The PRovoke Media Podcast

In a wide-ranging conversation with Holmes Report editor Arun Sudhaman, Weber Shandwick EMEA and Asia-Pacific chairman Tim Sutton discusses his recent move back to London after eight years in Hong Kong, a period in which he witnessed considerable change in Asia's public relations markets. Sutton explores the the diversity across the region, and assesses how global PR networks are responding to the political and social shifts in key markets such as China, India, Japan and Indonesia. He also looks at the PR challenges facing Asian brands looking to go global, and analyses the current state of play for global PR networks in EMEA.

David Wolf joins the Echo Chamber to discuss his excellent new book 'Public Relations in China'. The country's PR market is often viewed as a beacon of growth, but an increasingly tough environment for foreign companies, combined with the decline of guanxi, means that PR  is more complex than ever. Wolf and Holmes Report editor Arun Sudhaman discuss these changes and explore why so few foreign companies are alive to the pitfalls.

Maitland corporate head Steve Marinker joins the Echo Chamber to discuss new research into corporate values, exploring whether these vague, often ambiguous phrases actually serve any purpose. Ketchum partner Tyler Durham also joins the show, discussing his firm's report into the internal communications challenges posed by 'change fatigue'.

In the latest Echo Chamber podcast, Aarti Shah explores the future of technology and branded content. In the first half of the episode, Ruder Finn's chief digital officer Scott Schneider talks driverless cars, emojis, the future of Twitter, Snapchat and more. Then, the Wonder Factory's co-founder and creative director Joe McCambley joins the program to talk about bringing "wonder" back to branded content and the creative firepower brands need to make an impact.  

The Holmes Report's Aarti Shah talks to DePaul University's Matt Ragas about ways the PR industry has evolved to become a true partner to the C-suite. The talk also touches on what today's rising stars must master to — not only become valuable C-suite counselors — but also to run their own businesses and P&Ls.

The Holmes Report's Arun Sudhaman catches up with Richard Edelman at the 2015 Cannes Lions Festival, to discuss the PR industry's presence at the event. Edelman also responds to his agency's heightened media profile over the past year, and comments on the ongoing investigation into the firm's China operation. 

Separately, Sudhaman sits down with H+K Strategies content and publishing head Vikki Chowney to discuss the highs and lows from this year's Cannes festival, and the marketing trends worth watching.

Media watcher Sam Whitmore visits the Echo Chamber to discuss media and pitching trends: the science of headline writing, Re/Code's sale to Vox, multichannel storytelling and the lost art of "real-time persuasion." Also on the agenda, Ketchum's global tech lead Susan Butenhoff talks about how to use the word "innovation" in a way that's not overused and tired — and why, when and where consumers are willing to pay a premium for "innovation."

Ketchum chief engagement officer Stephen Waddington visits the Echo Chamber to discuss the modernisation of PR in a wide-ranging interview with Holmes Report editor Arun Sudhaman. Waddington believes that technology is reshaping public relations practice for the better, but that many firms face irrelevance if they do not embrace new models and methods. Also on the agenda are Waddington's views on Robert Phillips' book 'Trust Me, PR Is Dead' and his thoughts on why senior PR executives are still so wary of social media.

Natalia Popovych is head of PR firm PRP and one of the founders of the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center (UCMC), which launched last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. She talks to the Holmes Report about the UCMC's efforts to bring balance to media coverage of the conflict, and the importance of rebutting propaganda. 

The latest Echo Chamber episode sees editors Arun Sudhaman and Paul Holmes discuss Fifa's crisis, after a dramatic week for football's governing body. The duo also explore the rise of the midsize PR firm following the release of the 2015 World PR Report's agency rankings. And they wonder whether independent affiliate PR firm networks really make that much sense.