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Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Every comms professional knows the playbook. A crisis hits, you move fast. Holding statement, talking points, media plan, stakeholder map. You do it well because you've trained for it. You bring the plan to the CEO expecting alignment and instead you get a polite nod and silence. Not pushback. Not disagreement. Just silence.  And that silence is worse than any argument because it means the CEO has already stopped listening. Not because your plan was bad, but because it was solving a problem they weren't thinking about. This is the gap that quietly erodes the comms function's credibility in organizations everywhere. Communicators are passionate people. That passion is their greatest asset, until it becomes a bias that pulls them toward issues that feel urgent but aren't connected to the core business.  And when that happens enough times, the CEO doesn't fire you. They just stop inviting you into the room.  Listen For 3:09 How Do CEOs vs. Comms Leaders Actually Respond to Global Crises? 4:26 When Should You Speak—and When Are You Giving an Issue Oxygen? 6:28 Do PR Professionals Need Financial and Data Literacy to Be Strategic? 11:44 Why Is Reporting Not Enough? And What Does Real Analysis Look Like? 15:13 Can AI Truly Make Your Communications Strategy More Effective? Guest: Johna Burke, CEO and Global Managing Director, AMEC (International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication) Email | Website | LinkedIn   Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Every PR firm knows the drill. Client says here's my budget. Firm divides by twelve. Monthly retainer, same amount, January through December, whether the work demands it or not.  Need a press release? Flat rate. Need ten? Multiply.  Need an editor or a videographer? That's by the hour, and one minute is one hour.  The pricing isn't creative. It isn't strategic. It's arithmetic dressed up as a business model. And it worked fine, until AI started doing the arithmetic faster. Suddenly teams are twice as productive in half the time, and if you're still selling hours, you're punishing yourself for getting better. Meanwhile, the client's procurement department is happy to keep paying by the hour, because now those hours cost less. So, who's really winning?  The firms who don't rethink how they price will be replaced. Not by AI, but by hungrier competitors who already have. Listen For 3:42 Why Are PR Firms the Least Creative in Pricing? 6:34 Are You Losing Money by Defaulting to Retainers? 9:08 How Should Agencies Identify Where They Create the Most Value? 12:19 How Do You Avoid the “Bait and Switch” With Senior Talent? 15:27 Is AI Killing Hourly Pricing Models for Good? Guest: Blair Enns, Win Without Pitching Website | LinkedIn | Podcast 2Bobs David’s books including Pricing Creativity   Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Most communicators assume that if people reject a message, they must not understand it. Lord David Evans argues the opposite. Backlash often isn’t confusion. It’s threat. When people feel insecure, unheard, or looked down on, they don’t lean in. They shut down. And in that moment, facts don’t persuade, values don’t inspire, and “better messaging” can make things worse. In this episode Lord David Evans breaks down what political campaigning can teach PR professionals about trust, psychological safety, and why populist narratives spread so quickly. This isn’t about copying tactics. It’s about understanding what your audience needs before they will even give you permission to listen.  Listen For 2:22 Who is Lord David Evans and why does his perspective matter right now? 3:54 Why is behaviour change almost never an information problem? 6:36 Why do people get drawn to extreme political movements? 10:36 Are politicians themselves fueling fear and insecurity? 12:48 Is social media pushing people into fight-or-flight mode? Guest: Lord David Evans LinkedIn | Email    Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Public relations used to be seen as the function that shaped the message after the decisions were made. That is not enough anymore. In a world shaped by geopolitical shocks, cultural division, AI disruption, and rising reputational risk, communications leaders are being pulled closer to the centre of power. They are no longer just storytellers or spokespersons. They are becoming strategic sensemakers: the people expected to read the moment, interpret the pressure, and help leadership decide what to say, what to do, and sometimes whether to say anything at all.  Our job is evolving to help brands survive the storm. If you work in PR, corporate affairs, or communications leadership, this episode will feel familiar fast, because it names the job as it is now, not as it used to be. And if you have not yet felt that shift in your own role, you will soon.   Listen For 3:00 How Has the PR Professional Evolved into a Strategic Sense-Making Role? 5:58 When Should CEOs Speak Out. And When Should They Stay Silent? 10:23 What Is Strategic Ambiguity, and Why Are Companies Using It Now? 13:09 What Skills Do Future PR Professionals Need to Succeed? 15:01 How Do Communication Leaders Really Feel About AI? Guest: Tom Fife-Schaw, Uk Managing Director of Corporate Reputation, Ipsos Email | LinkedIn | Navigating Through Turbulence Report  Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Communications is often described as a female-led profession, but that label can hide a harder truth. Women may make up much of the industry, yet the balance often shifts when it comes to senior leadership, influence, and decision-making. So, what’s still standing in the way, and why has progress been slower than it should be?  Natasha Plowman argues gender equity cannot remain a women-only conversation, yet many men still hold back because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing, unsure how to contribute, or feel the issue is not theirs to address.  In this episode, why silence protects the status quo. And change usually starts when more than the excluded group speaks up. Listen For 2:33 Why Does a Female-Powered Industry Still Struggle to Put Women in Leadership? 5:12 Why Are Men Reluctant to Join Gender Equity Conversations? 7:24 What Does Real Allyship from Men in the Workplace Look Like? 11:45 Is the Backlash Against DEI Actually About Performative Policies? 14:21 Would Simply Adding More Women to Leadership Solve the Problem? Guest: Natasha Plowman Spinning Red Website | Antiquoted Website | Email Break the Silence | Natasha LinkedIn Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode You know that feeling when you look at your own brand and it somehow doesn’t feel like you anymore? The logo is the same, the words are mostly right, and the message is still “on brand”… but the visuals have started to wander.  A new template here. A new font there. Someone’s “quick” Canva edit. A LinkedIn graphic that looks like it came from a different company.  None of it is a big mistake. It’s just… a hundred small ones.  And in PR, you can’t afford that moment when a stakeholder sees your work and thinks, Wait—who are we today? Because we’re living in a scrolling, skimming world where people decide in seconds. They don’t stop to decode your intent; they feel something fast, or they move on. So how do you keep creativity alive without letting your brand drift into a different personality every week? And what actually makes a visual work now? What makes someone feel something immediately?  Listen For :15 Why did Boaty McBoatface become the perfect lesson in brand control? 3:17 What is visual drift and how does it quietly damage brand credibility? 4:53 Why should brands resist changing logos and colors too often? 6:14 How are Canva and easy design tools changing the role of visual experts? 8:55 How do brands win attention in the first 0.3 seconds of scrolling? Guest: Stewart Cohen Website | Email | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | IDMB    Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode What if the best market research started by IGNORING what people say? What if, instead, you started modeling them based on proven behaviour? Right down to the regional level? And what if political polling was done this way too  A new term is showing up in research and strategy circles with major implications for communicators: synthetic populations. This is not a cheap AI focus group. It is a data-built population model that reflects how people are distributed and behave at scale using high-quality inputs like official statistics, mobility patterns, and registration data, rather than relying only on interviews and surveys. That matters because self-reported data is often aspirational, incomplete, or socially filtered. Synthetic populations offer another path: estimating market potential, testing where campaigns should start, understanding regional differences, and pressure-testing assumptions before rollout. The real question is not just what synthetic populations are, but what happens when strategy shifts from asking people to modeling populations.   Listen For 3:07 What’s the difference between a synthetic panel and a synthetic population? 5:13 How can a synthetic population be realistic without using real individuals? 8:49 Why do surveys over-claim luxury brands? And how does official data correct it? 11:58 What did Germany’s flat-rate transit ticket reveal about commuting by region? 14:15 Could synthetic populations change how political polling is done?    Guest: Eike Hartmann, Vice President Custom Research & Insights Business at Statista+ Website | LinkedIn White Paper on Synthetic Populations   Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode In today’s world, PR leaders need to build and protect their brand’s reputation in an AI-shaped, polarized world, where owned media matters more than ever.  Reputation is no longer a soft metric but an economic multiplier and an insurance policy. From the difference between brand and reputation to the growing tension between character and competence, this episode explains what actually moves corporate standing up or down in today’s environment. We also share why owned media now plays a disproportionate role in shaping not just earned coverage, but AI-generated search results and stakeholder perception.  Listen For 3:45 What Is the Real Difference Between Brand and Reputation? 5:07 What Are the Seven Drivers That Shape Reputation? 6:28 How Has AI Changed Third Party Advocacy and Media Influence? 9:58 Do Character Crises Damage Reputation More Than Competence Failures? 16:13 Why Is Reputation a Business Tool Rather Than Just an Image Strategy? Guest: Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, RepTrak Website | LinkedIn     Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Trust used to flow upward. To experts, institutions, and authority.  Then it shifted to “people like me.”  Now even that circle is tightening.  The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals a growing insularity: smaller tribes, hardened perspectives, and a widening mass-class divide driven by whether people believe the system works for them.  Persuasion is shifting to trust brokerage, and what communicators, leaders, and businesses can do when trust itself has become the battleground. Listen For 3:10 Skip the opening story and go right to the interview with Tim Weber 3:47 What does it mean that we’ve moved from echo chambers to “turtle shells” 7:21 Is polarization economic, cultural, technological—or all three? 12:35 How can companies blunt fear and become true trust brokers? 20:13 Will AI reinforce our biases and deepen our personal echo chambers? Guest: Tim Weber, Managing Director & EMEA Head of Editorial, Edelman LinkedIn | Instagram | Bio | Website 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer   Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Can a joke really sell a brand? Or save it from sameness? Most campaigns sound the same because they’re afraid to sound wrong. Safe language, serious faces, purpose-heavy messages that all blur together.  And yet one of the most successful creative agencies in North America has built its reputation by doing the opposite. Zulu Alpha Kilo lives by a simple motto… Fight Sameness… and they do it with humor, sarcasm, and a willingness to say the quiet part out loud. Why does that work? Why does making people laugh end up being the fastest way to earn trust?  Why does honesty often land better as a joke than a lecture.  Listen For 3:01 Fast-forward to the start of the interview 5:19 Check out an example of a funny (sarcastic) ad by Zulu Alpha Kilo 5:36 Why does ad satire feel so personal to marketers? 9:11 What tiny detail annoyed people in that absurd ad?   Guest: Michael Siegers, Zulu Alpha Kilo  Website | Instagram Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn  Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode You can be the same person across every channel.  Your social media accounts. Your YouTube. Your newsletter. Your blog. The same principles. The same voice. Often even the same message.  And many of the people following you on LinkedIn are the same people who see you on Instagram, hear you on a podcast, or read your newsletter. Yet those same people can understand you, trust you, and remember you very differently simply because they encounter you in a different place. Not because you changed. Because they did. They arrive with different expectations. Different attention. Different patience. The channel shapes what they notice, what they believe, and what stays with them, even when the words don’t change at all.  In this episode, we explore how platforms shape perception, why fractured identities are now the norm, and what that means for communicators who already know better but are running out of time and headspace. Listen For 4:30 How do you tailor one piece of content for different platforms? 6:04 Is it better to master one channel or be on many? 7:49 Can AI help create content that still feels human? 12:21 What’s the right way to use emojis on LinkedIn? 16:35 Are we choosing content or are algorithms choosing for us?   Guest: Molly Demellier, Sounds Profitable Email | Website | Sounds Profitable LinkedIn Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode You’re using LinkedIn wrong Not because you’re not smart… you are.  It’s because you’re using yesterday’s LinkedIn.  The platform is changing fast. The feed has changed, and the rules for reach have changed with it.  This episode shows you what’s different now, and how to adapt without turning into a “content person.”   Listen For 3:29 What happens when you hit publish on LinkedIn? 7:21 What makes a post perform well—and why does so much content flop? 10:23 Should leaders be posting at all, and if so, how? 14:49 Why did Alicia double down on LinkedIn as a career focus? 20:42 Why are professionals afraid of being visible on LinkedIn? Guest: Alicia Teltz, The Hype Department LinkedIn | Website    Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode When the streets erupt, the headlines explode, and public pressure hits boiling point… can business leaders still afford to say nothing?   In this episode tackle the growing tension between corporate responsibility and political risk. From a CEO letter in Minnesota addressing immigration-fueled violence to Keir Starmer’s high-stakes diplomacy in China, we ask: when the world demands clarity, is strategic ambiguity still a safe PR move?  Listen For 2:08 What is safety in numbers for corporate protest 5:03 Is strategic ambiguity a smart way to stay neutral 7:12 What is the Business and Democracy Commission 9:48 How do leaders speak when policy moves faster than people 12:09 Can the UK and EU trade with China and India without angering the US The Week Unspun is a weekly livestream every Friday at 10am ET/3pm BT. Check it out on our YouTube Channel or via this LinkedIn channel Folgate Advisors Curzon Public Relations Website Stories and Strategies Website Request a transcript of this livestream   Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Personal branding is changing in real time. The first impression is no longer a handshake or a conversation. It is a clip you did not choose, a post someone else shared, a comment you left, or a quote that gets passed around without context. What actually builds trust across today’s platforms? It’s the different channels and how they shape different versions of you. Consistency matters more than polish. Algorithms and AI search now “interpret” your reputation.  Today you need to build a personal brand that holds up when you’re not in the room.   Listen For :22 What if people meet your story before they meet you? 4:00 How does media reshape your message? 5:23 How do you stay consistent across platforms? 8:40 How do algorithms impact your brand? 14:34 Why does personal branding really matter? Guest: Liz Brooks, Interview Valet Website   Doug Substack | Website | LinkedIn Farzana Substack | Website | LinkedIn   Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it. Apply to be a guest on the podcast Connect with us LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest Request a transcript of this episode Support the show

Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stood up in Davos and didn’t waste words. He gave a speech that cut through the noise.  The room stood. The world noticed.  He said, “If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.”  People replayed that line like it was a lifeline.  This episode of The Week Unspun comes straight from the snowy peaks of Davos, but the questions are sharp and wide-reaching.  Can speeches still move people to action?  Can we trust the Edelman Trust Barometer, or has its credibility fractured like the world it measures?  And as the World Economic Forum eyes cities like Detroit and Dublin, what happens when the name “Davos” no longer fits the map?  Listen For :51 What made Mark Carney’s Davos speech go viral? 6:54 Why do some PR pros hate the Edelman Trust Barometer? 9:38 Are we living in a “retreater” era of trust and communication? 12:40 Should Davos be moved to Detroit or Dublin? 18:15 Is short-form, flashy content reshaping public opinion?  The Week Unspun is a weekly livestream every Friday at 10am ET/3pm BT. Check it out on our YouTube Channel or via this LinkedIn channel Folgate Advisors Curzon Public Relations Website Stories and Strategies Website Request a transcript of this livestream Stories and Strategies is the Official Podcast Sponsor of IABC World Conference in Toronto June 14-16, 2026 Click here to check it out https://wc.iabc.com  Support the show