Patagonia runs one of the most distinctive internal communications operations in any consumer brand. Internal voice matches external voice. Substantive, values-led, operationally honest. Employees read internal emails because they read like the brand's external content.
Starbucks operates one of the most-studied corporate social media operations in any consumer category. The seasonal beverage cycle, the customer trend amplification, the platform-native production, the loyalty integration. What the discipline actually requires now.
KFC UK's February 2018 "FCK" newspaper apology is the canonical case in the golden rules of PR crisis management — a logistics catastrophe turned into one of the most celebrated brand-voice moments of the decade. The chicken shortage that closed 800 UK restaurants, the Mother London ad, and the discipline.
Apple's PR strategy is the canonical case in disciplined restraint. Communicates rarely. Owns the moment. Selective journalist access. Disciplined silence. Substantive content. The six structural elements, why they work, and what other brands have managed to learn from the discipline.
Liquid Death is the case study every B2C PR practitioner should study. Founded 2019 with one SKU of canned still water. $1.4B valuation by 2024. Reached scale almost entirely through B2C PR, brand voice, and cultural relevance — with less paid media spend per unit than any major beverage competitor.
Twelve marketing and PR terms to retire in 2026 — synergy, leverage, robust, seamless, best-in-class, cutting-edge, game-changer, unlock, disrupt, pivot, ever-evolving, at-the-end-of-the-day — and what to say instead.
