3M and GE Step Into Gap to Help Stretched-Thin Medical Industry
The global calamity that is the COVID-19 pandemic has ground some businesses and industries to a halt. However, there are some brands that are in a key position to step in and act heroically to help in this time of crisis. If they take the opportunity, and they manage the messaging correctly, this could be a major positive PR move in a sea of bad news. Early on in the news reports about the spread of the novel coronavirus, one specific piece of medical equipment became a kind of shorthand for the resources available to fight the pandemic: the N95 respirator. Headline after headline urged consumers not to purchase the masks, to save them for medical professionals, even as others…
Read MoreNetflix Winners Use Exposure to Increase PR Footprint
Streaming media continues to thrive, using its growing clout to siphon more ideas and more eyes away from traditional network television. Some of its most recent successes provide object lessons in the potential of applying effective consumer PR to transition a success in one area to a head start in another. In less than a year, Netflix has launched three new reality TV programs, and the winners of those shows are leveraging digital PR and smart social media action to launch new careers. The winner of Netflix’s design reality show, “Next in Fashion,” was Minju Kim, a 33-year-old fashion designer known for designing fashions for famous K-pop singers BTS. That resume was enough for notoriety heading into the competition, but…
Read MoreRecording Academy Responds to Reports CEO was “Ousted”
Deborah Dugan, the now-former president of the Recording Academy, has been fired after the organization which hosts The Grammys conducted what they called “two exhaustive, costly, independent investigations” into allegations made by Dugan. Each investigation followed up on accusations made by Dugan about both the Academy’s culture and nomination process, as well as separate allegations made by Dugan that she was sexually harassed. Dugan insisted that the voting process for some top awards was “rigged,” insinuating that the process was unfair, casting aspersions on the winners of some of music’s most prestigious awards. In addition to finding no substance to the allegations made by Dugan, the independent review stated that there was evidence of Dugan’s “consistent management deficiencies and failures…”…
Read MorePlayers Respond to Cheating Scandal
Ask the average baseball fan these days about the Houston Astros and, if they’re not in east Texas, expect a less than cordial response. Ask sports media, and many would say the 2017 World Series champions should be stripped of their title, because they effectively broke baseball, and those are the comments that are fit to print. Others are being more direct and less tactful. Yankees superstar Giancarlo Stanton said if he was cheating like the Astros he “probably would have hit 80-plus home runs.” Stanton, along with his New York teammate Aaron Judge have been very vocal about their belief that the Astros should have their title rescinded, adding that he, like Judge, believes the cheating continued well into…
Read MoreHow Digital Marketing Strategy Creates Consumer Engagement
As social media and Amazon searches continue to consume more market share, consumer shopping and buying habits are shifting right along with this trend. This is leading to a more fragmented marketplace, with people breaking into – and increasingly looking for – specific niches, rather than mass marketing products. Because of this, brand managers need to reconsider what they’re doing about digital marketing in order to better engage with today’s consumer. Developing a new and dedicated digital marketing campaign is a must for any marketer interested in maintaining or building their customer base as consumer habits continue to shift. Here are a few reasons why this is important: Digital Marketing Reveals Customers Getting to know a customer really is and…
Read MoreStarbucks Agrees to Pay Restitution
Starbucks has an up and down relationship with the media and consumers on social media. From positive interactions to overstepping baristas to Christmas cups, the brand seems to find a way into the headlines, good or bad, with some frequency. Occasionally, though, the news is more serious than a red cup or a hapless employee. This is one of those crisis cases. Various media reports announced recently that Starbucks Corp has agreed to “pay restitution and accept greater oversight” as part of a settlement in response to allegations that the company “illegally required New York City employees to find substitutes when they needed to use sick leave.” Starbucks has since changed its sick leave policy, but that doesn’t mean the…
Read MoreNFL Taking Hits Over Officiating
Since the disastrous Saints-Rams NFC Championship no-call last year, NFL officiating has been under intense scrutiny. With new technology allowing fans at home and in the stands to clearly and easily see where refs make mistakes, the pressure was on. And the officials are not making it any better on themselves with more than a few high-profile blown calls throughout this season. Some legitimately could be said to have changed the outcomes of games. The league says it may look into a “rules adjustment,” but they already did that. After the NFC Championship debacle, the league gave coaches the chance to challenge pass interference calls, or the lack thereof. This change hasn’t had much effect on the perceived issues that…
Read MoreCan GameStop Survive a Shifting Market?
Streaming media has slowly transformed multiple different industries. It began with music. As the iPod sliced away at market share, retailers and production companies tried to ignore the interloper. Apple didn’t stop, and, in the space of a decade, the entire industry was transformed. The example was plain to see, as were the trends, but many booksellers did not pay much attention. When the Kindle came out, they scoffed. Then, stores started closing, as Amazon book sales and digital book sales exploded. People still buy and love “real” books, there are still big box booksellers and independent bookshops, but the market potential shrank considerably. It was only a matter of time before the video game market followed suit. Like movies,…
Read MoreGM Hoping to Make a Big Splash with First Electric Pickup
When Tesla announced it was working on a fully-electric pickup, many people laughed. Too soon, they said. Unfeasible, others agreed. Tesla, of course, soldiered on in their efforts, which do not have a scheduled release date. One company, though, has jumped ahead of the competition, announcing plans to release the first American fully electric truck by the fall of 2021. That company is General Motors. The announcement was met with some skepticism among the auto crowd. Could a fully electric pickup really meet the demands of the tough truck market? GM’s CEO Mary Barra tried to quell fears and misgivings by banking on GM’s reputation for making strong, capable pickups: “General Motors understands truck buyers and … people who are…
Read MoreElon Musk in Court Over ‘Pedo Guy’ Tweets
In July of 2018, British diver Vernon Unsworth took part in a daring, life-threatening rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach, all of whom had been trapped inside a quickly flooding cave system. It could have been one of the purest and best “good news” stories of 2018; for most people, it certainly was. But there was one aspect of the round-the-clock news about the story that went off the rails, thanks to comments made by Unsworth, and the response from billionaire Elon Musk, who famously offered to assist with rescue efforts. That offer of assistance included the use of a mini-submersible. While some involved in the rescue expressed appreciation and politely said “no, that won’t work for this…
Read More