The PRovoke Media Podcast

In this episode, Aarti Shah and the W2O Group's Aaron Strout reflect on key takeaways from #PRovokeNA, which took place virtually on February 24. Among the topics they discuss: how emerging platforms were transformed by Covid-19, why ESG has supplanted CSR, how public affairs has transformed with the democratization of media, and how healthcare communications was permanently changed by the pandemi...

Prospect Resourcing co-founder Emma Dale joins the PRovoke podcast to discuss the 2021 State of the Industry Report. Produced by Prospect and PublicAffairsAsia, the study reveals a tough year financially for PR and communications professionals, but also finds a greater appreciation of the value and importance of the communications function. Dale discusses these trends, along with hiring patterns a...

The first edition of "Exploring Public Relations and Managing Communication", the textbook used in teaching PR across UK universities, was published in 2006. For its 5th edition, co-authors Ralph Tench and Stephen Waddington have, with a cohort of respected industry leaders and academics, comprehensively overhauled the content. Tench and Waddington join Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke podcast to...

This conversation features AbdelHalim AbdAllah, crisis communications officer for the African Region at the World Health Organization, and NewsWhip CEO Paul Quigley. PRovoke Media executive editor Aarti Shah hosts the conversation that covers how WHO is preparing for the largest vaccine rollout on the continent — and addressing specific misinformation threats that involves adapting strategies to a...

Former Sky corporate comms director and Bell Pottinger partner Gavin Davis set up reputation and communications agency Nepean in 2019. He joins EMEA editor Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke podcast to talk about how business leaders can effectively express their "corporate body language" to stakeholders, particularly as the focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) grows.

Raja Rajamannar is chief marketing & communications officer for Mastercard, and president of the company’s healthcare business. He joins PRovoke editor-in-chief Arun Sudhaman to discuss his new book Quantum Marketing, which declares that the obsolescence of marketing has begun. Rajamannar also explores the importance of genuine integration between marketing and communications, the rise of risk and...

In this episode, Paul Holmes talks to Silvia Taylor, SVP of corporate affairs at Novavax, and Adam Hildreth, founder/CEO of Crisp, about the reputation issues facing the pharmaceutical industry as the largest vaccine effort in the world rolls out to combat Covid-19. The group also addresses the disinformation Novavax had to deal with as part of their clinical trials and how the global pandemic has...

Connect2 Communications founder and president Rich Williams is a big believer in the persuasive power of telling very real, very human, stories, and putting them at the center of communications strategies — even when clients are tech companies through and through. Williams joins Diana Marszalek on the PRovoke podcast to discuss the art of mining for and promoting those stories, and the role they p...

Precision co-founder Stephanie Cutter was one of the producers of President Joe Biden's socially-distant inauguration and the virtual Democratic National Convention last fall. In this episode of the PRovoke Media podcast, Cutter talks to Aarti Shah about the numerous challenges of producing the inauguration after a deadly insurrection and as the country reckons with mass death amid a global pandem...

This episode features Zapwater's Jenn Lake and Stephanie Poquette to talk about how the pandemic has changed influencer marketing. The discussion, moderated by PRovoke executive editor Aarti Shah, covers the influencer marketing challenges and opportunities that emerged during the crises of the past 12 months — and also looks forward to what we can expect around influencer marketing in 2021.

AMEC chair Richard Bagnall, the CEO for Europe and the Americas of measurement firm Carma, and Hard Numbers founder Darryl Sparey join Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke podcast to discuss their new research showing a direct link between PR and media coverage, and the level of Series B funding start-ups in all sectors can attract. 

Chris McCafferty, the founder of Kaper and then Karmarama, joined Publicis Groupe agency MSL in 2019 as UK chief executive. He joins Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke podcast to talk about the agency’s new data-driven insights tool, Belief Stack, and the growing importance for brands to understand the deeply-held beliefs and values of their audiences.

Vuki Vujasinovic founded Australian firm Sling & Stone 10 years ago, and has since grown the startup-focused agency into one of the country's biggest players, winning Consultancy of the Year honours in 2020 following expansion into New Zealand and the US. He talks to PRovoke editor-in-chief Arun Sudhaman about the firm's continued growth during the pandemic, along with the challenges the Covid era...

This episode features Lily Lin, VP of global communications and public affairs at Google and Maureen Lippe, Founder & Chairman of Lippe Taylor. The conversation, moderated by PRovoke's executive editor Aarti Shah, covers how 2020 has fundamentally shifted the conversation around work-life integration, drawing boundaries in all areas of your life, how strong managers foster allyship and cultures of...

Milk & Honey PR founder Kirsty Leighton, one of our EMEA Innovator 25 in 2020, and partner Fiona Gildea, who leads on ESG and sustainability at the female-led agency, join Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke podcast to talk about being a B-Corp and building a sustainable and purpose-led business, including planned initiatives and collaborative industry projects for the year ahead. 

This two-part podcast with Diana Marszalek features Steve Kirsch, founder of the Early Covid Treatment Fund, and Allison+Partners’ Amber Albrecht discussing the challenges of garnering support for scientists, followed by Tagger’s Diogo Felippelli talking about how the pandemic has changed the tone and tenor of social media.

This episode of the PRovoke Media podcast features Greg Amrofell, CMO at  the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and Andrew Shih, EVP of corporate and public affairs at MBooth Health. The conversation looks at vaccine communications, the erosion of trust — especially for entities like the CDC and FDA — and how a Biden administration will further evolve the communications landscape.

Allison + Partners consumer brands leader Lisa Rosenberg joins Aarti Shah on the PRovoke podcast to reflect on how the challenges of 2020 shaped innovation this year. We also talk about the creative campaigns that broke through a tumultuous social and political backdrop. Rosenberg was featured on the 2020 Innovator 25 in Americas .   

Berk Communications founder and CEO Ron Berkowitz joins Diana Marszalek on the PRovoke podcast to talk about how professional athletes and players this year have leveraged their personal brands to take a step forward as leadership and role models and push for change. The discussion covers how sport has reflected bigger issues in the world, from Black Lives Matter to cancel culture, and the impact...

This episode of the PRovoke Podcast features a group from Kivvit who integrated innovation thinking with diversity, equity and inclusion. This group — Zach Silber, Taylor Cavazos, Hira Shaikh and Brad Weekes — published a #BlackLivesMatter Insights Report that explores the engagement behind this summer’s movement, including the key digital drivers that sparked and sustained the momentum — and the...

Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden joins Diana Marszalek on the PRovoke podcast to talk about how communications is continuing to evolve with each new phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

  Hip Hop Public Health executive director Lori Rose Benson and Finn Partners senior partner Helen Shelton join Diana Marszalek on the PRovoke podcast to talk about how using popular music to deliver health and safety information to an underserved youth audience has resonated during the Covid pandemic.

H+K Strategies global head of content and publishing Vikki Chowney discusses the digital advances that the PR industry has made in 2020, and whether these are likely to persist in 2021 and beyond. In an expansive conversation, Chowney covers such areas as the benefits of virtual collaboration, the relative merits of different social media platforms, and the importance of authentic, co-created cont...

Former Weber Shandwick London CEO Rachel Friend joins Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke podcast to talk about her twin new roles and priorities as CEO of award-winning consumer agency W Communications and as the incoming chair of the Public Relations and Communications Association.

This episode features Kelly McGinnis, SVP & Chief Communications Officer at Levi Strauss and Maureen Lippe, Founder & Chairman of Lippe Taylor. The conversation, moderated by PRovoke's executive editor Aarti Shah, covers the importance of trusting your instincts, the crucial workplace transitions that are necessary as professionals grow into leadership roles, why vulnerability builds effective and...