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Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
If you’re looking for resources on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, or how to prevent workplace harassment, below you’ll find a series of articles from Kantola Training Solutions.
These articles cover a range of topics from workplace harassment in the remote environment to how to create a DEI program that contributes to employee retention.
- Business.com, Workplace Harassment in a Remote Environment – YouTube, May 7, 2021
- Business Law Today, Understanding the Costs of Harassment Prevention and DEI Training, May 13, 2021
- Compt.io, How to create a DEI program that unlocks employee retention, May 18, 2021
- Risk Management Magazine, The Case for Effective DE&I Training, June 23, 2021
- HR.com, Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: A Bridge From Risk Mitigation To Culture Change, June 29, 2021
- HR Daily Advisor, Remote Sexual Harassment: It’s Happening. Are You Ready?, July 15, 2021
- HR.com, 10 Ways To Uncover The Power Of Generational Diversity, July 19, 2021
We hope these resources are helpful, and, if you’re a journalist writing on this topic, please reach out! We’d welcome the opportunity to connect you with the experts working for Kantola in support of your reporting on these or similar topics.
You can also read about Kantola’s CEO, Sarah Rowell, in an interview she gave to the Boston Consulting Group here.
The Tokyo Olympics are in full swing, and news is breaking constantly. With nearly every mainstream news outlet covering the 2020 Tokyo Games, AP Stylebook published a topical guide for writers. It also held a special Olympic-themed #APStyleChat on its Twitter account.
During these chats, the AP team shares tips for writing and answers commonly asked questions about AP Style relating to a specific theme, topic or event. The team’s guidance compiled in the topical guide and the Olympic AP Style Chat are from the “Olympics” entries in the AP Stylebook and from common usage in AP sports stories.
Before diving into some nuanced tips, it’s important to cover how AP Style suggests referencing the Games.
- Games or games? According to AP Style, writers should capitalize all references to “Games,” even when written alone. In the topical guide, AP Style specified that this rule changed from past years when “Games” was only capitalized when grouping it with the host city or year. The editors made this change to be consistent with the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s widespread usage.
- 2020 or 2021? Although a likely well-known style preference by now, it’s worth noting that the IOC uses the year “2020” to reference these Games, even though it is 2021.
- Where to place the year? According to AP Style, the year should always precede the host city and the word “Olympics.” Further, writers should not reference the Games as “Tokyo 2020 Olympics” or “Tokyo 2020 Games.” “Tokyo 2020” is a marketing term and does not align with AP style. Instead, writers should use the phrases “Tokyo Olympics” or “2020 Tokyo Games.” “Summer Olympics” is also acceptable.
Now that the naming is out of the way, below is some of the other AP Style guidance that the team discussed during the “Olympic Style Chat” on July 21.
- “USOPC” is acceptable on the second reference for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The ampersand is part of the formal name. Writers should not spell out “and.”
- AP Style directs writers to use “Olympic” and “Paralympic” as adjectives to identify an athlete and their respective sport, e.g. “Olympic swimmer” and “Paralympic events.” Further, the adjectives “Paralympic” and “Olympic” should be written without the terminal “s” and always capitalized.
- When referencing Russian athletes competing at the Games, writers should use “Russian Olympic Committee” or “ROC.” This edit is necessary after the Court of Arbitration for Sport banned Russia’s flag, anthem and team name.
- Writers should capitalize “Olympic Village.” According to the AP Stylebook’s topical guide, the phrase “athletes village” is acceptable but should remain lowercase and without an apostrophe.
- Although it is tempting to say “opening ceremonies,” AP Style writes the Olympic opening ceremony and closing ceremony as singular events. If writers group the two ceremonies, it is OK to say “Olympic ceremonies.”
The Olympic Games are exciting to watch, but many individuals find themselves reading about the events given the time difference. Keep these style rules in mind as you read articles or write stories about the Tokyo Olympics.
For more updates on all things AP Style, follow @APStylebook or check out some of Communiqué PR’s past AP-themed blog posts:
As one of the most highly publicized sporting events in the world, it should come as no surprise that companies use the Olympics to truly capitalize on advertising and brand awareness. From Visa’s Go World commercials, which grossed over 28 million social media impressions before the 2012 London Games, to P&G’s Thank You, Mom campaign, which earned $500 million in global increment sales during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, corporations pour millions into multimedia content in efforts to support their country’s athletes while simultaneously promoting their businesses.
After the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, however, the international marketing game went through a big change, too. As citizens of the world and Japanese locals continue to boycott the Tokyo Olympics as COVID-19 cases carry on in the host nation, spectators remain torn between whether or not the summer games should be happening at all this year.
Leading up to the Tokyo Games, many voiced their stance on the matter in passing and, naturally, on social media. As a result, these outcries of concern and confliction infiltrated advertising for the 2020 Olympics. Particularly, in the U.S. and Japan, companies are approaching their marketing roll outs in very different manners, sparking a large industry question: Should brands advertise in support of the Tokyo Olympics?
United States: The number’s game
NBCUniversal, the exclusive broadcaster of the Olympics in the U.S., has moved full steam ahead with advertising roll out for the Tokyo Games. In fact, the company is expected to surpass $1.2 billion in national advertisements for this summer’s Olympiad. According to Variety, more than half of the companies taking part in these efforts have never advertised during the Olympics, an example of the push U.S. companies are taking to be involved in the games despite the backlash.
Dan Lovinger, executive vice president of ad sales for NBC Sports, revealed that NBCU sold packages that range in price from $1 million to $100 million, sums that are dependent on the amount of inventory and the scope of the advertiser’s goals. The heavy investments NBCU is making toward the Olympics shouldn’t come as a surprise: Variety further reported that the conglomerate raked in approximately $250 million in profit from the 2016 Rio Games alone.
Japan: A different approach
For the host country, however, things look slightly different. Back in May, the New York Times reported that a staggering 83% of Japan’s population do not want the Olympics to happen as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic.
As the Financial Times reported, Japanese brands and companies are re-evaluating their advertising and marketing strategy for the Tokyo Olympics. In fact, many are turning to advisors for advice on how to best advertise during the summer games amid the controversies.
For the Japanese advertising company Mr + Positive, they are going ahead with advertising for the Olympics. However, they are scaling back their original plans and refocusing the message entirely. In an interview with Reuters, Peter Grasse, founding producer of Mr + Positive, explained that they are shifting their advertising away from triumphant Olympic moments to focus more on Japan and its citizens.
Reuters also reported that top-tier global sponsors who have contracts with the Olympics until 2024, are scaling back their plans. For some, they are deferring their budgets for their Tokyo promotions and advertising for the 2022 Beijing Games and the 2024 Paris Games, anticipating that the outlook on the Olympics will change following the end of the pandemic.
So, what can brands do?
Listen to consumers
As a result of the pandemic and the number of COVID-19 cases in the Olympic Village, Toyota, one of the top sponsors of the Olympics, pulled all of its television advertising efforts in Japan. A spokesperson for Toyota reportedly told the Business Daily that, “Various aspects of this Olympics aren’t accepted by the public.” As a result, the Japanese company felt that advertising its products in the host country would distract from the ongoing pandemic happening there. Toyota also reportedly felt that emphasizing its connection with the Olympics would cause backlash among Japanese citizens.
Switch advertising focus
For some brands, they reframed their advertising efforts to remind the public why the Olympics have gone on for so many years. Rather than focusing on their own products and brand messaging, they put the spotlight on the inspiring stories behind the athletes participating in the games. New Balance has been celebrating Sydney McLaughlin, who broke a world record in the 400m hurdles in June. Meanwhile, Athleta has been covering its social media with Simone Biles, who is set to compete on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the second time.
Eliminate the Olympics from the equation
Etsy, which is not an official sponsor of the Olympics, took the Tokyo Games completely out of its advertising efforts. The online retailer unveiled a 30-second advertisement that highlights the parallels between creatives and professional athletes without ever mentioning the Olympics by name. The strategic commercial shows support for craft makers and Olympians alike without directly supporting the controversial games, allowing Etsy to capitalize on the exposure opportunities the Olympics offer while still remaining distant from the event.
As a decided introvert, I’ve always been reluctant to raise my hand or interject in conversations, and I’ve always valued time alone to think deeply and process thoughts. My experiences at home and school compounded my introversion, and I eventually learned to speak less frequently and proactively.
There’s nothing wrong with introversion or being soft-spoken, but it’s certainly hindered my familiarity and excitement for speaking in front of groups. Even having the spotlight on myself for a moment can be nerve-wracking.
Now, as a public relations intern at Communiqué PR, I’m seeing where confident public speaking skills are essential to the work of public relations professionals. For example, simply reporting updates to clients, moderating panel discussions, or presenting at new business meetings are all instances where strong presentation skills come in handy.
There are ways to overcome the discomfort of public speaking in everyday life and work. Recently, I came upon Susan Cain’s TEDTalk, “The Power of Introverts.” Cain, a former Wall Street lawyer and author of the book, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking,” is a self-described introvert and decidedly not a people-person, but I found myself admiring her presentation style.
As I’ve learned from watching Cain’s TEDTalk, great public speakers don’t have to be extroverted or outgoing. Rather, a crucial of captivating a crowd occurs when speakers are passionate and compelling. Cain’s speech was not about being in the limelight—it was about delivering the message. And while Cain acknowledged that she was scared to be on stage in front of so many people, she still delivered a powerful talk that earned a standing ovation from her 1,500-person audience. Her speech has been viewed at least 29 million times online.
What makes a strong public speaker?
Here are some key takeaways I’ve gleaned from Cain’s performance and preparation process:
Channel excitement and passion. A study from Harvard Business School has suggested that physically rephrasing your stage fright as excitement can improve your performance. While it may be hard to ignore feelings of nervousness, being able to verbalize excitement for a speaking event might help you overcome them.
Per Cain’s example, a genuine passion for your topic can help you feel and sound more confident. Though she was able to spend seven years in quiet research on introversion, she describes the irony of having to present her findings at a TEDTalk and overcome her fear of public speaking. Her passion and urgency towards introversion fueled her speech and it resonated with viewers like me.
Tell a compelling story. Strong public speaking skills are often synonymous with strong storytelling and organizational skills. Cain’s speech uses the classic anecdote, or story approach, to draw in audiences and make them invested in her message. Telling a succinct, moving story will help the audience remember your points and engage with your presentation.
Be authentic. Be true to your personality, values, and spirit by incorporating them into your material. For example, instead of pretending to be comfortable on stage, Cain admits that she was terrified of having to present to the TED audience. However, this confession only makes her a more relatable speaker and a credible figure to speak on introversion.
Cain uses other examples to develop her message on the power of introversion, like her soft-spoken grandfather who delivered moving sermons. These help us as audiences to understand where she came from and why we should also believe in the power of introverts.
How to prepare for public speaking
Below are several tips to consider when preparing for public speaking opportunities:
Know your audience and connect with them. Besides being knowledgeable about your topic, understand your audience. Try creating a list of questions to better understand your audience. These questions could include: Who is the audience and what are their values? Why would they be interested in what you have to say? How can you provide value by way of new information, insights, and solutions? Answering these questions is a helpful tactic to ensure your audience can connect and engage with your message.
Identify the best practice methods for you. There are several ways to practice for a speech, depending on your strengths and weaknesses. As Susan Cain described to the New York Times, in preparation for her TEDTalk, she met with a TED coach and joined a local Toastmasters chapter to become more familiar with public speaking and to receive valuable feedback. Although you may not opt for such an intensive process, direct feedback from a trusted individual can be an honest reflection of where you are.
Either way, practice with the goal of becoming highly fluent with your main points, which will allow you to fuel forward even when you slip up a word or two.
Finally, learn to embrace nervousness throughout your public speaking experiences. Although the anxiety might never go away, give yourself time to prepare for speeches and take pride in your growth each step of the way.
As we enter year two of the workplace evolution brought on by the pandemic, it’s important to take stock in what has worked well and what could be improved.
If you haven’t done so already, establishing personal office norms can help you be as effective as possible when working from home. Norms can vary widely based on personal preference and work cultures, including your Zoom etiquette, maintaining healthy work life balance, staying active, etc.
One such norm gaining mainstream attention is the idea of wearing shoes, once a common practice for in-person office life that in most circumstances did not require further thought.
With so much attention placed on protecting ourselves from infection and mental health, many are overlooking foot health. With an increased amount of time being spent indoors during quarantine, podiatrists Dr. Mark Weissman and Dr. Tamer Younan suggest that going barefoot around the house is leading to soreness and, in many cases, injury.
“Walking around barefoot, with socks or house slippers can put you at increased risk for foot problems, including plantar fasciitis, tendinitis and metatarsalgia (pain and inflammation in the ball of your foot),” says Dr. Weissman.
While this may feel like you’re giving your feet a rest from constricting work shoes and the daily bustle of pre-COVID-19 days, not wearing shoes puts increased stress on the foot. Thus, experts are encouraging people to wear proper shoes that provide adequate foot support. Wearing supportive footwear indoors may be the solution to quarantine foot.
It may seem silly, but I have a strict no-shoe policy in the house. So naturally I welcomed the bare foot approach initially, especially on hot summer days. It eventually caught up with me as I started to experience some foot pain, so I decided to buy a new pair of comfortable slides with some additional support for indoor use only – foot experts note it doesn’t have to be a traditional closed-toe sneaker, sandals with a good amount of support will suffice.
Foot care experts indicate that not wearing shoes puts increased stress on the ligaments, tendons and around the ball of the foot, which need support and cushioning. Without proper shoes and arch support, people are putting more strain on their arches and leading to foot conditions and maladies. If you are prone to those, or if you’re experiencing foot discomfort or pain, experts recommend wearing shoes in the house.
I can report that after a consistent commitment to wearing house shoes, the heel pain I started to experience in the mornings has dissipated and I also feel like I upped my remote professionalism, even if you can’t see my feet on our next Zoom call.
I’m fascinated to learn how others are approaching foot care while working remotely. Have you embraced the house shoe?
Public relations is critical to brand awareness and reputation, and partnering with the right PR agency can directly impact awareness of your brand, helping you achieve essential business and communication objectives.
But how do you know if it’s time to recruit a team of PR professionals? Outlined below are four business needs that indicate it might be time to consider a long-term solution to your PR needs by outsourcing to an agency.
An Upcoming Announcement
Your company might have to write a press release to announce new products, launches, campaigns or internal team member movements. Not only can PR pros develop the press release, but they can also distribute it to targeted media contacts they know will be interested in receiving the news. They can also arrange and facilitate interviews, help shape editorial coverage, and track coverage results generated from the release. A PR firm can also help extend the life of a press release, so it doesn’t get lost amid dozens of other announcements being made on the same day, and they can lead strategic planning to help companies tell a bigger story – perhaps by teasing future announcements or utilizing core messages from other company content.
Supporting Inundated In-house Teams
Managing PR activities is not an easy job; there are often several moving parts and competing deadlines to juggle. If a company finds that crucial areas of PR are falling through the cracks, it may be time to hire a PR firm. Business leaders can choose what they want their PR firm to manage. For example, they might delegate media relations and blogging to an agency, but continue to own newsletters, speech writing, event planning and social media in-house. PR firms can support these activities and remove much of the burden from the shoulders of in-house team members.
Moreover, PR teams should feel like an extension of your own. They can go beyond weekly calls to offer brainstorms or ad hoc advice. Then, as the needs of your in-house team evolve, you can adjust the work delegated to the PR firm.
Increasing Share of Voice (SOV)
Word of mouth is a powerful tool, but often it is not enough to build a solid brand. Whether you’re a startup or an established company launching a new product, your PR team will be the go-to experts in strategizing the best plan for the campaign. They’ll work closely with your team to determine the proper messaging and develop content and other important pieces of the project such as social, design, video and media relations. Rather than relying on word of mouth, PR pros leverage their long-standing relationships with reputable media and other influencers. As a result, they can help secure articles in high-ranking publications. Media articles generated through PR activities with high readership or viewership help boost brand SOV significantly.
Spokespeople Need Media Training
Media training is a tactic public relations firms use to help spokespeople deliver consistent and compelling messages. If your company utilizes employees to address the public, each person must be on the same page regarding key messaging. PR firms are media-relations mavens. Therefore, they understand what practices work well when talking to reporters and the public. Agency professionals can help company spokespeople prepare for interviews and press conferences by outlining common reporter questions and tips for best answering those questions. They can also lead preparation sessions with spokespeople to practice answering questions and provide real-time feedback.
One final but important note. It would be best if you considered PR as a long-term business investment, not because it takes a long time to generate results, but because it involves creating a presence, developing relationships and maintaining those relationships. In addition, one press release isn’t likely to move the needle. Just like if you want to run a marathon, running one time isn’t going to set us up for success. instead, you need a training program that is maintained over time.
I hope these thoughts are helpful as you consider whether it’s time to invest in a relationship with a PR firm.