For Immediate Release #26: The Sharapova Response

Today’s panel includes Kristine D’Arbelles, public affairs manager for the Canadian Automobile Association and co-host of the Young PR Pros podcast; Kathy Klotz-Guest, chief storyteller, author, and speaker at Keeping It Human; and 4L Strategies Partner Jennifer Zingsheim Phillips. Our topics included…

* An update to the JCOPE saga, with some high-profile New York PR agencies filing suit against the rule that treats PR agencies as lobbying organizations, while PRSA (along with the PR Council and the Arthur W. Page Society) have filed affidavits opposing the rule

* A report suggests most charities aren’t getting their money’s worth out of social media and advises their time and resources would be better spent on other activities

* A Harvard Business Review article cites a study reporting that two-thirds of managers are not comfortable communicating with employees, which should make it hard to accommodate the taken-for-granted principle that we need to communicate internally primarily through supervisors (who are often cited as employees’ preferred source for information)

* Hollywood has undertaken efforts to figure out how to tell stories using Virtual Reality, something that isn’t happening (near as we can tell) in the communications industry, despite an intensified focus on storytelling

* A study used facial coding technology to assess the emotional response to branded content. The results were positive, but is the technology a little too creepy?

* Tennis star Maria Sharapova has been losing endorsement contracts since revealing she had tested positive for a recently-banned substance; some are calling Sharapova’s handling of the situation a case study for businesses on how to manage a crisis

* Reddit is ramping up its advertising services, but is it still too unpredictable a place for most brands?

* More than a fifth of all American s– about 57 million — listened to a podcast in the last month. What’s holding brands back from embracing the medium?

* Dan York reports on Pi Day, IANA’s transition, International Women’s Day (and the #ShineTheLight hashtag), and the continuing smartphone revolution.

Connect with our panelists on Twitter at @KristineDarbell, @KathyKlotzGuest, and @JenZings.

Links to the source material for this episode are on Delicious.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

About today’s panel:

Kristine D’Arbelles is the manager of public affairs for the Canadian Automobile Association. In her role she manages public education campaigns on issues that are of importance to Canadian consumers, such as, road safety, environmentally friendly driving practices, travel tips and safety,  and data privacy. Kristine’s passion is podcasting. She co-hosts Young PR Pros alongside Julia Kent and Ross Simmonds. The podcast, which is also part of the FIR podcast network, is for the young and young at heart PR pros looking for tips and advice on how to build and advance their careers. The show has listeners worldwide and has been downloaded more than 20,000 times.

Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA, is a business storyteller, creative facilitator, and speaker. Founder of Keeping it Human, it’s her mission to help organizations turn jargon-monoxide into compelling stories and uncover bold ideas for marketing. A podcaster and comic improviser who launched her one-woman show in 2015, she is also the author of an upcoming book on humanizing business storytelling by blending elements of improvisation (2016). Her work has been featured in Convince and Convert, SNCR.org, Business of Story,