PR and Marketing News – September 2024
Elon Musk continues to make headlines—one of his most recent lawsuits has led to the shutdown of a nonprofit coalition of advertisers led by the World Federation of Advertisers. Another hot topic is data privacy, highlighted in one of cybersecurity company Surfshark’s latest PR campaigns. Here’s the latest PR and marketing news, freshly curated in the newest issue of our newsletter Headlines. (Haven’t subscribed yet? Join the list.)
NEWS BITES
Industry news, curated for you.
Would you Trade Your Secrets for a Free Latte? Surfshark’s PR Experiment Says Yes
Cybersecurity company Surfshark pulled off a clever social experiment at a New York coffee shop to showcase people’s level of awareness of data privacy. Instead of paying with cash, customers were asked to hand over their personal information for a free coffee and pastry. Surprisingly, 78% of visitors were happy to provide their data.
This PR campaign follows Surfshark’s previous successes, such as the Transparent Loo campaign.
Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Rocks the Global Alliance for Responsible Media
Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a nonprofit coalition of major advertisers led by the World Federation of Advertisers. Musk alleges that the group orchestrated a boycott against his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), claiming this coordination violates antitrust laws. In response, the World Federation of Advertisers has decided to dissolve the coalition.
Brands Focus on New Customer Acquisition Over Retention, Survey Reveals
Many businesses continue to prioritize acquiring new customers over retaining existing ones, according to Marketing Week’s 2024 Language of Effectiveness report. The survey, which included over 1,200 marketers, found that 33% of brands measure new customer acquisition, while only 26% track customer lifetime value, and 25% monitor retention rates.
Customer retention ranks as the second least popular metric, just above brand affinity (24%).
INSPIRATION
Ideas we enjoyed and think you will, too.
🎧 LISTEN
Podcast: The Mindset of a Journalist Who Is Also a PR
In this episode of The Public Relations Podcast, journalist and PR professional Funmi Lijadu breaks down how thinking like a journalist will help you write successful press releases.
Length: 16 min.
📽️ WATCH
Video: OpenAI’s New SearchGPT Shakes Up the Industry
OpenAI has unveiled SearchGPT, a prototype search engine that could rival Google. Here’s a summary of its potential to revolutionize the search landscape, produced by AI Revolution.
Length: 10 min.
📚 READ
Article: How To Balance Performance and Brand Marketing
Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding at Wix and former Communications Lead at Semrush, shares his top strategy for balancing effective performance and brand marketing.
Reading time: 20 min.
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Headlines is your monthly PR newsletter, getting you up to speed with the industry in just minutes. A perfect quick read during your coffee break. Get inspiration and news bites from the PR and communication world curated just for professionals like you.