The USC Center for Public Relations issues two reports: this Relevance Report that predicts trends, and our Global Communications Report each spring that analyzes them. Since we live and work in a time when truth is questioned daily, it seems timely for the industry to weigh in on ethical issues facing the public relations profession.
In this year’s Global Communications Report , we...
The nearly equally politically divided United States means companies are likely to upset 50% of their stakeholders at any time. In today’s political and social landscape, business is often pulled into the issues of the day — wanted or not. The best course is to be ready, act boldly and proceed with purpose.
We know trust in the U.S. has taken a nosedive, especially in government and...
This summer, many Americans found themselves misty-eyed as the documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? paid tribute to the vision and legacy of Fred Rogers. As director Morgan Neville explains, “In a much more cynical age that we live in today and to be confronted by such emotional sincerity is overwhelming and ultimately, I think, kind of cathartic… . He’s explaining to these unformed people...
Demands on companies and their CEOs to take stands on social issues ranging from immigration to climate change, gun rights to gay rights, Brexit to global trade, have rapidly accelerated in the past two years.
Additionally, companies are now being urged by many investors to demonstrate positive social impact. In his widely reported letter to CEOs this past January, BlackRock’s Larry...
The summer before I started the master’s program at Annenberg, my father, CEO of a tech startup, asked me, “Are you aware that technology will soon replace PR and marketing workers like yourself and other interns?”
I replied, “You mean those customer service robots that are not so helpful will replace my job? There’s so much strategic thinking behind PR and marketing that I’m not...
As a baby boomer, I believe we have a responsibility to set an example for the generations who follow us. However, none of us can do this alone. The past few years have been tumultuous times for our country and the divisiveness that we see in the halls of government is focused more on being heard and less on finding solutions.
The rhetoric of divisiveness is also present on college...
After Queen Elizabeth welcomed a bi-racial American woman into the Royal Family in May 2018, the crowds that gathered along the English roadsides to get a glimpse of the newlyweds — along with the reported 2 billion worldwide TV viewers — were witnessing a global phenomenon: Multi-cultural relationships are reshaping Western culture.
Buying power
Social and cultural acceptance...
America’s CEOs may feel more pressure than ever to speak out on social issues from gun control to immigration, but ask them what they think the business of corporate communications should be and the answer is overwhelming: business .
According to a new survey conducted by the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations in conjunction with Chief...