“It won’t happen to us.” The infamous words that truly every organization believes, until it in fact, does happen to them. Crisis communications plans are an integral part of business operations, especially if you have direct contact with the public, produce a consumer good [food especially!], or are in medicine/medical adjacent industries. Perhaps before we get rolling, we should level set: what is a “crisis”?

Two months after the most recent Boeing 737 Max 8 crash, and more than 6 months after the first, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg finally made a comprehensive statement. Perhaps the biggest misstep was in waiting so long in the first place. Perhaps it was stating that he somehow understood the pain and loss because it “affects him directly” as the leader of the company. “It feels personal,” he continued, after noting how sorry he felt for the families. 346 people died because of preventable oversights, and actively postponing plane software maintenance. It should feel personal.

LBrands, [the artist formerly known as] Limited Brands, also Victoria's Secret's parent company, is down 47% in stock value in 2018. Not a small issue for the once dominant category leader. They have a massive problem, and they can't seem to identify it. With analysts selling off stock or predicting continued decline, brands should be asking, "how did this once powerhouse brand set themselves on fire, and what can we do better?"

“Not another product post. Please, for the love.” This is what goes through my head when I’m scrolling through Instagram lately. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the ads. The ads are interesting, highly-targeted, and show me things I might actually be interested in (thank you, marketers). I might be one of the few people who is obsessed with ads, but hey, no apologies. What has been grating on me are influencer posts promoting every product under the sun and when #spon content outweighs what I wanted to follow you for in the first place.

I’ll be the first to say that I love New York Fashion Week. Twice per year we catch a glimpse into the possibilities for the upcoming season. But we need to have a talk. A serious talk. Because as season to season rolls around, there is one huge conversation we’re awkwardly avoiding. We know what to expect when it comes to models: tall, thin, waif-like beauty and classically stunning features. And white. Look at the major shows, the most talked about models, and you’ll start to see an alarming trend, and it’s that the majority of the models look the same.

Networking can be such a weird topic. It’s hard to describe the best way to do it, and that makes it even more frustrating for people trying to get the knack of doing it. There’s very few “truths” that always work, but after getting this question at a few alumni panels, I figured I owed the college students of the world a not-terrible answer.

It’s no secret that fashion and lifestyle bloggers have changed the way we do brand marketing. I recently caught up with one such Chicago-based blogger Erika Karl, of BABESKILLS. She shares her journey to becoming a #BossBabe, her biggest successes, and offers advice to up-and-coming bloggers below.

If you saw the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show from 2006 to 2014, there’s a good chance you experienced first-hand the work of brand manager/PR master Lauren Cutillo Kinnear. She’s since departed the megabrand, but has by no means slowed down. After departing in 2014, Lauren launched her own public relations and event management consultancy called LOLO PR & Events. Lauren was kind enough to indulge me in a Q&A chat about career successes, advice for PR pros, and the challenges of striking out on your own.

There’s no shortage of brands being “savage AF” on Twitter or delivering a clapback so pointed it deserves a trip to the burn unit. While it’s funny in some ways to see brands humanize, empathize and poke fun at their own gaffs, the rise of clapback culture has left many brands void of any shred of professionalism that they were holding onto (looking at you, Wendy’s).

The City of Brotherly Love knows it has a reputation. As the 2017 NFL Draft arrives at the Ben Franklin Parkway, Philly fans also know they have some amends to make. And they’re sorry, kinda. Enter possibly the greatest tongue-in-cheek humor marketing campaign of the decade, “Welcome Kinda“. From apologies for running over an opposing team’s corn hole game (oops!) to “accidentally” spilling drinks on fans from other teams (our bad, really!), Welcome Kinda embraces and exemplifies the fervor and ferocity that Philly fans exude.

If combining PR with Hawaii living sounds like a dream, this post is for you! I recently chatted with with former Central PA native turned Hawaii resident Kait Hanson, of CommuniKait. She has been featured in outlets such as POPSUGAR, The Today Show, and Style Me Pretty, and talks about the challenges of freelancing, advice for bloggers, and the best part of living in Hawaii . She also has the cutest chocolate labs on the islands in my opinion.