Communications & New Media March 2019 I Vol. 33 No. 2 March 2019 | www.odwyerpr.com Vol. 33. No. 2 MARCH 2019 EDITORIAL TECH’S ROLE FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE BRANDS Brands need to make space for 6 15 tech developments on the menu. GENDER GAP PERSISTS IN PR INDUSTRY NUTRITION AND HEALTH 10 Report says women hold less than their share of senior exec posts. 8 GET PERSONAL Personalized wellness offers 16 brands big opportunities. DIGITAL ADS TO SURPASS TRADITIONAL IN 2019 Digital ad spend will top traditional THE IMPORTANCE OF ad buys for the first time this year. 8 A BRAND’S STORY New research reveals how NEWSPAPER CLOSURES 18 consumers make food choices. DRIVE PARTISAN IDENTITY 22 Shuttered local papers might be 9 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM one cause of political polarization. MILLENNIALS DRIVE Daily, up-to-the-minute PR news FAST-FOOD INNOVATION HAVE CONSUMER FOOD Healthier fast-food options result PRIORITIES CHANGED? 19 from Millennials’ demands. Tech has transformed shopping, but not customer expectations. 10 DETERMINING THE VALUE OF INFLUENCERS CREATING ADVOCATES How companies can pick the AMONG MILLENNIALS 19 right influencers to work with. Nutrition and diet trends suggest companies must care about health. 11 PROFILES OF FOOD & BEVERAGE PR FIRMS THRIVING IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE SECTOR 22 Four strategic initiatives to build 12 RANKINGS OF FOOD & brands that consumers run for. BEVERAGE PR FIRMS EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2019 32 January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s Guide THE RISE IN WASHINGTON REPORT EXPERIENTIAL DINING March: Food & Beverage The experiential trend brings in a 36 May: PR Firm Rankings new generation of diners. 13 COLUMNS July: Travel, Tourism & International FINANCIAL COMMS IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT August: Financial, I.R. & Prof Services THE RESTAURANT BIZ 34 Fraser Seitel Keeping up with investor priorities 14 October: Healthcare & Medical is key for restaurant brands. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 35 Richard Goldstein November: Technology & Social Media ADVERTISERS Artisan Production House ....................................................................... 8 Padilla/FoodMinds .......................................................................... 20, 21 5W Public Relations ................................................................................ 3 Peppercomm ..........................................................................Back cover Fineman PR ............................................................................................ 5 Pollock Communications .............................................. Inside front cover Hemsworth Communications ............................................................... 17 Publicity For Good .................................................................................. 9 ICR .......................................................................................................... 7 O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 a year ($7.00 for a single issue) by the J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc., 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. (212) 679-2471; fax: (212) 683-2750. Periodical postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to O’Dwyer’s, 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. O’Dwyer’s PR Report ISSN: 1931-8316. Published monthly. EDITORIAL Michael Cohen: PR man extraordinaire ichael Cohen, President Trump’s former fixer and muscle, is scheduled to re- EDITOR-IN-CHIEF port May 6 to begin a three-year prison sentence for campaign finance law Kevin McCauley Mviolations related to work for his former Boss, who now calls him “a rat.” [email protected] Since Cohen was disbarred in New York on Feb. 26, he’ll need a job once released from the slammer. PUBLISHER Some savvy PR firm should scoop him up. Cohen put on a PR clinic during his John O’Dwyer riveting public testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on [email protected] Feb. 27. Right off the bat, Cohen apologized to the Members of Congress for previous un- SENIOR EDITOR truthful testimony that he made “to protect Mr. Trump.” Jon Gingerich Warming the heart of every PR counselor, Cohen stressed the importance of staying [email protected] on message—and then did—in portraying Trump as a “racist, con man and cheat.” ASSOCIATE EDITOR Cohen presented his crisis manager credentials: “As many people that know me best Steve Barnes would say, I am the person they would call at 3 a.m., if they needed help. I proudly [email protected] remember being the emergency contact for many of my children’s friends when they CONTRIBUTING EDITORS were growing up because their parents knew that I would drop everything and care Fraser Seitel for them as it they were my own.” Richard Goldstein That crisis mindset came in handy after the $4 billion man, which in Trump’s mind was the value of his brand in 2013, decided to trash President Obama’s educational EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS credentials. At that point, Trump had moved beyond the “birther” nonsense. & RESEARCH Trump told the AP in 2011 that he heard Obama was a “terrible student” and won- Jane Landers dered how he got into Columbia and Harvard. “I certainly will look into it,” said the Melissa Webell real estate developer. “Let him show his record.” Once Trump launched his own presidential bid, crisis manager Cohen fired off let- Advertising Sales: ters to Trump’s high school, colleges and the College Board that threatened legal jihad John O’Dwyer [email protected] if they released his grades or SAT scores. [My hunch: Obama earned better marks than Trump.] His May 5, 2015 lawyer letter to Fordham University President Rev. Joe McShane O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 a year ($7.00 a single issue) by the ended with a sweet PR flourish. “P.S. Mr. Trump truly enjoyed his two years at Ford- J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. ham and has great respect for the University.” 271 Madison Ave., #600 Cohen displayed great composure during the Q&A when Republican pit bulls Jim New York, NY 10016. Jordan (OH) and Mark Meadows (NC) trashed him as nothing more than a two-bit (212) 679-2471 Fae: (212) 683-2750. convicted lying low-life scoundrel desperately trying to have some time knocked off © Copyright 2019 J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. his upcoming sentence by casting aspersions on the Tweeter-in-Chief. In his prepared remarks, Cohen said it best: “I knew early on in my work for Mr. OTHER PUBLICATIONS: Trump that he would direct me to lie to further his business interests. I am ashamed to say, that when it was for a real estate mogul in the private sector, I considered it www.odwyerpr.com Breaking news, commentary, useful data- trivial. As the president, I consider it significant and dangerous.” bases and more. And the dagger: “But in the mix, lying for Mr. Trump was normalized, and no one O’Dwyer’s Newsletter around him questioned it. In fairness, no one around him today questions it, either.” A four-page weekly with general PR And that includes Trump lapdogs Jordan and Meadows who manage to keep their news, media appointments and placement mouths shut over the President’s 8,718 lies and misleading statements documented opportunities. by the Washington Post as of Feb. 17. O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms Somebody should give Cohen a PR gig. At the very least, he deserves an industry Listings of more than 1,250 PR firms honor (O’Dwyer’s never got into the awards game) in the special events category for throughout the U.S. and abroad. his testimony. O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide How about a Silver Anvil, PRSA? Products and services for the PR industry in 50 categories. — Kevin McCauley jobs.odwyerpr.com O’Dwyer’s online job center has help wanted ads and hosts resume postings. 6 MARCH 2019 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM REPORT Gender gap persists in PR industry work to address the imbalance, several key factors came up. First off, respondents Women account for more than three-fourths of the PR workforce, stressed that gender equality needs to be seen as an issue that affects all employees— but only one in five serve in senior executive positions, according not just women. to a new report. By Steve Barnes Addressing gender pay disparity was also seen as very important. Some respondents hile women now account for more That split extends to the differing percep- noted that consistently reviewing organi- than three out of four workers in tions as regards how men and women view zation-wide compensation would go a long Wthe PR industry, only about 20 the systemic barriers women face as they way toward addressing that problem. percent of the top leadership positions are move up through the ranks. Many of the But perhaps most important is the power occupied by women, according to a new re- men surveyed said that they did not think of good leadership. Respondents said that port from the Institute for Public Relations there were any such systemic barriers. Wom- having mentors and sponsors can make the and KPMG. en cited several, including work-life fit, sex- path to the C-suite far more manageable for “Minding the Gap: Women’s Leadership ism and unconscious bias. female workers. Interestingly, many said that in Public Relations” looks at some of the In addition, many women said that they informal mentorships, rather than formal reasons why the male-female leadership gap felt left out of the “boys club” that they saw mentorship programs, often had the greatest persists in the PR industry, and suggests a as a key to moving up the corporate ladder. effect. few strategies for overcoming it. Several female respondents mentioned being “Minding the Gap” was the result of ten fo- The study polled both male and female left out of client pitches and social outings. cus groups. See the complete study at www. employees in mid-level and senior-level po- When it comes to how the industry should instituteforpr.org. sitions to find out how gender affects access to the C-suite as well as the ways in which it impacts the overall work experience. Digital ads to surpass traditional in ‘19 One of the main takeaways is that whether Digital ad spending will eclipse traditional ad buys in the U.S.