March 5, 2026
In this week's edition (#179): Communicating with authority, PR KPIs for 2026, Accenture & change, Unilever & creators, Pinterest & slop, YouTube & GEO, the brands that think, and much more...
Command the Moment: Communicating With Authority Under Pressure - “When complexity is processed verbally, it leads to over-explanation, which in turn can seem like hesitation. Excessive qualification can land as doubt and, detail, however accurate, can begin to sound defensive.” (Brave & Bold via Sarah Mason)
How Newsrooms Battle AI-Generated Misinformation - “Major outlets reveal verification tactics as deepfakes flood conflict coverage” (Tech Buzz)
The Rundown: Why YouTube has become key for brand GEO strategies - “According to SEO company BrightEdge, YouTube is now a top source for LLMs and is leant on by the likes of Gemini and ChatGPT more frequently than Reddit, showing up in 29.5% of Google AI Overviews.” (DigiDay)
If CEOs Won’t Speak, How About These Guys? - “The largest purpose of leadership communicators was never to lionize the CEO; it was always to help their institutions become, as the ECC Charter also says in its concluding words, ‘more humane, socially sensible and effective.’” (Pro Rhetoric)
If You’re Not Tracking These 10 PR KPIs in 2026, You’re Already Behind - “With AI, the PR and news ecosystem is shifting again under the influence of LLM-powered search and fragmented audience attention. However, some PR measurement KPIs remain foundational while metrics evolve.” A solid list. (PR Daily)
How trust became the most valuable business currency - “In an increasingly fractured world, trust comes from creating space and environments for dialogue and deeper context. The understanding of local cultural realities and concerns (as opposed to wider, macro narratives and generalisations) is increasingly important; now more than ever.” (Campaign)
The Unilever CEO Has a New Marketing Doctrine, and It Is Completely Wrong - “The CPG giant disastrously tried to foist purpose across 400 brands. Now, it’s making the same error with creators.” (Adweek)
Accenture Is About to Learn an Expensive Lesson About Change - “There’s a meaningful difference between: Leading transformation: communicating the why, the vision, the specific how, and the safety net for people who get it wrong along the way. Mandating compliance: tracking logins and tying them to promotions. One builds buy-in. The other builds resentment.” (Jacqueline Keidel Martinez)
NGOs Seek Exposure First To Influence Corporate Boardrooms - New research shows “that NGO activism follows a clear economic logic: when NGOs lack visibility, stakeholders do not view them as credible, forcing them to rely on high-profile campaigns during annual shareholder meetings. However, these actions generate attention but rarely influence decisions. As NGOs gain recognition, they can campaign earlier, when votes are still open, and meaningfully sway shareholders and change corporate behavior.” (Promarket)
Pinterest Is Drowning in a Sea of AI Slop and Auto-Moderation - “Pinterest has gone all in on artificial intelligence and users say it’s destroying the site… AI-powered mods are pulling down posts and banning accounts, AI-generated art is filling feeds, and hand drawn art is labeled as AI modified.” (404)
The Brand that Thinks - “We’ve been designing brands like buildings. Fixed structures. Blueprints handed over, then constructed, then maintained. The assumption being that if you get the architecture right upfront, it will stand. Brands don’t exist like buildings. Not anymore.” (Zoe Scaman)
Pope Leo demands priests stop using AI to write sermons over TikTok panic - “In an address to the clergy of the Diocese of Rome on Thursday, Pope Leo had a few warnings about the internet and AI when it comes to religion.” (Irish Star)
And finally, the most popular article from last week was 3 Truths Why You Suck at PR by PR Daily.