The PRovoke Media Podcast

A month or so ago, reputation intelligence company Caliber announced a US advisory board, including former Medtronic and Verizon CCO Torod Neptune, now a professor at UNC–Chapel Hill, to help the company connectstakeholder intelligence to the real-world challenges organizations face every day.

At the time, Caliber CCO Shahar Silbershatz called for what he called “an intervention” on behalf of the profession, promoting a more real-time, data-driven, and disciplined approach to communication.

In this edition of the PRovoke Media podcast, editor Paul Holmes sat down with Neptune and Silbershatz to discuss the state of reputation intelligence, the need for real-time information, and the future of stakeholder capitalism itself.

In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders podcast series, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined in person in London by Andrew Bleeker, founder and CEO of Bully Pulpit International (BPI) and the award-winning US-based corporate and public affairs agency's newest senior joiner, former Ketchum leader Jo-Ann Robertson, now BPI's president of Europe and Transatlantic growth leader. The trio's lively chat ranges from the agency's roots and Bleeker's background as President Obama's digital campaign guru, through to its ambitions in the UK and Europe. 

Diana Marszalek speaks with Precision Strategies EVP of digital and multicultural engagement Krishana Davis about new research exploring the manosphere.

After a career spanning roles at Edelman, PwC, and Golin, Megan Noel made the decision last year to take on a new challenge at what was then Adtalem Global Education, leading a corporate affairs function that spanned investor relations, government relations, internal and external communication, enterprise brand, social responsibility and more under CEO Steve Beard, who was determined to “bring all the storytellers together,”

Last week, Adralem rebranded as Covista, a change that went beyond a new name and a new visual identity to new positioning and mission. Amid a major transformation, Noel sat down with Paul Holmes to discuss her career and the commitment to purpose that has guided it.

In the wake of the World Economic Forum in Davos and the release of the larest Edelman Trust Barometer last week, PRovoke Media founder Paul Holmes sat down with Richard Edelman for a wide-ranging discussion that covered polarization, global pessimism, the potential for companies to become “trust brokers,” how tech companies have failed to address concerns over AI, what Martin Sorrell got wrong about the PR industry, and how the holding companies getting rid of “the idea machines” might benefit independent firms.

In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders Podcast, Burson global CEO Corey duBrowa and UK CEO Simon Redfern chat to editorial director Maja Pawinska Sims in the midst of the World Economic Forum in Davos. They talk about how the event has evolved and how Burson is adapting and innovating in a new era of reputation management, including the agency's new research, The Global Reputation Economy: A New Asset Class for a New Era. The duo also reflect on what being a business and agency leader means now.

In this episode of the PRovoke Media CCO Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined by Athletic Brewing’s chief marketing officer Andrew Katz to explore the rapid rise of low- and no-alcohol beer, and what it says about changing consumer culture. Katz discusses how Athletic has helped transform alcohol-free beer from a functional compromise into a credible, aspirational brand, driven by better product, cultural shifts and a broadening audience well beyond younger consumers. The conversation also dives into Athletic’s brand and marketing strategy, including its positioning at the intersection of lifestyle, performance and beer, and the thinking behind its high-profile partnership with Arsenal. Katz reflects on the realities of expanding in the UK, the challenges of scaling a fast-growth challenger brand, and what it takes to keep creativity alive as a business grows.

In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leader Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined by The PHA Group’s CEO George Coleman, who joined the firm in April this year after founding and scaling Weber Shandwick sister agency Current Global. The lively conversation covers The PHA Group’s 20^th anniversary, evolution, culture and future plans; how AI is being integrated into the agency and industry; the ongoing importance of storytelling in PR; and the difference between working in network and independent agencies.

Every year, Havas Red gazes into its crystal ball and produces its Red Sky Predictions. We sat down with the firm’s Europe and UK CEO Rachael Sansom to discuss what’s ahead for the PR Business.

Diana Marszalek and Michael Kempner discuss why so many leaders feel paralyzed despite having more data, tools, and technology than ever.