Monthly Archives: February 2026

What to Expect From a PR Partner: Debunking Common PR Myths

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Public relations’ (PR) function in business can often be misunderstood. The frequent conflation of PR with marketing and advertising, which both contribute to a brand’s visibility and growth in different ways, can complicate its understanding further. Like many communications efforts, PR’s direct impact on sales isn’t easily measured, making it difficult for those who don’t understand its value to commit to consistent PR in order to take full advantage of the long-term audience-building and reputational benefits. 

Below, we’ve listed and debunked some of the most common misconceptions we see related to public relations: 

  • “PR is just putting out press releases” 

The role of PR in building a business’ reputation goes well beyond press releases. While press release writing and distribution does remain an important tactic for sharing relevant and timely business updates, press releases are not and should not be the sole method PR professionals leverage; they should be one tactic of a more strategic approach likely involving proactive pitching of thought leadership and more. Press releases should be used tactfully and strategically. An effective PR partner will avoid the “spray and pray” approach, in which press releases are distributed broadly across a myriad of publications to prioritize the quantity of placements over quality ones that reach relevant audiences and perpetuate an organization’s communications goals. Before a press release is distributed, media lists should be curated carefully to ensure only media contacts with related beats and relevant audiences are on the receiving end.

  • “All publicity is good publicity”

In today’s digital world, where an ill-timed social media post or public faux pas can catapult an everyday individual into public infamy overnight, bad press can tank careers and upend businesses. In the current news cycle, there is never a guarantee those individuals will get a chance to share their side of the story. Any good crisis PR expert will tell you negative publicity requires immediate, careful consideration for the short and long-term reputation of the individual at issue and/or the health of a related organization. 

  • “There is no ROI on PR”

As mentioned above, PR success can be difficult to measure as verified numbers regarding accurate article views are rarely shared or can be unclear. Earned media is earned not bought, which means there is no absolute guarantee of coverage as there would be with advertising or sponsored content, especially in a crowded and fickle news cycle. Our agency has had success measuring share of voice (SOV) with clients, which measures the percentage of a brand’s presence in market conversations relative to competitors. Media relations results are dictated by the given coverage and even if a PR pro sends a well-crafted, relevant pitch to the perfect contact, one breaking news story could completely disrupt their efforts. An effective PR agency will work with clients to identify what metrics are most important to an organization’s goals and report these measurements at a regular cadence. 

From media relations to crisis communications, PR can be misunderstood. At the end of the day, it’s a key component in ensuring your organization remains not only in good standing but reflects the company’s mission and draws in its audience. A good PR partner will be well-versed in how best to identify storytelling opportunities, navigate relationships with the media and position organizations in front of their target audiences. Don’t let these PR myths deter your business from committing to a PR team who will implement a consistent approach that will set your company up for media success. 

Super Bowl 2026: The Ads That Strengthened Brand Identity

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Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just about the game. While millions tune in to watch football, nearly 18% of viewers watch to see the commercials, according to a recent Harris poll. Increasingly, marketers are looking to design Super Bowl ads that do more than make viewers laugh or even send their ads viral; companies are using the pricey airtime to help shape the public’s perception of their brand identity, values and purpose in the world. 

Some of the best ads from the night did more than just try to sell a product; these companies used the platform to reinforce strategic messaging to strengthen trust among the public and to clarify or remind the large captive audience of their company’s values.

Here are the commercials that successfully enhanced their brand messaging and identity: 

Google’s “New Home” Gemini Ad:

Google positioned their AI tool, Gemini, as warm and inviting for families by showcasing a mother and child using AI to build their dream house. The spot helped to position what could be seen as intimidating technology into an approachable, user-friendly, fun and helpful tool. This commercial is a powerful example of the value in humanizing a brand by pulling at the heart strings to illustrate how an AI tool could draw a mother and young son closer together. 

Anthropic’s Claude Ad:

To no one’s surprise, AI ads dominated the Super Bowl. I thought that few ads communicated their value proposition better than Anthropic’s ad for Claude. Their message, “Ads are coming to AI, but not to Claude,” was delivered cleverly with a young man asking the AI, represented as a female therapist, how he could better communicate with his mother. The therapist representing the AI offered tips on listening and building conversation, but then, seemingly out of nowhere, humorously suggested he create a profile on “Golden Encounters” where “sensitive cubs are connected to roaring cougars.” This demonstrated just how intrusive advertisements can be on these tools and served to assure viewers that ads are not coming to their platform. This ad was a nod to their commitment to user preference for ad-free service.

H-E-B’s Celebrating Community Identity:

H-E-B used a national platform to reaffirm its local, community ties. It’s not something you see often. However, it was effective for the Texas-based grocery chain. In the commercial, a baby, via actor voice-over, pines over tortillas he sees other family members enjoying. At the end, he is delighted to finally be served baby-sized tortilla pieces. Text on the screen then reads, “Born in Texas. Raised on H-E-B’s. Here everything’s better. “ 

H-E-B’s tortilla obsession ad celebrated the local food tradition and reminded viewers of the brand’s commitment to regional identity and consumer loyalty. It served to form a deeper connection with their community. 

Super Bowl LX was a reminder in an AI-saturated, celebrity-driven landscape that strategic “humanizing” storytelling that connects with viewers remains a powerful tool in reaching audiences.  

In a world where audiences are extremely savvy and attention spans are short, good messaging – via marketing or public relations – will revolve around prioritizing clarity, leveraging emotion and connecting to culture or community.

Brands that have a strategic alignment between their message and mission will continue to steal the show in future Super Bowls and beyond, by building trust with their target audience.  

Brand Beckham: When Muddy Messaging Leads to a Brand Breakdown

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Family is complicated. We have all faced our fair share of uncomfortable familial conflicts, but for most of us, those conflicts don’t end up as front-page news. The same can’t be said for the Beckham family, whose years-long family drama has consistently made headlines. 

Since Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding in 2022, gossip around the former Spice Girl-turned-fashion mogul and international soccer phenom’s dislike of their new daughter-in-law, Nicola Peltz, has circulated online. The feud came to a head in a recent Instagram post from Brooklyn, where he detailed the many ways his parents had allegedly undermined and embarrassed him and his bride on their wedding day. In the post, he also claimed Brand Beckham always came first, with the behind-the-scenes feuding clashing with the close-knit public-facing image Victoria and David had spent years cultivating. 

This isn’t the first time family feuds have turned public. Of course, the former Prince Harry and his wife Megan Markle’s separation from the Royal Family also continues to drive headlines. Such is the price of building a public image so closely entwined with your personal life, but it also reflects a larger issue that arises when brands fail to ensure internal alignment on strategy and purpose. 

Even for those whose businesses aren’t centered around family, there is valuable insight to gain from these famous family fallouts. If you’re building a brand, buy-in across your team is critical. Otherwise, if there is a public rupture, it can color your brand, stain your reputation and generate costly financial losses. Just one ill-planned comment or social media post could be enough to send the house of cards tumbling. 

Building Internal Alignment

As communication professionals, we often work with corporate partners to incorporate internal teams into long-term branding strategy. Consider the following best practices for making sure your team is on the same page with your organization’s brand narrative: 

  • Align company culture with brand identity: Team members shouldn’t only be hearing about your organization’s values amid a crisis. Those values should be visible in every aspect of the organization. If you build a company culture that reflects your external messaging, your team members have a greater likelihood of buying into it. Building and communicating a supportive, collaborative culture will incentivize team members to contribute positively to the brand’s narrative. A communications team can help drive this cultural push to build a team that genuinely has a positive view of the brand.  
  • Be direct and concise: Make the strategy and purpose behind your brand narrative and accompanying communications clear. If internal teams are working off muddied messaging, it can clog execution and increase the likelihood of communications that contradict an organization’s mission. Consider pulling together a brand book to consolidate messaging and ease your team’s access to important communication tools.  
  • Plan ahead for crises: Accidents—often in the form of poorly worded social media posts—happen. Even with the proper mitigation, there are still outside sources that could put an organization’s reputation at risk. A crisis communications partner can help formulate a plan of action, consulting on messaging and potential next steps to keep public-facing channels transparent without making you vulnerable to further speculation. 

Whether the Beckham family’s public dispute will be enough to hurt their brand’s bottom line in the long run remains to be seen. In the meantime, business leaders should learn from their mistakes and invest in culture to evaluate their team’s alignment on messaging. With the right communications partner, you can build clear and consistent messaging to reinforce your values and culture, help build your team’s confidence in the organization, empower them to handle any obstacles your brand encounters and pave the way for future growth.