PR Future, the USC Center for Public Relations Podcast

Creating a truly purpose-driven communications campaign is a nuanced and laborious process — one that has become increasingly crucial in the world of public relations. In an era where brands are expected to be a part of social change efforts and use their influence for good, it is essential that companies have a road map for creating authentic campaigns that make an impact.  Luckily, our team at t...

This past year and a half has been nothing short of historic. As we’ve chronicled momentous events in real time through a communications lens this season, our guests have provided invaluable insight into effectively addressing some of the most prominent social issues of today. Change, especially large-scale social change, is never easy. But through our research this past year, we’ve discovered tha...

Political scientist Jennifer Kavanagh believes that there’s more behind polarization than just the existence of opposite perspectives. In 2018, she published a report with RAND CEO Michael D. Rich that proposes a framework for understanding one of the deeper issues behind the division in our country: truth decay. In a nutshell, the phrase “truth decay” describes four different trends around facts...

In her book “High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out,” journalist and author Amanda Ripley introduces the framework that there are two types of conflict: high conflict and good conflict. In America, Ripley believes that we are stuck in a vicious cycle of high conflict — one that is destructive and unproductive. But as Ripley tells us, there is still hope for the future, for us to retu...

From cooking red and blue spaghetti while hosting Democrats and Republicans around her dining room table to leading dinner events with hundreds of people from diverse political viewpoints in communities across the nation, social sculptor Philippa Hughes has been entrenched in the polarization issues that plague our country, and intent on solving them through grassroots efforts to start conversatio...

While it seems like people with different political ideologies can’t agree on anything these days, one thing we can all agree on is that our nation is polarized; perhaps like it never has been before. As we enter into a new political era with messaging focused on reaching across the divide and restoring a sense of unity, we talked with Christina Bellantoni, an expert on all things politics and pol...

The Gen Z and Millennial audience is often an enigma; to seasoned PR practitioners, their obsession with TikTok videos clocking in at 60 seconds or less, the ever-evolving Instagram culture and their use of various media channels as catalysts for change — such as during the Black Lives Matter movement — can be hard to puzzle through. This week, we talked with three USC Annenberg PR students who ta...

As we inaugurate a new president amidst a pandemic and civil unrest, new data from the 2021 Global Communication Survey gives us valuable insight into what this next year may hold. In this episode, our guest Dr. Ulrike Gretzel, senior research fellow at the USC Center for Public Relations, discusses the preliminary findings with Fred, exploring the expected impacts of the Biden administration on a...

This year, we’ve not only experienced a pandemic that continues to upend our lives, but the resurgence of a powerful racial justice movement that has reminded us all that it is time for change. It is time for equality. It is time to put in the work across our industry and many others to dismantle white supremacy and systemic racism, and establish a work environment where everyone sees themselves r...

2020 is unlike any year we’ve experienced in our lifetimes; arguably, the only constant has been change. As PR professionals, we’re well-equipped to deal with crises. But in the time of COVID-19, we’ve grappled with entirely new kinds of challenges: closures of entire business sectors, fluctuating reopening guidelines and an entirely new definition of “normal life.” Adrienne Cadena, president of b...

Fulfillment and purpose: two things that we all search for throughout our lives, and maybe have been thinking more about lately in our new normal. And two things that Global CEO and Founder of WE Communications Melissa Waggener Zorkin thinks about constantly. Leading with purpose and fulfillment in mind, Melissa and her agency have built strong, authentic campaigns over the years for big companies...

In this special season finale episode, our host Fred Cook puts on his professor cap to bring together everything we’ve learned from prominent activists and communications pros in our debut season of #PRFuture, in the context of the research that started it all: the 2020 Global Communication Report.  In our research, we found that “New Activism” requires new communication. Our guests this season, a...

As we near November, the 2020 presidential election is on everyone’s minds. Dubbed the fight for the “soul of America,” it’s also the first presidential election to take place during a pandemic. With a pandemic election comes a variety of obstacles to the voting process, which means voting rights organization Rock the Vote is working overtime to provide young voters with the resources they need to...

Ben and Jerry’s has always been known for serving delicious ice cream with extra scoops of peace, love and justice. Social mission has always been an integral part of the company’s day-to-day operations — so much so that Ben and Jerry’s has their own in-house activism department.  Christopher Miller is the head of this activism team. A few months ago, he drafted Ben and Jerry's second statement in...

From Star Trek to K-pop, fan culture is everywhere — and as USC Professors Henry Jenkins and Robert Kozinets say, so is fan activism. This week, we’re taking a more theoretical approach to New Activism, exploring the roots of activism in fandom, and how corporate fans — also known as invested consumers — can help companies improve their corporate social responsibility initiatives.  In this episode...

Corporate activism has long been sewn into the fabric of Levi Strauss and Company, and over the past seven years, senior vice president and chief communications officer Kelly McGinnis has continued to uphold Levi Strauss’ reputation as a pioneer in tackling social issues. Bringing her background in social work to the table, Kelly has continued to seek out new opportunities to foster change in the...

Damon Jones has been challenging gender stereotypes, promoting sustainability and fighting for racial equality for the past 23 years through his work at Procter and Gamble. Since being promoted to P&G's chief communications officer at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Damon has continued to foster important discussions within P&G’s audiences and enact positive social change in the corporate lan...

As she watched the Oscars from her living room, attorney April Reign tweeted a single hashtag that would change the conversation around diversity and inclusion in Hollywood forever. #OscarsSoWhite started a movement that led her to devote her life to activism, working to amplify traditionally underrepresented voices in the entertainment industry.  In this episode, April discusses how social media...

At age 15, Colombian-American activist Jamie Margolin organized the Zero Hour Youth Climate March, a youth-led demonstration urging those in power to take concrete measures against climate change. Using traditional PR tactics and leveraging the power of social media, Jamie and her team turned their initial march into a global movement that has more than 100 chapters and continues to inspire childr...

March for Our Lives began in a small town in Florida, but its student organizers went on to spearhead the largest single-day protest against gun violence in U.S. history. The organization registered over 50,000 new voters and spurred the highest percentage of youth voter turnout ever in the 2018 midterm elections. In part two of our interview with March For Our Lives co-founder Brendan Duff, Brend...

On February 14, 2018, a gunman open-fired on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in what became the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. The tragedy gave birth to an influential movement, the student-led March for Our Lives, which transcended South Florida and sparked activism for gun control reform through national protests and school walkouts. In this episode, March ...