PR 360

On this very special 200th episode of PR 360, we're thrilled to have Valerie Christopherson, founder and CEO of Global Results Communications (GRC), make her first appearance on the show! Valerie held key positions at QUALCOMM and the Porter Novelli Convergence Group prior to founding GRC in 2005. Since then, GRC has developed into the award-winning public relations powerhouse we know today, trusted by entrepreneurs on the cusp of discoveries and multi-billion-dollar enterprises breaking new ground. Here, Valerie takes a look back at PR 360’s impressive run, sharing insights and memories from along the way. She also discusses GRC’s phenomenal growth over the past 18 years and looks forward to 2024 as another exciting year of change.Key Takeaways:- How PR 360 has grown over the past 200 episodes- How to stay flexible in changing times- The importance of human intelligence in the AI era Episode Timeline:1:00 What Tod has learned from hosting PR 3603:30 PR 360’s roots4:28 The PR 360 topics Valerie finds memorable5:30 How the podcast kept going during COVID-197:15 Why PR 360 would make a great book8:40 GRC's 2023 highlights 10:00 How GRC handled the release of ChatGPT11:00 The importance of GRC's human intelligence12:00 Why meeting the client's needs is more important than billing13:00 The importance of listening to clients in the tech world14:30 How to stay open-minded in changing times17:45 The big lessons Valerie has learned over the past 18 years20:30 Looking forward to 2024This episode’s guest:• Valerie Christopherson on LInkedIn• Global Results Communications website

Catherine Seeds is the president and CEO at Ketner Group Communications. Over the past 21 years at Ketner, Catherine has helped leading companies in the retail, grocery, hospitality, and technology industries create and manage comprehensive and unique communications campaigns. Here, she shares how retail has changed since the pandemic and why Gen Z’s feelings about retail are different from older generations.Key Takeaways:- How younger people see retail differently- How COVID-19 pushed retail innovation- New retail opportunities presented by AIEpisode Timeline:3:45 An overview of Ketner Group Communications5:30 The biggest change in the retail industry over the past 21 years8:00 What it was like working in retail PR during the COVID-19 pandemic9:30 Shopping during the pandemic10:00 Why Gen Z's attitude towards retail is different from older generations11:45 Why are younger people less interested in brands?16:30 How are brick-and-mortar stores innovating through technology?17:45 New retail opportunities courtesy of AI19:30 The grocery store of the future22:00 What does the future hold for Ketner?This episode’s guest:• Catherine Seeds• Ketner Group• Ketner Group’s Instagram and TwitterSubscribe and leave a 5-star review: https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!

After a career working in advertising, PR, sales, the events industry, and the dotcom world, Michael Gallagher founded the Stevie Awards in 2002 to honor the millions of business executives and workers worldwide who quietly accomplish innovative and extraordinary things in the workplace every day. Michael’s commitment to honoring excellence was sparked during his tenure as Vice President of The New York Festivals, where he organized some of the world’s largest international awards competitions for film, television, advertising, and other media. Here, he discusses the power of acknowledging people in the workplace and how organizations can nominate their employees for a Stevie award.Key Takeaways:- The importance of acknowledging employees with awards- How awards benefit companies large and small- How to nominate someone for a Stevie awardEpisode Timeline:1:45 Honoring the unsung heroes of the business world3:30 Sometimes it's the unsung people who are at the heart of the company.4:15 How do the Stevies help companies?5:30 How awards benefit larger companies6:00 How awards help workers internally7:15 The Stevies are about work, not necessarily business.8:00 The proper way to nominate someone for a Stevie award11:30 Great communicators can take esoteric concepts and explain them to the masses.13:00 Michael's experience in awards started in the '80s.15:00 The dawn of business awards17:45 What does the future look like for the Stevies?19:00 Do different countries have different work values?21:00 How to get involved with the Stevie AwardsThis episode’s guest:• Michael Gallagher• Michael Gallagher on LinkedIn and Facebook• Stevie Awards HomepageSubscribe and leave a 5-star review:https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!•             Join the conversation by leaving a comment!•             Follow us on Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening!

Sean O’Leary is a communications professional with nearly two decades of experience in journalism, marketing, and public relations. He’s the Vice President of Susan Davis International, which handles communications for military and veterans’ groups, the federal government, and technology and healthcare organizations. Previously, he served as Director for the Merritt Group, a marketing and PR agency for technology companies focused on working with federal, state, and local governments, as well as the Department of Defense. Here, Sean shares the unique way that PR works in government and military circles and his experiences working with Tom Hanks and President Joe Biden.Key Takeaways:- PR in the military world- Planning Presidential events- PR and the PGA “merger”Episode Timeline:2:00 Sean's recent event with Tom Hanks and Adam Driver4:00 An overview of the Moral Compass Federation6:00 The difference between military and civilian work styles7:00 Dealing with misinformation online during a conflict9:00 How does business-to-government differ from B2B or B2C communications?11:00 Communications within a bureaucracy11:45 Presidential PR at the 10th anniversary of the MLK Memorial13:30 The "mom" test14:00 The importance of local media17:30 Sean's thoughts on the PR surrounding the PGA merger21:00 Sean's golf tipsThis episode’s guest:• Sean O'Leary on LinkedIn• Susan Davis InternationalSubscribe and leave a 5-star review:https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!•             Join the conversation by leaving a comment!•             Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening!

John Patton is a 25-year marketing and communications executive and entrepreneur who has worked in public health for the last 13 years. Currently, he’s the Executive Director of the ProVention Health Foundation and a Vice President of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. He is also the author of "Brainless Health: Simple Health Habits for Smart People." Here, he talks about the intersection between media and public health and how simple habits can make big changes.Key Takeaways:- Simple habits that can improve your health- The need for disruption in public health messaging- The biggest problem in American healthEpisode Timeline:1:45 How John transitioned from broadcasting and journalism to health communications3:00 How John brought the power of media to public health4:00 John's work with ABC TV on diabetes5:30 How to talk to people who are pre-diabetic6:15 How is Instagram affecting public health?8:15 The philosophy behind "Brainless Health"9:30 John's small health habits 12:10 The most concerning thing about the current state of American health15:00 Why are people so resistant to public health messages?17:10 The need for fear marketing in public health messaging19:30 The change in public opinion on smokingThis Episode’s Guest:• John Patton• Pick up "Brainless Health" on Amazon• Follow John on Instagram @BrainlessHealth• ProVention Health Foundation Subscribe and leave a 5-star review: https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!•             Join the conversation by leaving a comment!•             Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening!

As the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Mower PR & PA Group, Rick Lyke implements a full range of communications programs. He is also part of the Mower Reputation Management Team, which prepares clients for media interviews, key stakeholder presentations, and potential crisis situations. In his career, Rick has developed award-winning campaigns for Freightliner Trucks, Troy-Bilt, Guinness Stout, Mitsubishi Power Systems, Starbucks, and I Love NY. On this episode, we discuss Mower's five rules for crisis communication, the importance of crisis preparedness, and Rick’s Pints for Prostates health charity.  Key Takeaways:- Mower's 5 rules of crisis communication- The importance of crisis preparedness- Rick’s Pints for Prostates nonprofitEpisode Timeline:1:30 What are some of the traditions associated with Guinness?3:30 What are Mower's five rules for crisis communication?4:30 Why companies should share the bad news with friends first5:00 Why clients should take all their hits in "round one"6:00 Companies in crisis should answer the tough questions first.6:30 What’s the appropriate attitude a chief executive should have during a crisis?9:45 Can responding quickly to a crisis open the door for mistakes?10:02 The importance of crisis preparation10:50 How to run a crisis simulation13:00 Good PR runs 24/7.15:15 How bad crisis management can make things worse17:10 Rick’s Pints for Prostates nonprofitThis episode’s guest:• Rick Lyke on LinkedIn• PintsforProstates.org• Mower.comSubscribe and leave a 5-star review: https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!•             Join the conversation by leaving a comment!•             Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening! 

Arielle Nissenblatt is the Community Marketing Manager at Descript and founder of the EarBuds Podcast Collective. With a diverse background in the podcast industry, she has experience as a studio manager, an in-app curator at Castbox, a festival organizer at Outlier PodFest, and more. She is also part of the organizing team behind the Podcast Taxonomy project, an international, multidisciplinary collaborative standard for recognizing roles and credits in podcast production. On this episode, she shares some out-of-the-box podcast marketing strategies and reveals the common mistakes people make when starting new podcasts. Key Takeaways:- Scams are the latest podcasting trend.- Creative ways to market podcasts- The current state of podcasting ad revenue Episode Timeline:1:36 Are there too many podcasts?3:30 Tod's podcast entropy theory4:15 Creative ways to market podcasts5:15 Promo swaps7:30 Is there a podcast ad revenue recession?8:45 Why podcasting is such a great platform for advertisers9:45 Scams are the new true crime.12:00 "The Confidence Game"13:00 The biggest mistakes people make when starting a podcast13:50 Getting an objective opinion on your podcast 15:50 Ask your audience questions.16:50 Is the comedy genre too crowded?19:10 Descript's Squadcast remote recording platform This episode’s guest:• Arielle Nissenblatt • Learn more at www.ArielleNissenblatt.com Subscribe and leave a 5-star review: https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us! •         Join the conversation by leaving a comment!•         Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening!

David McAlpine is the Global Head of External Communications at Illumina, a biotech company that develops, manufactures, and markets integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and biological function. He has also worked as the Director of Broadcast Media Relations at General Motors and as a producer for CBS and Fox News. Here, David discusses the challenges of educating the public about genomics, what it was like hosting President Biden at a General Motors event, and the importance of DE&I in public relations. Key Takeaways:- Communicating genomics to the public- How to host the president at a press event- The importance of DE&I in PREpisode Timeline:1:45 How has learning multiple languages helped David become an effective communicator?3:00 What's the difference between a press conference in the U.S. and India?4:45 What's the challenge in communicating Illumina's lofty goals?7:00 AI and genomics10:35 What's the most important thing the public doesn't understand about genomics?12:40 Are people skittish about knowing about their genetics?15:15 What was it like planning an event with President Biden at General Motors?20:00 The joy of driving an EV21:00 Where do people in the comms fields need to do more work for DE&I?This episode’s guests:• David McAlpine on LinkedIn and on X (formerly Twitter) Subscribe and leave a 5-star review: https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!•             Join the conversation by leaving a comment!•             Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening!

Jeff Beringer founded and oversees Golin's global digital team and has spent more than two decades helping companies earn attention online to build brands and drive demand. In the earliest days of the internet, Jeff helped some of the world's biggest corporations plant their first flags on the web, and today he's helping them embrace AI to do the some of their best work ever. Here, he discusses how AI is being used in PR and the need for brands to embrace social search. Key Takeaways:- The current state of AI in PR- The cycles of technological adaptation in PR and marketing- Building a brand's presence in social searchEpisode Timeline:1:30 The current role of AI in media3:20 How are people specifically using AI in PR and marketing?5:00 Using AI for storyboards7:20 Influencer tracking through AI9:00 Will AI result in the flattening of media and culture?11:30 How we overreacted to the Metaverse12:30 The hype cycle of the Metaverse14:30 What are the difficulties in managing a brand's presence through Threads?17:30 Why some brands don’t work consistently across platforms19:00 The need for brands to control their image on social search21:40 Retrieving social search dataThis episode’s guests:• Jeff Beringer on LinkedIn• Check out Golin's website Subscribe and leave a 5-star review: https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!