Information Links
Latest News
What Lego Fortnite means for marketers
Move over, Roblox. Brands have a whole new toolkit on Fortnite.
Fidelity Investments taps Golin, Bully Pulpit Interactive for US PR support
The financial services company initiated a review following its internal communications restructuring in February.
Krispy Kreme changes FleishmanHillard’s remit, hands creative to VML
The Omnicom PR firm is still providing communications support to the doughnut brand.
YouTube and TikTok lead marketers’ plans for 2024
Migration to digital channels – except X and Snapchat – to continue, Warc finds.
Time’s Person of the Year: Who would you have picked?
Should Barbie have taken the crown? How about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman?
TikTok study reveals five creator marketing best practices
TikTok partnered with creator marketing platform CreatorIQ on the report.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Thursday morning
Pinterest decorates White House; GOP debate recap; UPenn president responds to backlash.
How Pinterest got involved with the 2023 White House holiday display
Autumn Communications supported the Holiday operation.
Forbes Healthcare Summit: Medical pros on why schools should have remained open during pandemic
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Forbes policy editor Avik Roy reflect on the backlash they faced for their stance.
Clear's CEO on expanding the company's verification technology to health systems
Caryn Seidman Becker spoke at Forbes 2023 Healthcare Summit on Tuesday.
Can communicating in the metaverse improve mental health? Jewel hopes so
The singer discussed the virtual community Innerworld at the 2023 Forbes Healthcare Summit.
TikTok tells agencies and brands to rip up 'best storytelling practices'
TikTok's What’s Next Report 2024 says users enjoy a non-traditional arc in videos.
Mynewsdesk boosts platform with AI-powered capabilities
The tool is a “creative partner” called CoPilot.
Dentsu partners with Meta to bring WhatsApp services to brands
The partnership will enable brands to manage customer experiences through the messaging app.
Brands2Life sold to Scandinavian holding company
Brands2Life, the independent PR agency founded in 2000 by Giles Fraser and Sarah Scales, has been acquired by a relatively new holding company hailing from Scandinavia.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Wednesday morning
2024 ad spend forecast; University presidents grilled by lawmakers; Latest from COP28.
Edelman hires Ogilvy boss to lead in Saudi Arabia
Global comms firm Edelman has appointed a new general manager for its Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) business, along with a strategic comms advisor.
Accenture appoints Rachel Frey as head of corporate communications
Frey, who had been serving as the interim lead since April, has officially replaced longtime Accenture executive Stacey Jones.
Mandy Moore leads Incyte’s Opzelura effort against eczema
Mandy Moore, who lives with atopic dermatitis, sat down with other AD patients for some candid conversations to promote Incyte’s eczema campaign.
Ketchum rolls out Election Navigator service
It leverages the agency’s corporate reputation and industry expertise, as well as a proprietary technology tool.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Tuesday morning
Best Places to Work 2023; PRWeek Hall of Fame; GTA trailer leaks.
Sabina Ellahi named chair of PRWeek Global Awards 2024
Sabina Ellahi, global head of PR at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, is to chair the judging of this year’s PRWeek Global Awards 2024, the entry deadline for which is fast approaching.
Coca-Cola hires Meta's Katherina Jawaharlal as VP of corporate and brand PR
She previously built and ran Meta’s partnership communications team.
Meet the top 10 diabetes influencers on TikTok
Diabetes influencers on TikTok have built large communities based on sharing their journeys — as well as trials and tribulations — of living with the condition.
BPD completes acquisition of IPG healthcare firm Revive
Weber Shandwick announced it was selling Revive to BPD in October.
The COP28 F-List: Clean Creatives accuses agencies of helping UAE secure UN climate talks
The campaign group says ad and PR agencies have 'greenwashed' the country.
Marcomms leaders say increasing reach, share of voice is top priority: Muck Rack
The company surveyed nearly 400 marketing and PR execs this fall for its State of Marketing and PR Leadership report.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Monday morning
PRWeek’s Hall of Fame is tonight; TrailRunner International hires Amanda Bush; Spotify layoffs.
TrailRunner International brings on Amanda Bush as Texas MD
Bush is a seasoned attorney and litigator.
LA Tourism names Faulhaber as Canada AOR
The organization recently brought on AORs in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
Study: Pharma ESG matters to patients
Results suggest pharma is awash in pro-ESG sentiment, even though drugmakers often don’t communicate effectively about it.
Eileen Sheil to oversee Weill Cornell Medicine’s comms division
Sheil will lead its more-than-40-member division of communications and public affairs.
Hotwire introduces AI to data and analytics offering
Global tech comms agency Hotwire has brought in data intelligence tools that use AI and data insights to ‘identify the most impactful messaging, storylines, reporters, and influencers’.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Friday morning
Federal judge blocks Montana's TikTok ban; The latest on COP28; Meta is struggling to remove pedophiles from Facebook and Instagram.
BCW names Tracy Naden North America president of health and wellness
Naden most recently served as North America president of Lippe Taylor Group.
Real Chemistry eliminates 3% of its workforce
The agency let go of 66 of its 2,000-person workforce across varying departments.
Which brand had the best Spotify Wrapped parody?
Merriam-Webster, Jack in the Box and the Empire State Building had creative responses to the popular campaign.
Weber introduces AI Accelerator
The product includes three components to help clients better use and understand AI.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Thursday morning
ICR launches Blue Engine; Ketchum layoffs; Elon Musk curses out X’s fleeing advertisers.
ICR launches new agency Blue Engine
The firm is a combination of ICR’s consumer lifestyle team with the recently acquired Bullfrog + Baum.
Ketchum lays off ‘more than 20’ employees
The firm’s U.S. CEO Jim Joseph addressed the layoffs in an internal memo to staff Wednesday.
Samsung Networks hires AxiCom as North America AOR
The WPP agency is supporting the networking technology company with earned media and analyst relations throughout the region.
M Booth hires Courtney Nally as influencer practice head
Nally seeks to scale up the capability and combat influencer inequity among marginalized communities.
Spotify Wrapped 2023 celebrates real moments with real music
Spotify’s annual year-end recap campaign expands on personalized listening habits and drops easter eggs around the world.
Creator agency Billion Dollar Boy launches innovation unit
Called Muse, the group helps brands and influencers better use emerging technology.
Report: Google brokered search ads on piracy, porn and sanctioned foreign sites
Adalytics report alleges Google’s third-party search network includes ‘tens of thousands’ of unvetted websites and brand safety risks.
Actum hires ex-UK government adviser as MD
Consulting firm Actum LLC has appointed a former special adviser to Baroness Warsi as its managing director.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Wednesday morning
Women of Distinction 2024; Saatchi launches creator firm; COP28.
PRWeek’s Women of Distinction 2024 is open for entries
Now’s the time to nominate an outstanding professional for the preeminent industry event honoring top women executives.
M&C Saatchi launches creator marketing agency M&C Saatchi Fabric
M&C Saatchi Fabric is spun off from the agency’s influencer practice that sat within Sport & Entertainment.
MikeWorldWide hires Rob Bronfeld to co-lead consumer brand practice
Bronfeld is managing accounts including AWS, Dairy Queen and KB Home.
Errol Cockfield named Weber Shandwick North America crisis lead
The firm’s crisis and issues business has seen double-digit growth in 2023.
Salient Global names Tricia Ewald as new CEO
Previous chief executive Bryan Specht died last month at age 50.
Intel names HP alum Karen Kahn as CCO
Kahn, who spent more than seven years at HP, also has semiconductor experience from a stint at Broadcom.
Provocative Publicis-backed campaign warns young people about HPV risks
The goal of HPV Fucks Everybody is to highlight the risks associated with HPV, which includes cancer and genital warts, in an effort to encourage young people to get a vaccine to prevent infection.
Stride Health drives Affordable Care Act enrollment with Shipt, Care.com partnerships
The company has also teamed up with companies including Uber, DoorDash and Grubhub.
Denny’s names Finn Partners PR and brand communications AOR
The restaurant chain also named Mindshare its U.S. media AOR.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Tuesday morning
Sam Altman’s social media strategy; Next 15 results; SI’s AI content crisis.
Next 15 PR business hit by ‘client spend delays’ in FY
Next 15 has labelled its 2024 full-year performance as ‘robust’, despite having faced ‘inflationary pressures’ and ‘macroeconomic headwinds’ this year.
Gotham Government Relations responds to arrest of former affiliate Stuart Seldowitz
Seldowitz was charged with a hate crime after videos of him allegedly harassing a food-cart vendor this month surfaced on social media.
Sneaker marketplace StockX picks The Romans as PR AOR
The U.K. firm is looking to build up its New York presence with the win.
Philip Morris International names Travis Parman US comms head
Parman was most recently AppHarvest’s chief communications officer.
3 challenges brands face in building a presence on WhatsApp
Meta continues to tease ads in its messaging platform, but marketers are seeing other ways to take advantage of the app.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Monday morning
Merriam-Webster unveils Word of the Year; Russia puts Meta comms director on wanted list.
One Strategy Group hires Brian Ellner as president
The firm launched in 2022 as Day One and rebranded to One Strategy Group this month.
Sam Altman returns to OpenAI: What the players, stakeholders and journalists are saying
Key parties, investors and tech journalists quickly responded after OpenAI reinstated Altman early Wednesday.
The Amish burn Solo Stove over Snoop Dogg stunt
Amish-made smokeless fire-pit company Breeo wants people to know its product is the O.G.
Giving Tuesday: Willow and Project Sweet Peas donate care packages to NICU parents
The initiative supports both parents and babies with items needed for premature newborns.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Wednesday morning
Tourism win for Praytell; Sam Altman is back at OpenAI.
South Australian Tourism Commission names Praytell North America AOR
The agency will share stories about the region’s native wildlife, wine and outback experiences.
Dove partners with virtual influencer to promote body positivity
Lennnie is a ghost-shaped blob with a message for young people.
Accor books Accenture Song to transform global content production
International hotel group has expanded its partnership with the agency globally after more than four years of working together.
Taylor Swift fans criticize communication around Brazil fan’s death
Swifties are calling out Swift herself and media outlets for inaccurately reporting on the conditions of Friday night’s concert.
FGS Global acquires Canadian comms, public affairs agency Longview
The Canadian agency, which specializes in areas including foreign direct investment approvals, will be rebranded as FGS Longview.
Breakfast Briefing: 5 things for PR pros to know on Tuesday morning
OpenAI investors consider lawsuit; Israel-Hamas close to deal; Elon Musk sues Media Matters.
Snapshot: What communicators are focusing on at COP28
From conducting research to media training, PR teams and their agencies have their hands full at this year’s U.N. climate conference.
‘Black Friday IRL isn’t the same’; How earned media strategy is evolving
Fewer shoppers are lining up outside stores. That means more parking spots and coverage opportunities in different places.
How Sam Altman ran circles around OpenAI’s board on social media
Altman, who was abruptly fired before he was reinstated as chief executive, used X to seize control of the conversation, say technology PR and corporate reputation experts.
From bespoke collections to odd recipes, brands are making the holidays fun again
Marketers are working to distract from inflation, loan payments and global crises, as well as turn the corner from COVID this winter.
Is reproductive loss leave offered at your agency?
Agencies with a California presence will be required to adopt the policy by the start of next year. Many firms based there or with a presence in the state already have measures in place.
Ready to run: Comms pros gear up for NYC Marathon and discuss event's impact
New York comes together this Sunday in unique fashion to cheer on runners taking part in the NYC Marathon. PRWeek checks in with participants from the comms industry and analyzes the parallels between marathon training and the PR profession.
Brands use scary film festivals, dance challenges and rescue squads to stop Halloween campaigns from going stale
How Airheads, Chipotle, Reese’s and M&M’s are keeping their Halloween campaigns fresh year after year.
Assessing ousted Flexport CEO Dave Clark’s rebuttal
Crisis and reputation management experts analyze Clark’s lengthy X statement and assess if an outgoing executive should ever go on the offensive.
Roblox reviews: What do brands get out of video games?
A former video game journalist brushes off the game-reviewing cobwebs to grade branded Roblox activations based on performance metrics.
‘Hollywood has a knack for always coming back’: Entertainment PR agencies ‘optimistic’ as writers strike ends
United Entertainment Group, Lobeline Communications, Berk Communications and ShapiroPR share what the rest of the year looks like.
Aligning with Taylor Swift is the ultimate brand power move — just ask the NFL
With Swift at the height of her stardom, any brand peripherally aligned with her is reaping the benefits.
Unionization boom may necessitate rewrite of labor relations playbook
Labor relations may now have a larger impact on overall perception of a brand, say comms experts.
MGM cyberattack shows how comms, IT must work closely together
Cyberthreats can have a material effect on companies’ bottom lines, and comms execs need to get up-to-speed on responding to them, say experts.
Clients are done playing nice about RTO — and that goes for their agency partners, too
Yet despite a prevalence of “this time we mean it” from employers, experts say many companies are still failing with RTO comms.
Why marketers still don’t have a going rate for creator campaigns
Creator marketing experts question if it’s even possible to come up with standard wages.
What companies need to tell employees about AI to protect their IP
Employees are using AI whether companies have a policy or not, and they could be putting sensitive data at risk.
Coca-Cola developed NFTs, but that doesn’t mean they’re coming back
Web3 has a reputation problem that no technological upgrade can overcome, but some brands are still trying.
The dos and don’ts of holding an influencer event
Experts discuss learnings from Kai Cenat’s Union Square chaos.
RIP AOR?
In-house teams are searching for more short-term support, but that’s not all bad news for agencies.
‘There is an H in HR for a reason’ – can AI solve the PR hiring crisis?
Staff recruitment remains a problem in comms, but AI may provide a solution
B Corp 101
The CEO of Patagonia calls the B Corp process “a pain in the ass,” and agency leaders say he’s right — but it’s worth it. Here’s how to get started.
Why more agencies are becoming B Corps
The process is hard and maintaining it is even harder, but firms say B Corp status has cultural and bottom-line benefits.
Advertisers interested in U.S. super app — don’t expect it from X
X looks to beat rivals such as Meta, TikTok and Snap in bringing a super app to the U.S. for the first time, but digital advertising experts are skeptical it can overcome the hurdles ahead.
The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action. Does it matter for PR agencies?
Firms and their partner programs prepare for the effects — downplayed by many — of SCOTUS’ decision.
Brands focus on value and savings in this year’s back-to-school campaigns
“Back-to-school season is an annual reminder of how incredibly expensive it is to raise children,” says Amazon’s Jo Shoesmith.
The summer of ‘Barbie’: Marketers have nothing but love for film’s ubiquitous promo blitz
The color pink is everywhere a week before the film debuts in U.S. theaters.
The big brand challenge of Threads’ rollout
The latest digital water cooler has arrived, and with it issues for clients and their agency partners to navigate.
All the ways Shein’s influencer tour went wrong
The fashion brand is being accused of propaganda after hosting a crew of poorly informed influencers to improve its reputation. It did not work.
CEOs are ordering employees back to the office. It’s up to comms to sell it
What works: emphasizing the benefits of in-person collaboration and career opportunities; What doesn’t: threats and intimidation.
It’s AI’s time in the sun at Cannes
Artificial intelligence probably won’t win a Grand Prix but it will be the hot topic of conversation.
Don’t expect sponsors to flee pro golf after the PGA Tour-LIV merger, say experts
One has a 'gut feeling' most people won’t care about the merger, while others say sponsors will have to make tough decisions.
Is the chief communications officer role getting a demotion?
Recent executive moves and reporting structure changes are prompting the question. Yet industry insiders say the position is maintaining its influence.
‘Legitimate anxiety’: Brands get tentative about Pride as anti-LGBTQ activists flex their muscles
Bud Light. Target. Kohl’s. Even Chick-fil-A. Brands know they could be the next to be targeted for celebrating Pride.
Twitter has a place in presidential campaigns — just not launching them
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign kickoff on Twitter was a bust for several reasons. But the platform is useful to campaigns in other ways.
Three years later: How agencies are keeping the focus on diversity
How agencies are approaching diversity three years after the murder of George Floyd and the peak of Black Lives Matter.
The 10 biggest communications lessons from the COVID-19 public health emergency
From understanding an audience to beating back disinformation, health comms experts share their biggest lessons learned for the next pandemic.
How The Wall Street Journal is rallying the media to keep Evan Gershkovich in the conversation
Media titans that are often at each other’s throats are pulling together to call for the detained reporter’s release.
From creator to creative: Why agencies are recruiting social media stars
Creators are bringing their nimble creative savvy and short-form expertise to full-time agency roles, but face challenges adapting to client demands and agency culture.
‘No longer reliable’: Twitter chaos means public safety messaging gets a rethink
Transportation and public-health agencies used to go to Twitter first during an emergency. Now it’s not so simple.
How Bud Light’s abandonment of the trans community could influence Pride
In light of the ongoing controversy between Bud Light and trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, brands must decide whether to move forward with Pride plans — or succumb to a vocal minority.
‘A big step back’: CCOs fear brands will retreat from LGBT support after Bud Light backlash
Experts worry about a broader chilling effect on brands speaking up on divisive social issues after the backlash to Bud Light’s partnership with influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Self-inflicted wounds haunt Anheuser-Busch’s Dylan Mulvaney crisis response
Bud Light failed at trying to appease two conflicting audiences, say PR executives.
Why companies continue to struggle with flex schedules
Hybrid work is here to stay. Or is it?
Meta’s Reels is building a home for TikTok refugees
Leading TikTok-focused agencies are encouraging clients to diversify their social media presences, with the Meta product getting the first look.
Pepsi unveils a new logo: a look back at the logos through the years
A bold leap forward, the design reflects changing consumer tastes and the brand's digital ambitions. Also, it comes just in time for Pepsi’s 125th anniversary.
-
Best Places to Work
-
Hall of Fame
-
Salary Survey
-
Crisis Comms Conference
-
Health Influencer 30
-
Healthcare Awards
-
Purpose Awards
-
PRDecoded
-
40 Under 40
-
PRWeek U.S. 25th Anniversary
-
PRWeek US Awards
-
The Power List
-
Brand Entertainment Awards
-
Pride in PR
-
Gen Zeitgeist
-
Global Awards
-
Agency Business Report
-
Women of Distinction
-
The Future of Work
-
Dashboard 25
-
Bellwether Survey
-
Changemakers
-
Webinars
-
Podcasts
-
Subscribe to PRWeek