Kara Alaimo, Ph.D., Hofstra University

In Latin America, communicators practice the personal influence model of public relations. This means that they invest in building professional relationships with people before getting down to business.

Serge Giacomo, Head of Communications and Institutional Relations for GE in Latin America, said, "Outside of a city, it becomes really personal. The top management of your company needs to be part of the same circle as the mayor and local officials, the local elite, and even the priest. In order to work with those audiences, you need to belong; you need to be part of the same group." PR leaders must invest in building professional relationships with people before getting down to business. Read more.
Thomas Stoeckle, IPR Measurement Commission, LexisNexis, and Chris Scully, LexisNexis

Thomas Stoeckle and Chris Scully
A key component of Donald Trump's campaign strategy has been to dominate in traditional media as a means to boost his electoral prospects. Data supports Trump's strategy: more coverage generally has translated to better polling numbers. The campaign would be wise to continue following such a strategy. Whether this strategy alone is enough to overcome Hillary Clinton's prolonged edge in the polls is another matter.

In a fast-paced media environment, PR practitioners are hyperfocused and hyperworried about what can pop up at any one time and dominate a news cycle. However, our results indicate that one or two impactful news cycles are not as meaningful as a media performance trend sustained over the course of a week to ten days. It's the legs of a major development or the snowball effect, our data suggests, that should be the worry or the goal, not the one big story itself. Read more.

The Public Relations Society of America's National Capital Chapter (PRSA-NCC) partnered with the IPR Measurement Commission to judge the research category for the 48th Annual Thoth Awards. Named for the Egyptian god of communication, the Thoth Awards recognize and reward outstanding achievement in public relations and encourage continued excellence in the field.

This award honors the most outstanding, strategic public relations programs and products developed and produced in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. This year, there will be one award for a large-budget program and one for a small-budget program. The ceremony will take place at The National Press Club on September 22. Read more.
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