Stories and Strategies for Public Relations and Marketing

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"Stories and Strategies for Public Relations and Marketing," hosted by Doug Downs.

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Public Relations: Independent Function or Marketing Tool?

Are public relations and marketing two distinct disciplines—or is PR simply one piece of the broader marketing puzzle? It’s a question that stirs up strong opinions in boardrooms, agencies, and comms teams alike.

Some argue PR is strategic storytelling aimed at building relationships, while marketing is focused on driving sales. Others say that in today’s world of integrated messaging, the separation is outdated.

In this episode, we take on the debate head-on, exploring how the roles overlap, where they diverge, and whether the modern media landscape has blurred the lines beyond repair. Is PR still its own function—or has it become just another lane on marketing’s highway?

Listen For:

:10 Fyre Festival The Luxury Mirage
4:02 Influence vs Image Showdown
6:25 PR Is the Pie
10:14 The Sad Fate of Local Media
13:02 Metrics KPIs and the Dashboard Wars
18:54 Who Owns the Message
25:10 The Final Prediction Marketers Report to PR

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Curzon Public Relations Website

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The Missing Channel in Your PR Strategy

Most PR strategies still focus on the big three: social, legacy media, and search. But while everyone’s watching the headlines, the real conversations—the ones shaping trust, behavior, and brand reputation—are happening in people’s ears. Podcasts aren’t just a trend or another content format. They’re a strategic intelligence channel, and if you’re not monitoring them, you’re missing critical signals.

In this episode of Stories and Strategies, we talk to Bradley Davis, co-founder and CEO of Podchaser, the platform often called the “IMDb of podcasts.” From how global brands like Starbucks and Amazon use podcast data to shape campaigns, to why the most valuable audience insights aren’t public-facing at all, PR pros need to know what they can no longer afford to ignore.

Listen For

1:29 The Crackle That Started It All

3:33 Podchaser: IMDb for Podcasts

5:25 Podcasting as a Third Dimension of Analytics

8:20 Guest Pitching vs. Starting a Podcast

10:32 How Rogan, Newsom & Trump Changed the Game

13:05 Key Messages Out. Vibe Is In.

21:09 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Irene Lungu

Guest: Bradley Davis, Co-Founder & CEO, Podchaser

Podchaser | LinkedIn | Instagram | X | About Bradley

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Stories and Strategies Website

Curzon Public Relations Website

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Zambia’s Public Relations Revolution

What does public relations look like in a country where radio is still growing, social media still exploding, and communication reaches from rural villages to global platforms?

In this episode, we take a closer look at Zambia — a nation with a vibrant, evolving PR landscape shaped by both tradition and innovation.

Irene Lungu is one of Zambia’s leading voices in public relations and a board member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. She joins us to talk about ethics, communication trends, and the responsibilities that come with influence in today’s media environment.

We explore how Zambian practitioners are navigating rapid change, and what global conversations they're helping to shape.

Listen For

3:50 Why Zambia Regulated Its PR Industry

6:14 Resistance and Discomfort: Who Pushed Back

8:00 Is PR Regulation a Threat to Free Speech?

14:36 Global Standards, Local Contexts

16:14 The World’s #1 Risk: Misinformation

18:52. Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Olivia Fajardo

Guest: Irene Lungu

LinkedIn | Global Alliance Board Profile

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Stories and Strategies Website

Curzon Public Relations Website

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Employee Engagement Inside PR: What the Research Reveals

Employee engagement is evolving — and the old assumptions no longer hold. Today, workers want more than a paycheck. They want growth, flexibility, and to feel like their voices matter. In this episode, we unpack surprising new research on what really drives engagement, retention, and belonging inside organizations. Olivia Fajardo joins us to explain why internal communications has become mission critical — and how companies can move from simply talking to truly connecting. If you care about building teams that stay and thrive, this conversation is for you.

Listen For

4:14 PR: As Stressful as Firefighting

5:05 Why Communicators Feel More Purpose

6:34 Career Stagnation: The Hidden Threat

9:27 The Hybrid Challenge for Internal Comms

12:05 The Listening-Action Gap

12:10 Olivia’s Strategies to Build Trust and Accountability

20:05 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Helena Humphrey

Guest: Oliva Fajardo, Director of Research, Institute for Public Relations

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Link to IPR Study Employee Engagement in the Communications Industry

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Stories and Strategies Website

Curzon Public Relations Website

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British Voices, American Ears: A Shift in News Consumption

More Americans are turning down the volume on domestic news — and turning up British voices instead. From BBC to The Guardian, outlets across the Atlantic are reshaping how U.S. audiences see their own country.

Why is this happening? And what does it say about trust, tone, and the global conversation?

Listen For

3:48 British Media’s Rising Credibility in the U.S.

7:23 Could BBC Influence U.S. Culture?

12:29 Feminism, TikTok, and the Tradwife Dilemma

18:47 Femininity and Power Around the World

21:32 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Sarah Waddington

Guest: Helena Humphrey, BBC

Email | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook

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Stories and Strategies Website

Curzon Public Relations Website

Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

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GROW Your Way Out of PR Workplace Stress

Feeling stuck or stressed at work? You might just need to GROW your way out.

Executive coach Sarah Waddington shares the power and practicality of the GROW model — Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward — in transforming workplace performance, especially within high-pressure environments like PR.

Sarah breaks down how this deceptively simple coaching framework fosters self-awareness, reduces stress, builds resilience, and helps individuals and teams move from dependency to interdependency.

From managing difficult clients and workplace lethargy to unlocking mindset shifts for career advancement, this conversation offers actionable tips to leaders and middle managers alike on how to introduce coaching into fast-paced and demanding cultures.

Listen For

5:15 Why GROW works for both work and life

7:04 Applying GROW in the pressure cooker of PR

11:52 Nightmare client scenario: Using GROW in real-time challenges

14:40 Resilience in PR: Avoiding burnout with GROW

16:37 — Baby steps for senior leaders to start using GROW

19:20 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Mark Borkowski

Guest: Sarah Waddington, CBE

Website | Email | X | LinkedIn | Wadds Inc.

#FuturePRoof Community https://www.futureproofingcomms.co.uk/

Socially Mobile https://www.sociallymobile.org.uk/

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Stories and Strategies Website

Curzon Public Relations Website

Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

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Crisis Insurance: The New Safety Net for Reputations

Reputation is often treated like an invisible asset—vital but fragile. And while we insure everything from homes to art collections, very few think to protect their name.

In this episode, we speak to PR pioneer Mark Borkowski about a bold new product: crisis insurance for individuals. It’s not just an idea—it’s a rethinking of how we prepare for the worst-case scenario in a world where reputation can be destroyed with just one social media post.

Listen For

4:10 The Power of Optimism Bias

10:33 Delivering Bad News to Powerful Clients

13:25 Why Killing Your Ego Matters

18:12 What Is Reputational Risk Insurance?

21:39 Building an Insurance Product for Reputation

22:50 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Jo Carr

Guest: Mark Borkowski

Website | Email | X | LinkedIn

See the LONGER FULL INTERVIEW on our YouTube Channel

You Tube

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Stories and Strategies Website

Curzon Public Relations Website

Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

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Culture Add – NOT Culture Fit

What makes a workplace culture truly thrive—especially in the pressure-cooker world of creative agencies?

Can you REALLY be tough on the work but kind to your people without compromise?

Jo Carr, co-founder of Hope and Glory and President of Women in PR breaks down the complexities of workplace culture, empathy-driven leadership, and how to create spaces where people—and their diverse lives—can flourish.

From crafting policies that acknowledge the full spectrum of life’s moments to challenging outdated hiring mindsets, Jo brings wisdom, warmth, and a welcome dose of honesty. She shares how high standards and human kindness aren’t mutually exclusive, why culture should be additive rather than restrictive, and what it takes to keep women in the leadership pipeline.

Listen For

4:27 Culture = Environment + Experience

8:15 The House Metaphor: Building Structure, Allowing Individuality

9:17 From Culture Fit to Culture Add

16:57 How Do You Build Culture With Cultural Diversity?

19:13 Women in PR: From Majority to Minority in Leadership

23:09 Presence Over Perfection: Being Fully There, Wherever You Are

23:26 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Suhel Seth

Guest: Jo Carr, founder Hope & Glory PR, Women in PR

Website | Email | X | LinkedIn | Women in PR

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Curzon Public Relations Website

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Why Modern Communication is Making Us LESS Connected | Suhel Seth

In an age where opinions form faster than facts and headlines spark outrage before understanding, how do brands, leaders, and storytellers stay credible?

Is your opinion truly yours? Or just an echo of your tribe?

In this episode, Suhel Seth unpacks the transformation of communication in the era of attention deficit — from the collapse of nuance to the rise of instant outrage, and why the art of thoughtful messaging might just be the most urgent skill of our time.

Listen For

3:07 The Cult of Immediacy: A Communication Crisis

7:59 The Lost Art of Contextualization

12:26 Social Identity & Tribal Thinking

14:32 Why Modern Society Fears Disruption

19:14 India: A Market or a Civilization?

23:57 Why India Didn’t Create Google or Facebook

24:50 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Andy Coulson

Guest: Suhel Seth

Wikipedia Page | X | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Stories and Strategies Website

Curzon Public Relations Web site

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Bio of Stories and Strategies for Public Relations and Marketing

"Stories and Strategies for Public Relations and Marketing," hosted by Doug Downs, is a podcast that explores the world of communication and its role in shaping our daily lives. In today's interconnected world, effective communication is essential for success, and this podcast delves into the various facets of public relations and marketing that contribute to effective communication strategies.

Through insightful conversations and interviews, the podcast delves into topics such as marketing, public relations, government relations, media relations, crisis management, stakeholder engagement, advertising, and strategic communications. The host, Doug Downs, provides valuable insights and practical advice for professionals working in these fields, as well as for individuals who hire communication experts.

From crafting compelling press releases to leveraging social media campaigns, from managing crises to engaging stakeholders, the podcast covers a wide range of communication-related topics.

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