How Ulta Beauty responded to transphobic comments about podcast guest
October 17
Ulta Beauty defended its decision to have David Lopez, a gender-fluid hairdresser, interview trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney as a guest on the brand’s podcast, The Beauty Of…, after transphobic comments surfaced on social media.
Eileen Ziesemer, Ulta Beauty’s VP of PR, said in an emailed statement that the purpose of the company’s podcast is to feature conversations that widen the lens surrounding traditional beauty standards.
Ulta Beauty also directly responded to angry consumers on social media.
Instagram responds to ‘precise location’ user concerns
August 25
Instagram responded to user concerns about the sharing of their specific location data by saying it does not give user location to others.
The social media platform added, via a Twitter thread, that people can manage location services through their device’s settings, and tag locations on their posts if they so choose.
Former Weber Shandwick COO Frank Okunak pleads guilty to embezzling from firm
July 28
Ex-Weber Shandwick CFO and COO Frank Okunak pled guilty to embezzling more than $16 million from the agency over a period of a decade.
Specifically, Okunak pled guilty to one count each of wire fraud and falsification of corporate books and records. He also agreed to forfeit more than $10.8 million and pay restitution of $16 million.
In early December, Okuank was sentenced to 52 months in prison.
Airheads responds to rumor that it is stopping production until 2024
October 19
Following a viral TikTok claiming it was ceasing production until 2024, Airheads took to its social media channels to set the record.
Airheads filmed a TikTok that showed the very much up-and-running production of the candy and included videos of factory workers confusedly reacting to @CandyMeUp’s original clip, which first spread the misinformation.
‘This is a setback, not a reset:’ How Discover Puerto Rico is responding to Hurricane Fiona
September 30
After Hurricane Fiona struck the Southwest region of Puerto Rico in mid-September, nonprofit tourism entity Discover Puerto Rico immediately focused on the safety and security of visitors.
The organization paused proactive efforts on social, paid and earned media, pivoting instead to sharing updates from local officials on the status of the island’s accessibility and operations of major tourism experiences, many of which began normal operations a week later.