✅ Monday briefing: WaddsCon, football failure, access to information, accessible communications, live audio, fake linkedin users, slander games, data portability and more…

Media, industry, best practice, research and insight, social media and platforms, and tools

The April edition of WaddsCon takes place 1-2pm on Friday featuring speakers from Reuben Sinclair, We Are North, Story and Omnicom on the current PR job market, creativity, storytelling and organisational purpose. Follow this link for more information, speakers and booking. (Disclosure: Reuben Sinclair and Story are Wadds Inc. clients).

Media

⚖️ AD SUIT: The Daily Mail is suing Google alleging that Google’s grip on online advertising means newspapers see little of the revenue their content produces. The lawsuit says that Google "punished" publishers who "do not submit to its practices." Spotted Richard Bagnall and Sarah Waddington.

📝 HEADLINE TESTING: A must-read two-part series takes a close look at how The New York Times tests multiple headlines for a single article. Part 1 explores its use of A/B testing while Part 2 looks at how it tracks the performance of frontpage stories. Spotted Andrew Smith.

Industry

🏃 WADDSCON: As we emerge from lockdown in the UK we’re going to continue running WaddsCon for as long as people find it useful and speakers continue to pitch for slots. We’ve 200 delegates signed up for Friday’s April event and May’s is in the works. We’re also seeking sponsors. Source Stephen Waddington.

👨‍⚖️ PROVOKE STUDY: The fourth wave of PRovoke's COVID-19 research finds demand for corporate communications is even higher than a year ago. It also sets out priorities for in-house budgets, challenges and stakeholder focus. Source Maja Pawinska Sims.

Best practice

⛽ GREENWASH ADS: Environmental lawyers ClientEarth have accused many of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies of using advertising to greenwash their ongoing contribution to the climate crisis. It is calling on policymakers to ban all fossil fuel company ads unless they come with tobacco-style health warnings. Spotted Sarah Waddington.

🐛 CATERPILLAR RIGHTS: M&S has stepped up its caterpillar wrangle with Aldi after the discounter said it planned to bring back its Cuthbert cake as a charity initiative. Aldi had stopped selling the cake in February after M&S claimed it was a copy. The issue has played out noisily on social media with Aldi accused of charity washing. Spotted Alexander Watson.

⚽ FOOTBALL FAILURE: The collapse of the European Superleague project is an example of what happens when an organisation fails to consult key stakeholders. The financial backers of 12 clubs planned to shake up the sport. It unravelled within 48 hours amid political and public protest. Spotted Stephen Waddington.

Research and insight

🔒 ACCESS TO INFORMATION: Reporters Without Borders has reported a “dramatic deterioration” in access to information and an “increase in obstacles'' for journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic in its 2021 World Press Freedom Index ranking. Journalists are finding it increasingly difficult to report on sensitive stories due to COVID-19 restrictions. Spotted Alan Morrison.

📈 UK CONSULTANCIES: The 2021 version of PRWeek’s annual Top 150 UK Consultancies table is a story of the impact COVID-19 has had on the PR sector. It shows that aggregate revenue earned by the Top 150 agencies was down 4.3% to £1.36bn in 2020 compared to £1.42bn in 2019. Spotted Stephen Waddington.

🎤 ACCESSIBLE COMMUNICATIONS: The PRCA has published guidelines to help communicators improve the accessibility of their communication. It covers content, media, influencers and events and is packed with practical tools, advice and case studies. Source Stephen Waddington.

Social media and platforms

📹 BEHIND THE ALGORITHM: YouTube has published a 10-minute video primer that sets out how its video recommendation system works. The aim is to help creators build an audience on the platform, and reach more viewers with their clips. Spotted Andrew Smith.

🤯 TIKTOK CONTENT: The Business Content Guide is a cheat sheet for any business to easily get the hang of using TikTok to promote a brand. It showcases trending and engaging content for businesses and communities. Spotted Alan Morrison.

🔊 LIVE AUDIO: Facebook is set to roll out new audio features including Live Audio Rooms which is their version of Clubhouse. Facebook will also launch a new feature called Soundbites, where users can create and share short audio clips. Spotted Ramona Slusarczyk.

🎭 FAKE LINKEDIN USERS: According to MI5, at least 10,000 UK nationals have been approached on LinkedIn by fake profiles linked to hostile states over the past five years. It warns users who have accepted such connection requests might have then been lured into sharing secrets. Spotted Owain Betts.

👎🏾 SLANDER GAMES: A New York Times investigation explores the ecosystem of websites whose primary purpose is destroying reputation. It uncovers a dodgy economy in which the organisations that host so-called gripe sites charge hefty fees for the removal of negative content. Spotted Andrew Smith.

Tools

📔 DATA PORTABILITY: The updated Facebook Data Portability tool allows users to transfer Facebook content out of the platform. The updates extend the reach of the tool that already enables people to transfer their photos and videos to Backblaze, Dropbox, Google Photos and Koofr. Spotted Alan Morrison.

🗯️ INSTA CONTROLS: Instagram has introduced new tools to help protect communities from online abuse. It includes controls on direct message communication and stricter penalties for people who send abusive messages. Spotted Alan Morrison. 

There’s no newsletter next week. Monday, 3 May is a Bank Holiday in the UK.