Earlier this week we reported on the not-so-new phenomenon of “brand journalism”, or writing original content designed to inform readers while simultaneously promoting your brand. The overwhelming response to the post tells us that the issue is critical to many PR pros as they consider the roles that they play within a rapidly changing industry.

Now that we’ve established the importance of original, value-added content, let’s move on to the next question: How do you, as a brand representative, find the best stories to raise awareness of your brand among your target audience?

In the words of PRNews’s Bill Miltenberg, “the lines between PR and marketing are growing ever more blurry”, and he brings us some simple suggestions for effective brand journalism via CE Publishing editorial director and 2012 Content Marketing World Conference speaker Dan Grantham. Check out his five key points:

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The Super Bowl's star quarterbacks. Image from Waggener Edstrom infographic. Link after the jump.

For the past week, we’ve been watching clip after clip of the upcoming Super Bowl commercials. Needless to say, the ads are a highlight of the game.

But the public relations industry is also excited for the event. The big game is not just a platform for creative advertisements, but for all of the PR and marketing that surrounds the broadcast at the game and elsewhere.

“For PR practitioners, there are several avenues to consider when thinking of ways to work with your clients around the Super Bowl,” Lisa Zlotnick, Lippe Taylor‘s VP of media told us in an email.

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Facebook has announced a partnership with Skype that will bring video calling to the social network’s 750 million users. Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Skype for $8.5 billion and has been a Facebook partner for some time. Today’s announcement also included a new chat design and the addition of group chats. More info is available on The Facebook Blog.

Perhaps you heard that the President hosted a Twitter Townhall today? Radian6 will be working with Twitter to analyze those tweets. Pre-townhall research conducted by Radian6 yielded a number of findings, like national security and financial security are two topics that drive tweets. Additional findings are available here.

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