Cone earns 11 awards at New England Bell Ringers; Four Programs Receive Top Recognition

This Father’s Day, Dad may be more interested in coupons than in a new tie or coffee mug. According to the 2012 Cone Communications Year of the Dad Trend Tracker, 52 percent of fathers indicate they are the primary grocery shoppers in their households. And even if they’re not driving the shopping cart, dads are more involved in household purchases than ever before: more than one-in-three (35%) moms report dads’ influence on grocery store purchases is on the rise.

Cone Communications has unveiled a tool to measure how brands are using social media in their CSR efforts.

The agency launched the product, called CSR SocialScore, on Monday. It provides a snapshot of a company's CSR communications on social and digital platforms, along with insight on how a brand can better engage stakeholders about corporate responsibility using a point-based system.

Boston-based public relations and marketing agency, Cone Communications, is launching a social media and Corporate Social Responsibility product, CSR SocialScore^SM, which serves as a real time snapshot of how a brand uses social media to inform and engage stakeholders.

Nine out of 10 consumers say they would boycott companies that are being irresponsible, according to an international "corporate social responsibility" report being released Wednesday.

As revealed in the 2013 Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study, companies are expected to be an active participant – if not a driving force – in solving the most pressing social and environmental issues. Corporations that disregard this consumer-demanded role risk more than their reputation – nine-in-10 global citizens say they would boycott if they learned of irresponsible behavior.

Blending social media can help you spread your communications far and wide, but the messages might get lost (or misunderstood) without a consistent brand message, both in the written content as well as the optics.  CONSISTENCY IS CRUCIAL.  Alex Nicholson, VP of new and social media at Cone Communications, recommends three tips for PR pros who are eager to cross-pollinate their messages via myriad social channels.

Cone Communications has launched a social media and online community management training platform, C4M (Cone Communications Certified Community Managers), focused on developing core digital competencies for all account staff.

Consumers are getting a green thumb. According to the Cone Communications Green Gap Trend Tracker, which was released on April 2, a record-high 71% of Americans consider the environment when they shop, up from 66% in 2008. In addition, nearly half (45%) of consumers actively seek out environmental information about the products they buy.