Wednesday's hot topics! Here is your Daily PR Brief - February 18, 2026
Kraft Heinz's halted breakup; Staying put may be a PR pro's best bet; Effectiveness of virtual versus in-office PR teams; more!
Read some of today's best PR and Comms industry news clips:
CEO Branding Vs. CEO Reputation Management: Key Strategies For Business Growth (Forbes - February 18, 2026)
What Kraft Heinz's halted breakup teaches about managing change (Ragan Communications - February 18, 2026)
Loyalty in the Age of Flux: Why Staying Put May Be a PR Pro's Best Bet (PRNEWS - February 17, 2026)
Can you 'convince' a journalist to read your pitch? (PRmoment (UK) - February 10, 2026)
The effectiveness of virtual versus in-office PR teams (PRmoment (UK) - February 18, 2026) [PODCAST]
The Accountability Window in Olympic Coverage: Lindsey Vonn's Milan-Cortina Case Study (Agility PR Solutions - February 17, 2026)
Why Some Communicators Reference the SOEP Model — And What It Means for Your PR Strategy (Axia Public Relations - February 18, 2026)
IPR Research Shows Communicators Are Driving Generative AI Adoption (CommPRO - February 12, 2026)
Davos 2026: Corporate Affairs Moves Closer to the Strategic Core (PRovoke Media - February 11, 2026)
Ragan's 2026 Employee Communications Awards finalists announced (PR Daily - February 17, 2026)
Half-hearted apology follows media interview disaster (Media First (UK) - February 16, 2026)
Corporate PR at the Midsize Level Is Broken—And That's an Opportunity (Everything PR News - February 18, 2026)
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Summary Section:
CEO Branding Vs. CEO Reputation Management: Key Strategies For Business Growth
By Raoul Davis, Partner at Ascendant
Forbes - February 18, 2026
As a CEO, your branding strategy and your reputation management strategy should be aligned if you want to ensure they contribute to business growth.
What Kraft Heinz's halted breakup teaches about managing change
By Tom Corfman
Ragan Communications - February 18, 2026
Five months after Kraft Heinz employees started work on splitting the slumping food giant into two companies, a new CEO last week put the plan on hold indefinitely, the latest example of the dizzying pace of change facing workers everywhere.
Loyalty in the Age of Flux: Why Staying Put May Be a PR Pro's Best Bet
By Melissa Dunn
PRNEWS - February 17, 2026
In a post-pandemic world defined by "quiet quitting," the "Great Resignation" and a restless search for the next big thing, sticking around and loyalty can seem counterintuitive for many PR professionals.
Can you 'convince' a journalist to read your pitch?
By Anthony Tattum, Co-Founder and CMO of Leopard Co
PRmoment (UK) - February 10, 2026
Any PR will know that pitching is no easy feat. Journalists openly share that they receive hundreds, if not thousands, of emails a day from comms professionals — with all of us trying to reach the same goal of coverage.
The effectiveness of virtual versus in-office PR teams [PODCAST]
By Ben Smith
PRmoment (UK) - February 18, 2026
Ben Smith moderated a discussion between Howard Kosky and Lynsey Barry about the effectiveness of virtual versus in-office PR teams, with an emphasis on how both agency culture and leadership styles are impacted by physical location.
The Accountability Window in Olympic Coverage: Lindsey Vonn's Milan-Cortina Case Study
By Jeremy Parkin
Agility PR Solutions - February 17, 2026
Last week’s Lindsey Vonn storyline at Milan-Cortina offered a clean case study in something communicators often feel but rarely measure: when an athlete-centered hero narrative breaks, coverage briefly expands into institutional accountability—then contracts back toward equilibrium fast.
Why Some Communicators Reference the SOEP Model — And What It Means for Your PR Strategy
Axia Public Relations - February 18, 2026
Some academics propose reordering the PESO media categories into a SOEP model (Shared-Owned-Earned-Paid). Here’s what the shift represents, why it emerged, and how strategic communicators should think about media priorities today.
IPR Research Shows Communicators Are Driving Generative AI Adoption
CommPRO - February 12, 2026
New research from IPR, sponsored by New York Life, shows communicators are playing a central role in driving generative AI adoption by helping organizations align leadership, technology and culture.
Davos 2026: Corporate Affairs Moves Closer to the Strategic Core
By Maja Pawinska Sims
PRovoke Media - February 11, 2026
Comms leaders at this year's World Economic Forum give their impressions of an event shaped by geopolitical volatility, AI credibility questions and rising expectations of leadership communication.
Ragan's 2026 Employee Communications Awards finalists announced
PR Daily - February 17, 2026
Ragan is proud to announce the finalists for the 2026 Employee Communications Awards, honoring the organizations, teams and professionals who are redefining what it means to communicate with employees in today's rapidly evolving workplace.
Half-hearted apology follows media interview disaster
By Adam Fisher
Media First (UK) - February 16, 2026
Following up a media interview with an apology is never a great position for a spokesperson. The situation gets even worse when the apology is widely criticised.
Corporate PR at the Midsize Level Is Broken—And That's an Opportunity
Everything PR News - February 18, 2026
Executives want proof. Boards want metrics. Sales teams want leads. HR wants employer branding. Legal wants risk mitigation. Everyone wants something from PR, yet few agree on what success actually looks like.
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