The PRovoke Media Podcast

Live from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Arun Sudhaman meets with Mercer CMO Jeanniey Mullen, who discusses how employee expectations are changing the way that CEOs engage on issues, some of which are political. Sudhaman also talks to KPMG citizenship head Lord Michael Hastings about how the nature of corporate purpose is changing. 

Omnicom PR Group's international president David Gallagher visits the Echo Chamber in Hong Kong to discuss the slowdown in publicly-held PR growth, and why agency models must be held accountable. Gallagher also runs through his 2018 trends to watch, including the impact of blockchain and artificial intelligence, and also explores whether next week's World Economic Forum in Davos remains relevant....

Paul Holmes joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss his annual review of agency M&A in the PR sector , which year revealed a significant decline in both the volume and value of industry dealmaking. Holmes and Arun Sudhaman explore the rise of the 'micro-transaction', with smaller firms dominating sales while holding groups such as Omnicom and WPP did not acquire a single PR firm in 2017. The duo...

Jana Lynne Sanchez, founder of European PR firm CitySavvy, joins the Echo Chamber to discuss her decision to run for Congress. Currently the Democratic ballot frontrunner for Texas' 6th district, Sanchez explores the factors that triggered her decision to seek office, against a backdrop of political tumult and a groundswell of women who are choosing to run. She also analyses the communications les...

Angela Oakes, co-founder and co-president of Global Women in PR, joins the Echo Chamber to talk about her organization's research on the global pay gap for women in PR. In a conversation with Aarti Shah, the two talk about GWPR's findings, in addition to the Holmes Report's research that shows that a substantial pay gap for both women and people of color in the PR industry.      

It's Episode 100 of the Echo Chamber! Or is it? Either way, Alex Malouf of IABC and P&G joins the show to discuss the key themes that have emerged from the podcast's 4+ years of existence, including agency integration, ethics and PR convergence with marketing. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, the duo also offer up some random PR predictions for the Echo Chamber in 2018, looking at such areas as...

Paul Holmes joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss the retirements of two giants of the in-house communications sector — IBM's Jon Iwata and GE's Beth Comstock  amid considerable evolution of the corporate communications role. Elsewhere, Holmes and Arun Sudhaman also discuss the PR industry's ongoing efforts to improve ethical standards after the Bell Pottinger scandal , including Richard Edelm...

Greg Paull, co-founder and principal at marketing effectiveness consultancy R3 joins the Echo Chamber to discuss the challenges posed by today's marketing landscape. In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, Paull explores the woes of holding groups, the rise of management consultancies, agency M&A trends, how CMO demands are changing and what we should expect from Chinese brands. Paull, whose firm stud...

Llorente & Cuenca US head Erich de la Fuente talks to Paul Holmes about the firm’s new white paper on communications trends in Latin America, from mobile usage to millennials and renewed optimism.

Veteran adman Matt Godfrey joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss his decision to step down as Y&R Asia-Pacific CEO and join a nutrition startup. Godfrey, considered one of the region's leading marketing executives after lengthy stints leading Bates, Publicis and Y&R,  explores how he will apply lessons learned in advertising to his new startup life. He also talks about the challenges facing ad...

Huawei VP of global corporate communications Walter Jennings joins the Echo Chamber to discuss what his company's rise means for the way China Inc is perceived in Western markets. Meanwhile, journalist Alex Brownsell also drops by to explore his popular feature , which asks whether brand ‘purpose’ risks becoming a euphemism for ill-conceived CSR campaigns.

Former Edelman APACMEA CEO David Brain joins the Echo Chamber to discuss Bell Pottinger's demise and what this means for broader perceptons of the public relations industry. In a wide-ranging conversation with Arun Sudhaman and Paul Holmes, Brain also explores his vision for the PR agency of the future, a few months after stepping down from his lengthy career as one of Edelman's top global leaders...

The Holmes Report has partnered with Ogilvy for a multi-part series looking at creativity in PR from a variety of angles. Part 2 explores the findings of Ogilvy's 4th annual Ogilvy Media Influence Survey with the agency's chief communications officer Jen Risi. Among the notable findings, Facebook is now the gatekeeper of news and how the threat of fake news has changed traditional reporting.  Show...

Bell Pottinger's stunning demise since it was expelled from the PRCA has rocked the PR world. In a special podcast with Arun Sudhaman, PRCA director-general Francis Ingham explains why the trade association decided to impose its harshest-ever sanction on the UK PR firm, following Bell Pottinger's work for South Africa's controversial Gupta family.

TUGG  (Technology Underwriting Greater Good) helps early stage, experimental nonprofits connect with Boston’s tech community to earn funding and build their networks. Its annual Tugg Makes Boston fundraiser distributes more than $200,000 in funding to local organizations looking to solve challenges in their communities, and the group puts on many more events throughout the year, including  Tech Gi...

YouGov's CEO of data products Ted Marzilli joins the Echo Chamber podcast to talk about the current state of polling both for politics and for brand research. He also talks about the ways that brand research can unearth insights and where reliance on data can go wrong.  Show Notes: Podcast: Jo-Ann Robertson On The UK General Election The Echo Chamber podcast is produced by Markettiers and sponsore...

Microsoft communications chief Frank X. Shaw joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss whether brands should take a stand on social issues and mitigating the risk of fake news. Kovert Creative co-founder Joe Assad also joins to talk about his firm's recent investment in Howler Media .   Show Notes: The Howler Soccer Ball Phone Sports Illustrated Football Phone commercial  The Echo Chamber podcast...

Prema Sagar launched Genesis PR in 1992, when India's PR industry was still in its infancy, before eventually selling the firm to Burson-Marsteller. She discusses the evolution of public relations in India with Arun Sudhaman, following the SABRE Awards South Asia, at which her firm took top honours for its campaign on behalf of Medela.

Michelle Cove has turned a career as a media maker into an opportunity to address that industry’s most harmful effects. She’s founder and executive director of MEDIAGIRLS, a nonprofit that gives young girls the tools to filter and think critically about the harmful sexist and biased messages communicated in today’s media. In this week’s Hacks and Flacks, Marina Askari and I talk to Michelle about...

Omnicom PR group president David Gallagher joins the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss the PR industry's continued reputation issues in the media, in the wake of the high-profile  Bell Pottinger  and Rob Goldstone affairs, drawing on his own experience of the criticism 

Weber Shandwick president Gail Heimann joins the Echo Chamber to explore PR industry lessons from the recent Cannes Lions, where PR firms once again struggled to compete with ad agencies for top honours. In addition to discussing the continued opposition to the Festival from large swathes of the industry, Heimann also talks through the changing nature of PR and PR ideas in a rapidly shifting media...

Ketchum execs Ruth Yearley and Tera Miller join the Echo Chamber in Cannes to explore how the intersection of work and life can help inspire creativity at work. The duo, in conversation with Arun Sudhaman, discuss why keeping you work and personal lives separate can impede creative performance and also reveal where they have their best ideas. 

H+K Strategies CEO Jack Martin joins the Echo Chamber podcast in Cannes to discuss the PR industry's transformation. In conversation with Paul Holmes, Martin also applies his vast public affairs experience to the complex question of whether brands should take a political stand in the Trump era. 

When you’re trying to start a business, it can be tough to figure out your next step. Daquan Oliver, founder and executive director at WeThrive , learned this from a young age, and now he works to develop entrepreneurial skills in students from middle school on up. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, Daquan shares a few lessons in social entrepreneurship and nonprofit marketing and communications...

The Echo Chamber previews next week's Cannes Lions festival with Quartz global finance and economics editor Jason Karaian, who discusses some of the key trends likely to emerge from the event, including digital ad fraud, brand safety and the rise of advertising 'frenemies' such as Facebook and Google. Karaian also discusses lessons from the surprising UK General Election result, which is explored...