MEMBERS BLOG

PR Practices in Action from Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX Halftime Show

By Lucy Luc

The lights dimmed inside Levi’s Stadium. The field shifted from turf to story. In that moment, the halftime show at Super Bowl LX became something larger than spectacle. It became narrative.

Bad Bunny stepped into a performance that reached between 128 and 135 million viewers. That audience size places it among the most watched halftime shows in history. Within days, his music catalog experienced a 470 percent increase in Spotify streams. Those numbers matter. They confirm scale. They confirm engagement. They confirm that attention converted into action.

Yet statistics alone do not explain the impact. The emotional core of the performance centered on identity, culture, and unity. At the center of the stage, a billboard displayed a direct message: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” That line shaped how viewers interpreted every image that followed.

Media outlets described the show as a love letter to Puerto Rico. That phrase captures intent. It signals that the performance was designed with narrative clarity. From a public relations perspective, this was structured communication delivered live to over one hundred million people.

Building a Story Through Symbolism

The performance opened in sugar cane fields. This visual choice carried weight. Sugar cane represents Puerto Rico’s colonial history and economic struggle. It reflects periods of forced labor and foreign control. Beginning in that setting grounded the show in history.

As the music moved forward, the stage transformed into scenes of everyday Puerto Rican life. Men played dominos at folding tables. Women gathered at nail stations. Street vendors sold jewelry, tacos, and shaved ice. These were not random props. They were cultural markers.

The images echoed themes from his 2025 Grammy winning album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which explores memory, home, and belonging. By placing these scenes on the Super Bowl stage, he elevated local life to global visibility.

For public relations professionals, this reflects strategic story architecture. Each visual element reinforced the core narrative. The audience did not receive a lecture about history or politics. They received symbols that carried meaning. Strong campaigns often rely on this principle. Show rather than explain. Let imagery create emotional connection.

When storytelling is layered with intention, journalists have clearer angles for coverage. Viewers have easier entry points into the message. Narrative consistency strengthens recall.

Personal Branding Through Detail

Wardrobe became part of the communication strategy. Bad Bunny wore an all white outfit with a jersey embroidered with the number 64 and the name Ocasio. The number honored his uncle, who once wore 64 as a football player. Ocasio is his family surname.

This detail connected a global stage to personal roots. It signaled humility and loyalty. It told audiences that fame had not erased family identity.

Public relations strategy often focuses on spoken words, yet visual identity shapes perception just as strongly. Clothing, color, and styling influence how a brand is read. When those details align with biography and values, authenticity increases.

Audiences respond to coherence. They recognize when image and story match. Credibility grows when personal history appears integrated rather than attached for effect.

Message Discipline Through Language

The most visible line of the show appeared in bold letters: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” The sentence is short. It uses common words. It relies on contrast between hate and love. It acknowledges conflict while offering resolution.

This line did not stand alone in his public messaging. At the 2026 Grammy Awards he stated, “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans.” He continued, “Hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”

Earlier in his career he affirmed his roots by saying, “Yo soy de Puerto Rico.” He also recognized community impact with the statement, “At the end of the day, my success in the United States I owe to the hardworking Latinos who have helped make the country what it is today.”

These quotes reveal message discipline. The same values appear across platforms. Pride in identity. Recognition of community. Emphasis on unity. Repetition builds association. Audiences begin to connect the artist’s name with specific principles.

From a PR perspective, consistent phrasing strengthens brand identity. Clear language travels well in headlines. Short sentences are easily quoted. Memorable statements extend beyond the event itself.

Integrating Social Issues With Control

During the performance of “El Apagón,” dancers climbed electric poles while sparks flew above them. The song references Puerto Rico’s long history of electrical blackouts, including the extended outage following Hurricane Maria in 2017. In a past performance, he criticized the island’s power grid by saying, “Puerto Rico is the only place I perform where I have to install like 15 industrial power generators because I can’t trust the power grid.”

At the halftime show, the imagery referenced this issue without turning into a speech. The symbolism was clear. The pacing remained tight. The message stayed focused.

This reflects a key public relations principle. Address social context without losing narrative control. Audiences can absorb complex issues through music and imagery. Long explanations are not always necessary. Precision protects clarity.

Cultural Heritage as Strategic Positioning

The stage design included a replica of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, known as El Morro, the sixteenth century fortress in San Juan recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The casita, a pink cement house featured in his album film and residency performances, returned as a central symbol. Celebrities such as Cardi B, Karol G, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, and Young Miko joined him on the porch. Their presence reinforced community support.

Ricky Martin appeared to sing the chorus of “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” a song comparing the colonization of Hawaii to Puerto Rico. The lyrics warn, “They want to take my river and my beach too. I don’t want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii.”

A lighter blue Puerto Rican flag associated with the independence movement appeared during the show. The flor de maga, Puerto Rico’s national flower, influenced costume design.

Each of these elements positioned Puerto Rico as the central character. The island was not background. It was the narrative focus.

Place based branding creates emotional grounding. When communication ties to real geography and history, it gains depth. For PR practitioners, this demonstrates the power of cultural specificity. Broad messages resonate more strongly when anchored in authentic detail.

Key Takeaways for Public Relations Professionals

• Lead with a clear value statement. One strong sentence such as “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” can define an entire campaign and guide all messaging decisions.
• Build the narrative before the spotlight turns on. Every visual element should support a larger story. Staging, wardrobe, music, and symbolism must connect to the same core message.
• Align identity with strategy. Authentic personal details strengthen credibility. When biography and brand message match, audiences trust the delivery.
• Use repetition with purpose. Consistent language across interviews, award shows, and live events builds recognition and reinforces positioning.
• Balance social issues with message control. Address real concerns through focused symbolism and disciplined framing. Stay clear. Stay intentional.
• Design for emotional connection. Audiences remember how a message makes them feel. Emotional clarity increases recall and shareability.
• Think beyond viewership numbers. Measure behavioral impact such as streaming increases, social engagement, and media framing. Action reflects influence.
• Turn moments into platforms. Large cultural events offer rare attention. Strategic messaging can transform entertainment into brand storytelling.
• Anchor visuals in cultural truth. Specific references to heritage and history create depth and strengthen audience identification.
• Connect emotion with intention. Words must carry meaning. Visuals must reinforce values. When identity, language, and symbolism align, communication moves from performance to lasting brand impact.

Lucy Luc is the current president of the Student Steering Committee and a CPRS Toronto ACE Award–winning student in her final year of Humber Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Public Relations program, where she is completing her thesis.

 

Building Trust Before the Crisis:

A Conversation on Public Risk and Communications Preparedness

By Samiha Fariha

As Public Risk Management Awareness Day approaches on March 1, it offers an opportunity to reflect on how organizations prepare for uncertainty and how communications plays a central role when risk becomes reality. While risk management is often associated with operational planning and insurance frameworks, public risk today is deeply connected to trust, transparency and decision-making under pressure.

In an environment where confidence in institutions continues to fluctuate, communications leaders are increasingly tasked with helping organizations navigate complex, high-stakes situations while maintaining credibility with diverse audiences.

To mark the day, we connected with Josh Cobden, Executive Vice President at Proof Strategies. Josh provides senior counsel across crisis management, corporate reputation and executive communications, and helps lead the firm’s annual CanTrust Index, which examines trust in institutions across Canada.

We spoke with Josh about how declining trust reshapes public risk, what meaningful preparedness looks like before a crisis emerges, how leaders should approach transparency when information is still evolving, and why internal alignment is often the difference between steady leadership and reactive messaging. From audience prioritization to values-based decision-making, here is what he had to share.

How do you personally define public risk in a communications context today?

We spend a lot of time studying trust at Proof Strategies through our annual CanTrust Index, a leading source of insight into trust in Canada, analyzing key topics, institutions, events, and population segments nationwide. Public risk today is closely tied to declining trust in institutions. When trust erodes in government, business, media or public services, people disengage from the systems meant to keep society functioning. We see this all the time. For example, when people don’t trust the police, crimes go unreported. When they don’t trust the electoral process, they don’t vote. When they don’t trust vaccines, they avoid them and get sick. In a communications context, public risk arises whenever low trust magnifies the consequences of uncertainty, misinformation or institutional failure.

From your experience, what does strong communications preparedness look like before a risk or crisis emerges?

Preparedness begins long before scenario planning. It starts with defining and communicating your organization’s values. Crises are unpredictable and can change rapidly, but values are constant and provide a stable foundation for decision making when information is incomplete or evolving. I often say, “values are the compass you use when the map disappears.” When stakeholders understand those values in advance, they can make sense of the decisions you make under pressure. They may not agree with every decision, but they’ll recognize the principles behind them, which helps maintain trust.

When information is incomplete or still evolving, how should leaders approach transparency without causing confusion or panic?

Transparency is not about providing every detail instantly. Over-communicating early in a crisis, particularly one involving human harm, can shift attention away from what truly matters, which is empathy, immediate safety and clear next steps. Leaders should focus on what is confirmed and meaningful to stakeholders, acknowledge what is not yet known and commit to providing updates as facts are verified. This approach demonstrates competence, empathy and engagement and helps sustain trust when uncertainty is highest.

In high-pressure situations, what behaviours distinguish effective communications leaders from reactive ones?

Effective leaders demonstrate clarity, consistency and empathy. They communicate with precision, align messaging across the organization and show they understand the human impact of the situation before anything else. These behaviours are essential to building and preserving trust during periods of volatility.

What is one common mistake organizations make when managing public risk that could be avoided with better planning?

A common mistake is failing to recognize that different audiences often have very different priorities. A message crafted to reassure one group may unsettle another. Employees, customers, shareholders and regulators all care about different aspects of a situation. Without deliberate audience prioritization and thoughtful message planning, communications can easily create unintended consequences and increase the very risk an organization is trying to manage.

How important is leadership alignment and internal readiness in risk-aware decision making, and what role should communications play?

Leadership alignment is fundamental. It begins with a shared understanding of organizational values, which act as guardrails when a situation is unfolding quickly and unpredictably. Internal readiness requires clarity on roles and decision authority, especially regarding who leads and who must be consulted. Communications teams often find themselves at opposite extremes, either being asked to make decisions that belong to legal, operations, HR or IT, or being excluded from decisions entirely despite being responsible for explaining them. In short, you can’t communicate your way out of a bad decision, and you can’t operationalize your way out of bad communication.

What advice would you give communications professionals who want to build confidence and credibility when navigating risk, uncertainty and public scrutiny?

First, understand that trust is not a given. In fact, our annual CanTrust Index reveals that about half of the adult population has a low trust disposition. Specifically, they are likely to agree with the statement “you can’t be too careful in dealing with people.”

Second, trust is dynamic, not static. People move from trusting to untrusting based on the situation that confronts them. It’s useful to think of trust as behaving like a battery that loses its charge over time and must be recharged through actions that demonstrate competence, integrity and care.

Third, anchor your decisions and messaging in your organization’s values. People may not agree with every action you take, but they will respect decisions that clearly align with established principles.

Finally, understand what matters most to your audiences and map those priorities against the situations you might encounter. When the moment arrives and pressure is high, that clarity becomes one of your strongest assets.

Samiha Fariha is the current Communications Chair on CPRS Toronto’s Board, a Senior Associate at Golin’s Toronto office, and a professor in The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University. She brings a strong focus on media relations, content strategy, and digital communications, informed by her experience in both agency and academic settings.

March feels like a fitting time to talk about renewal and momentum, two themes that resonate strongly in communications today. For this month’s In Conversation With blog series, we connected with Tanya Bevington, Chief Communications Officer at IKEA Canada. With more than two decades of experience spanning public affairs, brand positioning, and strategic communications, Tanya has seen firsthand how the role of PR has evolved from a support function to a strategic leadership driver. As a member of the Canadian management team, she brings a business-first perspective to communications, ensuring reputation, culture, and strategy move in lockstep.

We spoke with Tanya about the growing importance of purpose-led storytelling, the central role of trust in brand building, and why communications must be clearly connected to measurable business outcomes. From navigating change at the leadership table to embracing AI thoughtfully and strengthening employee engagement, here is what she had to share.

How has your role as a PR practitioner evolved in recent years?

I’ve seen a tremendous amount of change over my 25-year career in communications, especially in the last decade. The biggest shift has been seeing communications evolve from more of a support function to a true strategic partner that actively shapes business direction and outcomes. More organizations are recognizing that communications should be at the leadership table – shaping decisions, guiding strategy, and helping the business navigate change and complexity.

In my role at IKEA Canada, I sit on the management team, which allows me to view communications through the lens of the entire business. That 360° view ensures our work isn’t just about messaging, but about connecting communications to business goals, culture, customer experience, and long-term brand building.

That said, PR/communications can no longer rely on media impressions alone. We need data and insights that clearly connect our work to business outcomes — whether that’s through sales, visitation, engagement, or sentiment. Demonstrating impact through measurable KPIs has become essential.

What major shifts have you seen in the PR profession, and how are they shaping your work today?

A major shift I’ve seen is the growing importance of a brand or company communicating its purpose and values, as people increasingly choose to shop with, or work for brands that align with their own personal values. At IKEA, being a purpose-led organization is core to who we are, and we’ve found that telling those stories authentically helps differentiate us and build deeper emotional connection. This has meant moving beyond traditional PR to more impactful storytelling, using our own channels to share richer, more emotive stories, empowering our coworkers as brand ambassadors, and partnering with creators and content platforms to extend our reach. Brands today have more control over their narrative than ever before, and we’re leaning into that in a meaningful and intentional way.

Trust has become one of the most valuable assets any brand can hold, and it must be continuously earned. For us, trust is both operational, reflected in whether we deliver on our promises and meet customer expectations, and societal, rooted in the positive contributions we make to our communities and the world. While trust enables organizations to navigate challenges more effectively, it can also be fragile and takes time to rebuild, which is why so much of our work is focused on nurturing transparency, integrity, and accountability so that IKEA remains a loved and trusted brand.

Looking ahead, what trends or changes do you think will define the role of PR practitioners in the future?

AI is clearly transforming how we work. While authenticity must remain at the heart of communication, AI can help streamline tactical tasks, surface insights, and create efficiencies — freeing communicators to focus on strategy, creativity, and judgment. The opportunity now is to leverage AI in a responsible way, that adds value, while preserving the human voice of a company’s brand.

Another area where I see a growing need, and often a gap, is internal communication and employee engagement. Companies increasingly recognize that engaged employees create better customer experiences, build stronger loyalty, and drive higher performance. As the nature of work continues to evolve, effective internal communication must be personalized, accessible across both digital and physical environments, relevant to multiple generations, and clearly aligned with an organization’s strategy. It’s an area that many organizations are now investing in more deeply, understanding that strong employee connection is essential to overall business success.

What is your biggest piece of advice for PR practitioners moving forward?

Choose work that sparks your passion. PR requires creativity, energy, and a deep commitment to the stories you tell, and it’s much easier to bring your best when you believe in what you’re doing. As a busy, working mother of three, I’m intentional about spending my time in a place where I’m growing, inspired, and contributing to something meaningful. That alignment has been key to both my success and my fulfillment.

About CPRS Toronto’s In Conversation With blog series

Once a month, the In Conversation With series spotlights voices from across the communications field, featuring leaders and rising professionals who share their perspectives on industry trends, the future of the profession, and their own career journeys. These conversations aim to inspire, inform, and highlight the diverse experiences shaping the future of public relations.

If you would like to share your story or nominate a colleague, please contact us at communications@cprstoronto.com.

The Communicator’s Guide to Responsible AI Chatbot Deployment: 7 Key Considerations

By Tanvi Singhal

Businesses are increasingly experimenting with AI, with over 88 percent regularly using it in at least one business function. Salesforce estimates that 30% of customer service cases today are handled by AI, and predicts it to rise to over 50% by 2027.

In the near future, AI chatbots will likely become a necessity rather than a novelty. The chatbot would be the first point of interaction with the brand for more customers, serving as the company’s digital ambassador. Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge the critical role of marketing and communications in the successful deployment of an AI chatbot and to involve them as core team members from the very beginning.

Here are 7 things marketing and communications professionals need to pay attention to for the effective and responsible deployment of AI chatbots and for mitigating reputational risks.

1. Design a Detailed Personality

Just as with other brand assets, chatbots should reflect the brand’s colours, voice, and tone to maintain coherence and build trust. Building the chatbot’s personality with detailed guidelines specifying the tone of the responses (such as serious, witty, creative or precise), the words to use and those to filter out, the length of the responses, the use of emojis and slang, ensures its responses align with the brand’s values and business. Not doing this could lead to misalignment and even damage to the brand. For example, a cheerful and enthusiastic chatbot could work well for a vacation-planning agency but would be a disaster for a hospital’s appointment-booking chatbot. Financial businesses would want to avoid slang and emojis and keep responses precise.

2. Mitigate Anthropomorphism Risk

While we speak about assigning a personality to the bot for brand consistency, it is crucial to remember that the purpose of the chatbot is not to make users believe it is human, but to enable customers to use more natural, human language while seeking the information they need.

Humans naturally tend to anthropomorphize, that is, to assign human traits to non-human entities such as animals and even computers. Therefore, it is not enough for the business to avoid making the chatbot human-like. Steps should be taken proactively to mitigate the risk that the chatbot will be perceived as human, as this could raise serious ethical concerns and breach trust. These steps include:

• Avoid giving the chatbot a realistic human name or mascot that could mislead users. Depending on the purpose, some organizations might give their chatbots specific names while others might use clear identifiers like “Virtual Assist,” “Guide,” or “Support Bot.”
• Whenever the user initiates the chatbot, a clear and conspicuous message should be displayed that it is an AI-powered virtual assistant, to avoid misleading users into thinking they are speaking with a human.
• Some policy initiatives also recommend periodic reminders that the chatbot is non-human, which could be a good idea when prolonged conversations can be expected, stretching to several hours, especially when they involve emotional aspects or consequential decisions, or when the user is known to be a minor.

3. Rely on a Controlled Database

It is recommended to use RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), which means the chatbot relies solely on information provided by the enterprise and thus offers greater control over its content, grounding responses in the company’s own documentation. RAG significantly reduces “hallucinations,”  so the bot is less likely to fabricate information and can be configured to answer with ‘I don’t know’ when the required information is not available in the source database.

RAG is a safe framework for AI chatbots, but it requires consistent, regular updates to the source content. A practical approach could be to use the website as the source content, avoiding the need to update multiple sources and documents. Outdated information is worse than no information. Sharing outdated pricing, old policies, or discontinued services is a customer-service nightmare. Assign clear ownership for content maintenance and set regular review schedules.

4. Monitor and Optimize Continuously

AI chatbots need constant monitoring and refinement. This means regularly evaluating the most frequently asked questions and making them more accessible, for instance, by placing them as ready prompts in the chatbox. Custom responses for questions that might not have been anticipated earlier but are commonly asked have to be fed into the ‘brain’ of the bot regularly to increase its accuracy. This ongoing approach to monitoring, evaluation, and improvement ensures continuous refinement. Over time, the chatbot should become smarter and more helpful, but human supervision cannot be dispensed with.

5. Maintain Transparency and Trust

Disclose whether the conversation is being recorded and, if so, how the data would be used, for example, for training and improvement or for greater personalization for the customer. Give users the option to opt in or out of data collection and make those preferences easy to review and change. It is also important to work with legal and cybersecurity teams to ensure that chatbot’s data practices, such as how long conversations are stored, what data is collected, and who can access chat logs, comply with applicable regional laws and regulations, and align with your organization’s internal policies, while avoiding the collection of unnecessary or sensitive information.

6. Build in Safeguards for Sensitive Industries

If you’re deploying a chatbot for an organization handling sensitive information, such as a bank or a healthcare provider, explicitly warn users against sharing confidential data like account details, SIN numbers, passwords, or other confidential data in the chat. By training users not to share sensitive information in chat interfaces, you are also creating awareness for your customers that benefits them even beyond your platform.

7. Respect the Human Preference

Businesses should acknowledge that many users still prefer or need to speak with a human agent and respect their preference. Offer the option to connect with a human representative clearly and up front. Making users fight their way through multiple bot interactions before they can speak to a person will only lead to frustration and annoyance. Forcing everyone through the bot first might seem efficient, but it can alienate users and impact customer satisfaction.

The bottom line

A customer-facing chatbot represents the organization in thousands of daily interactions. Therefore, deploying an AI chatbot is a decision that requires heavy communications involvement to protect the brand image and reputation.

The technology will evolve, but organizations must not lose sight of the essence of an AI chatbot, which is, to make information retrieval faster and more accessible, not to replace human agents. Keep humans in the loop, maintain transparency, respect privacy, and trust user judgment when they say they need to “speak to a person”.

Tanvi Singhal is a communications and brand strategist with experience spanning the public sector, energy, infrastructure, cultural, and education domains. Her current focus is the responsible and effective use of AR, VR, and AI to drive engagement and innovation. A lifelong learner with an MBA from MICA, India, and a Master of Digital Media from Toronto Metropolitan University, she is driven by curiosity and creativity.

What PR Can Learn From TTC’s Line 5 Delays?

By Sanjeev Wignarajah

It feels familiar, doesn’t it? A glimmer of good news brings optimism to riders, only to shatter into a million pieces when something goes awry. The 25 stop, 19 kilometre transit line goes from Kennedy Station to the east and Mount Dennis to the west. The infamous TTC’s Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown LRT is the perfect PR case study of crisis communications and reputation recovery, social sentiment, transparency and trust-building, and stakeholder collaboration. PR professionals can learn from these lessons when a future transit line arrives in their city and what steps can be used to prevent it from happening.

Memes & Social Sentiment

Line 5 has become the receiving end of endless memes and jokes, albeit in conversation when said transit line is almost ready to open, which leads to a laugh riot or when an impossible idea like the Toronto Maple Leafs ending their Stanley Cup drought or NBA superstar LeBron James retiring from the NBA. That and the famous ‘We got [Insert something] before GTA VI.’ Jokes aside, it does bring awareness of how a transit project can be delayed for years with billions of dollars over budget and how businesses have been impacted by construction.

Crisis Management & Reputation Recovery

When something happens on Line 5:

• Technical issues
• Supply chain issues
• Small businesses shutting down because of construction
• Construction issues

It’s the job of a transit agency to answer the questions from the public and the media. In this case, hearing complaints from residents, riders, and business owners along Eglinton Avenue be it compensation from construction activity, traffic, and long. Metrolinx has received a lot of flack from these issues. Despite having provided updates on these issues when former CEO Phil Verster provided a three month update rather than a monthly update on the project. People do question whether the line will be open at some point.

Stakeholder Collaboration

For a project like the Eglinton Crosstown, which makes up businesses and residents along the route. What worked was putting notices on the project’s website to inform what work is needed in a certain neighbourhood for the duration of time, scope of work, and traffic impact and mitigation. It’s a lot of moving parts to create a new transit line that can make Torontonian’s lives a lot easier to travel seamlessly.

Transparency and Trust-Building

Transparency and trust-building are the key ingredients when it comes to building and expanding transit like Eglinton. What worked given the scope of the project is providing notices on the project’s website and on social media. What needs to be improved is transparency and trust-building. Earning back trust will take over time given the amount of delays the project faced.

Final Stop – Terminal Station

What PR professionals should takeaway from this:

• Be upfront to the public on why the line has been delayed
• Collaborate with construction consortiums on the project timeline and work with business owners on how the project
• Use social media to provide updates on the project from one section of the line to the next and so on and so forth
• Host town halls on the project update
• Inform the CEO and the team on the updates and provide a clear date when it is safe to open the line

Torontonians need transit expansion to serve more communities and to travel further, but it shouldn’t have to be hampered by delays at the expense of residents, business owners, and riders.

Sanjeev Wignarajah is a freelance writer and photographer working with select clients and publications. He has a background in journalism and public relations from Centennial College.

Inside the Classroom: How Digital Learning Is Shaping the Next Generation of Communications Professionals

By Samiha Fariha

As Digital Learning Day returns on February 26, it offers a timely moment to reflect on how technology is reshaping not just how we work, but how we learn. For those entering the communications profession today, digital fluency is no longer a bonus skill — it’s foundational. From generative AI to data-driven insight, the tools shaping communications practice are evolving quickly, and classrooms are being challenged to evolve just as fast.

To mark the day, we connected with Andrea Tavchar, Ph.D., APR, Professor in Humber Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Public Relations program, whose work sits at the intersection of education, technology, and the future of the communications profession. Andrea is focused on helping students build strong foundational skills while thoughtfully integrating emerging tools into the learning experience.

We spoke with Andrea about how communications education is responding to generative AI, how data and social listening are changing the way audiences are understood, and why trust, ethics, and lifelong learning remain essential as the profession continues to evolve. From balancing technology with human judgment to preparing students for a rapidly changing industry, here is what she had to share.

From your vantage point in PR education, which emerging technologies are most reshaping the communications profession right now and how is the classroom keeping pace with those shifts?

Generative AI is impacting the practice of PR and, by extension, PR education. We know that the PR industry is embracing generative AI in a variety of ways, including improving productivity, predicting trends and risk detection, summarizing data and drafting content, for example. As a result, it’s important that those of us who teach PR are also incorporating the tools in classroom learning. This is complicated because it’s essential that we also teach core PR skills such as writing, content creation and research. The challenge is how to integrate generative AI in the learning without compromising key skill development.

One way that I have integrated AI into the PR learning process is by teaching students about effective prompt writing, having them generate an AI draft and then working on “humanizing” the content to reflect accurate information, cite reliable sources, add human/authentic anecdotes and insights and to write in a conversational tone. The students are then asked to reflect on the experience of using generative AI in the content creation process.

Other faculty are incorporating AI in other ways, often as a tool to edit content after it was written organically. An important skill we’re all teaching is critical thinking to ensure the gen AI content is free from bias, accurately cites sources and is timely and relevant. These are areas where gen AI can still improve. And these are also ways we can tell if students are overly reliant on gen AI outputs rather than their own research and writing skills.

As AI and automation become more embedded in communications work, what broader implications do you see for strategy, creativity, and ethical decision-making in PR?

When consulting my colleagues in industry, they confirm that generative AI is changing the way they work. They talk about using gen AI for productivity improvements, aiding in media monitoring and analysis, and summarizing data, among other things. They also share that gen AI aids in brainstorming and drafting content. However, the overwhelming message I’m also hearing is that the final draft of any content produced must sound human. And, the act of humanizing content is becoming an important skill, moving forward. A colleague of mine, Yvette Elliott, an AI marketing consultant (among many other things), has a useful checklist she shared with my students that recommends incorporating localized references, real-life anecdotes and conversational language into your writing.

From an ethical perspective, it’s important for AI to be used transparently, with PR practitioners expected to disclose any generative AI use. In the process, practitioners should also ensure that the tool maintains data privacy and avoids bias. Some useful tools include the CPRS and CIPR’s Ethics Guide to Artificial Intelligence in PR, which outlines a decision-making framework to assess ethical risks, including bias, misinformation and consent. Other good resources that I came across while studying for my APR last fall include Luttrell and Wallace’s Public Relations and the Rise of AI and the newest edition of David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing and PR, which features a chapter on AI for marketing and PR.

In your experience, how has the rise of data, analytics, and social listening changed the way PR professionals should think about audience insight and engagement?

Since the inception of social networking sites in the mid-2000s, we have seen PR practitioners improving their ability to measure their communication outputs. K.D. Paine’s frequently quoted catchphrase – measure what matters – has guided practitioners to track social media analytics and listen to audience sentiment through online comments. And today, practitioners have elevated their expectations of online content performance, striving for online engagement and community building over vanity metrics. The result has been more targeted and personalized communication that is intended to gain stakeholder trust and improve brand reputation. Generative AI is further challenging practitioners who now need to create content for generative engine optimization, which means being findable for generative AI platforms.

With trust under pressure and disinformation becoming more sophisticated, how can technology be used responsibly to strengthen transparency and authenticity in communications?

What I’m reading and hearing from practitioners today points to the need for organizations to focus on both owned and earned content creation. Producing high quality owned content versus vs large quantities of content can build a pipeline of useful, accurate and reliable content that can be scraped by generative AI platforms. Ideally, this ensures that the gen AI results spotlight the organization in a positive way. I’m also learning that we’re seeing a move from SEO to GEO (or generative engine optimization), which encourages us, among other things, to get third-party endorsements for our content (which is valued by the gen AI platforms). This is obviously easier said than done – and it will be interesting to see if the strategies practitioners employ to accomplish this vary from the traditional news releases and influencer partnerships. The bottom line is that businesses themselves need to ensure that quality content exists to strengthen transparency and reinforce authenticity of their brands.

How do you see collaboration between academia and industry evolving as digital tools and platforms continue to change at a rapid pace?

Through the process of studying for my APR last fall, I realized how much the PR industry values communication theory. CPRS’s APR process showed me that practitioners are expected to embrace theoretical frameworks as learning tools, which inevitably contributes to the greater development of PR as a profession, making it a more strategic practice. In turn, it also equips practitioners to be lifelong learners, and better prepared to face rapidly changing technologies.

In turn, I’ve witnessed how much industry values the academic perspective through their support of our PR students. Industry recognizes the importance of PR training in the knowledge and skills required to be a successful practitioner in the PR profession. Theoretical knowledge can lead to higher levels of strategic thinking through effective research and critical analysis. Understanding theory is important to widen options in professional careers. The industry support we see on our student thesis nights speaks to the degree to which academic background enriches the practice of PR.

Looking ahead, what mindset or capabilities will be most critical for communications professionals navigating the next wave of digital transformation?

As long as practitioners embrace life-long learning they’ll be set for success. Whether that means taking a course, signing up for a webinar, reading a blog or subscribing to a Substack newsletter, practitioners need to keep up with the pace of change. Edelman’s Trust Barometer does a great job providing an annual pulse check to the industry, and many practitioners contribute to the collective learning through insightful LinkedIn posts (for example). I think it’s important to be intentional in your learning – find time in your week or month to follow opinion leaders in your sector and keep in touch with colleagues. Attending the annual CPRS conference can be another way to stay up to speed. Staying current is key and that’s something we teach our students. Another way to be of service is to volunteer as a guest speaker or client in one of our classes. It’s a priceless experience for the students and is a good way to keep you on your toes!

Samiha Fariha is the current Communications Chair on CPRS Toronto’s Board, a Senior Associate at Golin’s Toronto office, and a professor in The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University. She brings a strong focus on media relations, content strategy, and digital communications, informed by her experience in both agency and academic settings.

 

 

 

 

The PR Playbook for the 98th Academy Awards

By Sanjeev Wignarajah

The 98th Academy Award nominations were announced a week ago and Sinners leads the all-time record with 16 nominations. Last year’s Oscars was one of the strongest. We need to look at how studios leverage marketing campaigns for their respective films to be nominated from the film festival circuit to awards season and what PR firms can learn from them to create campaigns that are unique in their own right.

PESO Model

The PESO Model® is a communications framework created by Gini Dietrich and shared with the industry via Creative Commons. Learn more about the model on the Spin Sucks blog: https://spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model/.

 Earned Media – Festival Buzz

Much of the 10 nominated films for Best Picture at the 98th Academy Awards received Oscar buzz thanks to the press and the Academy Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences voting committee. These reviews perk up interest for Film Twitter, film insiders, and movie goers that see the film at a film festival. Both Letterboxd and Film Twitter go hand in hand as each film gets glowing reviews from the community, which translates to word of mouth and a reason to go see it on the big screen. The same can be said for independent journalists who cover movies.

Shared Media – Social Media Reactions

Long before social media when a movie was great, people would tell their friends and family about it. Flash forward to now, a review can be in the form of a tweet or a YouTube video. Platforms like Letterboxd have changed the way the film industry used to be, not just a digital film diary but as a way to connect with other cinephiles while logging their film reviews. Independent content creators and podcasters specializing in movies would gain access to red carpet interviews and press junkets to interview the cast and crew about the movie.

The key takeaway…social media clippings and online news articles are your new best friend.

Spotlight Strategy

Studios go into the drawing board on how they will campaign a few of their films once the festival circuit is over. Instead of the traditional billboard campaign of years past and somewhat of a full on magazine spread. Studios would allocate a certain budget to spend on the Oscar campaign through different platforms.

The key takeaway is to utilize social media platforms and analytics to track the progression of the campaign from paid media to shared media.

And The Oscar Goes To…

What PR agencies and firms can learn from this is to craft a campaign that is unique and meaningful that ties into their client and to form a story around the message. As social media evolves into content driven with influencers collaborating with brands forming a story around a particular product. Agencies are going through the social media route not only to share their campaign with their respective client. In the post-strike Oscar era where small, independent studios like A24 and NEON Rated are thriving in their filmography winning awards as well as Netflix making ground and big studios like Warner Bros. That is absolute cinema.

Sanjeev Wignarajah is a freelance writer and photographer working with select clients and publications. He has a background in journalism and public relations from Centennial College.    

How to Be Successful in Job Interviews

By Brandon Kish

How am I going to get this job? How am I going to succeed in the interview? These are common questions many people ask, including me. It is perfectly natural to be nervous before a job interview because it is unpredictable what can happen. However, the important thing is to be prepared. There is a lot that needs to take place before interview day. The better prepared you are, the less nervous and more successful you will be.

Here are some tips to succeed in your next job interview:

1. Research Yourself

Think of going into the interview as an audition. You want to show them why you are better than the other candidates. Think about your skills and what you offer that is different from others. Know about your strengths and weaknesses. This shows that you are in tune with yourself and not trying to project perfection. Be able to give clear examples of both; this demonstrates that you understand yourself.

Your personality is something very attractive about you. Be sure to explain why you are interested in this position and industry.

2. Have Questions Prepared

Once the interviewers have asked their questions, you are most likely going to be asked if you have any. Never say that you don’t. That immediately looks like you are not interested in the position. One is not enough, and you don’t want too many. You should have about three questions written down. Think from their perspective too. Would you rather hire someone who keeps showing interest, or someone who just wants to get out of there as fast as possible? They want someone who they feel will be best for their organization’s future success.

Here are some examples:

1. What would a typical working day be like?
2. Who will the new employee be reporting to?
3. What immediate projects or tasks would I be working on?

To practice, anticipate the questions that they may ask you. Research online commonly asked questions about the job position you’re applying for. Preparing your answers will help calm your nerves and give you more control over your answers.

3. Practice

You’re acting. Your big role is to go into that interview and demonstrate that you are the best choice for the job.

Search online for common questions that are asked for your position in job interviews. Then you can even look online for answers for those jobs. Be sure to tailor the answers to your own skills, experience, and the job posting itself.

You want to sound positive but also calm. Your lines do not have to be 100 percent rehearsed. There will potentially be unexpected questions in the interview. Think of it like professional sports. Teams practice before a game, but nothing is like being put into the battle. It is unpredictable, but being prepared will reduce your chances of something negative happening.

4. Plan Your Transportation

You probably hear it all the time: “Don’t be late.” But really, please, don’t be late. That automatically reduces your chances to a minimum of getting the job. Be sure to arrive early. You should perform a dry run; drive, get a ride, or take transportation, etc., to the location at approximately the same time as the interview. This way you know what to expect. You should arrive early to demonstrate that you respect the interviewer’s time and that you are professional. Check for parking and alternative parking locations. You don’t want to show up and become late.

5. Body Language

Slouched shoulders, no smile, and a quiet voice. Wow, it sounds like that person is about to jump for joy. They are so excited for their interview. Not. Remember it like you’re playing a character. You get what you put out. You want to demonstrate to the interviewer and organization that you are happy about potentially working with them. It is important to have open palms and appear receptive. Show those pearly whites as well by smiling. Make them feel good in your presence. The last thing they want is someone who doesn’t bring a positive attitude to the workplace. Remember, they are trying to find someone who, yes, does a good job, but also contributes to the team setting in a professional but positive manner. Keep those arms uncrossed and absolutely no fidgeting. Those show a sense of nervousness or fright. Keep that posture good, as this portrays confidence. If you slouch in your chair, then you’re going to look uninterested and unmotivated.

6. After the Interview

Please remember that the interview doesn’t end when you leave the office. In fact, there are a few more details to keep in mind. First, remember the names of the people you were interviewed by, and if possible, get their email addresses. Later that day, you should send them a thank-you email. This displays professionalism and appreciation for the opportunity.

Your email should:

1. Be individualized to the interviewer. My gosh, please put the person’s name. Don’t put “Hiring Manager.” If you’re writing a birthday card to your in-law, you don’t write “Happy Birthday Father-in-Law”; you write their name.
2. Re-emphasize your interest in the position. Show them how you want to work for them. They want to see someone who would enjoy it, not someone passive about it.
3. Thank them. You wouldn’t believe how often people forget to do this and instead tell them that they are awaiting their call. This person took the time to interview you out of their busy schedule. Please say the words “Thank You” in the email.

You are going against other candidates for positions, so you want to demonstrate why you are the best choice. Nothing is guaranteed. You may have a great interview and not get the job. But you never know what can happen next. Companies sometimes are so pleased with an interview that they might let you know that they have you in mind for another position. I have had this even happen with me. It is better to have a job than to not have a job. Overall, this experience will also allow you to succeed in future interviews because it gives you great practice. Best of luck!

Brandon Kish is an author and administrative assistant in an employment services program. With a background in public relations and communications, he is passionate about helping people achieve their goals and believes in the power of staying positive.

 

Co-Presidents Message

Happy February. 2026 has been a cold one, hasn’t it? But as we count down the days until this cold frost dissipates, let’s also take time to celebrate this month. February is Black History Month. It should be a time for both reflection and celebration. On the one hand, let’s celebrate the incredible black communicators and journalists we work with every day. Let’s also remember that the playing field was not equal for them, making their accomplishments even more impressive.

Let’s also take time to reflect on our own anti-racism journey. At CPRS Toronto, we have a strict anti-racism policy, but we ask our members to go beyond simply adhering to policies. We all have much to learn. This is a time to listen, to learn, to ask difficult questions about our own conscious and unconscious biases. And, as communications professionals, let’s take time to ensure that our work challenges those biases and promotes a more equal, fair and humane world.

As we move through this month, we encourage you to stay curious, stay connected, and keep leaning into the conversations that matter with your teams, your clients, and each other. We are grateful to be part of such a thoughtful and engaged community, and we look forward to what we will continue to learn together this year.

Warmly,

Andrea Chrysanthou, APR & Erin Griffin

Co-Presidents, CPRS Toronto