For more insights on professional growth, check out the April issue of PRSA’s award-winning publication, Strategies & Tactics. Our professional brands are not dissimilar from the brands of companies or products. Like brand managers, time, thought and energy must be carefully invested in establishing a professional brand that reflects the career path we have chosen to walk. Therefore, we can take lessons and best practices from real-life brand managers to develop our unique professional brands. Call it a professional brand strategy if you will. First, a word about brands. A brand is not wha ..read more

Ralph Kam, APR, Fellow PRSA, a longtime PRSA member and volunteer leader, passed away on March 25. He was 67. Kam worked for decades in Hawaii’s PR profession, including government, health care, financial services and education roles. As an instructor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Pacific University, Cha­mi­nade University, and the University of Phoenix, he helped form the professional foundations of many communicators. Kam’s journey with PRSA began in 1982 as a member, and he later assumed several leadership positions. His dedication to the profession was evident in his roles a ..read more

When trying to demonstrate the value of their work, “One of the biggest challenges that PR professionals have is that we measure outputs instead of outcomes,” Gini Dietrich said. Dietrich, CEO and founder of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based communications firm, is the author of the 2014 book “Spin Sucks” and the “Spin Sucks” blog. As the April guest on Strategies & Tactics Live, PRSA’s monthly livestream series on LinkedIn, she explained how the PESO (paid, earned, shared and owned media) Model that she launched in 2014 has evolved. “When we looked at the model in 2020, we realized there w ..read more

Let’s face it. Taylor Swift’s much-anticipated album, The Tortured Poets Department (out April 19), sounds like it should be about a corporate communications team. While most PR professionals will never win any Grammys, we share more in common with the megastar than you might think. We are creators, storytellers and writers. We find inspiration in life, work and relationships. And we are influential to our teams, across our organizations and in our communities — demonstrating daily how smart, strategic communications can advance your brand, even in times of crisis. In addition to Swift’s maste ..read more

April is APR Month at PRSA. Learn how becoming Accredited in Public Relations can help advance your career by visiting PRaccreditation.org. The year 2020 consisted of fighting the constant communication fires that came with COVID-19 and nationwide protests over social injustice. As much as we tried to be proactive, there was often only time to react, and my team was tasked with crafting messages that could make or break our reputation as a health system. As the urgency started to lessen, I still had the burst of adrenaline from being in a constant crisis. One thing was true — if this happened ..read more

As companies face pressure to engage with social issues beyond their immediate business interests, communicators must anticipate how every word an organization says and every topic it raises will be received by different stakeholders, a new study finds. For the annual Global Communication Report, researchers at the USC Center for Public Relations surveyed PR professionals, investors, large company employees and consumers to study stakeholder expectations in a polarized political climate. “The Balancing Act,” produced in conjunction with several organizations, including PRSA, finds that as corp ..read more

Download a copy of “Tackling Misinformation: The Communications Industry Unites” here. Comms pros can find more resources on the topic  here. This is a critical year in the ongoing fight against the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation. In 2024, more than 50 countries worldwide are in election cycles. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024, disinformation is considered the world’s top risk in the next two years and the fifth global risk in the next 10 years. In late 2023, PRSA convened a group of nearly two dozen communications executives, journalis ..read more

Recent news about bipartisan legislation that would compel TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the social media app or see it banned in the United States is generating buzz among communicators. With a final vote of 352–65 in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 13 and President Biden’s pledge to sign the bill if it reaches his desk, TikTok’s future is in limbo. Despite impending legislation, influencers are leveraging their large followings to share stories of how TikTok has bolstered their businesses and their ability to express themselves. Some influencers are waging campaigns of t ..read more

When she was growing up in Louisville, Ky., Gail Dent’s Sunday afternoons were spent watching sports on television with her family. Her parents were both sports fans, especially her dad. “Sunday was like a daddy-daughter day,” she recalled. Her father would have two TVs going simultaneously, each showing a different football game. “He would be in his big chair; I would be in my little chair right beside him, cheering for teams,” said Dent, the guest on March 14 during Strategies & Tactics Live, PRSA’s monthly livestream on LinkedIn. “Mom would be on the couch, listening and watching us.” A ..read more

Quick! Which would you rather read? Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating the way utilities and cities manage energy and water, announced that it’s working together with Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE), to connect and manage 260,000 Itron smart streetlights across the utility’s service territory. Or: A group of drunk teenagers approaches you as you’re walking home alone after dark. The streetlights get brighter — then dial 911 for help. Baltimore streets will soon be lined with 260,000 Itron smart streetlights. These streetlig ..read more