Women’s History Month gives us time to reflect on all the incredible contributions made by women in the public relations industry over the years. While there have been many trailblazing communicators in history like Betsy Plank, our recent #FridayForum featured three women at Roku who…
Looking to start your own PR agency, comms consultancy or build a side hustle? Our #FridayForum guests Flock Marketing Agency Founder Alice Chan, Upwork Director Jeff Kruger and SmartHustle Founder Ramon Ray say the business climate’s favorable to go independent and be successful. Alice Chan…
For those of us who have been in Silicon Valley for a while, Jon Swartz is about as iconic in technology journalism as the Golden Gate Bridge and Ghirardelli Square are to San Francisco. A 20+ year veteran with publications such as USA Todayand MarketWatch,…
A Conversation with Eric Newcomer: For those of us in the PR industry, the idea of sidelining the media might seem counterproductive. After all, so many of us have built our professional identities around our ability to work effectively with the press, and we take…
Ethnic communities in the U.S. are growing. As communicators, we need to utilize smart tactics to reach them. For example, the demographics of my town of Saratoga, a quaint village nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, switched from mostly white to Asian…
PRSA Silicon Valley dipped its collective ears, voices and toes into Clubhouse last week when Smart Media Hustle Founder Ramon Ray engaged, entertained and enlightened a global group of some 50 PR professionals. MC’d by Chapter President/HP Global Head of Print Communications Vanessa Yanez and…
FridayForums regal us with insightful conversations about the state of PR and how to wrangle through a world gripped in unpredictability. We were fascinated, abhorred and inspired (sometimes all at the same time!) by the events of 2020. I remember vividly how our fearless Chapter…
This Friday we’re bringing back a popular FridayForum guest – Morning Consultant Cofounder and CEO Michael Ramlet. Last year, Michael’s Data Driven Brand Communications During COVID helped us decide where to focus our brand-centered communications. His January 22 presentation is sure to be just as…
At our last #FridayForum of 2020 (aka Season Finale), Robin Beaman made us laugh, shared career stories, and inspired us to reach new heights. Robin’s remarkable career includes establishing the PR department at Black Entertainment Television (BET) and managing publicity, community engagement and special events…
Ageism is getting old. “Long on experience” used to be a badge of honor. Oh, how times have changed! While ageism has been with us in the workplace for many years, today it’s routine in technology and many other industries. For many of us, it…
How is COVID-19 affecting American priorities and perceptions? We found out at our PRSA-SV #FridayForum featuring Andrea “Andy” Coville, author and CEO of global communications firm Brodeur Partners. Andy specializes in helping organizations achieve relevance – an elevated brand state that fully engages the market’s…
Our #FridayForum featured PRSA Silicon Valley Board Member Netta Conyers-Haynes, who recently joined Sequoia Consulting Group as Vice President of Corporate Communications. She talked about her career, her path to the top, taking a new job (and leaving one) during a pandemic, and lessons she…
As public health communications experts for Santa Clara County, Britt Ehrhardt and Marianna Moles have been in the eye of the pandemic storm since January. In a complex and contradictory environment of shifting priorities, incomplete and changing information, and competing agendas, they’ve worked with a…
Businesses must now decide how to manage three intertwined issues: the election, Covid-19, and the necessity of action on diversity, equality and inclusion. Our October 23 #FridayForum, featuring Edelman COO Lisa Ross and moderated by PRSA-SV Board Member/SJSU Assistant PR Professor Dr. Shaun Fletcher, left…
This year’s turbulent “pandemic economy” has created insecurity in the job market, hitting PR practitioners especially hard. There are, however, a few silver linings among these economic storm clouds. Despite the hiring freezes, layoffs, and furloughs we’ve seen throughout corporate America, Amazon has been “hiring…
Remember Samantha Jones, of Sex and the City fame? She was the epitome of what PR was thought of for many decades. Glitz, glamor, parties, etc. No longer, says Gideon Fidelzeid, PRWeek editor. Today, the C-suite is leaning on their comms counsel, both in-house and…
At our “Recruiting Top Diverse Talent” #FridayFriday on Oct. 2, PRSA Silicon Valley Board Member Elsa Kebede sat down (virtually) with The LAGRANT Foundation Chairman & CEO Kim Hunter to talk about racial diversity in the workplace. And why the industry’s approach to equitable change…
2020 has without a doubt been THE year of upheaval. Covid awakened us to major disparities. Conversations about equity, diversity and inclusion are finally being heard but we know we have so much work to do. So what happens when a panel of PRSA-SV members…
Healthcare communicators have always worked on the front lines of life and death. Now in the midst of the pandemic and other recent events, healthcare issues are a central part of everyone’s lives. On PRSA-SV’s last #FridayForum, Amy Flood (SVP, Public Affairs, Gilead Sciences), Brent…
Employers have relied on the expertise of their communications teams to help navigate the monumental events occurring around the world. Just as people were acclimatizing to the pandemic “new normal,” protests against racial injustice erupted in response to the senseless death of George Floyd. Because…
When this pandemic first hit, few of us imagined the severe impact on our livelihoods. PR agencies are losing clients. Companies are putting comms initiatives on hold or eliminating them altogether. This has resulted in employee pay cuts, layoffs and reduced outsourcing to subcontractors. …
New Board Members Across Agency, Corporate and Public Sector Answer the Call to Serve, Educating and Advocating for Industry Change and Connecting 1000 Mentors to 1000 Mentees SILICON VALLEY, September 1, 2020 – PRSA Silicon Valley, as part of PRSA, the nation’s leading professional organization serving the…
VC marketing and communications roles are some of the most coveted roles in the PR industry. The industry is known for low attrition and a finite number of available roles. Meanwhile, the venture and startup ecosystem is fast paced, stressful and ever changing. So what…
PRSA SV is the first group to interview Simone Ross in her new role as TED’s new tech curator. “My job,” she says, “is to seek, source and find the cool, interesting, smart, wonderful and meaningful stuff that is happening in tech, as a driver of productivity and progress, both social and economic.
On Friday, August 7, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel that included Shai Phillips of Berkhemer Clayton, Inc, Jennifer Doidge of Russell Reynolds Associates, Peter McDermott of Korn Ferry, and Judith Cushman of Judith Cushman & Associates. No one saw 2020 coming. No one could have planned for it. Layoffs, furloughs,…
Marketing a consumer brand in today’s rapidly changing environment is challenging. This is especially true for Early Warning VP of Consumer Brand and Marketing Melissa Lowry and VP of Communications Jeremiah Glodoveza.
As technology continues to play a critical part in how we consume information and engage with the world, there’s no better way to understand its impact on our lives than to hear it from those who report on it.
Friday’s Forum focused on five ways we can refuel and increase resilience during a prolonged period of life during a pandemic.
“Pride is Cancelled. Now What?” #FridayForum By Intern Leith Ghuloum and PRSA Silicon Valley Chapter Immediate Past President & NVP Vice President, Head of Marketing Ellie Javadi On Friday, June 26 we were joined by Alexandra Legend Siegel of Salesforce, Andy Nguyen of Out in…
During the June 12 Friday Forum, we were joined by guest speaker Michael Ramlet, the co-founder and CEO of Morning Consult, a data intelligence company that delivers real-time insights on consumer trends. In the midst of a civil rights movement and a pandemic, the need…
In the midst of a global pandemic, injustice and discrimination in the US have reached a tipping point. Our June 5 #FridayForum with HP’s Chief Communications Officer Karen Kahn and Chief Diversity OfficerLesley Slaton Brown honed in on the current inflection point felt across society.
Communication saves lives when you’re UNICEF. Its impact responding to the global pandemic
with supplies, support and lifesaving information is as far-reaching as it is inspiring. UNICEF
USA CMO Shelley Diamond shared the following insights during PRSA Silicon Valley’s #FridayForum.
Sarah Frier, Bloomberg tech reporter and author of No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram, pulled no punches in her Mary 22 #Fridayforum opening salvo: “When one becomes conscious of how performance is measured on social platforms and why, we rethink what we value and how we behave.”
At the May 15, 2020 #FridayForum, we heard from Porter Novelli’s VP of Marketing Research & Insights Whitney Dailey and EVP / Global Lead of Innovation & Impact Practice Sandy Skees. The duo shared the firm’s newest proprietary COVID-19 Tracker, a benchmark study examining American…
On Friday, our eager community of PR and communications professionals gathered to hear insights from esteemed social media experts and consumer behavior specialists — Cindy Waters, a Digital Strategist Consultant, and Sean DallasKidd, Partner and CCO at Demonstrate.
During the May 1 #FridayForum she shared candid and thoughtful stories about how her team is handling communications during COVID-19.
In last week’s #FridayForum, we hosted an esteemed group of communications and marketing recruiting professionals. Our all-star panelists included: Jessamyn Katz, the President of Heyman Associates, a global recruiting firm specializing in Marketing and Communications Leadership and Executive Searches. Angee Linsey, the founder and CEO…
In last week’s #FridayForum, National Emmy-Winning TV News Reporter Joe Vazquez, gave us an inside perspective the COVID-19 news environment. He said 80 to 90 percent of coverage at KPIX5 is related to the pandemic, as it is with most news channels all over the…
Three Bay Area professors led a lively discussion about “Communications Education in the Age of Misinformation” during our second #FridayForum on April 10. Communications leaders from USF, SJSU and the Naval Post Graduate School described the perception gaps they experience teaching in a virtual classroom…
By HP Communications Specialist Shruti Sharma Last Friday PRSASV + SF had a conversation with Edelman’s CEO, Richard Edelman, to talk about “Brand Trust and the Coronavirus Pandemic.” Richard covered real-time statistics and insights on consumer attitudes towards brand behaviors during Covid-19. We learned where…
By Mar Junge, Senior Leaders Team More than 75 PR agency owners, principals, and senior leaders called in to PRSA’s Counselors Academy COVID-19 online meeting this week to share advice and best practices. If you’re a CAPRSA member, you can link to the recording on…
By Vanessa Yanez, Chapter President It’s only mildly amusing that I wrote this on the weekend anniversary of Careercast’s “most stressful jobs in America” ranking. As many of us laughed/lamented about how nobody knows how to define public relations, the profession ranked 8th “most stressful”…
By Meghan Fintland, PRSA Silicon Valley Board Member This year marks my 20 year anniversary of working in PR. Wow, have times changed! Over two decades, I’ve been fortunate to work at agencies and corporations, both large and small across the technology, healthcare, automotive, and…
Chuck Byers, Professor of Practice, Santa Clara University What’s Up? I taught brand management at Santa Clara University for many years. Now I’m also teaching marketing for all MBA students and serve on a committee overseeing an online MS in Marketing (using my brand management…
By Lacey Haines The PRSA Silicon Valley’s Annual Spotlight Awards recognizes the Valley’s top agency and in-house talent. Nominees were recognized at the November 13, 2019 Media Predicts Gala & Award Ceremony. Today, we announce the winners and thank everyone involved, including our esteemed nominees….
