The PRovoke Media Podcast

WE's Kass Sells on agency transformation (Ep. 169)

WE Communications international president Kass Sells joins the Holmes Report in Cannes to discuss the challenges posed by agency transformation, at a time of considerable industry disruption. 

Cannes: The data-driven PR industry, with Weber Shandwick (Ep. 168)

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. 

The Rise of Virtual PR Agencies (Ep. 167)

When Nicky Regazzoni and George Blizzard started The PR Network in 2005, they were one of the first virtual agencies on the block. As the model of a core team supported by tailor-made groups of freelance experts to service clients around the world gains traction, they join the Echo Chamber to talk about what makes the virtual agency model a good fit for the modern PR landscape.

Why public relations & SEO need each other (Ep. 166)

Three PR-for-SEO experts join the Echo Chamber to explain why search engine optimisation and public relations strategy should be working much closer together to achieve business results for clients from earned content: Threepipe co-founder Jim Hawker, Ready10 founder and MD David Fraser, and 10 Yetis Digital founder Andy Barr.

Cheryl Overton on what real diversity looks like. (Ep. 165)

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.

Larry Weber on how far tech PR has come (Ep. 164)

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.

The Method Communications Acquisition (Ep. 163)

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.

Claudine Moore; Digiday's Brian Morrissey (Ep. 162)

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.

Notes from Newhouse School/Fear & The Future of PR (Ep. 161)

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.

Tom Doctoroff on Chinese brands & consumers (Ep. 160)

During a 20-year career in China with ad agency JWT, Tom Doctoroff emerged as one of the leading authorities on the country's marketing landscape. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Doctoroff discusses why Chinese brands still struggle overseas, focusing on the specific case of Huawei. He also explores how China's young consumers are both changing and staying the same. Three years after leaving the holding group world, meanwhile, Doctoroff also examines the pressure on big agencies.