

A steady cadence of posts that highlight your own work wins on social media can boost your career and grow your professional sphere of influence. But be careful not to venture too far into the obnoxious category with incessant posting and over-the-top bragging across social media platforms. Nobody likes that.

Terry Isner, owner of Jaffe PR, said that he is successful in his own personal brand building because he uses a simple, yet effective, formula to connect with his audience: being himself.

“Basically, the idea is that if we just bring our whole selves – and our unique selves – to people confidently, then we will attract and innovate and collaborate and do all these great things with great people. I think it’s important that we put ourselves out there and find those collaborative areas,” Isner told PR Daily.

Isner said that as people go through life and their careers, they are building upon their personal brand online and off, whether they intend to or not.

“Your actions, characteristics, personality, beliefs, values and preferred ways to communicate and collaborate, these are who you are. These are your brand,” Isner said. “Knowing that this will happen organically … should alert you that controlling, maintaining and consciously building a personal brand matters.”

Isner said that no matter what one posts, or which platform people use to communicate, it’s about bringing your whole self to each post.

“One of the things that I’ve allowed is my life at work to become one and be able to use the platforms to share that,” Isner said about intertwining his personal and professional life. “When you share that obviously through social media, you’re creating brand reputation.”

Isner posted on LinkedIn about the concept of improving one’s personal brand and how it ties to bringing one’s opinions to the forefront – whether at work or doing life.

“There is a fantastic landscape today for cultivating your personal brand through thought leadership,” Isner said in the post. “Podcasts, social media, blog writing, public speaking and participation in conferences all serve as excellent platforms … to exhibit your personality and perspectives. Remember, prospective clients aren’t merely seeking assurances of your capabilities; they’re interested in gauging your relatability and whether the potential working relationship seems like it would be mutually satisfying. … Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine, doing so will attract the clients who are right for you.”

PR experts don’t have to mix work and life if that’s not their thing. They can stick strictly to work-related topics and boost their personal brand that way.

Paisley Haddad, senior account executive at Zeno Group and host of The Queen of Comm Podcast, has built her brand around being a Gen Z industry voice. Haddad uses her podcast to boost her personal brand and professional prowess on LinkedIn, Instagram and other platforms.

“As a dual PR pro and podcaster, it’s important to me to build my personal brand as a thought leader in the podcasting space to provide informed counsel to any clients or colleagues who may seek more information on the medium in earned media,” Haddad said. “Also, in my career, building my personal brand has allowed me to take part in conferences, Clubhouse chats, op-eds and (opportunities) where I’m able to learn and grow within my role as well as provide insights on behalf of Gen Z.”
Haddad said whether a PR professional is looking to build their personal brand by starting a podcast or posting more consistently across social media, it all boils down to getting the word out about oneself and making connections.

Isner said no matter how new a PR expert is to personal branding, it’s important to think about authentically crafting a personal brand now.

“You should be in charge of it. Be the person you want to be, own it and foster relationships with those that appreciate your brand,” Isner said.

Haddad mused that it’s never too late to start learning and being open to new ideas while thriving in this new territory.

“I just feel like everyone should always be curious. No matter what level you are at in the PR industry. Just continue learning and talking with others,” Haddad said.

Sherri Kolade is a writer at PR Daily. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching old films, reading and building an authentically curated life. This includes, more than occasionally, finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com.

The post The secret to building a personal brand? Letting your personality shine. appeared first on PR Daily.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is in full swing, showcasing some of the very best soccer in the world.

Gender is an inescapable part of the Cup. This is the first Women’s World Cup since the United States team secured a promise from U.S. Soccer to receive pay and treatment that’s equal to the men’s team. Their advocacy set off broader conversations about pay equity in the country, since the women were paid a fraction of what the men received, despite having won four World Cups, compared to the men’s zero.

There has also been international progress: the winner’s pot for the Women’s World Cup jumped from $30 million in 2019 to $150 million today — though that number still far lags the men’s $440 million pool. And consumers are showing strong interest in the cup, as the U.S. women’s team opening victory over Vietnam earned ratings equal to the men’s World Cup final, in which the American team did not play. But even amid growth in interest in the women’s game, true equality, including in PR and marketing dollars, remains a long way off.

“We do see far more women’s sports than we ever have before,” Ellen Staurowsky, professor of sports media at Ithaca College, told Marketplace. “But at the same time, women are still just getting less than 1% of sport marketing dollars globally. What is it going to take financially, in terms of media coverage, to actually see women’s sports at 20%? At 25%?”

We’re seeing signs of increasing interest in the Cup from advertisers, though: Digiday reports that some online sports news publishers are seeing more revenue from the women’s match than the men’s. And Google is working to increase interest in the women’s cup, including by using altering results for “gender-ambiguous” search terms, Mashable reports, so general sports searches don’t default to all-male results.

In other words: the Women’s World Cup is a big deal, and only likely to get bigger.

As a result, there’s been a shift in how advertising and social media campaigns engage with and present the tournament.

A change from 2019

Even as recently as the last Women’s World Cup, we saw campaigns that struggled with the women’s (understandable) frustration over their lack of recognition. Take a look at this video introducing the German women’s team four years ago. “We play for a nation that doesn’t even know our names,” one player says. “We don’t have balls, but we know how to use them,” they tease in a clear comparison to men’s soccer.

Compare that to this video introducing American legend Megan Rapinoe, who has already announced her retirement at the end of the year.

Megan Rapinoe. The All-American Hero. She’s chasing a historic three-peat championship and another star for the @uswnt for her last trip to the big stage. @mpinoe #JustDoIt #NikeFootball pic.twitter.com/32o5vcI0V3

— Nike Football (@nikefootball) July 16, 2023

There is no mention of gender in the video (though you will catch Pride flags in one scene of the ‘80s-style animated spot). She’s celebrated for how darn good she is at soccer, with scenes of full-body scans implying that her skill is even beyond normal human abilities. She is an All-American hero because she’s just that freaking good, because she has a sense of flair and style that appeal to the rebellious spirit of the country. The spot doesn’t hide that she’s a woman (or a lesbian, for that matter, showing her wooing a lady on a beach with a scorching keytar solo), but nor does it treat that like the most interesting thing about her. And there’s certainly no need to compare her to the men.

How media is showcasing the female players’ interactions with and influence on young players is also evolving. In this Nike ad from 2019, merely being included in the excitement is enough for one fan, being shown that she, too, can be whatever she wants to be, from a player to a coach.

It’s an inspiring ad to be sure. But this year’s Frito-Lay ad takes a different tactic when it comes to inspiring the next generation: a mother shows her daughter why U.S. players, past and present, are the best, using their moves and their physicality rather than their mere existence.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with the 2019 ads. Women had to fight to get where they are, and are still fighting for their fair share of recognition and pay. But we’re moving into a phase where audiences don’t need to be told that wow, girls can play soccer just like boys. We don’t even need to say that they’re just as good as the boys. In fact, we can leave men’s soccer entirely out of the conversation.

Well, sometimes.

The men

One of the buzziest ads of the Cup does feature male players. Well, we’ll let you watch the ad for yourself:

Spectacular plays performed by the France women’s team were digitally altered to make it seem as if their men’s team were performing them. The ad quietly peels back the often-inadvertent sexism society can suffer from: you thought these were amazing when they were men. Aren’t they just as good if it’s women? Just as incredible, just as thrilling? It illuminates the issue without shaming the viewer — a rare feat.

However your brand chooses to participate in this year’s Women’s World Cup, whether a simple social media post or a full-fledged campaign, remember that even in the last four years, the perception of women and gender has evolved.

Women belong on the pitch. Not everything has to be compared to men. And the next generation doesn’t just deserve to be included — they deserve to be the best in the world.

No qualifiers.

Allison Carter is executive editor of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter, LinkedIn or Threads.

The post How Women’s World Cup campaigns have evolved since 2019 appeared first on PR Daily.

Have you placed a client on a podcast before as an interview subject? Or listened to a popular one as of late with a subject matter expert giving sage advice or expounding on an idea? If not, you are missing out. Podcasts are still all the rage and will be for quite some time, according to a Pew Research Center top-ranked podcast survey.

The Pew Research Center recently revealed an analysis of the 451 top-ranking podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify from April 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022. The podcast data homed in on show formats and primary factors that made these podcasts popular.

Of those 451 podcasts, these are the most popular genres:

• True crime: 24%
• Multiple topics: 20%
• Other topics: 12%
• Politics and government: 10%
• Entertainment, pop culture and the arts 9%
• Self-help and relationship: 8%
• Sports: 6%
• History 4%
• Money and finance, comedy, and religion: 2%
• Science and technology and health: 1%.

Audiences are also heavily engaged in podcasts. Pew Research from this past spring finds that roughly half of Americans have listened to a podcast in the last year (49%).

That’s a lot of listeners. With so many tuning in, podcasts are the perfect place for people to learn about your client and brand. They can offer a fresh perspective or bold take to an already popular show on topics discussing true crime, entertainment and self-help.

The top-ranked podcasts come in various formats with 38% featuring deep reporting or explaining a topic. About a quarter (23%) of podcasts are interview shows, and another 16% are commentary-centered.

Your subject matter experts have stories to tell and can share their expertise, advice, or overall amplify the brand with their knowledge.

Putting them on interview-based podcasts could be a great place to start where they could naturally lend their expertise to the topic at hand.

Adding their voice to a popular podcast could elevate the brand in new ways and could connect them to more audiences, too.

Across all genres, about 15% of the top-ranked podcasts are primarily news focused, the study found.

“There are several possible reasons for this, including that many podcasts that do not primarily focus on the news occasionally discuss news-related topics,” according to Pew.

Podcasts with a news slant can touch on various topics including politics, sports and entertainment.

However, nearly half (49%) of the news-focused podcasts are centered around politics and government, like “The Dan Bongino Show” and “The Kyle Kulinski Show.”

Also, 63% of news-focused top podcasts feature a video element to their show. Podcasting is no longer merely a visual medium, as platforms like YouTube move into the space. Be sure to prep your clients that they need to be camera ready for podcasts — and consider preparing visuals to help them.

Hannah Nieves, founder and principal at Hannah Nieves Consulting, said in a Forbes article that sharing your story can go a long way because “your story is your most powerful asset.”

“Similar to sharing your story, showcasing your expertise in your field is a great way to spark the interest of a potential podcast host,” Nieves said. “Sharing your knowledge with an audience provides credibility for your experiences and allows you to show what you bring to that community. Your expertise can be shared through similar outlets such as on social media platforms, at larger events and with your clients.”

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com. 

The post This is what the most popular podcasts have in common appeared first on PR Daily.

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell parted ways with his company after an investigation from outside counsel found his behavior with a female colleague inappropriate, USA Today reported. 

Comcast announced on April 23 that their company and Shell “mutually agreed” that he would leave his position. 

“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal,” he said in a statement shared by Comcast. “I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret. I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.” 

Why it matters: Comcast President Mike Cavanaugh and Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts responded in a note to employees about the matter, per a copy given to USA TODAY. 

“You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace. When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here,” the note said.  

Having an external investigation on Shell while publicizing that in messaging to the public shows that the company is handling it with tact and diplomacy. The company does not want to be in hot water themselves accused of playing games with corporate politics. They are also looking at how to move in such a way as to not hurt their brand or appear to give Shell a slap on the wrist for violating their rules. 

Keep an eye out for brand imitators  

Brands can now be easily compromised with the rise of AI t creating copycat images and fake social media content. 

According to Capterra’s 2023 Brand Monitoring Survey, AI-generated fake information is becoming a reality for brands looking to combat this trend. Fifty-seven percent of marketing professionals surveyed said, “They have witnessed criticism or defamatory content about their brand or company on social media.”  

Forty-nine percent of survey takers reported encountering a “fraudulent brand or company account.” 

According to the survey, smaller marketing businesses (58%) don’t have the proper technology like social media monitoring software to protect their brand.  

Why it matters: Savvy brands need to buckle in for a wild ride with generative AI content that could easily imitate or discredit a brand. Preparing for the worst while taking ways to think about how to protect your brands should be a running thought for brands. Whether that be through using monitoring software to detect fake content or simply keeping an eye out on social media, be aware of imitators and know how to respond when the situation arises.   

Bed Bath & Beyond CEO responds to bankruptcy announcement  

Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for bankruptcy, CNBC reported. 

The company faced tough financial times because of online retail giants like Amazon scooping up their customers among other reasons. According to the article: 

Sixth Street has agreed to lend Bed Bath $240 million in debtor-in-possession financing so the company can have the cash flow necessary to support operations through the bankruptcy process. Bed Bath said it plans to continue to pay employees wages and benefits, maintain customer programs and honor obligations to vendors. 

“Millions of customers have trusted us through the most important milestones in their lives – from going to college to getting married, settling into a new home to having a baby,” according to a statement from CEO Sue Gove noted in the article. “Our teams have worked with incredible purpose to support and strengthen our beloved banners, Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY,”  

Why it matters: Despite Bed Bath & Beyond’s bankruptcy proceedings, the company’s messaging about putting customers and employees at the forefront resonates. Their priorities of ensuring that their stakeholders are at the center of many of their decisions reinforce their image of strongly being connected to who matters most even during their financial turbulence and change. Though there are many lessons to be learned from their bankruptcy, their concern for those impacted is good for the public image. 

DoorDash driver attacked while on the job 

A Tampa DoorDash driver was sexually after making a delivery recently, CNN reported: 

The driver was trying to make a delivery to the Residence Inn in Tampa at night on April 18 when she was approached by an armed man – identified as 38-year-old Joseph Killins – who forced her back into her car at gunpoint and made her drive to another location more than 6 miles away, where he sexually battered her, the Tampa Police Department said in a news release. 

DoorDash spokesperson Julian Crowley said in a statement to CNN that the company is “appalled:”  

No one should ever have to endure something as horrific as this and we’re here to support the Dasher in any way we can,” per the article. We’re grateful to Tampa Police for their work to hold the perpetrator accountable and we strongly hope justice is served. 

Why it matters: DoorDash has safety measures in place with protocols available to help their drivers. Letting that be known in statements when possible helps the public know that they are upfront about how they care about drivers—and not mentioning or linking back to these measures amounts to a missed opportunity. Supporting your brand with messaging that conveys a sense of safety goes a long way. 

 Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com. 

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One of the biggest news items of the day is former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan grand jury indictment on over 30 counts related to business fraud.    

As America enters uncharted waters, politicians are issuing statements at lightning speed. If your organization doesn’t need to make a statement, the best strategy right now is to keep quiet and wait and see.  

Beyoncé puts Adidas in a box to the left  

Beyoncé and Adidas had a good thing going, but they must bid each other adieu.   

Their fashionable collaboration debuted the shoe and clothing line Ivy Park in 2019. The duo, however, decided recently to go their separate ways over “creative differences,” according to a CBS News article.   

The departure is yet another awkward blow for Adidas which is feeling the financial sting of having to cut ties with Kanye West over his anti-Semitic remarks. The Beyoncé breakup (they won’t break her soul) won’t impact Adidas’ bottom line to that same degree “because Ivy Park has never been a material revenue driver,” said David Schwartz, an analyst for Morningstar Research.   

“It highlights Adidas’ inability to find a celebrity partnership that is anything close to the relevance of Yeezy,” Swartz told CBS MoneyWatch.   

Not everyone is sad about the news.   

Ashley Cobb, at Gossip and Gasms, posted her takeaway on Facebook.   

“Ivy Park didn’t sell because Ivy Park only looks good on Beyoncé. Also, Bey isn’t a fashion icon… an athleisure brand never made sense.”   

Why it matters: It’s not always easy to choose the best partner, either for brands or for influencers Sometimes it’s preferable to part ways if things aren’t working. Knowing when to quit goes a long way.   

Trending e-commerce, fintech and gaming apps prove invaluable to marketers   

E-commerce, fintech and gaming mobile apps are ripe with new opportunities, especially for marketers and developers.    

A new report from Adjust reveals positive “early momentum” for e-commerce, fintech and gaming mobile apps in 2023.   

In 2022, the industries saw a slight downturn but this year there are major wins including in areas of fintech (+13%), and gaming (+10%) in comparison to their 2022 figures, according to report details:   

The report — based on datasets totaling more than 100,000 apps tracked by Adjust — analyzes long-term trends in installs, sessions, time spent in-app, retention, re-attribution rates, and more, across the globe. These insights enable developers and marketers to better understand their audience and the state of the app economy.  

Adjust’s CEO Simon “Bobby” Dussart discussed the uptick:   

“Global conditions and user needs are evolving rapidly, but the need for growth and ROI in the mobile app marketing industry remains the same. Delivering highly customized, seamless user experiences, executing cross-platform campaigns, and tapping into the potential of new channels, such as connected TV, will prove invaluable for marketers and developers seeking sustained and strategic growth in 2023 and beyond.”   

Why it matters: PR pros need to consider the full range of possibilities with these popular apps and how to potentially reach audiences. Learn ways to leverage these platforms and stay up to date with trends in this space.   

Is BuzzFeed’s new robot contributor ‘Buzzy AI’ the new king of content?    

There is a lot of buzz around BuzzFeed right now. It’s not because of their trending articles or sometimes cringeworthy content that Gen Zers and Millennials lap up.   

They are under scrutiny for publishing overly generic and oftentimes badly written AI-generated articles, not just quizzes.   

BuzzFeed is using AI tools from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to “enhance” and “personalize” its digital content described as “SEO bait.”  It largely offers glimpses of “hidden gem” travel destinations.

A Futurism article reminds BuzzFeed of its earlier-in-the-year promises to hold its AI-assisted content to a “high standard.”   

However, the rollout of travel articles has been choppy and controversial to say the least.   

“It doesn’t seem like that commitment to quality has held up, though,” the Futurism author noted. The similarly modeled travel articles read, “like the content mill model that Peretti had promised to avoid.”   

Nieman Labs calls them, “bad.”   

BuzzFeed disagrees and says there’s a bright future to be etched out with AI.   

“As we iterate, future formats will continue to have built-in ways for humans to be in the loop as co-collaborators and editors,” they said in the article.   

Why it matters: We get it. AI is the latest shiny gadget that everyone wants to get their hands on. However, not everything that glitters is gold. PR pros might have a more difficult task at hand connecting with journalists if a hefty amount of their content foregoes the human touch. Journalists using AI might not be so easily prone to checking their inboxes for similar content pitched. Striking the right balance means getting it wrong sometimes and veering back toward a good rhythm where humans and robots alike can meet in the middle.  

The importance of fonts in a rebrand

The luxury brand Burberry recently got a throwback makeover, the New York Times reported. 

“Burberry joined two recently debuted serif logos from Ferragamo and Phoebe Philo, leading online followers to proclaim the era of serif typefaces in, and the era of ‘blanding’ sans-serifs decidedly out,” according to the article.   

Grace Robinson-Leo, founder and creative director at Decade, said that Burberry’s logo is impressive.    

“When a logo is really beautiful and really well drawn, it really stands the test of time, and it often sets the tone for a kind of style or aesthetic that other people get excited about.”   

 The tweak is to woo back customer bases in “an increasingly competitive landscape of newer brands.”    

On Twitter, James Genchi, @UXyThing, called the brand move a “huge step backward” but in the best way.  

“It looks amazing! It’s great to see a brand with such rich heritage abandoning the bland, sans serif trend which has been draining character from some of the world’s biggest brands for a while.”  

Why it matters: Sometimes going backward means a step in the right direction. You don’t have to be an iconic brand with a rich heritage to switch things up. Don’t be afraid of change if that means swapping out a logo. Or looking back at older logos of your brand and bringing them to the forefront in an updated version. Bottom line, tweak to your liking and see what unfolds. Happy redesigning!  

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn.    

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Pepsi is marking its 125 years of history in style this year with a rebrand to update its iconic look.  

The Pepsi brand is debuting a new logo and visual identity system in the fall after maintaining its current one for 14 years, according to a news release by PR Newswire.  

Some dramatic changes include a bold typeface, revamped color palette and a “signature pulse” fans can still readily recognize as familiar, according to the press release.   

Todd Kaplan, chief marketing officer, noted the need to refresh while still keeping continuity with the beloved brand: 

“Pepsi is an iconic brand that is constantly evolving with the times, as it has been a staple in pop culture and disrupted the category for the past 125 years. We couldn’t be more excited to begin a new era for Pepsi, as this exciting new and modern look will drive brand distinction to show up bigger and bolder and help people find new ways to unapologetically enjoy the things they love. This new visual system brings out the best of the Pepsi brand’s rich heritage, while taking a giant leap forward to set it up for success in an increasingly digital world.”  

The revamped “Pepsi persona” will be released this fall in the United States and Canada. A worldwide release is set in 2024.   

Why it matters: Pepsi has many connections to pop culture events and celebrities down the years (Michael Jackson and Britney Spears anyone?).  

Building on an already popular foundation while staying relevant can go a long way for anyone looking to make the redesign leap. Don’t be afraid to modernize, revamp or rebrand your business, especially one with deep, cherished ties to a community. Pepsi is a good example of pivoting while maintaining brand integrity. 

Cyber disruption threats are a real risk  

Cybersecurity threats are a growing concern for Americans.  

According to the new Gallup’s World Affairs survey on terrorism-related concerns, cyberterrorism is “ranked highest among ‘critical threats’ to U.S. vital interests,” per 84% of survey takers. Thirteen percent of survey takers think this threat is important but not critical.  

The potential cybersecurity threat outweighs concern over the development of nuclear weapons by Iran, which comes in second on the list at 74% of people who think the threat is critical. Twenty-two percent of survey takers view it as important but not critical, according to the Gallup report.  

The survey, conducted in February, also found that Chinese military threats and the Russia-Ukraine conflict are also points of concern. 

Why it matters: Prepare your communications strategies in advance in case cyber risks harm staff members and customers who depend on your brand to handle their sensitive data. Prepare a communications strategy in case of a breach and be ready to be a source of trusted information, even amid chaos.  

Amazon gives you the lowdown on regularly returned items   

Consumers cherish the ability to make educated selections on products before they buy.  

Amazon is significantly simplifying this process by giving customers the heads up about frequently returned products, according to an article by The Verge.   

“We’re currently showing return rate information on some product detail pages to help our customers make more informed purchase decisions,” Amazon spokesperson Betsy Harden said in the article to The Information.  

Amazon is letting its warning label of “frequently returned” items speak for itself to “encourage consumers to check the item details and reviews before making their purchase, helping customers avoid misleading or low-quality products and reducing unnecessary returns,” according to the article.  

Screenshot of a frequently returned item on Amazon with an orange label warning (near the bottom of the product description) identifying it as such.

Presently, Amazon’s return policy lets customers return new and unused purchases up to 30 days after ordering, typically for free, except if the item is deemed nonreturnable, according to the article. This move aims to cut down on the inconvenience of returning products, bypassing “deceptively marketed products” with fake reviews, the article adds.   

The “frequently returned item” addition has not yet been fully released.  

Why it matters: Being transparent is king and being upfront is priceless to consumers. No one wants to buy a repeat-offender product that has to be returned. Amazon gets cool points on providing excellent, honest feedback and promoting being open about occasionally unpopular items that they could turn a blind eye to. Giving customers another tool to consider when deciding what to buy is a priceless advantage. It helps a lot if terrible transactions aren’t hidden.  

Roblox gets fashionable   

Move over kids, adults are getting in on Roblox, too.  

Renowned supermodel Karlie Kloss is taking the virtual runways on the online gaming community platform in a welcomed partnership, Mashable reported.  

Kloss told Mashable that her interest in connecting Roblox with fashion stemmed from her seeing unique threads already on the game creation system, which has 67.3 million daily active users and around 214 million monthly active users, according to statistics. Players are already creating fashion trends that many are cashing in on. 

Welcome to Fashion Klossette, my new world exclusively on @roblox! Anyone can design, style, create, express themselves, and share that with others. Can’t wait to see you there! xx pic.twitter.com/IVlTjUPJev

— Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) March 22, 2023

Kloss explains to Mashable her reason for coming from exclusivity in the fashion industry to accessibility for all: 

“How did I end up in these spaces? And how do I share that access? That’s where I see the potential; democratizing these experiences, tools, and opportunities. This game is reaching a demographic and audience that is very real. And if you build it, they will come.”  

Why it matters: It’s important to find new ways to interact with niche populations that might not be your regular clients or customers. Kloss, a fashion icon, emphasized the significance of thinking outside the box, recognizing the potential and utilizing the already devoted gaming community to close the gap. That can go a long way for PR pros. It also speaks to the growing power of the metaverse for all audiences.  

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. In her spare time when she is not with family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading, and building an authentically curated life that includes occasionally finding something deliciously fried.  

Follow her on LinkedIn.  

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Amanda Guisbond is founder and chief communicator at Intersection: Health. 

Remember in school when you had to write a paper about your hero? You might say it was a teacher, astronaut or athlete. But you never responded with “high school, NASA or Nike.” 

That’s because people follow people, not brands. 

A looming recession is already impacting organizations in terms of hiring, budget and resource allocation. Communications departments are feeling the squeeze. In-house teams are shrinking, budgets are scrutinized, and everyone is being asked to do more with less.

The good news; you can actually do more with less. One solution is for communications teams to prioritize executive communications and thought leadership over brand communications. 

There’s good reason to believe your target audiences will respond to your executive’s communications – and more than your brand. 

Take LinkedIn as an example, where people-authored content consistently outperforms brand-authored content. Posts to LinkedIn by employees went 561% further than the same content shared by a brand. This is because, on average, employees have 10 times more social connections than a brand, and when they do post to social media, their followers are more likely to engage with that content. In fact, brand messages are re-shared 24 more times when posted by an employee. TikTok is another good example: of the top 100 most followed TikTok accounts in the U.S.: 97 are people; three are brands. 

Your customers respond to people-led content over brand-led content because they desire communications that embody authenticity and trust. The annual Edelman Trust Barometer found that more people trust their employer over government, non-profit organizations and media. Interestingly, family-owned businesses were trusted more than private or publicly held businesses. It’s easier to build trust when communication comes from a person you might feel you know, or to whom you can relate. 

People want to hear from leaders, too, and when they do, they express more trust in a brand and have a more positive impression of that brand’s leadership. Just by posting to social media, CEOs are seen as better communicators. Specific to social, a CEO’s comments when delivered through social media are seen as more trustworthy than comments shared via traditional media, such as a news story. That’s a win for owned vs. earned content. 

Brand communications can also be expensive. Take a B2B2C business with multiple potential customers and decision-makers, varying product messages, and many potential outlets and messages. A monthly PR retainer for a mid- to late-stage brand is costly, and there’s not a standard by which in-house teams can easily measure the value, or difference between potential partners. I’ve worked with companies that were asked to pay anywhere from $500 to $30,000 for one piece of written content or anywhere from $2,500 to $50,000 for monthly PR. 

Executive communications is totally different; it can be streamlined to support one executive on developing their thought leadership platform, honing in on their key messages, and demonstrating that through written bylined content for media and social media, speaking engagements, media interviews, speeches and more. 

Armed with the right messages, content and coaching, an executive can deliver more on their own. Teams really feeling the budget squeeze can opt for more upfront support and coaching, some ghost writing, and ultimately, choose how much their executive can, or wants to, manage on their own. Unlike a brand, the executive can keep generating content and communications if they have the right upfront guidance and channels in place. 

It’s a tough time for organizations who have to make creative choices about where they allocate their time and spend. And it’s a great time to invest in executive communications over brand. The future of PR and communications is authentic, vulnerable, personalized – and led by people. Arm your executives with the right coaching, content and channels now, and it will pay dividends. 

The post Why this is the time to invest in executive communications over brand appeared first on PR Daily.

M&M’s captured headlines around the world when it announced it would put an “indefinite pause” on its iconic anthropomorphic candy spokescreatures in response to a manufactured outrage over any change to the candies’ appearance — especially the female characters.

The timing was enough to raise plenty of eyebrows. Many, including PR Daily, speculated it was part of a Super Bowl stunt. Indeed, their announcement explicitly said that Maya Rudolph would star in their Super Bowl commercial.

And sure enough, it was all a stunt. One that, impressively, managed to make Maya Rudolph unfunny.

It casts Rudolph as a despotic spokesperson who renames the candies “Ma&Ya’s” after herself and replaces the inside with clams. I don’t know why.

Glimpses of the spokescandies pepper the commercial. And then, in a post-game commercial, it’s confirmed that the rainbow-colored confections are back in.

Yes, this got tons and tons of press before the Super Bowl, getting far out in front of most competitors. But the advertising turned into a PR fail. Here’s how those two disciplines intersected and created an overall negative campaign, despite early promise.

Why the PR failed

There is ultimately a messaging failure that runs through the announcement to the series of Super Bowl ads.

“America, let’s talk,” the initial announcement about putting the spokescandies on pause begins. “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing. Which was the last thing M&M’S wanted since we’re all about bringing people together.”

That’s directly referencing a series of segments in which Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson angrily denounced changes to the mascots, especially those that are designed to look female (again, we can’t stress this enough — candies do not have genders).

But in the series of advertisements, there’s no reference to these controversies. The mascots are brought back not because they’re champions of inclusion or because the new designs are great, or even because they’re iconic and delicious. No, they’re brought back because Maya Rudolph sucks and wants to change a tasty candy.

There is no reference to what M&Ms stand for — only what they don’t (which is clams, apparently?). There’s no cheeky pushback at the people seemingly reading a great deal into a chocolate’s perceived sex appeal or lack thereof. There’s all just a sort of silly fizzle that lacks the bravery to dig into what made the revocation of the mascots such big news in the first place.

Now you’ll likely have even greater brand confusion as some people heard the news that the mascots were going away, but then will see them on TV again without the context of the Super Bowl ad sequence.

M&M’s tried to dip a toe in the waters of controversy. And they had a chance to do something memorable — or even just to update their brand and move away from characters who have been in circulation for decades. But no, in the end, they avoided controversy and lied about what they were doing and why.

If it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you’re not alone.

The resulting press coverage of the ads was less than favorable. CNN and The Washington Post rated it one of the worst ads of the night. The A.V. Club calls it “soul-weakening,” and it ranked at No. 49 out of 57 among all Super Bowl ads in the USA TODAY AdMeter, just two spots ahead of an ad promoting a U2 concert.

Does it feel ridiculous to talk so much about the political implications of candies? You’re darn right it does. But M&M’s had a chance to do something big here. To take a real stand. In the end, they frittered it away and took what had been a big PR moment and made it feel small and ordinary.

What did you think of the campaign? Did it make you want to go buy a bag?

Allison Carter is executive editor of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post How M&M’s spoiled its PR moment with Super Bowl ads appeared first on PR Daily.

PR pros are experts at helping clients establish a strong brand that helps them become instantly recognizable among their target audiences.

But sometimes we don’t give ourselves and our personal brands the attention we deserve. A personal brand can help strengthen your career and allow you to become instantly recognizable among your peers, employers and prospective clients.

Sabrina Browne, vice president of corporate affairs for BCW Global, offers five tips for personal branding in 2023 in this video. Normally this is exclusively available for members of our Ragan Insider program, but we’re allowing you a sneak peek of this valuable content.

Want more? Learn how to become a member today.

In the meantime, learn about why Browne describes her own personal brand as “fierce, fun and fabulous.”

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While the battle on the field between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs is the main draw for football fans across America and the world during this Sunday’s Super Bowl, there will be millions of eyes glued to the screen during the action that happens in between timeouts of the game — the commercials. Always a big-budget affair (commercials for this year’s game cost about $7 million for a 30-second television spot), Super Bowl ads often roll out new products to the masses or play on nostalgia and pop culture as part of the promotional strategy.

We spoke with Jamie Gilpin, chief marketing officer at Sprout Social, about what to watch for during this year’s slate of Super Bowl commercials and any larger trends she’s looking at ahead of the big game.

New school ads vs. old school strategies

In recent years, we’ve seen a boom in newer tech products getting advertisements during the big game. A great example of that is last year’s Amazon Echo ad, the most expensive in Super Bowl history, which cost $26 million for 130 seconds of airtime. Although we’ll still see new products and services touted during the game, according to Gilpin, we should look for brands to take an approach that centers on nostalgia and old-school advertising tactics. She pointed to last year’s ads for cryptocurrency, including Coinbase’s ad with a floating QR code box on the screen, as a coming-out party for the digital financial tech (albeit before the more recent collapse of these assets), with changes in strategy in store for Super Bowl LVII.

“This year, we’re seeing a lot of traditional tactics from mainstay big game brands that leverage nostalgic cultural moments. Whether it’s enlisting the help of iconic celebrities, pop-culture throwbacks, or a perceived publicity stunt, brands are showing they’re willing to spend big for a shot at a memorable in-game moment,” Gilpin said.

This trend of leaning toward nostalgia and identifiable cultural icons matches with what we’ve seen previewed ahead of the game, with  Walter White’s return and a Hellmann’s commercial about food waste featuring celebrities with food-related names. Sometimes, sticking with the tried and true proves to be the way to go.

The can’t-miss commercials

It seems that at every Super Bowl party, there are a few commercials that the entire room excitedly waits for and talks about for the rest of the evening once it airs. According to Gilpin, it all comes down to audience engagement, citing an analysis by Sprout Social of Super Bowl ads ahead of the game that revealed some brands leaning into nostalgia are garnering major engagement.

“Engagement is the name of the game when it comes to social media chatter, and we’ve seen two brands, in particular, this year stand out from this standpoint — PopCorners (the Walter White ad) and Rakuten. We conducted a social media conversation analysis of big game ads and found that these two brands have driven nearly 50,000 engagements since January 8, while the average ad is getting a few hundred,” Gilpin said.

She also added that the aforementioned nostalgia and the cultural zeitgeist are playing a big role in the buzz. A great example of this is the upcoming Planters ad with Mr. Peanut, in which he’s subjected to a comedy roast. (Get it? Peanut…roast…I’ll see myself out.)

“What’s interesting is how both brands are leveraging a similar tactic this year — iconic pop cultural throwbacks — with PopCorners paying homage to ‘Breaking Bad’ and Rakuten referencing ‘Clueless,’” Gilpin said. “We’re also seeing celebrities generating strong engagement for brands like Maya Rudolph with M&M’s and Jack Harlow with Doritos. Leveraging celebrity and pop culture are great ways for commercials to have broad appeal, so it’s no surprise to see some of the most talked about ads touting these elements.”

The importance of social

Even though the main advertisements for the game will be spread to the masses over television (and streaming) airwaves, it would be remiss to not mention the impact social media will have on how fans interact with the advertising during the game. Gilpin said that social is a critical component of keeping the conversation about the brands going long after the commercial airs.

“Across the top 10 brand commercials that are driving the most social chatter, there have been nearly 70,000 social engagements, reflecting the excitement and hype we’re seeing leading up to the big game,” she said.

Gilpin added that the brands that want to make the most of their campaigns should not only have social media integration but should also put social at the forefront.

“The big game is a marquee moment for brands to do something memorable and make a statement, but without social media, the game can be just that — a single moment,” Gilpin said.

On top of keeping the momentum rolling after a Super Bowl ad, social can also help generate strong connections with the viewing public, which can in turn create a brand-new customer base.

“Social media is where brands can turn moments into strong connections with their audience. Social allows brands to foster deep, meaningful, 1:1 relationships with their audience that will last far beyond the airing of their big game ad,” Gilpin said.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications and PR Daily. In his spare time, he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night. He will not be watching the commercials during this year’s Super Bowl, as he will be rooting too hard for the Eagles to win to notice any of them. As always, he says, Go Birds.

The post What to watch for during 2023’s Super Bowl commercials appeared first on PR Daily.

Adam Kiefaber is a longtime communicator, leading public relations teams at large financial services companies. Follow him on LinkedIn.

For the past decade, every corporate communicator has been trying (and likely struggling) to tell its company’s innovation story. Most of the time, the storylines focus on the tech and ideas of the future and rarely include a look to the past.

Procter & Gamble (P&G)has been regularly enhancing and producing products for more than 180 years under iconic, trusted brands like Charmin, Gillette, Oral B, Pampers and Tide. The company’s website says that it believes “in finding small but meaningful ways to improve lives–now and for generations to come.”

To better understand P&G’s story and how the company shares it, I interviewed Shane Meeker, P&G’s corporate storyteller and historian – and I was surprised at what I found out.

How communicating your past can help your future

Like other Fortune 500 companies, P&G celebrates its history. It has archives and a corporate museum, which is now called the P&G Heritage Center.

When Meeker, who started working at P&G 26 years ago, was asked to take over the Heritage Center, he was surprised by what he didn’t know.

“Since I was someone who had previously worked in the business, I immediately thought to myself that I would have loved to know that this was all here,” said Meeker, who has managed the Heritage Center for the past 11 years. “I knew of the archives but didn’t realize how much was really here and how it could have helped me with my work.”

With the help of his team of storytellers and communicators, the P&G Heritage Center has grown to be more than a celebration of key dates and product launches in the company’s history. It has become an employee destination where colleagues break silos across brands and functions to creatively dream up new ideas.

“It is so important that you don’t get siloed in your area of the business,” Meeker said. “You have to ask yourself if you actually know the innovations that are happening across your company and if you are keeping up with them because it might just spark the idea you need.”

There are many interesting stories at the Heritage Center about cross-brand innovation. One company favorite is about an oral care engineer, who after determining what was needed to whiten teeth at home had to figure out a way his product could stick to teeth and keep out the saliva which would reduce its effectiveness. To do this, the oral care engineer worked with an expert from P&G’s plastic food wrap function. The result was Crest White Strips, which had nearly $80 million in sales in 2018.

“These stories need to be accessible,” Meeker said. “And you must also be proactive in sharing them because these are key innovations that could get people thinking differently.”

How admiring your past failures drives innovation

The most popular exhibit at P&G’s Heritage Center is its Wall of Failures. It quotes JG Pleasants, the former P&G VP of R&D from 1955-1969, that reads: “No company can afford the luxury of rediscovering its own prior knowledge.”

Under Meeker’s watch, the wall itself has grown in popularity and now has a digital touchscreen that can be continuously updated and studied by visitors who can learn more about the projects that didn’t work – along with write ups of what the original objective was, what happened and why it wasn’t successful and what could have been done differently.

“The Wall of Failures doesn’t look back, it looks through,” Meeker said. “It can help you learn what not to do and what to be careful of. The higher-level learning has made it so popular that people want to access it all the time and constantly request for more examples including ones that happen outside the company.”

While the focus of the wall is on failures, Meeker pointed out that it is important to remember that not all these failed ideas are bad. He notes that many could have failed for other reasons, for example, it may have not been the right time or had issues in its initial design. One favorite story that is told on the wall is about Tide PODSÒ. Despite being launched as a new product in 2012, the original idea for the laundry detergent pacs at P&G failed in 1960.

These stories are so powerful that Meeker says it is important to be proactive in his communications. By driving more awareness to the Heritage Center, its Wall of Failures and making it more accessible through digital tools, he hopes his colleagues will be more aware of its value, so they are not surprised – like he was – when they see it for the first time.

The post How communicating your company’s history can help the business appeared first on PR Daily.

With the Super Bowl less than a month away, buzz has already started to build around not just the product on the field for the big game, but the commercials that will air in millions of households across the country as well. Cited by football fans and non-fans alike as the highlight of the event, Super Bowl commercials can range from funny to poignant and many places in between. As comms pros, we’ve decided to put on our professional glasses and take a look at a few upcoming Super Bowl ads and the tactics they’re taking to garner maximum audience impact.

Doritos: Riding the TikTok wave

If you’ve been around social media at all over the last few years, you’re fully aware that TikTok is the hot platform. From influencers to major brand names, everyone has been trying to get their play on TikTok. Doritos recognized this trend, and they’re getting in on the action by creating a Super Bowl ad, asking creators to do a “triangle-inspired” TikTok dance in reference to the chips, with one lucky winner joining a “mystery” superstar on the airwaves during Super Bowl LVII. The ad is set to tout Doritos’ Sweet & Tangy flavor, which debuts later this month.

With this one, it’s hard not to see what Doritos is trying to do here. By crowd-sourcing material on the hottest social platform of the moment, they’re ginning up organic engagement that’ll get their base talking about their newest product through a contest. From a comms perspective, this is pretty forward-thinking. Doritos is tapping into one of its main customer bases (young people), which happens to cross over with TikTok’s user base. It’ll be interesting to see how the ad is received on gameday and if this might lead to more crowd-generated content in mainstream advertising going forward.

PopCorners: Playing on nostalgia

The snack brands are really pulling out all the stops for this year’s Super Bowl. However, instead of looking at modern tech and social trends like Doritos, PopCorners is throwing things back about a decade and bringing back some characters that’ll make TV fans happy.

By reviving Breaking Bad anti-hero Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston), PopCorners will seek to capitalize on one of the most iconic television characters of all time. In a tease for their upcoming advertisement, PopCorners showed a silhouette of the hat-clad White brandishing a bag of the snacks, building some intrigue for gameday.

From a comms perspective, this seems like a slam dunk. It’s just part of our cultural nature — people love nostalgia! Fans of the show will be talking about Walter White’s upcoming appearance in the lead-up to the game, and if they’re not aware of PopCorners right now, they will be when the ad airs. This sort of buzz-building around a cultural icon is a great way to garner organic anticipation ahead of gameday. There are bound to be TV fans talking about the return of one of their favorite characters, some of whom are unaware it’s all for a popcorn-esque snack. But that’s the beauty of this sort of ad: it builds intrigue and leaves the viewer wanting more.

Hellman’s: Fighting Against Food Waste

A major player in the battle against food waste is…mayonnaise? If Hellman’s is successful with their upcoming Super Bowl ad, that’s what you’ll come away thinking.

According to AdAge, for the third year in a row, Hellman’s is going to take a humorous path in order to both build brand awareness and a cause greater than the product itself. It also has a relatively simple premise. When you’ve got leftovers, use mayo to make them better instead of throwing them out!

This is a pretty interesting take by Hellman’s because, to be honest, I don’t think of a fight against a real issue like food waste when I’m thinking about egg-based condiments. The lesson we can learn as comms pros centers on rethinking the messaging we put out into the world. There’s always going to be a clever, innovative way to share your story with the world. Don’t be afraid to change up the expectations of what your audience might expect to make your story fresh. As storytellers, experimentation is key to keeping things novel.

As perhaps the biggest advertising day of the year, this Super Bowl Sunday is going to be a fascinating watch in terms of the humor and storytelling we see on the airwaves. Although the action on the field might be exciting, there’s going to be plenty to see in between the action as well.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications and PR Daily. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night.

The post The PR archetypes of Super Bowl ads appeared first on PR Daily.

Editor’s note: We are re-running the top stories of 2023 as part of our year-end countdown. This story was our fourth most-read. 

Be real. Be authentic. Be true to yourself.

That all sounds like great advice, but it’s often difficult to do so on social media, when you’re faced with photos and videos of influencers’ expensive vacations and a constant barrage of ads and sponsored posts. What would a social media platform without influencers look like?

The app BeReal, whose user base has skyrocketed over the last few months, aims answer that question.

“Your friends for real,” the BeReal website tagline reads. “A new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life.” The app has grown its monthly active users by 315% since the start of 2022.

(Image via)

Users are prompted at different times each day to simultaneously snap a photo of themselves and their surroundings using their phone’s front and back cameras. No filters. No face-altering software. Just you and whatever you happen to be doing when you get notified that it’s time to post.

“Push notifications are sent around the world simultaneously at different times each day,” the company said in a statement published by CNN Business. “It’s a secret on how the time is chosen every day; it’s not random.”

(Image via Emma Atkinson & BeReal)

Axios calls BeReal “an antidote to the pressure young users now face to be creative and look perfect online,” noting that the bulk of the app’s users are members of Gen Z, followed by millennials.

BeReal’s setup doesn’t lend itself to brand accounts or influencers, and using the app for advertising or commercial purposes is prohibited in the app’s terms and conditions.

From CNN Business:

In a statement, BeReal says its goal is to create “an alternative to addictive social networks” that focus on amassing influence, it says.

“BeReal is your chance to show your friends who you really are,” the company says. “BeReal won’t make you famous, if you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram.”

The challenge for brands

This presents a unique challenge for comms pros: How do you build a presence on an app that explicitly prohibits product promotion?

It all goes back to earned media. Some PR pros might tend to think of earned media in a traditional sense — stories in legacy media outlets like The New York Times or targeted trade publications. But if the only way to get your product or service talked about on a particular platform is for users to promote it organically, you’ll have to shift your influencer marketing strategy quite a bit.

Combining earned media strategy with marketing practices will be crucial to the success of your brand on a platform like BeReal. Heavily branded pay-to-play influencer marketing is waning in popularity with younger generations — and comms pros will likely have to work twice as hard to earn Gen Z’s approval of your products and services.

But don’t rush to put all your eggs in the BeReal basket. It’s very possible that, like some other social media apps, BeReal is simply a passing fad.

Social media analyst Matt Navarra told NBC News that BeReal’s popularity could be fleeting.

“I’d be surprised if it’s around in a year’s time,” he said. “Much like the viral apps before it, they could fail for a number of different reasons.”

So don’t fire all your Instagram influencer partners just yet. But perhaps consider the positive impact that generating more organic buzz around your brand could have.

The post Top stories of 2022: What PR pros should know about BeReal appeared first on PR Daily.

The 2022 Future of Communications Conference gathered hundreds of communications professionals at the Edison Ballroom in New York City, New York to refine and align their strategies around moving from order takers to strategic advisors whose judgment is material to the growth and success of their organizations. Attendees had the opportunity to brainstorm, reconnect with colleagues, make new friends and learn real-world tips and tactics from dozens of leading communicators.

If you missed out on all the action in real time, don’t worry we’ve got you covered with some of the biggest lessons from the two-day conference:

1. Communications isn’t a separate function of the organization. It’s just a pure reflection of how the organization functions.
2. If you’re doing comms without a business or representational goal, then you’re not doing it correctly.
3. When trying to convince your boss or the C-suite on the metaverse, get them into it. Don’t try to explain it based on a slide.
4. Crisis used to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, but the pandemic brought on the idea of the ongoing crisis. So, make sure you don’t have a crisis person but rather a crisis team.
5. Lean on your brand’s voice and values when you’re thinking about the message you’re putting out in the world on social. Remember, your reputation is your revenue at the end of the day.
6. ESG is a way to demonstrate that the trust you’ve built is truly earned
7. It’s easy to say that your company is a great place to work – it’s much more impactful to actually be a great place to work and tell those stories. They’ll ring much truer to the audience and will make employees more likely to share their own stories.
8. Build real relationships with journalists — and not just reporters. Knowing who can help with a troublesome headline can be a gamechanger.
9. When building a comms tech stack, get employee buy-in — from the bottom and the top — at every step in the process.
10. Psychological safety is different for every employee, and we need to listen to our employees to know how to make them their best selves at work. Listening should use both qualitative and quantitative approaches for the most holistic approach.
11. When you’re building a great culture, there should be many touchpoints along the employee journey to help people feel like they’re part of the larger picture. If they get the organization’s overall strategy, they’re more likely to feel like a part of the bigger mission.

Communications Week continues through Monday, Nov. 7 with lots of opportunities to still participate virtually and in person. To check out all the upcoming events, visit here.

Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn

The post 11 biggest takeaways from Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference appeared first on PR Daily.

One of the most critical responsibilities of a social media communicator is monitoring and collecting information about what people are saying about your brand online. This information is essential for brand strategy and for building a positive reputation among consumers. Gathering information and knowing how to use it is just one of the many skills that make social communicators essential and important to have at the marketing/communications table.

Ragan and PR Daily caught up with Nicole Losi, director of digital content at Kent State University to ask her a few questions about social media communications. Losi will be a speaker at Ragan and PR Daily’s upcoming Social Media Conference being held in person from Sept. 21-23 at Disney World, Orlando.

[RELATED: Join us Sept. 21-23 in Disney World for our Social Media Conference]

Ragan: Why did you get into social media communications?

Nicole Losi

Nicole Losi: I started becoming interested in social media communication/marketing for businesses right when social media was really taking off (basically, prime Facebook/Twitter and the newly created Instagram era). Managing (and growing) the social media presence at my first job out of college was a responsibility of mine. I quickly saw how effective social can be in terms of generating an audience, marketing products/services, raising brand awareness and playing a part in the overall communications strategy. I was successful in that role, as I understood how social media can play a large part in organizational goals but also had a solid sense of where social media would take us. From there, I took a role dedicated to the social space for Kent State in 2014. The responsibilities of the role I’m in today, director of digital content, have grown exponentially in tandem with the ever-changing social media environment.

Ragan: What do you think is the most important part of a social media communicator’s role in an organization?

NL: Social media communicators have the pulse of what is being said about your brand online. And I believe that information is vital for leadership. Not only can social media managers monitor and collect this information, but they can also provide feedback and recommendations based on what they are seeing in the social space. Essentially, you’re running free focus groups every day — and I believe we should utilize this information to inform strategy.

Ragan: What tips or advice can you share so that organizations can make the most of their social media communications?

NL: Listen to the feedback from your social media managers. They have a very good sense of how information should be tailored to meet your audience’s needs and respond/communicate. Organizations should also make sure their social media managers have seats at the marketing/communications planning table. Social media seems to be the “go-to” communications resource for many organizations, so it’s imperative that our social staff is included in the beginning stage.

Ragan: What do you see as the next thing for social media communications? What should organizations be doing now to stay ahead of the trends?

NL: I think the “next big thing” for social is what we are seeing now — video is king. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram Reels — I think those spaces are going to continue to grow and video will remain paramount. Also, it’s important to understand that it might not make sense for you to have a presence in every single social media space and that is okay! If you’re interested in exploring a new space, you should go through a research phase, where take a close look at the overall landscape and your competitors’ accounts, you walk through realistic content planning and account management, discuss measurement, etc. From there, if you find yourself entering a new space, trend monitoring is key. Set up a system to monitor trends on a regular basis and have a plan in place for creating content IF it makes sense for your brand to hop on a particular trend. Staying ahead of the trends is important, but what is more important is not jumping into trends with no real objective. Your content should be on-brand and fall within your organizational goals.

Ragan: At this year’s Ragan and PR Daily’s Social Media Conference, you’re on a panel discussing new collaborative skills for social media champions. Can you give our readers a preview of what they can expect to hear from you?

NL: Some of the topics I plan to talk about are setting realistic goals, understanding the value of internal collaboration (I have some good examples I plan to share!) and compliance and using tools for standardization. I’ve been lucky to attend various conferences over the years where I’ve learned so much invaluable information, so I am looking forward to sharing tips and best practices that I have found helpful with all of you!

Join Nicole and other social media leaders at Ragan and PR Daily’s Social Media Conference, when speakers from TikTok, Intel, Facebook and more will share their ideas and success stories. Register today!

The post The road to Disney: Why social media communicators are essential to brand strategy appeared first on PR Daily.

RuPaul might be the most important name in marketing — and digging into why might help us thrive during this drag race of an economy.

Let’s start with some simple numbers.  If you Google RuPaul and “marketing,” you’ll discover over 21 million hits, ranging from Shantay You Slay: Lessons on Marketing from RuPaul’s Drag Race to RuPaul’s Drag Race is a Marketing Masterclass.

Just for comparison, let’s Google the CMO of another company.  Let’s say… Google!  That’s meta (and no, not the parent company of Facebook).  Conducting a search of Google CMO Lorraine Twohill and the word “marketing” only fetches 19,400 results.  That means “Mama Ru” has outdone one of Forbes Most Influential CMOs by slightly over 1000%.

Just in case you’re more familiar with Lorraine Twohill than RuPaul, a little back story.  RuPaul, born RuPaul Andre Charles, is a 60-year-old drag queen who rose to fame with the 1993 song “Supermodel (You Better Work)” and has clawed her way to international domination over the course of three decades with the reality competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”  Each season, drag queens compete in pun-filled contests.  At the end of each episode, two queens face off to “lip-synch for their lives.”  RuPaul tells the winning queen, “shantay, you stay,” while the loser is told to “sashay away.”

Vox chronicled the show’s impact on the American zeitgeis accordingly: How RuPaul’s Drag Race went from cult favorite to inspirational teenage dream. “From the start, the key to the show’s success — not to mention drag in general — was its unfailing ability to find joy and wit in anything and everything,” journalist Caroline Framke noted for Vox.  “As RuPaul’s guiding mantra puts it: RuPaul’s Drag Race rarely takes life, or itself, very seriously at all.”

By not taking anything serioulsy, the show has catwalked to its 14^th season, plus an All Stars franchise.  International franchises can be seen strutting in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Thailand, Canada, The Netherlands, Italy and France.  But that’s not all.  There are shows planned for the Philippines, Belgium and Sweden.

The show’s international success attracted the attention of The Drum, which bills itself as “a global media platform and biggest marketing website in Europe.”  Lee Beattie, chief executive at John Doe Group, gushed: “Too many brands talk about ‘building communities’ rather than ‘nurturing them,’ but at the heart of the global Drag Race brand has been a simple understanding of how to nurture, leverage and then maintain relevance with a fandom.”

Beattie continues: “By solving a problem for a marginalised community and serving them authentic, universal stories in a new way, Ru Paul’s Drag Race has become a multi-million-pound empire with the kind of fan loyalty that most companies can only dream of. It’s an inspirational example of what magic could happen if more brands were willing to look beyond the same old demographics and take more unconventional routes to market.”

For those wanting a more American analysis (and spelling), consider this July report from Newsweek, which delved into one episode focusing on a key tenet of marketing: branding.

“’Dance Like Drag Queen’ may claim to be a dance challenge, but really it is all about branding,” the article asserted.

And what is branding?

Leave it to drag queen Trinity The Tuck to explain: “You know me as having the best tuck in the business, not because it’s true, but because it’s in my name. And that’s called branding!”

Sure, not worthy of a Harvard Business Review think piece, but I’m at a loss for any other American show of this size that has covered branding as of late.  In fact, I did a search on TVEyes and only discovered local news story about cattle branding.

RuPaul enforces branding throughout the show and in the process has resurrected iconic moments from yesterday.  During each season of the show contestants are told to “read” each other, an expression captured in the movie “Paris is Burning” where drag queens clear the air by telling each other what annoys them about each other.  When RuPaul tees up the segment about reading she asks why it’s important to which the contestants answer “Reading is Fundamental.”  You may remember that tagline from RIF.org, the oldest and largest non-profit children’s literacy organizations in the United States.  But now you can hear “reading is fundamental” shouted in English and in unison, even during Drag Race France.

So to boil it down, what does this mean to marketers and communicators?

In Lessons Taught and Learned Through the Art of Drag Adweek opined: “As marketers, we’ve got to take this cue when developing our own ideas and strategies. Use non-traditional metaphors and be committed to them when developing your concept. Feel the fantasy and invite others into your senses when presenting to colleagues. And most importantly, give yourself permission to be visionary.”

And don’t forget to promote yourself.

Or as RuPaul put it in a tweet: “Marketing yourself is not just for hookers anymore.”

Curtis Sparrer is principal at BoSpar. 

The post RuPaul: The most important name in … marketing? appeared first on PR Daily.

Data has shown that audiences want corporations to take a stand on social issues — but deciding what that looks like in action for your organization can be key to crafting authentic messaging.

New research from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Public Relations indicates the magic number of social issues companies are addressing at one time is three, followed mostly closely by two. The majority of respondents said they are taking on between one and five topics at once, an ode to quality over quantity.

(Image via)

The Annenberg report notes that it’s most effective for brand managers focus on a few core social topics, presenting Ben & Jerry’s main focus on criminal justice reform as an example.

How to decide which issues are the best fit for your organization

According to the report, most PR pros are pursuing increased public engagement on social issues because of a desire to enact positive social change and because an issue aligns with the company’s values.

When choosing an issue (or three) on which to take a public stance, it’s important to involve your organization’s internal communications team. Company values are often deeply ingrained in a company’s culture, and if the majority of your employees aren’t on board with the stance, it could mean trouble.

In an interview with Time, Stephanie Creary, assistant professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said that the determining factor in many companies’ decisions to take on a social issue is something called “social authorization,” or “the idea that firms and related entities, like boards, are feeling that they are being granted the power from other groups, collectives, or other people in society to engage in societally based work.”

Creary offers the example of California-based firms taking up the mantle of increasing diversity on their boards following the passage of legislation that required them to have at least one female board member. In her analysis, the legislation was the social authorization California companies needed to take broader action.

The Annenberg report shows racial equity, gender equality and climate change as the top three issues with which PR pros predict their clients and own organizations will increase engagement in the next year.

How to create action items for social issues

The action corporations take on value-centric issues can make or break the trust their audiences have in their brand.

Tonia Ries, global executive director for PR firm Edelman, calls “trust-washing” a sign that a company isn’t committed to its purported social goals.

“If you only show up one day a year, to make a statement and pat yourself on the back, you clearly are not authentic, sincere and committed,” Ries said in a January 2022 interview with PR Daily. “And, in fact, you risk having the opposite effect; people will just further write off whatever else you might say next…”

The Annenberg report shows most PR pros say their organizations have taken internal steps to begin addressing their chosen social issues. Forty-eight percent of poll respondents said their organization had “incorporated diversity into company policies and practices,” while 42% reported their organization having “conducted diversity or unconscious bias training.”

(Image via)

About one-third of respondents said their companies had begun donating to organizations that support diversity and inclusion, a move that offers proof of action.

The report also found that inside-out communications is key to promoting action taken on social issues, with more than half of PR pros saying their organizations use employee communications to share news of corporate activism.

PR pros: How does your organization act on your chosen social issues? Is corporate activism a priority for your company? Let us know on Twitter @PRDaily, or in the comments below.

The post Why 3 is the magic number when deciding how many social causes to champion appeared first on PR Daily.

For many people, wellness has become a priority as the pandemic forced us to slow down and rethink our day-to-day choices. No longer is attending a post-work yoga class or having a daily salad on the back burner.

Brands have taken the hint, adjusting their messaging to align with the turning tide of public opinion. Working until you’re burned out simply isn’t in vogue anymore. Brands’ moves to embrace wellness and mental health are rooted in data: A 2020 study by Ogilvy found that 73% of consumers said brands need a wellness strategy as part of their core mission.

Powerade, a sports drink company owned by Coca-Cola, made headlines last month with its global “Pause is Power” campaign that saw Olympians like gymnast Simone Biles and diver Tom Daley stepping back from their respective sports to enjoy more leisurely activities.

Daley was depicted leading a poolside knitting class, while Biles sat back and got her nails done alongside an incredibly tame goat (see what they did there?).

“Competition comes with great pressure and intensity, and it’s important to remind people of the power that can be found in the simple act of a pause, allowing us to come back better and stronger,” said Claire Pinel, Powerade’s global brand director, in a news release.

Earlier this year, video game platform Roblox partnered with athleisure brand Alo Yoga to bring players an immersive, in-game wellness experience, complete with guided meditations and a digital “Warrior Yoga Mat.”

The rise in popularity of wellness-centered companies like Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and athleisure brands Lululemon and Gymshark indicate continued consumer interest in the space.

However, pivoting to wellness content when your brand isn’t traditionally based in health or wellness can be tricky. Just 41% percent of respondents in Ogilvy’s study said they think brands’ wellness claims are believable.

But just because you think your brand doesn’t lend itself to wellness doesn’t mean you should automatically limit your messaging — Italian denim brand Diesel just announced a foray into sexual wellness with the debut of two co-branded sex toys. Sex toys are a commonly accepted part of sexual health, which the World Health Organization defines as requiring “a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences.”

And wellness isn’t just for humans. Pet food company Purina recently launched a new line of supplements made to reduce anxiety in cats.

According to the news release, the Calming Care supplement “helps cats cope with changes in routine and location and helps promote positive behaviors such as playing and seeking out social contact.”

Ogilvy’s research found that 59% of consumers are willing to pay more for products from wellness brands, while 53% of respondents said it’s hard to tell the difference between “real” and “fake” wellness products.

It’s a good reminder to PR pros that health and wellness messaging, while clearly worthwhile and profitable, should be solidly based in science and data. Vague claims about the health and wellness benefits of your brand’s products and services are at risk of being dubbed pseudoscience. Paltrow’s Goop coughed up $145,000 in 2018 to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company promoted products with questionable health benefits.

PR pros, how does your organization promote wellness to its audiences? Let us know on Twitter @PRDaily.

The post Goop-ification: Brands are using wellness messaging to stay relevant – but there are risks appeared first on PR Daily.

Hello, communicators:

Outerwear company Carhartt is turning on the bat signal.

Partnering with Warner Bros. and DC Comics, the brand is releasing a limited-edition collection of Batman-inspired workwear. The launch comes as “The Batman” is the No. 1 movie at the box office worldwide.

(Image via)

In the news release, the Carhartt comms team emphasized the strength and durability of their clothes as their tie in to Batman:

“While there aren’t many things tougher than Carhartt gear, Batman certainly rises to the top of the list,” said Alex Guerrero, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Product for Carhartt. “Bringing together one of the most recognizable Super Heroes on the planet with the most iconic brand in workwear seemed like a perfect fit for our consumers and Batman fans alike.”

Here are today’s other top stories:

Meta’s smear campaign against TikTok revealed

The social media juggernaut hired political consulting firm Targeted Victory to run a public persuasion campaign to attack rival TikTok, the short video platform which has surged in popularity recent years.

Some of the dark arts tactics revealed in emails obtained by The Washington Post included op-eds in local papers and promoting dubious claims about the app’s impact on users.

The Washington Post reports:

The campaign includes placing op-eds and letters to the editor in major regional news outlets, promoting dubious stories about alleged TikTok trends that actually originated on Facebook, and pushing to draw political reporters and local politicians into helping take down its biggest competitor. These bare-knuckle tactics, long commonplace in the world of politics, have become increasingly noticeable within a tech industry where companies vie for cultural relevance and come at a time when Facebook is under pressure to win back young users.

The report raises the specter of Facebook’s history around misinformation on its platform — including Targeted Victory holding a Christmas party with Cambridge Analytica, the firm that was part of the major brand crisis for Facebook in 2016.

Facebook hired a Republican consulting firm to run a campaign aimed at generating outrage and scrutiny of TikTok. Some of the harmful TikTok "trends" pushed by the firm were in fact false rumors or trends that actually started on… Facebook. *chef's kiss* https://t.co/jdf6TigTV8 pic.twitter.com/tfsgLIiMUR

— Craig Silverman (@CraigSilverman) March 30, 2022

The big Republican PR firm that Meta hired to trash TikTok had a Christmas party with Cambridge Analytica in 2015 https://t.co/EK5P56v3WP https://t.co/XY6hsZePMl

— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) March 30, 2022

Zuckerberg is like some sort of movie supervillain at this point. https://t.co/jQLyVLoZ9x

— Kaz Weida (@kazweida) March 30, 2022

What you should know: Business leaders have increasingly borrowed from the national politics playbook to sway consumers, but Meta’s smear campaign could backfire. Meta is trying to defend its actions as pushing for accountability for all platforms.

The Post continued:

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone defended the campaign by saying, “We believe all platforms, including TikTok, should face a level of scrutiny consistent with their growing success.”

However, Meta’s track record makes it difficult for the brand to take the high ground on accountability and user safety.

MEASURED THOUGHTS

A new report from Morning Consult identifies which jobseekers care most about company ESG goals.

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Morning Consult’s “New Workers, New Normal” report divides workers into five archetypes: minimalists, transactionalists, aspirationalists, traditionalists and lifestylists.

The report shows that aspirationalists and lifestylists are most likely to care about employer branding around ESG goals like diversity and inclusion and environmental commitments.

Aspirationalists “see their careers as a means of making a real impact on the world and are drawn to companies and organizations with strong cultures and lucrative career paths,” while lifestylists “work to support their personal priorities and hobbies. They care about work as both a means of providing and a source of benefits.”

It’s a reminder to PR pros that employer branding has become increasingly important in the battle to entice workers to apply — and stay once they’ve been hired.

View more from Morning Consult’s “New Workers, New Normal” report here.

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We want to hear from our community about how their thinking has changed on media relations and its value inside their organization. If you work in communications, please take our short survey to help us chart the value of media relations for 2022.

The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete and participants will be entered in a drawing for a $100 credit toward a Ragan event. All individual responses will be kept confidential.

Results from the survey will be shared at PR Daily’s Media Relations and Measurement Conference in New York City on May 11.

CRISIS COMMS

Bobby Kotik, CEO of video game company Activision Blizzard, gave his stamp of approval to the company’s settlement of a federal sexual harassment and discrimination complaint.

From NPR:

“Our goal is to make Activision Blizzard a model for the industry, and we will continue to focus on eliminating harassment and discrimination from our workplace,” said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in a statement. “The court’s approval of this settlement is an important step in ensuring that our employees have mechanisms for recourse if they experienced any form of harassment or retaliation.”

Activision also faces a lawsuit from the state of California, accusing the company of equal pay violations and sexual harassment, as well as an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its handling of similar allegations.

Last year, a Wall Street Journal report alleged that Kotik was aware of various instances of harassment and assault within the company but failed to take action.

Kotik’s messaging has changed over the course of Activision’s culture crisis, from asking the board of directors to reduce his salary until the situation improved to publishing an internal email outlining the company’s renewed commitment to fighting workplace sexual harassment. His statement offers support for employees while emphasizing collaboration with government regulators.

Etsy sellers stage boycott in response to fee increase

Online marketplace Etsy announced a 30% increase to its transaction fees for sellers, prompting shop owners to speak up.

In one week, a Coworker.org petition asking CEO Josh Silverman to cancel the fee increase has garnered more than 16,000 signatures, and The Verge reports that thousands of Etsy sellers will suspend sales April 11-18 in protest of the hike.

Etsy’s maintains that the fee increase will actually benefit sellers. From The Verge:

Kelly Clausen, head of corporate communications at Etsy, echoed that sentiment, saying the company is committed to helping sellers grow their businesses. Clausen says sellers want the company to expand marketing services and customer support and to remove listings that violate Etsy policy.

“Our revised fee structure will enable us to increase our investments in each of these key areas so that we can better serve our community and keep Etsy a beloved, trusted, and thriving marketplace,” Clausen says.

Posts on social media (plus an entire paragraph in the body of the petition) seem to indicate that sellers don’t, in fact, want the platform to expand its customer support services. Many say they’d rather choose how and when to interact with potential customers.

I literally paid Etsy to screw up my stats for me! I had instant communication with same day free priority shipping before you decided to step in and screw my stats up for me! Way to go Etsy! I tell everyone I know don’t bother selling anything on there it’s not worth the trouble

— Connie S. Fein (@ConnieSFein1) March 30, 2022

In addition to @Etsy miserable download process, I have to spend an additional 10-15 minutes with every client this happens with (on a low margin item)

Then they have the audacity to ding me for a 4-star review. Good thing “star seller” emblem is actually irrelevant pic.twitter.com/Yjvbt3dxJh

— Lara I support (@larasviews) March 30, 2022

Et*y's Star Seller is at it again.

My December messages fell off my report for the April review period, so that one 28-hour reply last month is once again dragging me below the magic 95% threshold. Anyone want to send me a quick hello over in my shop that I can reply to? pic.twitter.com/KB45BSex3S

— Games By Bee (@GamesByBee) March 27, 2022

Why it matters: Clausen’s statement to The Verge directly contradicts the complaints voiced by Etsy sellers on social media and in the petition, which may send the message that the organization is continuing with their plans despite seller pushback.

Etsy’s message isn’t working — and the crisis is a reminder that companies must use social media to track stakeholder sentiment and be prepared to adjust the plan when necessary.

The post Meta’s smear campaign against TikTok exposed, employee archetypes who care about ESG and Etsy’s sellers protest fee increase appeared first on PR Daily.

Hello, communicators:

Airbnb’s latest effort to give back is focused on educators. The effort comes after Airbnb discovered high numbers of educators becoming hosts to supplement their incomes.

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According to the news release, 1 in 5 Airbnb hosts are either educators or healthcare workers, and educators earned more than $180 million from hosting on Airbnb in 2020 alone. By partnering with the National Educator’s Association (NEA), Airbnb hopes to help teachers learn how to create successful Airbnb listings and will offer a stipend for educators to “invest in their hosting journey.” NEA members will also be eligible for exclusive Airbnb discounts when traveling themselves.

The campaign is an example of how customer and user data can help identify important stories and opportunities to create value for your community.

Here are today’s other top stories:

Renewable energy companies face misinformation threat

NPR reports that local governments often stand in the way of wind and solar energy projects, and that misinformation about renewable energy thrives in town halls and city council meetings across the country.

From NPR:

Dahvi Wilson, vice president of public affairs for Apex Clean Energy, says her company is finding that across the country, local engagement is becoming increasingly difficult given community suspicions of renewable energy.

“I think for a long time, and maybe still in some places, developers thought, ‘Well, we just need to give better information. We just need to give more information.’ And it’s like, ‘it’s so not about that at all!'” Wilson says. “It’s about who you trust and if anybody’s going to believe you if you’re a company.”

What you should know: For PR pros, the battle against misinformation is arduous and never-ending. Untrue and misleading statements can not only derail your messaging strategy, they are increasingly likely to negatively affect your company’s business operations.

It’s a reminder to comms professionals that creating your own brand narrative means getting ahead of misinformation on social media — an admittedly daunting task, given some platforms’ hesitancy to crack down on purveyors of misinformation. Lean into using your media monitoring service to identify and address misinformation head on.

MEASURED THOUGHTS

Recent data from The Harris Poll reveals how American adults are likely to use augmented or virtual reality to interact with brands.

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Gaming and entertainment were the most popular potential uses for AR and VR, with 56% and 54% of poll respondents saying they’d be interested in those respective uses.

Additional data from the report shows that 3 in 4 U.S. adults “would be interested if one of their favorite brands created an AR/VR experience,” while 3 in 5 respondents said they’d be excited to see sports teams or sports brands in the metaverse.

PR pros, if your organization hasn’t developed a metaverse strategy yet, now is the time to start. Here are three tips for brands looking to navigate the metaverse.

Read more from The Harris Poll report here.

TAKE OUR SURVEY

We want to hear from our community about how their thinking has changed on media relations and its value inside their organization. If you work in communications, please take our short survey to help us chart the value of media relations for 2022.

The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete and participants will be entered in a drawing for a $100 credit toward a Ragan event. All individual responses will be kept confidential.

Results from the survey will be shared at PR Daily’s Media Relations and Measurement Conference in New York City on May 11.

Disney quickly condemns ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill after it becomes law

After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state’s controversial bill banning discussion of sexual orientation in grade-school classrooms into law Monday, entertainment giant Disney released a statement on the legislation:

Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law. Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.

Disney’s immediate response to the signing of the bill comes in the wake of a month of backlash and negative press about the company’s previous reluctance to take a stance on the legislation as it made its way through the state legislature.

Recent data shows that Disney’s response (or lack thereof) to the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation may matter more to its employees than to Disney fans at large. And while the company’s tweeted statement on Monday received a lot of attention, plenty of it was not positive:

Instead of grandstanding, why don't you READ the actual language of the bill? Just a thought.

— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) March 28, 2022

Hold the sponsors of the bill & governor DeSantis accountable by 1. permanently not donating any more to them, and 2. by donating to candidates committed to repealing this law. The law wasn't passed by accident, nor will it magically be repealed. It will take new legislators.

— Jim (@jimatdisney) March 28, 2022

Did *ANYONE* at WDC actually read this bill?? As a long-time Disney stockholder, I'm bothered by this statement.

— Kevin Bartley (@buddysdaddy123) March 29, 2022

Why it matters: In some cases, protecting and supporting your employees may mean angering others, including customers of your products. Disney’s statement is a clear attempt to make good on CEO Bob Chapek’s promise to take “meaningful action to combat legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community.”

Wading into political and social issues can be tricky, but overall, it’s what consumers say they want to see from corporations. In these situations, make sure your messaging on these topics is airtight and prepare your stakeholders for some backlash.

The post Misinformation threatens climate progress, Disney releases immediate statement on ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill and how Americans want to use AR/VR appeared first on PR Daily.

Women face countless barriers to professional success—an enduring pay gap, sexual harassment and gender discrimination (yes, it exists even in female-dominated workplaces).

It might seem like the nontraditional work of being an influencer or social media personality would insulate women from gendered challenges that often come with working in an office or in the trade profession, but women in these roles are no exception.

In 2019, decorated American track and field Olympian Allyson Felix revealed that her longtime sponsor, Nike, wanted to pay her 70% less after she gave birth to her first child in 2018.

“I asked Nike to contractually guarantee that I wouldn’t be punished if I didn’t perform at my best in the months surrounding childbirth,” she wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times. “I wanted to set a new standard. If I, one of Nike’s most widely marketed athletes, couldn’t secure these protections, who could?”

Following public outcry, Nike backed down and announced a new maternity policy for all its sponsored athletes, guaranteeing pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy.

But smaller influencers, women who don’t have the eyes of the world on their content, also face similar challenges.

Talent agency G&B Digital Management calls it the “pregnancy lull”—the time between the announcement of their pregnancy and the birth of their child.

Stephanie Hjelmeseth is a lifestyle blogger with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. She says opportunities for partnerships with fashion and beauty brands dwindled after she shared her pregnancy news, a fact she says prompted her decision to post less frequently about her family.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth (@stephhjelmeseth)

“I saw an increase in motherhood-related publications and brands wanting to share my story through interviews and features,” Hjelmeseth says. “However, there was a noticeable decrease in fashion-related partnerships to nearly zero.”

It posed a big problem for the influencer, who had built her brand around fashion-related content. “Up until my pregnancy, I was a fashion-focused content creator,” she explains. “Beauty and travel were my secondary categories that I was building content around. So, during my pregnancy, I shifted my content towards beauty, and I was able to offset some of the losses and stagnancy from my typical fashion partners.”

Amanda Acevedo, a senior talent manager with G&B, says pregnancy-shy brands could be missing out on a real opportunity to connect with women—both those who are pregnant and those who don’t ever plan to be.

“That middle section where the lull happens (second trimester through early third) is where there is so much to talk about and prepare for, and so many connecting moments for moms and women alike,” she said.

Engaging with care

For brands that do engage with pregnant influencers, it’s worth being more intentional with the products and services they seek to promote.

Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, an obstetrician and gynecologist with UT Southwestern Medical Center, wrote in a blog post that pregnant women should be cautious of the things they’re influenced to consume and use via social media.

“…women should be aware that when influencers promote products, the influencers don’t necessarily use them personally,” she wrote. “To them, the product might be simply a ware to be sold — not a lifestyle, wellness, or health necessity as their posts proclaim.”

It’s an important reminder that brands have a responsibility to their marketing partners and their consumers alike to ensure a safe and ethical professional partnership with influencers.

Keep an open dialogue with the influencers your company works with. Their choice to become pregnant should not affect your professional relationship, and it’s important to provide protections for these partnerships should you deem your product or service to be inappropriate for use while pregnant.

Obviously, pregnant women aren’t the ideal brand partners for a beer company or e-cigarette brand. But there may be other ways to continue your relationship with influencers who choose to become pregnant, rather than completely withdrawing support.

The post How brand managers should consider the ‘pregnancy lull’ when working with influencers appeared first on PR Daily.