Sadé Muhammad

🥐 A little food for thought from Eleanor Hawkins. 🥐 This story illustrates both the necessity for and tension between comms and marketing. Brand reputation is critical. It takes just one misstep to cause irreparable harm (or at least significant damage) to a brand. The good news is that a healthy partnership between marketing and comms leaders, along with connection to the whole org, can impart strength and creativity within an organization.

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Election turbulence is a threat to marketers during these perilous and polarized times. Here are nine ways brand managers and communicators can protect budgets, avoid scams and reach customers in a noisy and cluttered market.

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How is #GenAI impacting modern #journalism?🦾💪🏻 Great question - thanks FleishmanHillard for asking it and inviting me to a recent talk in NYC to dig into this topic. Senior leaders at ADWEEK, Axios, Business Insider, Harvard Business Review and POLITICO shared that today’s newsrooms are integrating AI to complement the core human elements of journalism - but #transparency and #trust are everything. Here’s how the experts are approaching this: 👁 Continue to be 💯 percent transparent about how AI is being used to enhance storytelling strategies 🖇 Always couple AI with human intelligence 🕸 Ensure training, processes, guardrails and ethical considerations remain at the forefront A few examples of how newsrooms are putting GenAI to work: headline generation, transcribing podcasts, helping with research, summarizing complex reports or bills / itemizing content, digesting meeting notes or building decks. ..sounds a lot like how my team and our agency partners are using GenAI - what about you? Share your experiences and tips below👇🏻

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How do policymakers in D.C. and those who engage them get their information? It depends on their partisan leanings. Check out the results of Avōq's research below.

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An evolving digital landscape has led to some new stategies for how communicators can most successfully manage the reputation of the brands they represent -- Ronn Torossian, 5WPR Chairman and Founder, 5WPR https://odwpr.us/44DT29H

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We started a #substack newsletter! Pace Public Relations latest newsletter shares new studies, viral news and social trends--along with our clients who are available as expert sources. If you're a #reporter looking for new sources subscribe below! #lifestyle #lifestylepr #newsletter #pr #publicrelations #media #mediarelations

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Worth reading from NBCUniversal's Hilary Smith for Fast Company: Volunteering is a key ingredient for a happy workforce. According to the Gallup World Poll for the World Happiness Report 2024, America has fallen out of the top 20 happiest countries for the first time. This is not surprising considering the rising costs of living, a daily barrage of unsettling news reports, and the lingering effects of loneliness from the pandemic. Social media, particularly for Gen Z and millennials, has replaced much-needed in-person interactions and oftentimes creates a feeling of missing out. And, while most of corporate America has returned to the office, we still find ourselves spending a disproportionate amount of time at our desks on Zoom calls, as opposed to gathering in a conference room. One way that companies can help navigate these challenges is by fostering community-building activities in the workplace and providing employees with social purpose. With National Volunteer Month in April, now is a perfect moment to reflect on the benefits of a strong corporate volunteer program that enables employees to make a tangible positive difference in our world. https://buff.ly/3JweG66

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Thrilled to have hosted a webinar on the Ethnicity Pay Gap with three exceptional experts on the subject. Our discussion delved into systemic biases, actionable solutions, and the imperative for change. Let's turn insights into action for a more equitable future. #EthnicityPayGap #DiversityandInclusion

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PRWeek's great 2024 Business Report highlights the key challenge facing our industry. Communications is more important than ever. Comms and policy leaders are being asked to play far larger roles as business partners supporting ever more stakeholders. So why did the industry suffer so much in 2023 after many years of growth? As an sector, we are not adapting fast enough to the needs. Organizations are desperate for help but also under tremendous financial strain. They now need both senior level counsel and advisory support as well as deep domain expertise to actually produce. By and large, our industry is still split by this chasm - between strategic and tactical. Clients cannot afford to separate these, either in time or money. At Bully Pulpit International our goal is to bridge this divide, building a team that can both 'think and do' at the highest levels. It's not always easy. Last year was a challenge. But if you share this vision for the future, please check out some of our open roles: https://lnkd.in/dGQwJUSG

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SPOILER ALERT 🚨🚨🚨 I don't think TikTok is going anywhere. But, the debate happening among policymakers makes for pretty good conversation. In my latest thought piece for H/Advisors Abernathy, I examined the newscycle to see how a potential #TikToK ban could play a big role in the 2024 election cycle, rankle #BigTech data collection and lay the groundwork for more #dataprivacy advocacy. https://bit.ly/T1kT0kban

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Survey of @PRGN #PRagencies in the U.S. confirms that generating #earnedmedia is harder than ever. Results, analysis and implications for clients and agencies here: https://bit.ly/3ThT1mX

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Survey of @PRGN #PRagencies in the U.S. confirms that generating #earnedmedia is harder than ever. Results, analysis and implications for clients and agencies here: https://bit.ly/3ThT1mX

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Four years after the murder of George Floyd sparked a social injustice movement that caused advertisers to make commitments to improve industry diversity, companies appear to be reversing the promises they made. Several issues are at hand: cuts to internal DE&I departments at ad agencies; layoffs disproportionately affecting people of color leading to a decreasing number of diverse executives and employees at agencies and marketers; and marketers scaling back on hiring diverse vendors, suppliers and running advertising that targets diverse audiences. “There is a panic or fear that’s happening,” said Darren Wesley Martin Jr., founder and chairman of integrated marketing firm Streamlined Media & Communications and founder and CEO of its subsidiary, Bold Culture, an inclusive marketing and workplace development consultancy. “People don’t want to be canceled. The influx of DE&I programs, in ideology and investment financially into certain groups, was a lot [in 2020]. And it was impactful. What we’re seeing is a backlash to that.” Some of the 2020 commitments agencies and brands made now feel empty and many people who Ad Age spoke to for this story expressed frustration over what they see as the industry moving backwards on DE&I. Read the full story here:

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When the American Journalism Project launched five years ago, our mandate was to create the conditions for community-led nonprofit news organizations to sustainably provide the journalism our democracy requires. Today, I’m pleased to share our 2024 Impact Report, a look at the progress we’ve made since our inception. In the five years since our launch, we’ve raised $175 million from national and local philanthropy, and built a portfolio of 44 nonprofit local news organizations —  diverse in size, scope, reach and leadership. Some highlights from the report: -In the last year alone, our portfolio of 44 grantee organizations generated $86 million in revenue — a 36% increase over their 2022 revenue. -Year over year, the organizations in our portfolio are seeing a 58% median growth. -And this growth is leading to more journalism – last year, our portfolio of grantees employed 568 editorial and newsroom staff – an 18% increase over 2022. Organizations are growing, diversifying their revenue, adding journalists, and strengthening their communities. I’m proud of the progress the portfolio has made, and remain clear-eyed about the future. This report sheds light on how far we’ve come and sets the stage for what’s ahead. I hope you'll take a moment to read it. https://lnkd.in/eipwwhxN

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Seeing great posts from friends, colleagues and media safety & freedom orgs today marking #WorldPressFreedomDay. Important time to appreciate the critical work and severe challenges - often risking life and freedom - that journalists face today. There is no more important part of my team's mission than enabling the exceptional work of all the Dow Jones-publications across conflict areas, covering crucial economic and business stories securely, telling the stories of climate and disaster, and working within increasingly hostile autocracies. Risky work that gives us all purpose - at the The New York Times, The Washington Post and beyond. "In a world increasingly characterized by geopolitical tensions and sweeping government restrictions, the role of journalists has never been more crucial—or more challenging. As they navigate the complexities of reporting from countries with significant security concerns, they face a myriad of risks that threaten both their safety and the integrity of the press. From the criminalization of independent journalism in Russia, to the surveillance-heavy landscape of China, and even the operational difficulties in Africa, our journalists encounter daily challenges just to bring us honest, reliable news." - Dow Jones

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