Despite the general holiday jolliness, several brand faux pas (and one notable triumph) led to big clicks for Bulldog Reporter in December. Peloton, Hallmark Channel and Buffalo Wild Wings all found themselves on the wrong side of news headlines for their PR shortfalls, while Ryan Reynolds Aviator Gin managed to turn one of those disasters into PR victory. PR lessons abound from those missteps and the ensuing crisis management.
A review of Boeing’s horrible PR year and an inside look at the digital-marketing prowess of reality TV’s most famous family rounded out the big brand posts for the month. Otherwise, a handful of year-in-review and 2020-forecasting posts provided some terrific tips and takeaways for PR in a brand new year. In case you missed a few of these, here’s your chance to catch up.
Here’s to an amazing 2020 in PR!
Is Peloton crazy for not apologizing for that ad—or is it creating a new era of crisis response?
The brand’s stiff-armed response is a pretty radical move in today’s marketing landscape, where crisis experts have trained brands to apologize immediately and without a second thought regarding actual blame or intention.
2020 vision—6 PR trends and predictions for the new year
As we reflect on the last 20 years, we’ve seen the role of the PR person become a more critical function within a company than ever before. Here’s a look at what’s in store in the new year.
Can Buffalo Wild Wings rebound from its wild week of crisis?
The chain had a historically terrible stretch in early November that sadly culminated in tragedy. It was a gut-punch, as well as gut-check as to how to improve policies and procedures.
Ryan Reynolds Aviator Gin’s ad-jacking spoof “rescue” of Peloton ad girl is pure PR genius
The genius of the ad is that it doesn’t explicitly refer to the highly criticized spot, but the first-class timing of its release—within just a couple of days of the Peloton hubbub—makes the connection more than clear. Perfectly timed and executed.
Hallmark Channel’s uninspired apology—why the brand’s ad gaffe was a PR double fail
Just as the Hallmark Channel and its corny Christmas movies were getting parodied in a “Saturday Night Live” skit, the network managed to parody itself with a total disregard for 2019 culture—and then offered a hedged “apology.”
The year in PR: Industry growth was strong in 2019—but execs wanted better outcomes
New N6A research points to a big gap between execs’ expectations of PR and the results they are receiving. Leaders have clear ideas about what they want, but are frustrated by PR’s inability to deliver appropriately. What’s the solution?
How the Kardashians knock digital marketing out of the park
The famous family’s reality show gets a million viewers with each episode, and each one of them has hundreds of millions of followers on Instagram. What’s the secret to their success?
3 steps to simplifying your PR writing
While everyone approaches writing with individualized flair, we all have the same goal: ensure your clients’ varied personalities shine through your storytelling while keeping copy tight.
2019 year in crisis: Boeing’s poor PR leads to sky-high reputation damage
Boeing’s mishandling of the 737 Max crisis is almost legendary. We can already see future generations of PR students going over the missteps the company made. Just how bad was it?
So you’re launching a brand? 4 pro tips to do it right
Launching a brand can be a scary, thrilling, yet rewarding time for a business. Our agency has seen the importance of showcasing your product or service offering to the world for the first time.
