With the votes cast and the Iowa caucus now behind us (well, kind of), it’s time to ruminate on the role that social media and the digital space will play in 2020 as we continue the slog to Election Day 2020. Social media is a differentiator. That was well-established in 2016—and it has resulted in many a company being hauled in front of Congress to detail its means for combatting misinformation.

On previous posts we’ve keyed in on the way digital media—video in particular—can easily be altered to promote a particular narrative or viewpoint. These manipulated clips can spread like wildfire across social media, so the onus is on the specific platforms to monitor and limit the false information that it provides visibility to.

YouTube is (thankfully) up to the challenge, announcing that it will bar any content that has been altered to mislead the viewer—an ongoing issue with edited “deepfakes” that can sway public opinion.

This is absolutely a step in the right direction.

The fever swamps of the internet that crank out this material have a singular goal that’s premised on bad intentions, and many times all it takes is a few initial shares on Twitter or Facebook before the groundwork is laid for conspiracy theories and negative narratives. It’s expected that these peddlers of false information are gearing up to poison the well of popular opinion, so it’s good to see YouTube getting proactive as we roll into the election.

The entire world was shaken on Sunday with the news that NBA and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had perished in a helicopter crash in Southern California. You did not need to be a basketball fan, or even a sports fan, to comprehend the enormity of this news. In the last couple of days I’ve been within earshot of multiple conversations that are centered on Kobe—in coffee shops, at the airport, in line to grab lunch.

His death has shaken the country to its core. He was an NBA icon entering the second act of his career. That second act was off to a sterling start, with a 2018 Oscar for the short film Dear Basketball joining the five NBA Championship trophies in his case. It was a second act that tragically far too soon.  

Kobe Bryant’s death hit me particularly hard. I grew up watching him surgically pick apart defenses and dagger them with game-winners. I lamented the loss of Shaquille O’Neal in Orlando but celebrated his pairing with Black Mamba in Los Angeles, a tandem that would bring three titles to Los Angeles. I celebrated the Orlando Magic’s run to the 2009 NBA Finals, only to realize that Kobe Bryant would be on the other side of the court.

That didn’t turn out well for the Magic. It didn’t turn out well for many teams.

Kobe carried the baton from Michael Jordan as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was a polarizing figure off the court, but he was all business on it. Kobe Bryant introduced a new generation to basketball—boys and girls, alike.  

One of Bryant’s biggest off-court accomplishments was his work to bring the game to young girls, and encouraging their growth in the sport. He was a vocal champion for the WNBA, actively promoting the league and encouraging young women to pursue their love of basketball. He was flying with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna to one of her travel games when the helicopter went down.  

Gianna would tragically perish alongside her dad, as well as her teammates Payton Chester and Alyssa Altobelli. Alyssa’s parents, John and Keri, were also on board, as was Mambas assistant basketball coach Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.

None would survive the horrific accident.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day and lose sight of what’s truly important, and sometimes it takes inconceivable tragedy to provide some forced perspective. The little things that you think really matter really don’t in the grand scheme of things. Take some time to appreciate what’s in front of you.

Our hearts go out to the families of all who were on board, and we are thinking of them during this incredibly difficult time.

Take all 26 letters in the alphabet and multiply them by an inconceivable amount, because that’s likely close to what Alphabet is worth right now. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has joined rarefied air, becoming just the fourth U.S. company to reach $1 trillion in market valuation.

The other three companies are probably easy guesses, as Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft all hit trillion-dollar valuations in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Alphabet joins that exclusive group of tech goliaths, and it’s a not-unexpected accomplishment from a company that has a hand in virtually everything that you do each day. Alphabet gets you answers on demand, connects you with the globe at the push of a button, and likely gets you to work every morning.

“Revolutionary” still seems like a bit of an understatement when thinking about Alphabet.

Fonts of innovations all, these four companies have changed the world, so it’s no shock that they’ve become the first businesses in U.S. history to hit the $1 trillion mark. We’re still in the first month of 2020, but it’s abundantly clear that the giants of Silicon Valley will be one of the prime catalysts to drive change through this decade and on into a new century.

So a glass is raised to Alphabet for joining such an exclusive club in American economic history. That is, as long as they agree to pick up the tab.

With the arrival of the New Year there have been a lot of jokes about 2020 being the year of perfect clear vision.  This has prompted me to want to make a few facts clear with clients and potential clients of PR/PR Public Relations.

It is clear what we do works for the professional speakers, consultants, and non-fiction authors PR/PR represents to the media.  Over the 20+ years we’ve been doing this, 100% of our clients have gotten placements.  Now, while their results may be as varied as their expertise, PR/PR’s clients have all enjoyed gaining national name recognition in front of their target market of business decision makers who can hire for conventions, conferences, and corporate events. 

As a publicity agency, PR/PR’s measure of success is derived by the quality and quantity of media attention we procure for our client and their content.  Many clients choose to measure the success or failure of a particular campaign based on sales volume only. Unfortunately, this is a component that is out of our control. Once the media is in place, factors such as availability and fees weigh heavily in the ultimate success of bookings and/or book sales. No agency can guarantee you bookings or sales from their publicity efforts, and if they do they’re not being clear with you. 

Next year, I’m sure there will be many jokes about “hindsight being 2020.” We would hate for your hindsight to be one of regret you didn’t do more about your publicity.  Give PR/PR a call today!

Happy New Year!

Russell Trahan,

President, PR/PR Public Relations

                     407-895-8800

Author, Sell Yourself Without Saying A Word

CES, the largest and most anticipated tech conference of the year, kicks off today in Las Vegas. It’s the marquee event in the technology world, and each and every turn of the calendar it gets the year started with some newsworthy highlights about forthcoming products and trends in the tech landscape.

So what will be unveiled today that will potentially be on your 2020 shopping list?

Forbes is out with its list of the 10 tech trends to watch at CES, and it runs the gamut from hyper-powered televisions to a focus on sustainability and eco-friendly products.

Impossible Foods, purveyors of plant-based meat products and a Silicon Valley unicorn in the food space, is set to unveil pork and sausage substitutes at CES, ahead of a possible 2020 IPO. They of course changed the fast food game in 2019 when they partnered with Burger King on the Impossible Whopper.

Tech privacy will also take center stage at this year’s CES. A rightfully hot button issue, many news stories from 2019 zeroed in on privacy lapses from social media outlets and online companies. CES will be livestreaming a panel discussion with some of the top tech execs on the importance of privacy and the changes in the pipeline for your apps and devices.

CES sets the tone for the year ahead in the technology space, so PR/PR will certainly be tuning in. What are you looking forward to most as CES gets rolling?