Flack Pack

As we wrap up the first year of the Flack Pack podcast, we wanted to thank our listeners with a special treat—a PR version of the 12 Days of Christmas that we wrote a few days ago. We think it's not too bad, but we'll let you be the judge of that. Whatever you think, we're grateful this holiday season that you've tuned in every Friday to support our work, and, we hope, learn something new about PR along the way. If nothing else, this short Christmas Eve show reinforces the notion that the Flack Pack is the best PR podcast out there, and that our flacks definitely have attitude. We'll hope to do an even better job for you when we launch our second season of the show on Friday, January 18, 2019! Happy Holidays from the Flack Pack crew. Robert, Crystal, Summer, Greg, and Jonathan

We've talked about the digital revolution in China on Flack Pack before, but what does PR—generally speaking—look like on the other side of the world? Eisenhower Fellow Dr. Steven Guanpeng Dong shares with us the cultural and institutional differences between PR in China and PR in America. It wasn't that long ago when PR operated on a minimal level in China...but it's been ramping up for several years, thanks to the work of Dr. Dong and his colleagues. Dr. Steven Guanpeng Dong is the Chair Professor of Media and Public Affairs and the Provost for the Faculty of Professional Studies, Executive Programs, and Continuing Education at the Communication University of China. He is also a political scientist and communications professional, and has trained spokespersons of cabinet ministries, provincial governments, and large state-owned enterprises. As an Eisenhower Fellow, Dr. Dong met with hundreds of communications professionals in the U.S. to continue introducing new curricula and approaches to training Chinese

Everywhere you turn, it’s beginning to look like… the end of another semester of college. Not what you were expecting us to say? Not in school? Haven’t been a college student for how long? That’s OK. If you’re in PR, you’re surrounded by young talent – college kids vying for a gig in public relations. It’s a business that thrives with the help of young people, so that’s our topic this week, as we sit down with the immediate past president of the Public Relations Student Society of America, Andrew Cook. Like you, he’s out of school too, but it wasn’t long ago that he was taking finals and looking forward to graduation. The Flack Pack wraps up a two-week conversation about the future of the business, as students see it, and the value of PRSSA to aspiring pros still in school. Even if you’re not a student, you’re hiring them or working with them as interns or freshly minted grads, thus knowing what’s on their minds, and how they see our work, can be helpful when they’re part of your team. In a way, the Flack Pac

It’s December and if you’re a college student that means prepping for finals and dreaming about winter break. If you’re not a college student, then you’re probably longing for those days when you could leave it all behind, hop a plane or a train, and head home for three or four weeks of sinking into a couch at your parent’s house, swaddled in the biggest blanket you can find. Those were the days! We’ve got students on our mind this week, as we check in with a few PR overachievers to see how they’re feeling about the business, now that the semester, and the year, are set to wrap up. We’re dishing PR with three D.C.-area PR pacesetters—Gillian Casey, Diana Ochoa, and Brandon Johnson. Each is the president of their school’s PRSSA chapter, and each is sold out on the practice of public relations. These students are smart, plugged in, and focused. And they’re together in studio for a special end-of-the-semester edition of the Flack Pack.   Links: Public Relations Student Society of America American University PRSS

Flack Pack got a chance to go to Social Media Week in London! This year’s theme was “Closer." We explored the changes and impact that today’s rapid pace of technological innovation brings about, which includes social media. One discussion we had at the conference is a segment of today’s population that has some important and unique characteristics, and that uses social media pretty heavily. These individuals are called CorpSumers and they can have a big impact on brands and organizations. CorpSumers care about your values and are extremely loyal brand activists.   In this episode, Rebecca Blinston-Jones, Gareth Davies, and Pippa Ellis from MWWPR’s London office share with us why this is a part of the population that you’ll want on your side—and NOT positioned against you. LINKS: Social Media Week London CorpSumers Rebecca Blinston-Jones Gareth Davies Pippa Ellis

It’s Thanksgiving week, so naturally we’re talking about turkeys, the kind that visit the White House each year looking to avoid an untimely end as someone’s holiday feast. The National Turkey Presentation is a PR bonanza for the turkey industry, with reporters lining up in the Rose Garden to report on the annual pardoning ceremony. Abraham Lincoln spared the first bird, but his successors presumably ate the annual presidential gift until Harry Truman picked up the notion of pardoning the animal for all to see. Today, it’s a PR event unlike any other and it comes with a Presidential seal of approval.   Links: A White House Turkey Timeline Angela Greiling Keane National Turkey Federation 2017 Turkey Pardon News Release Beth Breeding West Wing Reports Paul Brandus Adam Belmar

The midterm elections are over and you’re probably relieved you’ll no longer have to suffer through a barrage of nasty television and radio ads from candidates blasting their opponents. It’s true the political fights during prime-time TV have ended, but if you do PR, the fun is just beginning. That’s because we’re surrounded by politics and as hard as you might try, you, your organizations or your clients may soon find yourselves swept up into a bitter political shoot-out that starts in January when Democrats take over the U.S. House and begin investigating everything under the sun. It’ll be therapy for them, but could cause nightmares for you. We’re talking about that happy topic this week on the Flack Pack with Adam Belmar, a veteran political rail bird who has done it all – network TV news, White House politics, and now, agency PR.   Links: Deniers over Definers? Facebook execs make a PR mess even worse CNN wins Round 1 in court Adam Belmar

This week, we want to know how any public relations firm could still be working with the Saudi government after reports that people on its payroll murdered and dismembered a journalist critical of its policies at home? The Flack Pack discusses a Washington Post report listing PR firms that government documents show still work for Saudi Arabia and its agents following the death of Jamal Khashoggi. And we ask what PR pros should do if faced with this ethical question: Should you put your head down and take the money, or stand up for free speech? Our guest, Anthony D’Angelo, is the 2018 National Chair for the Public Relations Society of America. We’ll talk about a letter he sent to PRSA members a few weeks ago, and the courage it takes to overcome the ethical challenges facing PR pros today.   Washington Post: This is what Saudi Arabia’s influence network in Washington looks like. Saudi lobbyists in D.C. hunker down after Khashoggi’s killing. Anthony D’Angelo’s Letter to PRSA Membership Anthony D’Angelo PRSA Cod

The Flack Pack honors the Dia de los Muertos with a conversation about Hispanic and Latino public relations. If you don’t speak Spanish, this topic can be as scary as a Trump tweet, but much easier to overcome with the right advice. Our guests this week are experts in multi-cultural public relations. Christina Borrego is the Public Relations Director at Riester in Phoenix. Jessica Davila-Burnett is the Principal at JDB Public Relations in San Antonio. They say there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to tackling a multi-cultural communications assignment provided you keep your focus on the audience. Don’t miss this opportunity to brush up on your multi-cultural PR knowledge with two seasoned PR pros who speak to these audiences every day. And for more on Sugar Skulls, a key part of all Dia de los Muertos celebrations, click here. Pew Research Center Christina Borrego Dia de los Muertos Jessica Davila-Burnett  

It’s about time public relations people had a holiday to call their own. National Publicist Day is today, October 30th. It’s a day to celebrate what we do as publicists, flacks, communicators, and practitioners. Whatever you call yourself, the Day’s founder, Jordanna Stephen says you should take a moment to recognize the hard work you and your colleagues do every day on behalf of clients and organizations. Today marks the 4th annual celebration of the Day. If you didn’t know about it, that’s ok. You do now. So get out there and celebrate, right after you listen to this special interview with Jordanna, about our day, and what it should mean to each of us. National Publicist Day Jordanna Stephen Ivy Lee Mr. Lee’s Publicity Book

Even if you practice PR in an industry where technology is slow to arrive, the day will come when you’ll have to face the tech monster. Good or bad, society’s reliance on the Internet of Things is only going to grow. Every day, something new is connecting to the net, and whether we like it or not, we, as public relations professionals, need to be ready to explain that to our audiences. Anne Potts is Managing Director and Executive Vice President at Racepoint Global. She spoke with the Flack Pack during the PRSA International Conference in Austin, Texas about the need for brands to consider how they’re going to engage a world slowly being subdued by the Internet of Things. Caroll Spinney retires from Sesame Street Anne Potts Is Alexa Dangerous? Dia de los Muertos

Digital is a normal and deeply embedded part of societies all over the world now. There's even a generation that doesn't know what the world looked like before digital became a thing. The digital revolution has created the ability to communicate information to people all over the world—and instantly. It's also been a force in decentralizing political power. It's been the catalyst for a lot of changes, including changes in our very own public relations industry.   We all know what the "digital revolution" looks like here in America, but what does it look like overseas? Specifically, what does it look like on the other side of the world in China, where everything is totally different, including the culture, the language, and the system of government?   Anthony Shop, the Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Social Driver, is also an Eisenhower Fellow and spent some time living in China to learn more about its digital trends, including the use of WeChat, Weibo, and Baidu. He joins us to talk about w

Is life working in a PR agency as glamorous as Hollywood portrays it on television and in movies? The truth is, working in an agency can be exciting, but it also can be exhausting, and not for every PR soul. This week, we consider the ups and downs of PR agency life with Dr. Gina Luttrell, a PR and Social Media Professor at Syracuse University, and co-author of a new book, The PR Agency Handbook. We’ll explore the agency-client relationship, discuss the book’s included client personas, and find out whether Gina recommends agency work to her budding PR wards. Our second guest, Rob Biesenbach, preaches the lessons of improv comedy to agency managers and other PR leaders, sharing an approach based on a four-letter word – love. The Flack Pack wraps up its coverage from the PRSA International Conference this week with an episode about PR agencies. Dr. Gina Luttrell The PR Agency Handbook Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Rob Biesenbach

What if you could tell a journalist how your story will play on his or her news website? Imagine being able to predict social media engagement in a news pitch. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could shape your story to make it irresistible for newsroom gatekeepers who are increasingly focused on audience data and their own analytics? Erik Huddleston is rapidly becoming the PR pro's best friend. His team at TrendKite in Austin, Texas thinks it has figured out how to do all of this and more, with a new technology he calls Story Kit.  It’s brand new, but those who’ve used it already have called it “life changing.” Huddleston discusses the idea behind the AI in this special PRSA Conference episode of the Flack Pack. LINKS: TrendKite.com https://www.trendkite.com Story Kit https://www.trendkite.com/products/connect/story-kit Erik Huddleston https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehuddleston/

“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope!” Forty years ago, holograms were the stuff of science fiction movies, like Star Wars. Princess Leia’s desperate call for an old Jedi Knight’s assistance is legendary, and as it turns out, quite prophetic. That’s because this week, PR pros at PRSA’s International Conference in Austin, Texas got to see the industry’s first holographic news release. Cathy Hackl is a PR futurist, and a former broadcast journalist. Now she preaches the latest tech to pros looking to harness new and amazing ways to communicate. And the best part? She says any PR pro can deploy this technology today. Cathy gives listeners the latest on VR, AR, and Holograms in this special PRSA conference edition of the Flack Pack. We also meet Jane Kovacs, a “geek-speaking” Austin PR pro who started a rowdy group called the PR Fight Club. She tells us how she came up with the idea, and why it helps practitioners in this weird Texas town improve their communications skills.  LINKS: Princess Leia’s Prophe

What does the Commander-in-Tweets (AKA President Trump) have to teach us about using Twitter effectively? It's the first day of the PRSA 2018 International Conference and we're getting right into the weeds of Twitter and our Brand-in-Chief with Shanita B. Akintonde.   Shanita calls the President the Brand-in-Chief because he expertly navigates the Twitter platform. She breaks down Trump's Twitter advantage in this special PRSA conference episode.   Shanita Akintonde is an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago. She is also the vice chair of the PRSA Diversity and Inclusion Committee.    

PRSA keeps Austin weird this weekend, as thousands of PR pros convene for a communications convergence in Texas. The Flack Pack previews PRSA’s 2018 International Conference with Amelia Folkes, President-elect of Austin’s PRSA Chapter. Amelia talks about the work it takes to put on a good conference, the fun attendees can expect, and a few things weirdly Austin – sombreros, a yeti, and breakfast tacos. If you’re going to the conference, visit the Flack Pack in Booth 701 in the Exhibit Showroom. We’ll do a show from the Showroom all three days of the conference, and have some fun swag for pros who stop by for a visit.   PRSA 2018 International Conference Amelia Folkes Exhibit Showroom Map and Flack Pack Booth 701

Credit creativity and a team committed to good storytelling for the social media content coming out of Mount Vernon, the home of America’s first Commander in Chief, George Washington. This week, Flack Pack host Summer Johnson interviews Rebecca Aloisi, Vice President for Marketing at Mount Vernon, about her team’s approach to marketing the historic home of POTUS 1.

When was the last time you placed a guest column on the digital opinion page of your local newspaper? You probably pitch pieces every week, but how often do your efforts lead to publication? Unfortunately, the answer is probably rarely. Joanna Allhands, digital opinion page editor for the Arizona Republic, says audience preferences are the reason it’s getting more difficult to publish guest columns and submitted opinions online.  Without the newspapers' metrics, which editors aren’t willing to share, she admits PR people face an uphill battle when it comes to knowing how to write content worthy of a little digital love. In our interview, Allhands offers practitioners useful advice for those willing to attempt a solution to the mystery of the digital opinion page.

Gone are the days when a PR shop could write a news release, create a photo opportunity, call a news conference, and get every reporter in town to cover the story. Equally rare is the moment when a journalist says yes to a story pitch.  The news business has changed. Journalists are interested in fewer and fewer stories. Meanwhile, the news and information people want and maybe even need, about decisions, programs, and policies, is being left behind, unreported and unknown to the masses. Do you have a good story to tell? Or an angle on something happening in your community? Do you know an expert who could advance the debate? Good luck getting today’s newsrooms, themselves on the decline, to pay attention to your pitch. For decades, former journalists Mark Ragan and Jim Ylisela have been on a mission to show PR people a better way. Their cause, aided by the internet, makes sense now more than ever. It’s called brand journalism, and we’re exploring it on this week’s episode of the Flack Pack. Brand Journalism N