It takes something special to get Helena Brantley, founder of Red Pencil Publicity + Marketing, on a plane. “I hate to fly, and I will fly for PubWest,” she says in a recent Zoom interview. As with many other events in 2020 and so far in 2021, PubWest’s annual...
Most shoppers will stick to some of their new habits post-COVID
While the pandemic concern level is finally on the decline, shoppers acknowledge it will be a long time before things return to normal. Shopping and eating behaviors dramatically changed last year, and many shoppers plan to continue those new habits post-COVID-19,...
Companies aren’t prepared to support customer engagement in the COVID era and beyond
With massive digital disruption in full swing, and now a year into the global pandemic, only 50 percent of business leaders say they are well prepared to support customer engagement priorities moving forward, and 82 percent say the challenges of managing customer...
As comms pros navigate a new era in customer engagement, how can practices be improved?
What does successful customer engagement look like in the COVID age—and how can brands to improve their strategies? New research from customer engagement platform Braze breaks down tactics that drive business goals—and revenue—across industries such as financial...
As COVID rages, women seek positive messaging from brands
The pandemic will have a lasting effect on the outlook, behavior and psychology of women across the country, with more than half (56 percent) of women reporting that the pandemic has made them realize what is really important, namely family relationships and...
COVID consumer study reveals interest in brand discovery, small business
With the COVID crisis lingering and intensifying, new research from marketing solutions firm Vericast explores evolving consumer behaviors and media consumption in 2021. Based on responses from 1,000 U.S. adults, consumers are doing their part to support small...
Surviving the retail apocalypse: 2021 trends, expectations, and new opportunities
As retailers and brand marketers battle through COVID’s impact on consumer behavior, new research from customer journey orchestration and analytics firm Kitewheel explores key trends in the retail industry, providing recommendations on how brands can make the most of...
In the COVID age, consumers say texting is best way for businesses to reach them quickly
Business texting has steadily gained traction in the past five years as channels like email have become more crowded, and new research from business texting platform Zipwhip finds that the COVID crisis has dramatically accelerated adoption. In fact, one of the...
Privacy comes of age during COVID: PR and infrastructural lessons from rapid consumer shift
It’s not like data privacy wasn’t a big issue in the old world, but in the age of COVID, with the quick shift to remote work and the need to access people’s health info, it’s never been more front-and-center on consumers’ minds—which is why it must be front-and-center...
A PR insiders’ guide to navigating influencer marketing during a pandemic
To no one's surprise, social media use has reached an all-time high since the pandemic’s onset. While the world faced unprecedented changes, engagement increased by 61 percent, according to Kantar. As people spend more time at home, social media is the predominant...
5 ways COVID has changed tourism PR—for the better
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has forever changed public relations, especially when it relates to travel. While the virus has certainly devastated tourism worldwide, it has also opened the door to more responsible messaging and more creative content. Here...
How corporate boards are navigating governance challenges in the COVID era
As the age of COVID rolls on (and on), new research from the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), representing more than 21,000 board members, analyzes survey responses from directors worldwide, exploring how boards across the globe are navigating the...