In 2020, typical communications strategies took a back seat amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses quickly pulled all marketing efforts during the start of COVID-19, evaluating how to best handle this crisis and still get key messaging to the public without appearing tone-deaf to what was happening in the world around us. But while marketing efforts may have temporarily slowed down for some, public relations (PR) professionals were busier than ever. From local nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies, most businesses quickly saw just how important PR would be to their 2020 marketing strategies. PR became a critical and cost-effective part of most plans. Here, we’ll explore the effectiveness of public relations while answering the question, “What does public relations do?”

This year put many public relations professionals to the test, seeing just how quickly they can think on their feet and react. While we weren’t prepared for this scenario, this year has reiterated to many companies the importance of a crisis communications plan. You can’t plan for every potential scenario, but having an overall plan is important. It helps your business handle an emergency situation effectively. Here are some insights and examples of successful crisis communication planning.

If 2016 set out to be the year of controversy, it certainly hasn’t disappointed. Daily local, regional, national and international headlines have not failed to give passionate social media users a plethora of causes to fuel the expression of their opinions. And much like the Energizer Bunny, they just keep going and going and going. One of the most embroiled controversies of the year came from a most unexpected place: a peaceful 143-year-old zoo in Cincinnati.