The PRovoke Media Podcast (PRovoke Media)

WE Communications international president Alan VanderMolen discusses his 2019 predictions, which include a potential renaissance for communicators after playing second fiddle to marketers for years. VanderMolen also explores the likelihood of publicly-held firms buying themselves back from their holding groups and defends his bullish forecast for PR industry growth this year. 

Ketchum CEO Barri Rafferty joins us in Davos to discuss the mood at this year's World Economic Forum, how the event has changed over the years, how she survives such an intense week, and why more PR people should attend. 

The founder of Boston-based independent brand communications agency Adam Ritchie Brand Direction joins the Echo Chamber to talk about "Invention in PR". He discusses how public relations can be used to invent new products and services with newsworthiness built into them from the start, such as the first rock album launched on cans of craft beer using Twitter.

Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden joins the Echo Chamber to discuss her learnings from this year's World Economic Forum. After attending the event for two decades, Bloomgarden is a genuine WEF veteran, and has plenty of advice for the public relations industry. 

P&G's Alex Malouf joins the Echo Chamber to discuss the talent crisis in the Middle East PR industry, focusing in particular on the challenges posed by localisation and education. Malouf joined the podcast ahead of the Innovation Summit in Dubai last week. Meanwhile at our In2Summit in New York one week earlier, Arun Sudhaman sat down with Angie Schneider to discuss her new startup Spry, and how it aims to revolutionise PR using technology. 

Show notes

In2Summit MENA: Education Key To Tackling Middle East Talent Crisis

With Spry, The PR Industry Could Join The Gig Economy

Amadeus Asia-Pacific corporate marketing VP Karun Budhraja joins the Echo Chamber to discuss how travel marketing is changing rapidly in the region, as explored by the company's recent research study. Budhraja is followed by Weber Shandwick's Tim Sutton, who discusses the tricky issue of ethics in PR, including his firm's refusal to work for tobacco companies. 

Last year, former Weber Shandwick associate director Asad Dhunna founded The Unmistakables, a marcomms agency made up of minorities, with the aim of helping businesses understand minorities and create campaigns that are more representative of society. The agency now works with clients including the English Cricket Board, Unilever and Barnado's. Dhunna, who is also director of communications for Pride in London, tells the Echo Chamber about his experience of presenting 'We Don't Need Another Diversity Talk' on stage in Cannes, and the state of diversity and inclusion in the PR industry.  

Asda'a BCW president Sunil John joins the Echo Chamber to discuss the evolution of the Middle East and North Africa PR industries. John, who founded and built Asda'a into one of the region's pre-eminent PR firms, believes MENA is poised to become the fastest-growing the world's fastest-growing public relations market.. 

The latest Echo Chamber episode comes from Sydney, where Arun Sudhaman sits down with former Weber Shandwick head EJ Granleese, who now runs her own successful consultancy called History will be Kind. Granleese discusses why local boutiques outperform the networks in Sydney's fiercely competitive consumer PR market, a theme that is also taken up by Poem founders Rob Lowe and Matt Holmes, who also join the pod to discuss their experience of building a new firm.  

Richard Shotton, is head of behavioural science at Manning Gottlieb OMD. He published “The Choice Factory” – described by Ogilvy’s Rory Sutherland as “a Haynes Manual for understanding consumer behaviour” – earlier this year, outlining 25 common biases that affect consumer behaviour in terms of their responsiveness to brand messages and advertising. He joins us in the Echo Chamber to look at how behavioural science is relevant to PR and communications.

Paul Holmes joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss the retirements of two giants of the in-house communications sector — IBM's Jon Iwata and GE's Beth Comstock amid considerable evolution of the corporate communications role. Elsewhere, Holmes and Arun Sudhaman also discuss the PR industry's ongoing efforts to improve ethical standards after the Bell Pottinger scandal, including Richard Edelman's call for improved policies and enforcement.

Jenny Scott is one of the founding partners of Apella Advisors, the strategic communications consultancy launched in London in April this year. Scott, who was executive director of communications at the Bank of England and a previous BBC Politics Show presenter, joins Maja Pawinska Sims in the Echo Chamber to talk about the agency's first report on how brands can prepare for the impact of "the swing of the corporate pendulum" towards purpose after years of focus on short-term maximisation of profits. 

In this episode, Aarti Shah and the W2O Group's Aaron Strout reflect on key takeaways from #PRovoke19, which took place in Washington, DC from October 21 to 23. Among the topics they touch on: how empathetic brands allow employees to be themselves at work, the urgency for the PR industry to speak the language of business, and how Generation Z will accelerate change in unprecedented ways. To read more about the sessions and takeaways from #PRovoke19, full coverage from the event can be found here.

André Labadie, Brands2Life’s managing director of business and technology, has written a new white paper on the communications landscape around artificial intelligence. He joins Maja Pawinska Sims in the Echo Chamber to talk through the challenges of bringing AI stories to life in a crowded market, including ethics, education and “AI-washing."

Paul Holmes and Arun Sudhaman discuss the dramatic takeover of Burson-Marsteller by Cohn & Wolfe, exploring what it means for  both firms, their leadership and the broader industry in general. 

Show Notes:

'The Big Prize Is Revitalising Burson': PR Industry Responds To Blockbuster Merger

WPP Creates 3rd Largest PR Firm With Burson Cohn & Wolfe

Paul Holmes examines the Business Roundtable's recent announcement that shareholder interests do not outweigh the broader concerns of society and employees. It is a seminal proposal for the industry group that represents America's top CEOs, coming after decades in which Milton Friedman's orthodoxy on shareholder returns above all else went unchallenged. But there is plenty to suggest that the Business Roundtable statement will lack teeth unless it can actually be enforced by legislation such as Elizabeth Warren's proposed effort to balance corporate responsibilities to all stakeholders. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, the podcast follows Holmes' in-depth long read on the concept of 'accountable capitalism'.

Ketchum's Ruth Yearley and Tera Miller join the Echo Chamber to discuss how the evolution of planning in PR, the tension between data and creativity and why brave clients matter so much.

Ketchum's chief strategy and creativity officer Karen Strauss and Daggerwing associate principal Elizabeth O’Connor join the Echo Chamber in Cannes to discuss how best to fostering a culture of creative collaboration.

The Echo Chamber talks to the USA's Young PR Lions representatives, Gabrielle Low and Kelly Kenny from Ketchum, going inside the selection process and the curious decision to not award a Bronze winner. Low and Kenny also explore how the PR agency industry needs to change, from the perspective of the younger generation. 

The Holmes Report sits down with Weber Shandwick chief digital officer Chris Perry and X Practice EMEA/APAC president Hugh Baillie to discuss how data and analytics are reshaping the PR industry in general, and Weber Shandwick in specific. In a wide-ranging conversation with Arun Sudhaman, the duo also discuss Weber Shandwick's new 'We Solve' positioning, and why this doesn't indicate a departure from PR's traditional storytelling strengths. 

Egami Group president Cheryl Overton is a true champion of diversity, but also a realist who calls it like she sees it. Overton joins the Echo Chamber to discuss what true diversity and inclusion looks like (with a heavy emphasis on inclusion) as well as what achieving it is going to take, and why tiptoeing around our differences rather than addressing them head on – and even leveraging them – is counterproductive.

CIPR president Sarah Hall joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss opportunities and challenges for the public relations industry. 

Claudine Moore joins the Echo Chamber to discuss her work in Africa, and the continuing diversity & inclusion challenges faced by the PR industry. Moore is followed by Digiday editor-in-chief Brian Morrissey, who explores such topics as advertising fraud and influencer marketing.

Jana Lynne Sanchez, founder of European PR firm CitySavvy, joins the Echo Chamber to discuss her decision to run for Congress. Currently the Democratic ballot frontrunner for Texas' 6th district, Sanchez explores the factors that triggered her decision to seek office, against a backdrop of political tumult and a groundswell of women who are choosing to run. She also analyses the communications lessons from her career that are underpinning her campaign, which may yet cause the dominant Republican Party a surprise in 2018.

The Holmes Report has partnered with Ogilvy for a multi-part series looking at creativity in PR from a variety of angles. Part 3 explores the evolution of social and digital — and how improv can improve one's PR game — with the agency's managing director of content and social Kathy Baird. Then we look at another angle of creativity with the emergence of microtribes as harbingers — or even supplanting — mass pop culture. For this discussion, we bring on M Booth’s chief insights and planning officer  Bonnie Ulman — and its chief creative officer AG Bevilaqua.  Show Notes Part 1 of the Creativity Series on Diversity Part 2 of the Creativity Series on the News Media Landscape & Fake News Strong Opinions Loosely Held  Strong Opinions Loosely Held — Teenage Girls Are Magic 

The Echo Chamber podcast is produced by Markettiers. 

The Holmes Report has partnered with Ogilvy for a multi-part series looking at creativity in PR from a variety of angles. Part 2 explores the findings of Ogilvy's 4th annual Ogilvy Media Influence Survey with the agency's chief communications officer Jen Risi. Among the notable findings, Facebook is now the gatekeeper of news and how the threat of fake news has changed traditional reporting. 

Show Notes Part 1 of the Creativity Series on Diversity

The Echo Chamber podcast is produced by Markettiers. 

Former Edelman APACMEA CEO David Brain joins the Echo Chamber to discuss Bell Pottinger's demise and what this means for broader perceptons of the public relations industry. In a wide-ranging conversation with Arun Sudhaman and Paul Holmes, Brain also explores his vision for the PR agency of the future, a few months after stepping down from his lengthy career as one of Edelman's top global leaders.

Omnicom PR Group's international president David Gallagher visits the Echo Chamber in Hong Kong to discuss the slowdown in publicly-held PR growth, and why agency models must be held accountable. Gallagher also runs through his 2018 trends to watch, including the impact of blockchain and artificial intelligence, and also explores whether next week's World Economic Forum in Davos remains relevant.

Show notes

Poor PR Performance Puts Publicly-Held Agencies On Back Foot

2017 M&A Review: Deals Decline As Micro-Transactions Dominate

2018 PR Trend Forecasts

RFI Asia SVP and Asia lead David Ko joins the Echo Chamber to discuss the latest developments in terms of policing 'deepfake content' on the major social media platforms. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Ko also explores the rise of fake news on China's social media channels, talks about the threats posed by cybersecurity breaches, and about the role of marketers in this regard.

In a recent webinar, Ketchum CEO Barri Rafferty and the Holmes Report's Arun Sudhaman explored the key issues from the 2019 World Economic Forum, including globalization, climate change, automation, CEO activism and much more. 

Live from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Arun Sudhaman meets with Mercer CMO Jeanniey Mullen, who discusses how employee expectations are changing the way that CEOs engage on issues, some of which are political. Sudhaman also talks to KPMG citizenship head Lord Michael Hastings about how the nature of corporate purpose is changing. 

The Holmes Report's Arun Sudhaman sits down with a trio of senior marcomms leaders at the 2019 World Economic Forum at Davos, discussing the event's enduring significance, along with the challenges facing the established world order. First up, PMI communications SVP Marian Salzman discusses her surprising decision to join 'big tobacco' after a lengthy stint leading advertising and PR agencies. Salzman is followed by UN World Food Programme communications director Corinne Woods, who explores her organization's marketing challenges, along with the benefits Davos brings for NGOs. Finally, Davos veteran and TCS CMCO Abhinav Kumar joins the show to provide his reflections on this year's event and the continuing perception gap that plagues the World Economic Forum.

To mark the 200th Echo Chamber podcast (and the 20th anniversary of the Holmes Report) Arun Sudhaman and Paul Holmes talk about the remarkable professional legacy and personal impact of Burson-Marsteller founder Harold Burson – coincidentally, the first ever interviewee on the Echo Chamber – who died last week, aged 98.

As organisations and companies such as the NBA, Apple and Blizzard face the dilemma of standing up for their values or staying quiet on events in Hong Kong to protect their interests in China, Arun Sudhaman and Paul Holmes talk through the challenges of doing business in China for brands. They also preview the themes and sessions at the Holmes Report’s PRovoke Global PR Summit, being held from October 21-23 in Washington, DC, including Parkland school shooting survivors talking about the anti-gun violence March For Our Lives movement.

WE international president Alan VanderMolen joins the Echo Chamber in Cannes in front of a live audience to discuss industry threats and opportunities, which holding groups are under pressure, and what firms he wants to buy.

It's Episode 100 of the Echo Chamber! Or is it? Either way, Alex Malouf of IABC and P&G joins the show to discuss the key themes that have emerged from the podcast's 4+ years of existence, including agency integration, ethics and PR convergence with marketing. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, the duo also offer up some random PR predictions for the Echo Chamber in 2018, looking at such areas as PR creativity, agency infractions and holding company growth.

Janet Balis is EY's global advisory services leader for media & entertainment, a position in which she advises both media platforms and marketing leaders. As such Balis has a unique vantage point over the changes that are transforming the media and marketing worlds, enhanced by her previous leadership roles at AOL, The Huffington Post and Time Warner. In a wide-ranging conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Balis breaks down some of these shifts and explores what they mean for media platforms and CMOs.

Holmes Report editors Paul Holmes & Arun Sudhaman discuss the controversy surrounding Facebook's work with public affairs firm Definers. After that, Sudhaman is joined by Maja Pawinska Sims to talk more corporate crises, in the shape of Nissan and D&G. The duo also explore Iceland's banned TV ad, the latest Global Creative Index and more. 

FleishmanHillard Fishburn's corporate managing director Steph Bailey joins the Echo Chamber to talk through the agency's latest Authenticity Gap report. Now in its seventh year, the research looks at the issues that consumers are now expecting brands to take a stand on, from data privacy and security to the climate emergency. 

After managing US Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, Terry Sullivan and Alex Conant left long careers in politics to start Firehouse Strategies, a public affairs firm in Washington. Sullivan and Conant have grown their business around communications strategies that leverage the power of persuasion, peer influence and “perceived authenticity.” They join the Echo Chamber to talk about how they use the lessons learned from their years of experience on the GOP campaign trail to help clients effectively deliver their messages in, thanks to Donald Trump, a whole new era in modern communications.

Veteran adman Matt Godfrey joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss his decision to step down as Y&R Asia-Pacific CEO and join a nutrition startup. Godfrey, considered one of the region's leading marketing executives after lengthy stints leading Bates, Publicis and Y&R,  explores how he will apply lessons learned in advertising to his new startup life. He also talks about the challenges facing advertising and the holding group model and what they mean for the future of PR agencies. 

Frank’s joint managing partners Andrew Bloch and Alex Grier join the Echo Chamber to look back at how the agency has evolved in its first 18 years, their trademarked 'talkability' proposition, what creativity means now, and the best brand campaigns. NB: At the time of recording, Frank declined to comment on the BrewDog/Scofflaw case.

Jon Tipple, chief strategy officer worldwide at FutureBrand, joins the Echo Chamber to look at the findings of the consultancy’s annual index of how “futureproof” the world’s top companies are. Tipple joined the Ogilvy & Mather graduate scheme and has since worked at agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, FCB and McCann before joining FutureBrand in 2012. Along the way, he’s worked with brands including the London Olympic Games, Red Bull, Microsoft, Nestle, Virgin, Bacardi and the BBC, and won rafts of industry awards.

Weber Shandwick global president Gail Heimann is not only a Cannes veteran but one of the more insightful industry voices when it comes to distilling lessons from the annual creative jamboree. In a post-Cannes conversation with the Holmes Report's Arun Sudhaman, Heimann breaks down her lessons from this year's edition, which include the PR industry's better showing, the colonisation of trust and purpose by ad agencies, the continuing gender imbalance among the creative ranks and whether PR is purely a craft. 

TUGG (Technology Underwriting Greater Good) helps early stage, experimental nonprofits connect with Boston’s tech community to earn funding and build their networks. Its annual Tugg Makes Boston fundraiser distributes more than $200,000 in funding to local organizations looking to solve challenges in their communities, and the group puts on many more events throughout the year, including Tech Gives Back on October 19.

On this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we speak to TUGG Executive Director Elizabeth Dobrska, covering the resources TUGG offers to help its portfolio companies hone their message, and the biggest developmental challenge facing most nonprofits (hint: it’s not fundraising).

We also talk about the potential for marketing innovation in the nonprofit sector, and the importance for founders to build genuine, long-term relationships with the media.

LINKS:

• Get involved in TUGG’s Tech Gives Back on October 19, 2017 techgivesback.org
• Learn about Pledge 1% Boston pledge1boston.squarespace.com
• Learn more about TUGG Boston: tugg.org
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
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Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Echo Chamber editors Arun Sudhaman, Maja Pawinska Sims and Paul Holmes review some of the key news stories from the past few weeks, including the mergers of Text100/Bite and Kekst CNC, new leadership at H+K Strategies, Nike's Colin Kaepernick campaign, the one-year anniversary of Bell Pottinger's closure and much more, while also previewing next week's PRovoke18 Global PR Summit.

In the wake of the Holmes Report breaking the news that the Hong Kong leadership had failed to attract any PR agencies to pitch for a reputation management campaign, Arun Sudhaman, who is based in Hong Kong, talks to Maja Pawinska Sims about why the brief has proved so toxic, including employee activism, ethics, communications around "One Country Two Systems" and the reputation challenges that Hong Kong continues to face. 

Hotwire CEO Barbara Bates joins the Echo Chamber to discuss her shift from independent agency life to overseeing a publicly-held firm. Bates also explores why she believes 'micro-networks' and midsize players are thriving in today's PR market, particularly in opposition to the giant MNC networks. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Bates also looks at the evolution of PR on the US West Coast, and the issues faced by major tech companies in that region. 

NewsWhip CEO Paul Quigley joins the Echo Chamber to talk about how content spreads online. In a conversation with Aarti Shah, Quigley explains how understanding the way content moves online can help the PR industry evolve its approach to predictive analytics and also fight misinformation. NewsWhip has also partnered with the Holmes Report on a multipart series exploring these topics that can be accessed here.

PR industry veterans Richard Houghton and Crispin Manners, who have run agencies including Shandwick, Ketchum, FleishmanHillard and Kaizo, are the co-authors of a new book for PR agency leaders: 'Grow, Build, Sell, Live.' They join Maja Pawinska Sims in the Echo Chamber to talk about the new book – a PRCA practice guide – and the biggest mistakes that owner-managers make when building their own firms. The duo also discuss how the relative lack of hard business management experience among agency heads is holding individual firms and the industry back.

Huawei VP of global corporate communications Walter Jennings joins the Echo Chamber to discuss what his company's rise means for the way China Inc is perceived in Western markets. Meanwhile, journalist Alex Brownsell also drops by to explore his popular feature, which asks whether brand ‘purpose’ risks becoming a euphemism for ill-conceived CSR campaigns.

Jenna Young, Weber Shandwick’s executive creative director in New York, joins the Echo Chamber in Cannes to talk about her Lions jury experience, cultural nuance in creative work, and being a long-time executive creative director in a PR agency.

Jennifer Risi recently launched her own communications agency after nearly a decade at Ogilvy. The agency, called the Sway Effect, speaks to the impact Risi hopes to have on the industry. In particular, she is looking to make a difference around the way agencies collaborate. She and industry veteran Bonin Bough join the Echo Chamber to talk about the Sway Effect and how they are thinking about working together in new ways. 

Former Edelman EMEA CEO (and Echo Chamber co-host) Robert Phillips rejoins the podcast to discuss the current political era and what it means for companies and their leadership. Phillips, who now heads Jericho Chambers, also explores the Responsible Tax Project that his firm is running in conjunction with KPMG, and explores why public relations still needs a significant overhaul. Institute of PR president and CEO Tina McCorkindale then joins the show to discuss the latest PR trends, including purpose, gender equality and behavioural science. 

South African PR industry veteran Keri-Ann Stanton joins the Echo Chamber following the Holmes Report's third African Innovation Summit in Johannesburg last week. Stanton discusses her decision to depart Engage Joe Public for the African-owned M&N Brands holding group and, in conversation with Arun Sudhaman, explores how the market is changing, particularly in terms of black economic empowerment. The duo also talk about the Bell Pottinger scandal and South Africa's global reputation following the Zuma era.

Nearly 40 years ago, Racepoint Global founder Larry Weber launched a tech-focused PR agency before there even was such a thing. In those early days, The Weber Group (forbear of Weber Shandwick) was in the thick of launching emerging technologies — including something called the World Wide Web. Today, Weber remains steeped in the tech business, growing his expertise along with his firm, Racepoint, and the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange he founded, as well as authoring six books. He discusses the evolution and intricacies of tech-focused communications at a time when the business is under increased scrutiny.

Lenovo chief communications officer Torod Neptune joins the Echo Chamber to discuss his first year with the tech giant, which combines a Chinese background with a truly global footprint. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Neptune also explores the state of diversity in the industry after choosing to incorporate such criteria into his high-profile agency search last year. In addition, Neptune discusses the changing nature of the CCO role and what it means for agencies.

Paul Holmes joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss his annual review of agency M&A in the PR sector, which year revealed a significant decline in both the volume and value of industry dealmaking. Holmes and Arun Sudhaman explore the rise of the 'micro-transaction', with smaller firms dominating sales while holding groups such as Omnicom and WPP did not acquire a single PR firm in 2017. The duo also wonder whether the Holmes Report might qualify for President Trump's 'MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR', and explore the PR fallout from Michael Wolff's explosive new White House expose.

Llorente & Cuenca US head Erich de la Fuente talks to Paul Holmes about the firm’s new white paper on communications trends in Latin America, from mobile usage to millennials and renewed optimism.

March 8 is International’s Women Day, and in recognition, we recorded a fun and insightful roundtable chat between March Director of Digital Services Caroline Black, Managing Director Cheryl Gale and Executive Vice President Jodi Petrie. They talk about navigating their careers in PR, covering the challenge of juggling work and life responsibilities, the journey to find confidence in the workplace, and the importance for young women to make sure their voices are heard. They also touch on creativity, authenticity, meditation and, most importantly, cocktails.

LINKS:

• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Mars global external communications director Kimberly West joins the Echo Chamber in Cannes to discuss the company's evolution from a low-profile manufacturer of confectionary and petcare products, into a brand that is highly visible on issues of sustainability and governance. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, West outlines why companies must move beyond rhetoric if they are to combat 'purpose fatigue'.

Maxim Behar, the CEO of M3 Communications in Bulgaria, joins Maja Pawinska Sims in the Echo Chamber on the publication of his new book, The Global PR Revolution. The ICCO past president talks about how PR has changed not only during his 25-year career, but more dramatically over the past couple of years, as social media has become a dominant force in the media and communications industries.

Holmes Report editors Paul Holmes, Arun Sudhaman & Aarti Shah discuss the 2018 North American Agencies of the Year winners, focusing in particular on Olson Engage, the rise of healthcare agencies and Marina Maher Communications.

For close to two decades, PAN Communications president and CEO Phil Nardone has maintained a side gig as an adjunct PR professor at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, giving him unique insight into who the industry’s up-and-comers are — and what they want. He explores a range of issues surrounding next-gen talent, including whether he would hire his students. Meantime, when InkHouse founder and CEO Beth Monaghan and storyteller in residence Tara Munro discuss Project Curiosity, the initiative they undertook to help the PR industry stop using fear as a means to get consumers’ attention.

Ogilvy UK CEO Michael Frohlich joins the Echo Chamber to discuss his rise from 'PR person' to leading one of the UK's largest advertising agencies. Frohlich also explores what the PR world can learn from adland and vice versa, and looks at why PR agencies have struggled to build planning departments.

Omnicom PR Group CEO Karen van Bergen makes her long-awaited Echo Chamber debut, discussing the performance of her PR agencies, challenging market conditions and her plans for 2018. Van Bergen also explores Omnicom's recent funding of startup Spry, and discusses exactly what she looks for from her agency CEOs.

TK Kanchana is board member and head of the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), representing India's pharma industry at a time of considerable change across the country. Kanchana joins the Echo Chamber to discuss how she has overhauled OPPI's approach to communications, and how this has helped the pharma body build a more successful engagement platform. 

As vice president of marketing for Panasonic North America, Brian Rowley is charged with changing the perception of Panasonic in the US from a TV and radio company into an operation creating 21st century technology for businesses. He joins Diana Marszalek in the Echo Chamber to talk about the evolution of the brand over the past 100 years, and its shift in focus from consumer to B2B.

Method Communications CEO David Parkinson and Harvard CEO Louie St. Claire join the Echo Chamber to talk about Method's recent sale to the Chime Group to build a global technology offering. The conversation explores how technology as a whole has moved from being a specialized sector to being a core driver of all facets of the economy and looks at why so many tech PR acquisitions seem to go awry.

In an interview with March Managing Director Cheryl Gale, Laura Tomasetti, CEO and founder of 360PR+, covers her path to becoming one of PR’s top leaders, from her beginnings in ad copywriting, to her stops at agencies in Washington, D.C., and Boston, to her in-house experience at Hasbro.

They also talk about why PR is growing in importance as CEOs because more conscious and concerned about their own reputation, and the reputations of their brands. And they discuss the value of relationship building in communication, the intersections between content, digital, social, advertising and PR, and the skills they look for when recruiting for comms talent.

LINKS:

• Follow Laura and 360PR+ on Twitter: @Laura360 and @360PRPlus
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Nik Govier has launched her latest venture after leaving Unity, the agency she co-founded in 2005, at the end of last year. She joins the Echo Chamber with her fellow founding partners, Katy Stolliday – a board director at Unity before a stint as Brands2Life’s deputy MD consumer – and Stuart Lambert, until recently the strategy and creative director at Weber Shandwick, to talk about setting up a new kind of agency for “a Blurred world”.

Ketchum's London CEO Jo-Ann Robertson joins Maja Pawinska Sims in the Echo Chamber to talk about her first year in the job, including leadership (and being a pregnant CEO), diversity, and her ambitions for the business. 

Zeno’s Europe MD Steve Earl and Markettiers4DC founder and CEO Howard Kosky join the Echo Chamber to discuss why podcasts are the flavour of the month for brand and executive communications, how to do them well, and when podcasting is not the right channel.

Zeno Group’s managing director, global strategy and insights Therese Caruso joins Diana Marszalek in the Echo Chamber to talk about what brands need to know to reach “Gen We” – the kids aged 14 to 20 who wield influence in the family, and are radically different than the millennials that marketers have worked long and hard to understand. They have friendships based on shared values, believe success and purpose are keys to happiness and see themselves as their own personal brands.

Mary Pollard has led on purpose at corporate communications consultancy Portland since the start of 2019. She joins Maja Pawinska Sims in the Echo Chamber to talk about the agency's first Total Value Index, which shows the true value of a business when purpose and profit are evaluated together, including the 'opportunity gap' – where companies are not telling their purposeful stories clearly enough – and the 'halo effect', when individual businesses benefit from positive perceptions of their whole sector. 

Bell Pottinger's stunning demise since it was expelled from the PRCA has rocked the PR world. In a special podcast with Arun Sudhaman, PRCA director-general Francis Ingham explains why the trade association decided to impose its harshest-ever sanction on the UK PR firm, following Bell Pottinger's work for South Africa's controversial Gupta family.

Enero Group non-executive director David Brain joins the Echo Chamber to examine Prince Andrew's car-crash of an interview on BBC Newsnight. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Brain discusses the PR challenges faced by the Royal Family and why Prince Andrew must learn the basics of crisis management. 

Egami Group founder/CEO Teneshia Jackson Warner is the first African-American woman to pick up a Cannes Lions Grand Prix. At PRovoke19's Entrepreneurs' Forum, she was interviewed onstage about how the industry needs to rethink its approach toward multicultural marketing.  

In a discussion on diversity, Dr. Michael Lomax, the president of the United Negro College Fund, said people of color still faced enormous obstacles to inclusion. This session, recorded at PRovoke19, is brought to you in partnership with W2O Group. 

Greg Paull, co-founder and principal at marketing effectiveness consultancy R3 joins the Echo Chamber to discuss the challenges posed by today's marketing landscape. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Paull explores the woes of holding groups, the rise of management consultancies, agency M&A trends, how CMO demands are changing and what we should expect from Chinese brands. Paull, whose firm studies client/agency relationships, also explores what the future holds for PR agencies. 

In a re-broadcast of a webinar from last month, the Holmes Report founder Paul Holmes is interviewed by Group Gordon CEO Michael Gordon on whether, in an era defined by politicization and polarization, it's possible —or even advisable — for brands to just watch from the sidelines. A summary of the conversation is also available here.  

Jacob Puthenparambil co-founded Singapore-based consultancy Redhill Asia in 2015 following an itinerant career that included stints in the US, Middle East and his native India. But with Redhill, Puthenparambil has overseen the rise of one of Asia's fastest growing PR firms, thanks to a fiercely entrepreneurial spirit and a refreshingly international outlook. He talks to Arun Sudhaman about the firm's progress and goals, including why he models the business on the original MNC — the Jesuit Order.

Bulleit Group CEO Kyle Arteaga talks to the Holmes Report's Aarti Shah about the way companies — and the media — are rethinking how they position and talk about innovation. Later in the show, Proof Analytics founder Mark Stouse joins to talk about a recent survey that showed 96% C-suite respondents see their marketing and PR teams as “unwilling or unable” to prove ROI.

Calvin Soh was firmly ensconced as one of Asia's top creative directors when took a five-year mid-career break in 2012. Now back in the industry as R/GA's Asia-Pacific ECD, Soh talks to Arun Sudhaman about why exponential change forced him to reconsider his career options, for himself and his children. Soh also discusses how education systems can encourage creative thinking and explores the way that young people are changing the future of advertising.

In a session from the PRovoke18 Global PR Summit, the CEO of the world's largest PR firm is interviewed by Holmes Report editor-in-chief Arun Sudhaman about the state of today's PR industry. In an expansive and honest conversation, Edelman talks through the cultural challenges facing his agency, opportunities for growth and why transformation is required if today's PR firms are to compete with advertising shops for CMO budgets. 

Richard Edelman joins the Echo Chamber for a brief interview about his firm's disappointing growth in 2017, amid sustained market pressure. He discusses the firm's transformation, the impact of bringing advertising people in to run operations, the continuing benefits of scale, industry ethics and the Burson Cohn & Wolfe merger. Then former H+K Strategies EMEA CEO Sally Costerton joins Arun Sudhaman to explore the exit of Sir Martin Sorrell, his impact on his PR firms, and the group's future prospects.

Show notes:

Could WPP Sell Its PR Firms? M&A Specialists Weigh In

Edelman Revenue Up 2.1% In 2017 To $894m

Brendan May, chairman of sustainability advisory firm Robertsbridge, joins the Echo Chamber to talk about sustainability in the context of PR and communications. May ran Weber Shandwick’s sustainability practice before setting up Robertsbridge in 2009. He has advised global companies and brands on sustainability strategies, supply chain risk, sustainable sourcing, communications, reputation and crisis management. He was also chief executive of the Marine Stewardship Council, and European chairman of the Rainforest Alliance, and is a regular commentator on corporate responsibility.

In a keynote session from PRovoke18, Sir Martin Sorrell takes aim at the holding groups, during a feisty conversation with Holmes Report founder and chair Paul Holmes, while also defending his record as WPP CEO. Starting with the FT story that reported several allegations regarding the S4 chairman's acrimonious exit from WPP, Sorrell sought to turn the spotlight back onto the holding groups, none more so than his former company, which he consistently referred to as "Wire and Plastic Products".

Former New York City and Metropolitan Museum of Art chief digital officer Sree Sreenivasan joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss the latest trends and pitfalls when it comes to social media. Recorded at the PRAXIS7 conference in Hyderabad, Sreenivasan explores the thorny topics of vanity metrics and influencer marketing, the continued underestimation of LinkedIn, CEOs on Twittter and the rise of fake news.  

Holmes Report editors Arun Sudhaman and Maja Pawinska Sims review a busy summer of news, which has included senior departures at Edelman and Racepoint, developments at Burson Cohn & Wolfe, PRSA tumult, agency mergers, industry transformation and more.

The Holmes Report's Diana Marszalek talks through this year's Super Bowl marketing and fan experience efforts, finding them both rather disappointing, on the latest Echo Chamber episode. Joining the show are BCW president Jim Joseph and fan experience director chair Jason Teitler, along with MWWPR president Bret Werner. 

Citizen Relations global CEO Jim Joseph checks into the Echo Chamber to conduct his annual roundup of Super Bowl advertising, finding out that — this year at least — humour appeared to trump politics. Elsewhere, Arun Sudhaman talks to Taylor Bennett Heyman's Sarah Crawshaw about a new research study that charts the evolution of the in-house communications role at Asian MNCs. 

Mitch Kaye and Dan Glover built Mischief and now The Academy into two of the most creative comms agencies in the UK. They join the Echo Chamber to talk about how they work together and how they are aiming to grow the agency with an innovative structure.

H+K CEO Jack Martin joins the Echo Chamber to discuss, not only H+K, but the upheaval at parent company WPP over the last year. In conversation with Paul Holmes, Martin talks about Martin Sorrell's sudden departure, the state of WPP's PR agencies and the future of the holding company. 

Holmes Report editors Arun Sudhaman and Paul Holmes explore the dramatic exit from WPP of Sir Martin Sorrell and reflect on the 73-year-old's outsize impact on the industry that he dominated for more than 30 years. Sorrell's distinct style and personality will leave a considerable void at WPP, but his PR firms may yet flourish under new leadership.

The rise of influencer marketing has sparked debate around how to measure the impact of these campaigns and the new rules of engagement — and how those differ from traditional media. Cathy Planchard, president of Allison + Partners' All Told Division, joins the Echo Chamber to discuss a recent report the agency published, Unleashing Influence, that shows that marketers aren't fully optimizing the potential of influencer marketing. During the conversation, we also reference an Influencer Marketing salon that Allison + Partners hosted with the Holmes Report earlier this year at the Innovation Summit — North America.  

Angela Oakes, co-founder and co-president of Global Women in PR, joins the Echo Chamber to talk about her organization's research on the global pay gap for women in PR. In a conversation with Aarti Shah, the two talk about GWPR's findings, in addition to the Holmes Report's research that shows that a substantial pay gap for both women and people of color in the PR industry.

Producer Tony Hollingsworth has worked with companies, governments and charitable foundations on campaigns that sit at the intersection of comms, media and popular culture, including Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Tribute and The Wall — Live in Berlin. Hollingsworth joins Diana Marszalek in the Echo Chamber to discuss the intricacies and challenges of orchestrating his latest project, the Global Listen Campaign For Vulnerable & Disadvantaged Children, which aims to reach 500 million people in 60 countries and raise $1 billion.

Holmes Report editors Arun Sudhaman and Maja Pawinska Sims preview the 2018 Cannes Lions Festival which promises to be a more slimmed down affair than usual, thanks in large part to cutbacks from holding groups. The duo explore which sessions and themes stand out, tips to survive Cannes and ponder the 'Sorrell effect'.