News + Views

Consumer groups take anti-BNPL concerns global

For a nice example of well-timed PR, see how international consumer groups ganged up on the BNPL sector and launched their campaign the same week as Afterpay Day.

Are engagement rates dropping on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter?

Are we about to see the decline of some of the biggest names in the social media space?

Fighting the character issue

Federal elections are always a great time to see how communications strategies get rolled out, but can the Prime Minister overcome the character issue?

Anarchy in the UK as P&O Ferries fights the law – but will the law win?

P&O Ferries landed itself in hot water by sacking 800 seafaring staff and deliberately breaking the law – not something you see every day.

Theranos debacle shows perils facing comms teams

At some point in the lives of most communications professionals, there will come a time when the organisation they work for has messed up big time.

Instagram targets customisability in 2022

Instagram has been trialling a new feature allowing users to rearrange photos or videos, giving them freedom to choose which posts people see first.

What’s in a (company) name?

As we begin 2022, is the trend of short company names set to continue, or will the pendulum swing back to more traditional and longer names?

Resilience and sustainability dominate as the world changes

While it’s been a challenging two years, the great thing to see when I look at Lighthouse, our partners and clients, is that the results achieved demonstrate how resilient and resourceful we can all be.

Better.com takes the pick of 2021 comms blunders

The world of PR never fails to deliver when it comes to stuff-ups, and 2021 was no different. One of the picks of the year was US online mortgage company Better.com inexplicably deciding to fire 900 workers at once via a three-minute Zoom call.

I’ll take the lot! Acquisition SEO – The who, what and how

Competition for ranking on keywords and topics has become so competitive that ‘Acquisition SEO’ has become an extreme strategy to acquire top spot.

Newspapers fight back in appeal to young Aussies

In an increasingly digital world, a recent study shows newspapers still have a vital role to play.

Lessons learned – Strategies for social media managers in times of crisis

Supply chain disruptions and worldwide postal delivery crises have led to a flood of complaints online, creating multiple issues for retailers across Australia.

As companies promote CSR, is the message getting through?

CSR has gained widespread acceptance during the last few decades, but is the message getting through in some sectors?

Will Facebook’s rebrand work?

Facebook made headlines when it changed its name to ‘Meta’, but will it work over the long run?

The COVID jab comms challenge

One of the big communications challenges right now is determining the best approach to COVID jab issues with employees.

The Taliban's reputation and branding problem

The Taliban are using PR strategies, messaging and tactics that have evolved dramatically from 20 years ago. But can a leopard really change its spots?

Drawing a long bow

What happened when Nestlé Australia tried to promote its Nespresso products to media, and ended up being called out for it by Australian Financial Review journalist Aaron Patrick.

From theory to practice – what it’s like to be a comms intern

What’s it’s like to go from the classroom to the ‘real world’ as a communications intern, and lessons learned along the way.

Brands should prepare for geopolitical risks as tensions increase

To the never-ending list of things companies should be worried about, from improving sales and launching new products to boosting margins and managing supply chains, they can now add a new one – geopolitical risk.

How to mess things up – and how to say sorry

Football fans around the world were angered when several of Europe’s leading clubs announced plans to form their own breakaway European Super League. To say the plan went down like a tonne of bricks would be an understatement.

ACA comes up trumps with PM interview

What began as one story from a brave former Liberal staffer snowballed into multiple women coming forward with their stories, shining a light on a far bigger issue taking place in our nation’s capital and sparking a national conversation on the way women are treated.

How iOS 14.5 impacts your business

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework means that users will now be prompted to opt in or out of having their data collected by apps that share it with third parties. The change is expected to force people to rethink their marketing strategies.

Don’t step out when you’re close to the edge

Many businesses are on social media, but brands need to be aware of the implications of potentially saying the wrong thing. We explore the case study of a small Sydney café, Love Crepe, and how one social media post ruined its reputation in an instant.

Back to business after a massively disrupted 12 months

With 2020 now well past us, COVID subsiding and the vaccine rollout progressing, 2021 is looking much more positive for Australia both socially and economically. After a challenging year surrounded by border closures between states and internationally, plus lockdowns and other restrictions, things have started to turn back.

Social Media in 2021: Why you should be using UTM parameters

Looking to drive genuine marketing insights in 2021 and beyond? UTMs are the way of the future and without them, it’s almost impossible to fully optimise or comprehensively understand the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Three techniques community managers use to get results

With the optimisation of social media algorithms to favour engagement, community management has become key for communicators. While any form of community management will benefit a brand, these three techniques will help foster a near unbreakable bond between brand and consumer.

Taking on the conspiracy theorists

Australia’s 5G rollout is a fascinating case study of how technological progress is meeting determined opposition, which plays on fears of radiation and COVID. How can stakeholders combat this rise in irrationality?

How to score an own goal

Leading UK football club Arsenal recently got fans offside with the announcement of numerous redundancies a few days after winning a trophy, showing how living up to your brand promise while under unprecedented financial pressure is challenge that can create pitfalls.

For and against - Should brands get involved in social issues?

In a world of increasing tension and acrimony, social issues have come to the fore as one of the key challenges of our times. But where does all this leave companies and brands?

Three psychological tactics for effective communication

When creating campaigns with impact, it’s important to consider each step – the message, the medium and the messenger.

Lighthouse Communications & Our Story

The commitment to keep moving and not stop, no matter what challenges stand in our way, has seen Lighthouse evolve from a traditional public relations agency to a business partner committed to guiding and transforming reputations in order to power commercial results.

Comms in the time of COVID: The key lessons from Lighthouse’s online event

The Lighthouse team recently hosted an online roundtable featuring a host of expert panellists discussing the impact of COIVD-19 on brands and corporate communications.

The difficult reputational questions raised by today’s big issues

It’s hard to know where to begin when thinking about the implications for communications and marketing professionals of everything that’s happened in the world over the past few months.

The Do’s and Don’ts of dealing with media

Every day, PR professionals are tasked with selling in a story for a client to an impossibly busy journalist. But what’s the best way to approach them, and give your story the best chance of getting a run?

COVID Comms fails

COVID 19 has presented huge communications challenges for brands.

Live Industry Discussion - Communication & brand lessons of COVID

‘Communications & Brand Lessons from COVID-19’ is a live industry discussion aimed to explore, educate and empower communications professionals as we re-enter a new-look Australia. 

Importance of an integrated marketing communications strategy

Integrated marketing communications – or IMC as we like to call it – is nothing new. In fact, the concept itself has been around since the 80’s.

Managing internal stakeholders in a crisis – three quick tips

When a crisis hits, it’s usually something external, an incident that affects the reputation of the company and has serious public repercussions.