Weekly Rewind: Our favorite stories from around the web

Photo Courtesy of ABC
Photo Courtesy of ABC

President Trump announcing a policy change via twitter threw the social media world into pandemonium (not surprising), and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer may soon be waltzing in sequins for a reality show (a bit surprising). We break it down in this Weekly Rewind.

#LetThemServe

One of the biggest political headlines this week surrounded President Trump’s tweet that transgender people should not be allowed to serve “in any capacity” in the United States military. Currently, nearly 10,700 transgender people may be in the military, and it’s unclear how this announcement could affect their status.

Social media immediately exploded with posts from world military leaders to celebrities and tech organizations, expressing their dismay at Trump’s statement. In today’s world, the pressure on large corporations to take a stand on political and social issues is at an all time high. From Google to Uber, see how companies are impacted by their decisions to speak out or stay silent.

Spicer Does the Salsa?

Since Sean Spicer’s exit from the White House, the former press secretary has allegedly been in talks with executives from networks including ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX to be a political pundit. It’s also been rumored that Spicer is connecting with reality show Dancing with the Stars. Known to paint public figures in a happier light to make them more relatable, Spicer’s decision to cha-cha-cha onto the show could be the best PR move for his career.

Like a Good Neighbor

If you’re looking for ways to humanize your brand online, State Farm is a good role model. Joe Strupek, assistant vice president of public affairs at State Farm Insurance says it’s about 70 percent listening and 30 percent content. Here are a few tips on how to accomplish this:

  • You don’t always have to respond. Brands can feel the need to immediately reply to all positive and negative tweets, but first you really need to decide if the tweet even warrants a response. Also, negative tweets should be addressed via a private message.
  • Use what you hear. State Farm looks for tweets where they can respond to their customers in an engaging way. For example, someone tweeted, “Like a good neighbor @StateFarm is there… I need food.” The insurance company asked the person to send his address and favorite restaurant in a direct message so they could hook him up.

Test Your Ice Cream Knowledge

The fact that it’s both Friday and 105 degrees outside makes us want to leave you with this article from PR Dailyhow well do you know your ice cream vocabulary? Read up and then go get yourself a cup of frozen yogurt made with low-fat or nonfat yogurt, sweeteners, gelatin, corn syrup and flavoring. Or heck, it’s the weekend. Dig into that tub of ice cream made with no less than 10 percent milk fat, cream sugar and eggs. #Noregrets