Brands often have operated as business to consumer (B2C) or business to business (B2B) organizations, choosing a lane largely based upon the industry in which they functioned. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies defaulted to B2C, while industrial manufacturers and heavy industry defaulted to B2B. Today, an emerging lane — Brand to Community — is rising to an equal place of importance for a...
Reports on the demise of traditional communications strategies and tactics are greatly exaggerated.
On an almost daily basis, both internally and externally, I hear comments dismissing some of the staples of our communications programming — “auto shows are dead,” “earned media isn’t influencing customer decisions,” “traditional tactics like ride and drive programs and press releases...
The World Economic Forum (WEF) annually tracks the progress of 149 countries toward gender parity on four dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. The bad news is the WEF 2018 Global Gender Gap Report predicts most of us won’t see economic parity based on gender in our lifetimes. The earliest predicted adopter...
We are living in an era where misinformation, or worse yet, disinformation campaigns are far too common. From the mudslinging in politics, to the safety — or lack thereof — of e-cigarettes and vaping, to innovative startups disrupting Wall Street, how do you know where the truth lies? And when it comes to your career in the communication industry, how do you know you are working for the “good...
There’s no doubt that the media landscape is constantly in flux. Students and professionals have to acquire new skills and embrace technologies to meet the shifting demands of the communications industry.
This brings up an important question: What do these changes mean for careers in communications, public relations and related fields?
At...
In the previous Relevance Report, I addressed the major shift in the tech industry, in which tech companies are experiencing recurring scandals and are “no longer a source of good, but also a source of the bad.” I claimed, “Consequently, the tech spokespeople need to adjust their crisis management know-how to manage the new combat era of Techlash.”
Since the Techlash keeps evolving, we...
Investing in trust is an investment in long-term business performance.
It’s been a hard year for trust. If it were a product we were trying to sell, we’d be alarmed about its future. We’re surrounded by headlines of trust gone wrong. From employees staging walkouts over business practices to intensifying scrutiny on who to do business with, companies are standing in a big bright...
Welcome to the 2020 edition of the USC Annenberg Relevance Report — a look into the future of one of the most dynamic professions on Earth. As in past years, we have curated a series of short essays from leading executives, academics and students in the public relations field, who are all connected to the University of Southern California.
Their stories cover a wide spectrum of topics...