Blog

Reporters and Anonymity: Two Tales

Written by Adam Goldberg, Co-Founder The last several weeks have seen notable episodes involving anonymous sourcing. In one instance, journalists have called out the dangers of being forced to reveal their anonymous sources while, in the other, reporters decried a journalist who used anonymous sources to write what they say are false things about those […]

Finding Your Voice: A Guide for Brands Navigating Contentious Issues

Written by Trident DMG Much has been reported about brands’ struggles with whether to publicly engage with contentious social issues. Recent research provides helpful guidance. In Citizen brand: The emergence of brandstanding as organizational engagement and civic duty, Luke Capizzo and Jeannette I. Iannacone find that companies should tick four boxes when taking a public […]

When a Reporter Doesn’t Call

Written by Adam Goldberg, Co-Founder One scenario we commonly face is when a client learns a reporter is investigating it before the reporter calls the client. The clues can emerge in various ways. Perhaps a reporter messaged employees on LinkedIn or through social media. Typically, the client instinct in these instances – and that of […]

“Blending Out” Brand Image: Tarte Cosmetics

Written by Emma Novak, Account Manager Read the room: conspiracy theories aren’t limited to politics. Unfounded conspiracy theories fused with social criticism can create an unexpected tsunami of negative coverage against a brand and its well-intentioned actions. Tarte Cosmetics recently experienced this, and there are lessons for us all. Tarte Controversy Founded in 1999 and […]

The Rise of Pickleball: What Companies Can Learn About Becoming the Next Big Dill

Written by Katie Owens, Account Manager “Stay out of the kitchen!,” “let’s just dink,” and “zero-zero-two,” are some phrases you might hear if you pass a pickleball court. Pickleball’s explosion, with over 14% of Americans playing the sport in 2023, was no accident. Behind the scenes, a flexible, adept team was hard at work embracing […]

Avoiding Return-to-Office Blunders

Written by Trident DMG Make internal communication your priority Employees at companies nationwide, surprised by return-to-office (RTO) policy announcements imposed from the top down, have launched petitions against their companies’ new policies that they say could negatively impact post-COVID growth, employee well-being, staff retention, and productivity. To maximize employee support, companies should prioritize internal communications […]

How to Successfully Use Influencers in Your Next PR Campaign

Written by Claire Rosenwinkel, Trident Intern Today, one cannot go on the internet without seeing influencers at the center of countless campaigns. Influencers are valuable for public relations campaigns and advertising, and they deliver results. Sixty percent of marketers shared that influencer-generated content performs better and drives more engagement compared to branded posts.Unfortunately, as the […]

Southwest Airlines: Cancel or #Canceled?

Written by Emma Novak, Account Manager Southwest Airlines prides itself on three values – efficiency, discipline, and excellence – to fulfill its purpose: connecting people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and affordable air travel. During the 2022 holiday season, Southwest compromised its values and purpose of reliability, tarnishing the brand after […]

How to Tell Customers Bad News

When managing a crisis, communication skills are often contradicted by the human instinct to put the best light on bad news. Specifically, there are three natural, human reactions that frequently guide how companies and organizations deliver bad news to customers. The first is that, instead of speaking in plain language, they will try to sugarcoat […]

Trader Joe’s Calm Rebuttal

In July, Trader Joe’s found itself in a position familiar to corporate America in recent months – a viral social media campaign leveled serious accusations against the brand and demanded immediate action. In Trader Joe’s case, a viral petition called for the grocery chain to “remove racist branding and packaging from its stores,” referencing Trader […]

What Companies Can Learn From Nike

In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others at the hands of police, many companies that previously shied away from incorporating social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement into their branding and marketing have embraced them to make their positions on these seismic matters clear to consumers. However, […]