The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
Who Can Say What Online: An Existential Question for Tech — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others are wrestling with the same two questions: How do we make sure we’re not facilitating misinformation, violence, fraud or hate speech? At the same time, how do we ensure we’re not censoring users? The more platforms moderate content, the more criticism they experience from those who think they’re over-moderating. However, any statement surrounding moderation provokes some to point out objectionable content that remains. Like any question of editorial judgment, the results are guaranteed to displease someone — including Congress, which this week called the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter to a hearing March 25 to discuss misinformation on their platforms. This deep dive from The Wall Street Journal explains the conundrum.
People Are More Likely to Trust—and Buy—Purpose-Driven Brands — When someone sees a logo of a brand they know is purpose-driven, they automatically associate it with words like “responsible,” “compassionate,” and “ethical.” And when someone considers a brand purpose-driven, they’re also more likely to remember it, buy it, and want to work for the company that makes it. These findings are part of a new Porter Novelli analysis that used implicit association — a type of testing often used to uncover unconscious bias — to evaluate how 1,200 consumers reacted to different brands. This two-minute read from Fast Company explains.
An Unchecked CEO Can Lead to a Public Relations Catastrophe — Many CEOs believe they are great communicators. The truth is: in the same way it is ill-advised to be your own lawyer, being your own communications person is just as bad. It can take many years to build a good reputation and just minutes to ruin it. Not accounting for the audience you’re addressing or getting into fights on Twitter can cause problems for you and your business. And in a crisis situation, poor communications from the CEO can make a bad situation significantly worse. Forbes takes a look at three of the biggest CEO PR disasters in recent history. You will likely remember them all, and they’re great case studies in what not to do.
The Most Persuasive People Use These 3 Timing Methods to Get What They Want — In our quest to become better persuaders, we often focus on what we need to do and how we need to do it. But, after decades of studying the science of persuasion, author Daniel Pink discovered something new: we also need to focus on the when of these decisions. Here are three key timing methods persuasive people use to boost their chances of getting what they want.
Zoom Burnout Is Real. Here Are 4 Practical Ways to Cope — We hate to be bearers of bad news, but Zoom meetings are here to stay, even if we wind up using them less frequently than we do now. So, if you haven’t made peace with the reality of video calls in your work life, it’s time. Need some help? Inc. has rounded up some of the best advice about making Zoom calls less stressful, more effective, and — crucially — a little less omnipresent in remote work. This quick read is full of solid tips you can apply today.
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What we’re watching: 60 Minutes — Bill Gates: How the World Can Avoid a Climate Disaster
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.