Dan York

Note: This episode is the first of several that experiments with a streamlined format: two guest co-hosts instead of three panelists and fewer stories. The goal is to slim FIR down to a more listenable length. This first effort shaved more than 30 minutes off the usual length and next week we hope to reduce even more. Please let us know how you like the format — and the length by sending an email to fircomments@gmail.com. 

Christopher Carfi and Serena Ehrlich join Shel Holtz for this week’s episode, which covered these stories…

• At least three Super Bowl commercials were forthright in addressing issues that are controversial in the early days of the Trump Administration and the increasingly polarized political atmosphere
• President Trump was referenced in 32 of the S&P 500 quarterly earnings calls in January, 20% more than  President Obama was in 2009. Do Investor Relations professionals need to factor the president into their planning?
• Not too long ago, some columnists and analysts predicted Volkswagen might not survive its emissions-fraud scandal. Today, they are the world’s top automaker. How did crisis communication help save the company?
• Dan York reports on a new report from the International Red Cross about using messaging apps in humanitarian crises and Snapchat’s introduction of Snapcodes that let users open your company website
• Hundreds of thousands of people deleted Uber’s app from their phones during the three days the #DeleteUber hashtag trended. What did Uber do wrong?

Connect with guest co-hosts on Twitter at @ccarfi and @serena.

Links to the source material for this episode are on Contentle.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

FIR is usually recorded using Zencastr.

About today’s panel:

Christopher Carfi is GoDaddy’s Director of Content Marketing, and leads the team responsible for GoDaddy’s global content marketing strategy and its execution. A veteran of both startups and the enterprise, Chris also has a deep track record in developing customer community and evangelist programs for brands such as Adobe, H&R Block and Aruba Networks while holding executive positions at Ant’s Eye View and Edelman Digital, and he was co-founder and CEO at Cerado. He currently lives in the Bay Area with his family. Chris holds a degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

Serena Ehrlich, Director of Social and Evolving Media, provides guidance for internal and external content creation and distribution services, ranging from PR programming to mobile marketing to social media updates. Throughout her career Ehrlich has worked to provide guidance on investor relations, public relations and overall consumer behavior relations trends. Before rejoining Business Wire in 2013, Ehrlich designed and implemented successful local, national and international social, influencer, mobile and traditional marketing campaigns for brands including Kraft, Kohls, Avon, Mattel, Mogreet and more. A ’91 graduate of Brandeis University with a B.A. in History, Ehrlich was named one of the 2013 Top 25 Women in Mobile to Watch by Mobile Marketer.

The post FIR #73: One crisis after another appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Kelly Hoey, Andrea Weckerle, and Lynette Young were on the panel this week, reacting to the non-stop torrent of news from the White House and how business has responded, along with other communication-focused update, including…

• The range of corporate reactions to the presidential order implementing a temporary ban on immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries
• Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 press conference, which some believe raised the bar for corporate apologies
• The Public Relations Society of America’s statement on “alternative facts” and a call for public relations professionals to uphold the standards articulated in PRSA’s code of ethics
• David Murray’s assertion that public relations professionals are in the unusual position, if we play our cards right, of being the most credible people with the best ability to wield influence
• Another view from Bill Sledzik that PR needs to turn the corner from advocacy to “responsible advocacy,” putting public interest and social responsibility ahead of, or at least on par with, client interest
• Snapchat’s announcement about how it intends to minimize fake news in its Discover section
• The new surge of rogue Twitter accounts in the wake of the Administration’s restrictions on agencies speaking with the public and the new trust issues they raise
• The use of Trump attacks as a marketing hook by everyone from PRSA to Dippin’ Dots
• A survey of B2B marketers found original research the most effective form of content marketing
• Nearly 20% of all online media consumed is influencer content; does this make content marketing more imperative for companies?

Connect with our panelists on Twitter at @jkhoey, @aweckerle, and @lynetteradio.

Links to the source material for this episode are on Contentle.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

FIR is usually recorded using Zencastr.

About today’s panel:

Author and investor Kelly Hoey is a networking expert whose new book Build Your Dream Network is to be released in January 2017 by Tarcher Perigee. Kelly has reinvented her career from corporate lawyer to influencer, author and investor. In addition to her portfolio of angel investments (Levo League, Hullabalu, Smigin, CloudPeeps, flowthings.io), she is a LP in Laconia Capital Group. Kelly advises several emerging company initiatives (NZTE and CTA) and is an adjunct professor at LIM College in New York City. In addition to her professional pursuits, Kelly is the Chief Tech Ambassador for the YWCA of NYC’s Girls Geek Club. As a connector, and networking expert, Kelly has been lauded from Forbes (“1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”) to Fast Company (“25 Smartest Women On Twitter”). She has a column on Inc.com, blogs on myturnstone.com (as well as Medium and jkellyhoey.co) and tweets frequently. Kelly has appeared as an investor panelist on CNBC’s Power Pitch and is the host of the BroadMic podcast.

Andrea Weckerle founded and leads CiviliNation, a nonprofit organization taking a stand against online harassment, character assassination and violence. Its focus is on advancing the full capability of individuals to communicate and engage in cyberspace in a responsible and accountable way. She is the author of the book Civility in the Digital Age: How Companies and People Can Triumph over Haters, Trolls, Bullies, and Other Jerks. In addition to a JD, she holds an MA in Public Relations/Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

Lynette Young is co-founder and Director of Marketing ClaimWizard, a software-as-a-service workflow management system for the public adjuster industry. She is a marketing technology strategist and published author with focus on digital marketing and implementation services. With over 25 years in technology, 17 of those years in digital marketing, she is well positioned as a “full-stack marketer” giving her a distinct advantage in today’s fast-paced business and environment. Over her professional career, Lynette has worked with clients of all sizes ranging from Google, Twitter, Harlequin Publishing, and American Airlines to HVAC installers, an email marketing service provider, local appliance retailers, other agencies, corporate franchises, and public adjusting firms. Lynette heads up the ClaimWizard digital marketing products and team. She maintains her speaking, mind-mapping, and podcasting activities at Purple Stripe Productions.

The post FIR #72: Corporations Take Sides appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Steve Crescenzo, Steve Lubetkin, and Jen McClure joined host Shel Holtz to discuss a range of topics with an overarching connecting theme: trust and its decline. This week’s stories include…

• Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, held his first press briefing, which violated “the top two tenets of being a good PR person,” according to one analysis.
• It turns out a little negative buzz can have a big impact on how people perceive a brand despite great advertising and marketing.
• The 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer is out and the numbers are not good.
• Dan  York reports on the new video capabilities and advertising opportunities in the new JetPack update for WordPress, along with a feature that didn’t even make the announcement: The ability to publish 360-degree videos.
• The New York Times has released an internal report on what it needs to do to continue adapting to the digital news world (and it includes more direct involvement of readers).
• Unilever released a study on advertising stereotypes. The results are fascinating, but so is the fact that Unilever researched the issue in the first place.
• Why (you may ask) is it intriguing that Unilver surveyed the population on gender stereotypes in advertising? It makes sense when you hear about a study that found online sentiment is better for companies that talk about their own CSR activities.
• A school district fired a staff member for a tweet that should have gotten her a promotion.

Connect with our panelists on Twitter at @crescenzo, @podcaststeve, and @jenmclure_JEM.

Links to the source material for this episode are on Contentle.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

FIR is usually recorded using Zencastr.

About today’s panel:

Steve Crescenzo  started Crescenzo Communications 15 years ago after leaving his post as Editorial Director and VP of New Product Development at Ragan Communications. I should point out that Steve does a lot of great communication work, but his wife Cindy runs Crescenzo Communications. Both Steve and Cindy do presentations, internal communication audits, and internal communication consulting. Steve and Cindy both present frequently, together and solo, at a number of communication conferences at events, and Steve has been recognized as the top speaker at IABC’s world conference a number of times.

Steve Lubetkin is the managing partner of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC, an award-winning producer of documentary and news-style audio and video programming, digital photography, and websites. In 2012, he was named one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Social Media Stars,” for podcasting. He is co-author, with Donna Papacosta, of the book, “The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional”. He is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of PRSA’s prestigious College of Fellows. He currently serves as vice president, technology operations, for the IABC Philadelphia Chapter.

Jen McClure is CEO of JEM Consulting & Advisory Services. Prior to founding JEM, Jen was Vice President of Digital & Social Media and the head of the Digital Center of Excellence at Thomson Reuters. In 2005, Ms. McClure founded the Society for New Communications Research, a nonprofit research and education foundation and think tank and was President of the Board of Directors from 2005-2016, when the organization merged with The Conference Board. She now chairs the Advisory Board of the new organization.

The post FIR #71: The Historic Decline in Trust appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.