Lunch Break: What your snack says about you, the future of the PR industry, Facebook combats climate change misinformation, and more

“Cautiously Optimistic” Says Top PR Agency Executives 

PR Week asked top agency executives how they felt about next year for the PR industry and many of them had some variation of “cautiously optimistic” in their response. While nobody is painting a picture of a dramatic comeback, Edelman global CEO and president Richard Edelman says “I see stability, and growth in health, in technology, in certain parts of corporate crisis and public affairs and the consumer brand business. But in some industries, obviously travel, tourism, cars, it’s tough.” 

While the volume of RFPs is down, Golin CEO Matt Neale says “the amount of work is holding consistent with where we were last year.” PR is a resilient industry, with demand changing for corporate counsel and employee communications as public activism and the political landscape keeps changing.  

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Goes Virtual 

Your Thanksgiving Day traditions will likely be a bit different this year, and so too will the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day ParadeThe live parade, canceled previously only during the World War II years of 1942, ’43, and ’44, has been a holiday tradition for almost a hundred years. This year’s 94th parade will go virtual, airing nationwide on NBC-TV with limited participants, a shorter parade route, and vehicle-flown balloons instead of the traditional 80-100 handlers.   

As New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “It will not be the same parade we’re used to. It will be a different kind of event. They’re reinventing the event for this moment in history, and you’ll be able to feel the spirit and the joy of that day on television, online.” Just another virtual milestone to add to 2020. 

Facebook Launches Hub to Combat Climate Change Misinformation 

After admitting that climate denialist content exists on the platform, Facebook launched a Climate Science Information Center to combat misinformation that is viral. The new hub will “connect people to factual and up-to-date information” sharing facts, figures and date from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and Met Office. According to the company, the hub will also share “actionable steps people can take in their everyday lives to combat climate change.” 

What Is a Snack? Brands Latch on to Snacking Identity 

Mondelez International, the corporation behind snack favorites like Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, and Ritz Crackers, released its State of Snacking report last November, looking at snacking behavior around the world and the “rise of the $1.2 trillion snacking opportunity” driven by millennials.  

As Eater points out bringing this back up to reflect our current snacking trends, “snack companies may be on to something.” What we choose to snack on reflects on our identity. Brands sell us on this idea, with Kellogg’s marketing the “physical, emotional, and societal interconnections” of its Pringles and Cheez-Its and Frito-Lay’s selling the togetherness of snacking through its inclusion “at tailgates and in lunchboxes, at picnics and in pantries.”  

While we all find comfort in snack food, especially now during these stressful times, a snack can say volumes about what we’re craving, how we’re comforted, and what we use to seek social connection. 

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