Understanding how your social campaign is performing requires a fine mix of data and interpretation, as many marketers know. But it’s not always as simple as that. A lot of brands are left asking, “What does all of this data mean to my social channels?” Social media firm 5Loom, which is owned by Council member…

On April 26th, the Council in association with PRWeek announced the opening of the second annual Diversity Distinction in PR Awards.  These awards honor excellence in promoting ethnic diversity and inclusion within public relations, and are intended to encourage professionals of diverse backgrounds to seek opportunities at firms and the PR industry more broadly. Last…

Think you’ve heard it all about social media? Last week, The Social Media Society and The Council of Public Relations Firms presented a program entitled, “Igniting Opportunities: Measuring and Monetizing Social Media,” hosted by my law firm, Davis & Gilbert. This eye-opening program revealed that the pace of change continues to accelerate, and that more…

This past February, the UK telecommunications company O2 asked almost 3,000 employees at one of its offices to work from home for the day. The results raise eyebrows: Employees saved almost $15,000 in commuting costs, got 1,000 extra hours of sleep, were more productive (36% of them claimed as much), and spent more quality time…

Women and women’s issues have claimed a prominent position in the Presidential campaign in recent months, and that should only become more pronounced as November nears. But what about women in business? It’s no secret that public relations offers unusually exciting opportunities for talented women to establish careers and build companies of their own. At…

Ten years. Seven GAP studies.  And a whole lot of interesting data pertaining to organizational integration, social media, and healthy agency/client relationships. I’d like to share some of that data with you in a way that knits together these apparently disparate topics. My argument: That communications-driven management consulting might be the next big opportunity for…

Does your growing PR firm need a Chief Operating Officer?  Quite possibly—and more urgently than you think! Today, many small- to mid-sized firms remain reluctant to designate someone to lead their operations. That’s not surprising, for unlike other top spots on the organizational chart, the COO position, even in global corporations, is difficult to define…

With both business and communications evolving faster than ever, and with companies increasingly relying on innovation to fuel growth and competitive advantage, talking about innovations is becoming more important—and trickier. The famous flop of “New Coke” back in the 1980s reminds us what can happen when companies don’t properly introduce innovations (although in that case,…

Two weeks ago, APCO’s Margery Kraus wrote in this blog of the blurring lines between every major marketing practice. PR firms are producing advertisements, ad agencies are controlling massive social media campaigns, and branding shops are helping define SEO strategies. As these traditionally silo-ed marketing areas continue to blend and overlap, one nascent offshoot in…

If I have one impression to share about the panel discussion the Council put on last weekend at this year’s SXSW conference, and about the conference in general, it is the sheer energy, excitement, and interest we encountered. We have attended SXSW these past two years in the belief that as marketing communications gets more…