 By Amber Trares
At ICON 2025, I attended the session “Culture Is Your Crisis Plan: Communicating Unity in Divided Times,” led by Elizabeth Whittington, APR, senior director of executive communications at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges and divisions within the health care sector. “Culture will help you communicate unity in divided times,” Whittington said. St. Jude leaned on its strong culture that prioritized transparency and patient safety. The CEO emailed daily updates, including those concerning safety, to their employees. “Forty-two percent of CEOs cited workforce and culture as one of the most significant opportunities for success in the long term,” Whittington said. Company leaders can create a weak company culture by treating it as a communication strategy rather than focusing on behavior. Challenges with organizational culture also include returning to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic, ideological polarization and the acceleration of AI. Whittington explained that culture is not one thing. It is the sum of daily signals and practices, including hiring and onboarding, leadership communication, internal communications, external brands and stakeholder engagement. Whittington wrapped up the session by discussing federal funding and diversity, equity and inclusion. St. Jude receives federal funding, so measures have been taken to adhere to the government’s requirements while maintaining St. Jude’s value of DEI. ICON was a valuable experience that allowed me to hear from diverse professionals, explore Washington and network. I highly recommend the conference and plan to attend next year in Orlando, Florida.
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 By Haley Reedy
Speaker: Robyn Patterson, former White House Spokesperson, Biden administration At PRSA ICON 2025, I had the opportunity to hear from speakers on topics ranging from nonprofits and AI implementation to agency work. One session that I found extraordinarily insightful was "From the Briefing Room to the Boardroom: Translating Political Messaging Tactics for Corporate PR," led by Robyn Patteson, the former spokesperson for the Biden White House. During my time in Washington, D.C., my passion for crisis communication and political PR was reignited, and Patterson’s session was a perfect blend of both. Adapt a Crisis Mindset Before You’re in One Patterson reminded me that not all crises have to be life-or-death; they can also be small. A crisis can be difficult to avoid but necessary to prepare for. They may not be "good," but crises help develop the mindset and practices we take into our internships and future work. I kept asking myself, "What do we need to say and when do we need to say it?" Responding too quickly without clear messaging can create confusion, but waiting too long can make the public lose trust in you or your brand. Timing, clarity, and strategic thinking are what help navigate any crisis effectively. We need to prepare for a crisis early. Patterson said we must establish urgency, use it to gain leadership buy-in and leverage that buy-in to sharpen our messaging. Stick to Your Messaging Once crisis messaging is set, it’s important we stick to it. Strong message discipline drives effective communication. Patterson said to lean into the urgency that we have already established. We need to limit communications that do not move us closer to our key goals or align with our messaging. We should be asking ourselves, “How is what I’m doing getting us closer to our goal?” During this part of the session, Patterson said something that has stuck with me through my courses, my internship interviews and now in my Bateman class. She said, “If you have ten messages, you have no messages.” This is helpful for those who tend to ramble with messaging or justification for a strategy. Remember that less can be more, and being concise and clear in a crisis situation is vital for recovery. Values Matter Oftentimes, we see politicians change their stances when it suits them best. Patterson reminded us to stick to our messaging during a crisis and avoid flip-flopping. Even when people may not agree with everything you stand for, they can still respect that you have core values. Attending PRSA ICON 2025 gave me tools I will carry into my career, including crafting and understanding messages and developing a crisis mindset. The sessions offered insights that will help me grow as a student and prepare for the industry. If you have the opportunity to attend PRSA ICON 2026, I highly recommend it. I gained professional connections, new friends and knowledge across various areas of focus, all of which have helped me become a well-rounded aspiring PR professional.  By Lara Kilchenmann
ICON 2025 – Washington, D.C. Speaker: Natan Edelsburg, Chief Partnerships Officer at Muck Rack and 2026 PRSA Foundation President-Elect The Rise of GEO At ICON 2025 in Washington, D.C., Natan Edelsburg, chief partnerships officer at Muck Rack and president-elect of the PRSA Foundation, led a session titled “What Is AI Reading?” The session examined how generative artificial intelligence tools gather, evaluate and cite information, and what those patterns mean for the future of public relations. Edelsburg described Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO, as an emerging discipline aimed at influencing how brands appear in AI-generated responses. Unlike traditional search engine optimization, which relies heavily on keywords and algorithms, GEO depends on trust, credibility and consistent media visibility. For students preparing to enter the field, the takeaway is clear: in an AI-driven landscape, earning reliable coverage from credible outlets matters more than ever. AI Citation Statistics Muck Rack’s research analyzed how AI systems cite sources across categories such as journalistic outlets, corporate blogs, press releases, academic and government publications, paid content, social and user-generated platforms and encyclopedic aggregators. The findings revealed that more than 95% of links cited by AI come from unpaid media, and that 27% of all citations come from journalism. For recency-based queries, such as those asking about current events, that number jumps to 49%. The data reinforces something PR students already learn in class: earned media coverage remains the foundation of visibility and trust. Objective, fact-based questions tend to draw from journalism, while opinion-driven prompts rely more on social and corporate content. Edelsburg noted that some AI models, like Claude, cite journalism less often, but across the board, authority and recency drive what AI “reads.” Major outlets such as Reuters, the Associated Press and the Financial Times dominate citations, particularly stories published within the last year. For future practitioners, these trends suggest that getting a client’s story covered by respected media outlets not only boosts human reach but also increases visibility in AI-generated summaries. In other words, strategic media relations now influence both audiences and algorithms. Edelsburg also highlighted how press releases and social media appear in AI citations. GlobalNewswire content surfaced most often, followed by PR Newswire and Business Newswire. On LinkedIn, AI systems favored long-form articles over short posts or company updates, and on Wikipedia, broad informational pages were far more visible than brand-specific ones. These findings underscore the value of thought leadership, consistent storytelling and maintaining an informative digital footprint. Credible, Current and Clear When examining industry-specific results, citation trends varied widely. In energy, owned media sources appear less often (30% compared to 43% overall). Finance and insurance queries feature more journalism (37% versus 28%), while health care topics rely more on government and nongovernmental organizational sites, or NGOs (18% versus 8%). Travel queries show more academic sources, media and entertainment relies heavily on journalism (37%), and technology queries almost entirely drop academic and encyclopedic references in favor of current reporting. While Edelsburg’s research examined a range of industries, the broader message resonated across all sectors: the most visible content is credible, current and clearly written. For communicators in training, that means developing strong writing, media pitching and analytical skills will remain essential, even as the tools evolve. Edelsburg concluded that understanding what AI “reads” will soon become a core part of strategic communication. As generative tools increasingly shape how people discover information, PR professionals must consider how both audiences and algorithms interpret their messages. Maintaining credibility, building media relationships and earning trustworthy coverage are now key to shaping how brands appear in the evolving information landscape. In addition to his leadership role at Muck Rack, Edelsburg teaches public relations at New York University’s Steinhardt School and has been recognized as one of PR News’ Rising Stars and PRSA’s 15 Under 35. His experience across technology, media and education underscores the importance of aligning traditional PR principles with emerging AI realities - an alignment that may define the next era of communications strategy. By Maggie Sweeney
On October 24th, students from all over Northeast Ohio came eager to learn from industry professionals and connect with other passionate PR students. Marcus Thomas LLC collaborated with Cleveland State’s Senior Capstone class to organize PRSA Cleveland Student Day. The event featured panels with various professionals, networking opportunities and bonding among universities such as Kent State, Cleveland State and Mount Union. Decorated PR Professionals After having breakfast, students were split into four groups to meet with four guest speakers. McKinzey Saig, PR and communications leader at Marcus Thomas LLC, shared her work on the Vitamix campaign to showcase the value that agencies bring to brands. Agencies give their clients the flexibility to have more or less PR and a broader perspective. Chelsea Penfield, media relations and content strategist at Marcus Thomas LLC, shared helpful tips to land an internship and create content. Her unique perspective as someone who has just started in the industry proved her dedication during college helped her succeed outside of the classroom. Kendra Davis, PR professional at the Cleveland Foundation, shared the ins and outs of nonprofit PR. The goal of nonprofit PR is to connect people to the mission and show them the impact that the company makes. This is only successful when people believe in your mission and help you achieve it. Katie Archer, PR professional at Ascensus, helped students explore the importance of internal communications. Internal communication helps employees connect to the direction the company is going and what it is doing to get there. When working in internal communications, it is important to understand all the communication that is happening between different departments to not overwhelm employees with too much information. Finally, students had the opportunity to speak with more professionals through speed networking. This event was a great way for students to learn about the many opportunities available in the PR industry and connect with students at other universities. Kent State PRSSA Receives Cleveland Rocks Award for the 2025 Bateman Case Study Competition12/3/2025  By Jess Edmisten
What is Bateman? Bateman Case Study Competition is an annual national competition from the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). The opportunity offers undergraduates real-world public relations experience with hands-on research, planning, implementation and evaluation of a campaign for a real-world client. This year, the Kent State University team was honored to represent the chapter among dozens of schools nationwide. The team’s casebook traveled to New York for national judging, where it earned an impressive score of 89. Award-Winning Campaign PRSSA Kent made history at the 2025 PRSA Rock Awards when the 2025 Bateman team received gold. This is the first time this category was featured in the event and the first time students have been nominated and won. Judged by the chapter’s sister organization in Chicago, the award recognized the team’s dedication, creativity and strategic work throughout the campaign. Being part of an event with top communications professionals from across the Greater Cleveland area was an honor and an inspiring experience for the Bateman team. The gold award represents the highest level of recognition for their outstanding work. Strategic work for EveryLibrary Kent State PRSSA partnered with EveryLibrary, the client for the 2025 Bateman Case Study Competition, to develop a strategic campaign that positioned the organization as a national leader in library advocacy, donor engagement and community outreach. Kent State’s team was composed of six talented PRSSA students: Jeremy Deloof, Maya Lee, Caitlyn Soya, Ana Julia Cechin Facco, Paige Johnson and Jess Edmisten. These students developed and executed a strategic campaign, including content creation, audience-driven social media strategy and event planning. The team exceeded all four of their stated campaign objectives. Refer to the 2025 Bateman Casebook for a detailed report that outlines research findings, strategies, tactics and evaluation. Key Takeaways from the Team The Bateman participants shared its lasting benefits: “Bateman gave me the utmost confidence to tackle any project that came afterward. Bateman is extremely comprehensive; it just gives you a skillset for a bunch of relevant things afterwards.” – Paige Johnson, senior “It gave me a lot of real-world PR skills that I can take with me post-graduate… I have been able to talk about it during internship interviews so it’s a great portfolio piece.” – Caitlyn Soya, junior “I got experience in social media, which is something that I wanted to do… pitching skills are out of the roof now.” – Ana Julia, senior “The Bateman Competition allowed myself and my team to prove that we don’t just study public relations, we live it. It’s one thing to learn the strategies, but another to bring them to life through real-world application.”- Jess Edmisten, senior Why Join Bateman? Participation in Bateman aligns firmly with the PRSSA’s mission. Students develop professional readiness, engage in ethical work, and showcase leadership in public relations. For PRSSA members, participating in Bateman is an academic milestone, a prestigious résumé builder, a powerful portfolio piece and a testament to one’s commitment to excellence in strategic communication. This experience elevates the visibility of our students, enhances our reputation and lays the groundwork for future success. The 2025 Bateman team extends its best wishes for success to the 2026 Bateman teams. |
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