Skip to main content
The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, Jan. 28, 2022

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.

************************

Carhartt Blowback Shows The Tightrope Companies Face Over Vaccine Mandate Decisions – Companies, organizations and universities are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they don’t mandate vaccinations, employees protest saying they’re being put in an unsafe work environment. If they mandate vaccinations, employees protest saying their rights are being violated. Workwear company Carhartt is among the latest to get caught in the crossfire. NPR takes a closer look. 

Communicating Authentically in a Virtual World – Authentic communication is critical. We hear it all the time. And research studies have affirmed the importance of authenticity as a key driver of work outcomes for everyone from frontline workers to leaders. Alternatively, being perceived as inauthentic has been shown to destroy trust and relationships, damage customer loyalty, worsen performance evaluations, and decrease organizational profits. That said, authentic communication isn’t always the best option. The Harvard Business Review explains.

Peloton Has Fifth PR Crisis When Another TV Character Has Heart Attack Using Exercise Bike – Remember when Peloton could do no wrong? At the height of the pandemic, Peloton couldn’t make their products or open stores fast enough. The stock went from $30 to over $150 per share, and there seemed to be no end in sight. But then things began to change. A series of PR crises began with a treadmill recall and now has culminated in a second TV character on a major series having a heart attack while riding one of the company’s exercise bikes. Forbes digs into the rough ride of one the financial darlings of COVID-19.

Instagram Creators Can Charge for Subscriptions Under New Test Service – Instagram is launching a trial of a subscription service that allows users to pay for extra content from creators. Is this the future of social media? The Wall Street Journal takes a look.

The Fading Future Of Local Newspapers – This Sunday 60 Minutes takes a look at the dim future of local newspapers. Alden Global Capital is a hedge fund known for buying and gutting many local newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun. The company now has its eye on Lee Enterprises, which owns more than 20 daily newspapers in the Midwest including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Omaha World-Herald.

************************   

Feed Your Head: 

The Dumbledore of Clowning

Meatloaf Owned The Power Ballad

************************ 

flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: 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.