We completed our sixth year as the global pandemic, at least in most parts of the U.S., was slowly coming to an end. But as it turns out, this past year our nation was perhaps impacted to an even greater degree by the multiplying incidents of social injustice, resulting in several murders, most notably George Floyd’s. These incidents sparked a nationwide groundswell of protests, energizing a host of companies, athletes, celebrities, and others to take stands on important social issues for the very first time.
I explored this phenomenon in a piece I penned for the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations 2021 Relevance Report, titled “The Covidization of Sports,” which is discussed below.
Following is a brief highlight of our work this past year as well as our continued engagement with USC, including the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, which I serve as a member of the board of advisors, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where I continue as an adjunct professor, and my recent appointment as a senior fellow of the Marketing and Communications Center of The Conference Board.
Our Work
Corporate Communications
Helped plan and coordinate the internal and external announcement of the departing commissioner of a Power 5 conference and the hiring of the conference’s new commissioner five months later
Assisted a Fortune 500 company with developing and communicating its first DEI report to both employees and other important external stakeholders
Created an engagement framework to assist an apparel brand in analyzing which social issues they might select to participate in, and if so, how
Managed the announcement of a new vice chair of a major commercial landscape company and his subsequent promotion to CEO
Crisis and Issues Management
Provided counsel and internal and external communications recommendations for litigation involving a descendent of the founder
Continued to support a leading apparel brand on a host of issues ranging from international trade relations, China sourcing, workplace issues, advertising campaigns, retail partners and suppliers, and changing Mexican labor laws
Continued to provide litigation counsel and support, including scenario planning, messaging, and content creation for a Fortune 500 company
Provided communications counsel and monitoring to several organizations in responding to a variety of external events, including the pandemic, capital insurrection, social injustice, and mass shootings
USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations 2021 Relevance Report – “The Covidization of Sports”
With a few notable exceptions, athletes have historically been reluctant to use their platform and celebrity to weigh in on social or political issues. But this year it was different. And was it ever.
Athletes, teams, and leagues went all in on social injustice, including on-court and on-field signage, uniform names, speaking out and even suspending play in protest.
So where does this leave the future of sport in America? It has perhaps changed the playing field forever.
However, I’m a firm believer that sport ultimately has the power to unite us rather than divide us. Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
You can read the full essay here.
Building a Reputation During a Pandemic
It’s a focus on the employee experience that will dramatically shape the reputation of brands and companies for years to come.
In my role as a senior fellow of the Marketing and Communications Center of The Conference Board, I authored a blog post outlining some communications principles for all organizations who have found their reputation challenged during the pandemic. You can read the full post here.
Helping a High-Profile Brand Regain its Reputation
As a trustee of the Institute of Public Relations, I had an opportunity to participate in a “Lessons Learned” series, in partnership with PRNews, where I shared my experiences at Nike in helping rebuild the company’s reputation and that helped mold and shape my career. You can read the full article here.
USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations Global Communications Report 2021
This year’s 2021 Global Communication Report from the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, “Politics, Polarization and Purpose,” follows up last year’s exploration of “new activism” to determine how politics affects polarization and, in turn, public relations. The hypothesis was that even though polarization is driven by politics it’s primarily a communication problem, which should be addressed by professional communicators. You can download the full report here.
A Final Word
Helping Prepare the Next Generation
This past fall, I had the privilege of teaching two courses at USC Annenberg. The first was a graduate-level course titled, “Corporate Public Relations and Reputation.” The class explored the full range of the communications function from investor relations, public affairs, employee communications, to media relations, digital communications, reputation research and CSR. The course featured senior executives from McDonald’s, Carhartt, Mars, Edison International, CAA, Levi Strauss, USC, and Carol Cone ON PURPOSE.
Second, was an undergraduate course titled, “Advanced Strategic Public Relations,” that culminated in three teams presenting amazing integrated communications plans for the launch of Hyundai’s new Elantra.
Both classes were held entirely over Zoom, which was clearly not the college experience these students anticipated. However, I was incredibly impressed with how dedicated, engaged and energized these students were. As an example, I had one student who took the course from her home in Germany, where the class started at 3 a.m. PT. And she didn’t miss one session! The future of our profession is very bright!