Category: Food & Consumer Products & Retail

The retail sector is going through a disruption accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several important cornerstones of the transformation that successful retail companies need to have in order to survive and grow through 2021 and beyond...

While most of the high-tech, operational changes that will help the holiday season are already underway, companies hoping to drive traffic to their brick and mortar locations should now take the time to focus on stakeholder communication and engagement. For retailers, agility in communications, especially with and by employees, will make it easier to close out the year coming back stronger...

The COVID-19 crisis has put a unique spotlight on food and food systems, revealing both strengths and weaknesses across sectors and practices. In some ways, it has placed consumers on a level playing field, but also exposed some deep inequalities...

The food industry, from farms to restaurants to retail to the tables of consumers, has been upended by COVID-19. This has resulted in a forced shift in the supply chain and could change how the world produces and consumes food well into the future...

One of the most jarring consequences of a pandemic in our interconnected world has been the restriction of individual movement. The freedom to travel, locally or abroad, has been limited. Beyond canceled vacations, the travel, tourism and hospitality industries have been crippled and only recently, experts began imagining the future of travel in a post-COVID-19 world...

Intelligence from APCO Worldwide’s proprietary COVID-19 Response Index (CRI) show that brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Pepsi are underperforming in consumer online conversations despite having pushed out messages of reassurance, hope, and health...

A new APCO Insight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults finds most Americans are planning to watch the Super Bowl, with high engagement about the well-hyped commercials and a slight rooting favorite...

Much like the game itself, Super Bowl LIV advertisers played it pretty safe with their offerings. Bill Dalbec, managing director of APCO Insight, takes a closer look at the commercials, companies and brands that aligned to a higher purpose of advocating on behalf of their key stakeholders on game day...

Influencers don’t just sell products. Some of the most successful influencer-PR partnerships involve endorsing a movement or driving a shift in perception...

How people spend their money is the reflection of what they care about. Consumers of the future have their own wants, and it is the responsibility of every corporate communicator to lean in, listen and craft an approach to deliver them...

To be prepared for tomorrow, companies need to build their reputation equity with the consumers of the future and the only way to do this is by being authentic. Companies need to act now by paying attention and showcasing their support for social causes...

Some of the biggest brands in the retail business have moved to an omnichannel approach, which looks to provide customers with a fulfilling, vibrant and engaging experience with the brand or product...

Flying under the radar has been a common strategy for many companies that did not want to be involved in sensitive issues. However, there is no space left under the radar today. The expectation is that companies act, and those actions must connect to their values and culture. ..

Cannabis is quickly becoming the “next big thing” on the cusp of breaking through all aspects of society: from medicine and beauty to food and beverages. Here are three key elements for brands and communication professionals to consider when prepping for its U.S. market entry...

The traditional media industry is in a state of upheaval. To best counsel clients, as practitioners, we must not only keep abreast of new developments but understand how the evolving media landscape will affect our clients’ stories...

High expectations and the eroded control of the corporate narrative have joined forces to create a new category of enterprise risk: Social Risk. Companies who integrate social risk into their strategic planning will earn the license to sustainably operate in this new landscape...

On November 1-2, Dubai held a bi-annual two-day “Africa Global Business Forum” to explore new business opportunities between the Gulf countries and Africa...

At this time of change, proponents of "future investment" must balance diverse stakeholder interests, negotiate generational disparity and navigate an evolving media environment. This is a prime moment for Japan’s PR industry to redefine its role as arbiter and communicator...

Over the next twenty years, we are likely to witness some of the most significant disruptions to the workforce and work as we know it in recent memory. This has been fueled by the demographic and socioeconomic trends of the past decade...

To say that Super Bowl advertisers were operating in a new era this year is a bit of an understatement. ..

In a game that was close and exciting until the end, the commercials, however, did not have the same sort of drama, with a few hits among many misses...

The food and agriculture industries are incredibly important parts of the U.S. and world economies. Food and agriculture exports are critical to farm incomes in the United States and in many parts of the developing world. Open markets for agriculture goods are especially critical for importing countries in the developing world as these countries, which for a variety of reasons are not self-sufficient in food production, seek to provide a reliable source of food and nutrition for their citizens...

On Tuesday, Starbucks announced it would close 8,000 stores for racial-bias education training May 29...

2018 was a long year. Many global businesses are ill prepared for an increasingly challenging global regulatory environment, to respond to complex social issues and especially to geopolitical threats and political uncertainty. But those that are better prepared, will be better insulated from unforeseen global shocks...

Companies, organizations and global leaders are preparing to face the many disruptions that await them in the new year. To better understand the current and future landscapes, we surveyed a select group of 28 IAC members and asked them what they see as the most prevalent and mission-critical trends moving forward...

As the global business and political communities prepare to turn the page to 2019, APCO’s team of global experts took a closer look at trends in areas key to businesses and our clients...

In the retail sector, we have witnessed the profound impact of new technology, but how that technology can be harnessed for the greater good is the question consumers will be asking in 2020 and beyond. Are brands ready to answer it?..

Conversations about your brand are happening in every nook and cranny of the Internet — among friends, family, colleagues and individuals who influence the opinions of millions of followers. There’s value and risk, in those conversations, which is why executives around the globe are showing increased interest in adding consumer advocacy programs to their marketing mix. Why is this critical for your brand?..