States and local governments will face many challenges and opportunities as they navigate the turbulent waters of the coming Donald Trump administration. Despite uncertainty about the precise policies of President-elect Trump and the Republican...
A new media launch is a PR masterclass. No matter the field you promote in, you can draw inspiration and information from observing how movies, television shows and online media offerings present themselves. With the recent launch of fall TV shows in...
A handful of states are racing to be the first to offer their residents a driver’s license they can load onto their smartphones. But some of those who would be most affected by that innovation are wondering what the rush is about. Last December...
With the start of the games in Rio this week, predictions have begun rolling in—from the number of medals a country will win to whether Rio will prove as successful for brands as the London games in 2012. We have our own prediction to make: print...
Every calendar year is full of inspiring successful Public Relations campaigns - and some embarrassing mistakes. While the latter category may be promotions those companies would rather forget, they offer strong educational lessons for the rest of the...
The race is tight, so coloring in the electoral map has proven to be an arduous task. Media monitoring and social media analysis may help to color in some of those states by providing a glimpse into voter sentiment and enthusiasm that polls might not...
The white rural voters who helped propel Donald Trump to his stunning victory in the presidential race and enabled Republicans to keep their majorities in both houses of Congress on Nov. 8 may have helped some GOP candidates further down-ticket too, with...
October 3rd will mark six months since the release of the Panama Papers, a trove of 11.5 million documents from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca. The leak highlights how complex corporate structures, often set up in ‘offshore’ jurisdictions...
Today, a visitor to a Bon Appétit cafe will have no problem finding plenty of tasty things to nosh on. But finding a plastic straw for their soda or a plastic stirrer for their coffee will soon be impossible. San Francisco-based Bon Appétit...
It’s official; the wait for Nexis Uni is over! Students who grew up googling now have an interface that comes with all the bells and whistles of advanced search platforms, but with simple, streamlined search designed to meet researchers’ needs...
Could a negative tweet from a celebrity send a social media company values plummeting? How about rampant complaints aimed at a fast food company? Based on events last week, the answer depends a lot on the PR crisis response. Consider two events from last...
Every good prospect researcher knows that getting the most out of donors relies heavily on having their databases full of accurate and up to date information. So much time can be wasted chasing dead leads, and loyal donors can be lost if an outdated phone...
Being prepared is not just a motto, but a way of life, according to the Boy Scouts of America: “Being prepared means having the ability to deal with the many tough challenges life presents—that’s what Scouting is all about.” The...
Despite the unusual amount of uncertainty heading into this year’s state legislative sessions, a few of the issues we predicted last December might receive particular attention from lawmakers, such as cybersecurity and transportation funding, have...
As you may have noticed from past blog posts , we—like many others—have been closely following this year’s presidential campaign in the news, on blogs and across social media. We’ve analyzed media coverage of candidates, identified...
Iowa isn’t in the media spotlight often, but when it is … watch out! On Monday, Iowans headed out to high school gymnasiums, private homes and other venues to participate in the first primary event of this long presidential election season...
“When you're lost in information, an information map is kind of useful.” Those words, spoken by data journalist David McCandless in his TED talk , The Beauty of Data Visualization, make an important point. With a steady constant flow of...
Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have laws on the books prohibiting at least some state pension or retirement funds from investing in companies that do a certain amount of business in Iran. Ten of those states also have laws on the books...
It stands to reason that the percentage of media coverage each candidate has received—also known as their share of voice—should predict the outcomes of state primaries and caucuses. Newspapers, radio stations, news websites and TV networks...
Day 1 of the NCAA® Basketball Tourney last Thursday—otherwise known as the start of March Madness®—didn’t hold a lot of surprises. Sure, there were a couple of 12 th -seed upsets of their 5 th -seed opponents, but it was on Friday...
Supporters of “aid-in-dying” laws -- which allow doctors to prescribe terminally ill patients drugs that will hasten their death -- have for years dismissed arguments that such measures would be a magnet drawing the gravely ill to their states...
Five years ago, the G20 Leaders created the Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) to address the negative impact of corruption on economic development and trade. Yet, the latest Transparency International report suggests that the leaders of the world’s...
From deals and merchandising to packaging and logistics, retailers are putting their final touches on their 2015 holiday preparations. Shopping days abound when it comes to November and December, all kicking off with the ultimate pre-holiday shopping...
Britain’s Prime Minister has said that investors can “make a big difference” by encouraging companies to act in a trustworthy way. Her call is just the latest sign that shareholders are applying more pressure on companies to behave ethically...
Remember Batman? Not the dark, brooding Batman of our current decade, but the outrageously fun Adam West version featuring the POW-ZING dynamic duo of Batman and Robin. We were recently talking about superheroes (of the public relations variety), and...