Twitter to flag misleading COVID-19 vaccine content, Instagram launches ‘Live Rooms,’ and Volvo pledges to go fully electric by 2030

Also: Six Dr. Seuss titles will no longer be published due to racist imagery, brand managers ramp up content for Women’s History Month, 66% of marketers are boosting online lead-gen budgets, and more. Hello, communicators: Many brand managers are ramping up content surrounding Women’s History Month, including United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team, NASA and Vevo: https://twitter.com/UN_Women/status/1366713660253569026 https://twitter.com/USWNT/status/1366455697299431424 https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1366494878616739842 https://twitter.com/Vevo/status/1366538744245977088 Here are today’s top stories: Twitter to label COVID-19 vaccine misinformation The social media platform announced that it’s marking tweets that might contain “misleading information around COVID-19 vaccinations.” It will also introduce a “strike system,” which hands out escalating suspensions to users who post misinformation or disinformation. After five strikes, the account will be permanently suspended from Twitter. https://twitter.com/TwitterSafety/status/1366478376056221698 In a blog post, Twitter wrote: Labels will appear in your set display language and may link to curated content and official public health information or the Twitter Rules. Our goal with these product interventions is to provide people with additional context and authoritative information about COVID-19. Through the use of the strike system, we hope to educate people on why certain content breaks our rules so they have the opportunity to further consider their behavior and their impact on the public conversation. This strike system is similar to our recent update to the Civic Integrity Policy. Individuals will be notified directly when a label or required Tweet removal results in additional account-level enforcement. Repeated violations of the COVID-19 policy are enforced against on the basis of the number of strikes an account has accrued for violations of the policy. Why it’s important: Communicators across industries and roles should be actively involved in the fight against mis- and disinformation—not just those who work for social media platforms, news media organizations or the health care industry. The proliferance of fake news has severely damaged trust between consumers and organizations, and comms pros can lead the way by helping audiences, both internal and external, become savvier consumers of information. TACTICALLY SPEAKING Volvo Cars announced its commitment to become fully electric by 2030: https://twitter.com/volvocars/status/1366755062555508739 On its landing page titled, “Climate change is the ultimate safety test,” the Swedish automaker said it aims for 50% of its vehicle sales to be fully electric to meet its ultimate goal. CNN Business reported: The targets are aggressive for a company that has only brought one fully electric vehicle, the XC40 Recharge, to market. But they reflect a growing consensus that carmakers cannot delay the switch to electric vehicles without losing customers and angering regulators. "There is no long-term future for cars with an internal combustion engine," Volvo chief technology officer Henrik Green said in a statement. The transition to selling only electric cars will allow Volvo "to meet the expectations of our customers and be a part of the solution when it comes to fighting climate change," he added. The Next Web reported: Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo’s chief executive, acknowledged that Jaguar’s pledge has encouraged his company “to be a bit braver.” Hopefully, Volvo’s move has a similar effect on rival carmakers who are yet to make similar commitments. The announcement underlines the growing necessity for organizations to lean on purpose-driven communications and make meaningful commitments around issues including climate change, social justice, racial equity and more. CRISIS LEADERSHIP NETWORK Looking for more insight on how to address the current global crisis and lead your organization into a strong recovery? via GIPHY Join Ragan’s Crisis Leadership Network to connect and brainstorm with peers, get the latest intelligence and research and start to strategize for the future of your organization. Learn more about this exclusive membership here. MEASURED THOUGHTS London Research recently partnered with Demand Exchange to publish The State of B2B Lead Generation 2021 report, which revealed that 35% of all B2B sales are now attributed to leads generated through digital channels. More than half of the B2B organizations surveyed (55%) said they’re increasing their overall marketing budget over the next year, with 66% reporting that they’re boosting online lead generation budgets. The report highlights a continuing stakeholder behavior shift throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and one that will remain into the future. Digital marketing and content is paving the way for organizations’ success, even during times of crisis. London Research and Demand Exchange outlined several behaviors from leaders in the online lead generation space, compared with B2B organizations that have lagged behind these digital-first adoptions. The traits include a greater investment into online lead generation, with 20% more of the leaders putting budgets into this strategy, and 91% of the same leaders promoting a silo-free feedback loop and brainstorming sessions between marketing and sales teams. In comparison, only 61% of mainstream organizations are breaking down silos for more effective efforts. Image courtesy of London Research. You can read the entire report here. Instagram launches ‘Live Rooms’ feature The social media app announced it’s “doubling up” on Instagram Live, giving users the ability to livestream with up to three other Instagram accounts. In a blog post, Instagram wrote: We hope that doubling up on Live will open up more creative opportunities—start a talk show, host a jam session or co-create with other artists, host more engaging Q&As or tutorials with your following, or just hang out with more of your friends. Live Rooms also gives creators even more ways to build a business and earn money. We recently announced that Live viewers could purchase badges for their favorite creators to show their love. With Live Rooms, viewers can buy badges for the hosts and use other interactive features like Shopping and Live Fundraisers. We’re also exploring more interactive tools such as offering moderator controls and audio features that will be available in the coming months. Why it matters: As Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more compete with rising social media darlings Clubhouse and TikTok, communicators can benefit from these new features by embracing them for greater brand awareness and engagement. A theme of organizations’ success throughout COVID-19 has been partnering with other brands to exchange insights, strategies, social media shoutouts and more. Consider how you can use Instagram’s “Live Rooms” to feature a few of your organization’s experts or employees, partner with content creators, boost executives and other leaders, or create fun engagement opportunities with other branded accounts. TACTICALLY SPEAKING Six titles by Dr. Seuss will no longer be published due to “racist and insensitive imagery,” The Associated Press recently reported. Associated Press reported: “These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises told The Associated Press in a statement that coincided with the late author and illustrator’s birthday. “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” it said. … “Dr. Seuss Enterprises listened and took feedback from our audiences including teachers, academics and specialists in the field as part of our review process. We then worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review our catalog of titles,” it said. The news comes alongside a Virginia school district that has gone viral for “banning” the author’s books. However, instead of eliminating the titles, Loudoun County Public Schools said it’s no longer connecting these books to its “Read Across America Day,” meant to increase children’s excitement in reading. CNN reported: Both fall on March 2, and have often been "historically connected" to each other, the district said in a statement. "Research in recent years has revealed strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss," LCPS said in its statement, which links to School Library Journal article from 2018 about the National Education Association focusing its Read Across America efforts "on Diversity Not Dr. Seuss." DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH Where communications fits in an organization is a crucial element of positioning communicators to champion important campaigns, protect reputation and branding, drive key messages and influence top-level strategies. Are your PR and internal communications teams in sync, or do you place communications and marketing together? How does your organization view its communications function—and are you working on breaking down silos for collaborated, concentrated efforts? Take a look at how several communicators fit within their organizational workflows with our exclusive case study. via GIPHY Especially as organizations adjust to remote, dispersed and hybrid workplaces during COVID-19 and prepare for the future of work, considering where your communications team sits within your organization’s flow charts can affect leadership efforts and help you successfully execute campaigns and inititiaves. Download our whitepaper here. WHAT YOU SAID We asked how you stay on top of media coverage and brand mentions, and nearly 67% pay for a tool or service, while almost 29% of you turn to free or low-cost tools and resources. Only 4% of you partner with an agency to gather these analytics: https://twitter.com/PRDaily/status/1366364159668011012 Is there question you’d like to see asked? Please let us know under the #DailyScoop hashtag! SOUNDING BOARD Are you increasing audio content (podcasts, Clubhouse, etc.) or video content (YouTube, livestreams) within your strategies, PR Daily readers? https://twitter.com/PRDaily/status/1366778798096711682 Weigh in below or on Twitter, under the hashtag #DailyScoop, and we’ll share your insights in tomorrow’s roundup.

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