Politics for Drummies

US expat Marshall Manson cut his teeth on Republican campaigning. Now he is chair of corporate affairs at Fleishman Hillard in the UK with 20 years of election insight. In this fascinating and timely episode he and Alastair discuss just why the American civic arena is so embattled and whether democracy survives another bitter election night.

Mike Nellis of Authentic has won more than 70 awards for political campaigns. And he's worked with California prosecutor Kamala Harris on her way to the top. His super popular White Dudes for Harris campaign raised over $4m in one go in July and caused quite the spat with Elon Musk. In this quickfire episode he tells Alastair just why he believes Trump’s destiny is to lose.

Katie Harrison of WRTHY does important work. From holding tech companies to account for spreading child sexual abuse material to empowering women in the climate crisis, social impact campaigns really matter. In this enlightening episode, Katie takes Alastair on the journey from advertising planning to making social change global. 

Ryan Davis of People First is an influencer marketing expert. When trust in media and government is low, voters make decisions based on friends and family. Ryan chats with Alastair about how everyday people like teachers, single moms, and firefighters can be more effective than celebrity endorsements, which might just make the difference in the Presidential election.

Rhiannon Ruff from Lumino Digital is an expert in Wikipedia the world’s largest crowdsourced encyclopaedia. She joins Alastair on the pod for a masterclass on how politicians try and fail to get round the rules and what brands can do when it comes to reputation management where neutrality and authenticity is all.

Nadja Bellan-White asks whether brands should brands take a stand?CEO of SS+K Nadja Bellan-White is a proud global citizen and change maker. She joins Alastair on the pod to discuss how brands can show up where there is political instability, how the principles of political campaigning apply to brand transformation and why building a diverse culture is still a burning issue against the backdrop of a polarising US election.

In this episode, we're in New York! Valerie Davis, CEO of Assembly North America gives her views on political spending and the likely impact on advertisers in this election cycle. Featuring live chat with the Drum's co-founder, Gordon Young and a CMO Q&A.

Amil Khan on Media, Misinformation and the Misuse of GenAIIn this episode, Alastair chats with Amil Khan, founder of online manipulation expert Valent Projects, about his move into disinformation, the shortcomings of modern media, the potential for tech to spread misinformation, and how voters could soon be targeted individually by political parties armed with GenAI.