Stories and Strategies for Public Relations and Marketing

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

Request a transcript of this episode

Public Relations for Hispanic Audiences

Getting Hispanic communications wrong is not just a slip. It can cost brands credibility, trust, and millions in wasted campaigns. Too often, companies think a simple translation is enough, only to find their carefully crafted message falls flat or even offends the very audience they are trying to reach. With more than 65 million Hispanics in the United States, representing one of the fastest growing and most influential communities, PR professionals cannot afford cultural blind spots.

In this episode Susana Mendoza, who helps brands authentically connect with Hispanic audiences, shares where campaigns most often go wrong, how to segment messaging without stereotypes, and why understanding generational and cultural nuances is critical to success.

From Univision and Telemundo to influencers and radio, Susana lays out the media landscape and offers practical insights for PR teams navigating sensitive issues such as immigration, healthcare, and public safety.

Ask us for the Spanish version of this transcript

Listen For

4:38 Translation Traps & Cultural Missteps

8:27 The Power of Spanish-Language Radio

11:17 Can ChatGPT Really Translate Culture?

15:38 Build Trust Before the Campaign Starts

17:21 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Jackson Wightman

Guest: Susana Mendoza

Apply to be a guest on the podcast

Connect with us

Request a transcript of this episode

Ask us for the Spanish version of this transcript.

The Dangerous Echo of Polarized Voices

What happens when your newsfeed becomes a battlefield?

In the US and UK, political leaders trade accusations, social media thrives on outrage, and communities are left simmering in distrust. What used to be disagreements over policy now look more like open hostility, with violence creeping closer to the center of public life.

Attacks on lawmakers, threats to schools, and the killing of high-profile figures are no longer shocking outliers but part of a troubling pattern.

This episode asks a difficult but urgent question: how much of this violence is rooted in the way we communicate? Words frame identities, assign blame, and sometimes push people toward radical action.

Sticks and stones may break bones… but in today’s world, it’s the words that are drawing blood.

Listen For

3:17 Identity-Based Polarization

6:22 How Algorithms Divide Us

10:20 The Rush to Blame

14:49 Messaging That Can Prevent Violence

19:33 Teaching Kids to Resist Radicalization and Disinformation

Guest: Amy Pate

Email | Website | X

Apply to be a guest on the podcast

Connect with us

Request a transcript of this episode

Beyond SEO: Understanding Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

Google Search still holds about 90% of global search volume as of mid‑2025, but change is underway as more users begin turning to AI.

AI search is rewriting the rules of discovery, and PR needs to adapt. With ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity each scraping different corners of the web, the old focus on big-name publications is no longer enough. The most influential sources may now be niche review sites, specialized forums, or content hubs you have never pitched. Knowing what each Large Language Model (LLM) values and how to optimize for it, is becoming a core PR skill.

In this episode, we explore how Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is reshaping PR. From the rise of “dual websites” for humans and bots to the ethical tensions between LLMs and media outlets, we discuss how PR teams can rethink targeting, adapt content, and position clients for visibility in an AI‑first world.

Listen For

5:49 Dual Websites: One for Humans, One for Machines

8:39 LLMs as New Media Channels

11:38 What AI Tools Scrape (and Why It Matters)

14:45 Can Bots Get Past Paywalls? The Legal and Ethical Minefield

17:01 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Heather Blundell

Guest: Jackson Wightman, Founder Proper Propaganda

Website | Email | 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

Request a transcript of this episode

The Hidden Reason Women are Leaving Public Relations

More women are now leaving the PR industry because of perimenopause and menopause than because of childbirth.

That’s a staggering, often invisible, that’s shift happening right at the top. It’s not burnout or work-life balance pushing them out, but a phase of life that’s rarely acknowledged and even more rarely supported.

This episode is an unflinching conversation about the real pressures senior women face.

Why is menopause still a taboo topic at work?

How misunderstood are its impacts on confidence, performance, and retention?

And what must organizations and agencies do to support their best talent before they quietly walk away?

Listen For

4:22 The Invisible Workplace Crisis

7:01 The “Rush Hour” of Women’s Lives

10:01 Emotions, Gender, and Professionalism

13:37 Finding Balance in Psychological Safety

18:53 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Fred Cook

Guest: Heather Blundell, CEO Grayling

Website | X | LinkedIn | Email

Apply to be a guest on the podcast

Connect with us

Request a transcript of this episode

What Kind of Public Relations Industry Will Gen Z Inherit?

PR really is at a crossroads… we’ve got old playbooks and new players coming in who want to change the rules.

In its report Mind the Gap, USC’s Center for Public Relations reveals sharp divides between Gen Z and older professionals on everything from AI and hybrid work to media influence and corporate purpose.

While Boomers and Gen X cling to the belief that human creativity will always be irreplaceable, Gen Z is charging ahead, optimistic about technology, eager for flexibility, and expecting brands to stand for something more than just profit. But will that energy survive once they step into leadership — or will they, too, get swallowed by the system?

In this episode, we sit down with Fred Cook, Director of USC’s Center for Public Relations and author of the Mind the Gap report, to explore whether we’re training young professionals for a world that no longer exists. Are we too obsessed with purpose and not focused enough on performance? Are old myths about PR holding us back? And most importantly — can Gen Z avoid the mistakes their predecessors made, or are they destined to repeat them?

Listen For

3:04 The Weight on Gen Z’s Shoulders

5:15 Communicating Across Generations in a Fragmented Media Landscape

8:08 Polarization as a Business Model

12:02 The Death of Corporate Purpose?

17:56 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Ayeni Samuels

Guest: Fred Cook, Director USC Center for Public Relations

Email | X | LinkedIn

Mind the Gap Study

Apply to be a guest on the podcast

Connect with us

Request a transcript of this episode

Africa’s Missing Seat at the Global Public Relations Table

Ayeni Adekunle Samuel argues that Africa is often misunderstood or reduced to oversimplified stereotypes by global brands, agencies, and even tech platforms.

Despite Africa’s complexity, diversity, and economic importance, key decisions — including PR, marketing, and tech strategies — are still shaped in places like New York and London, often without African expertise or context.

Ayeni shares his personal journey as a Nigerian entrepreneur building a pan-African and international PR firm, highlighting both the structural barriers (like bias, access to capital, lack of representation) and the opportunities (especially in areas like AI and local innovation).

Listen For

4:15 The Africa Strategy Mistake Global Brands Keep Making

7:41 The Case for Local Advisors

12:36 PR Prejudice: The Hidden Hurdles African Firms Face Abroad

16:30 Africa Has Talent, But Not Opportunity

17:10 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest David Gallagher

Guest: Ayeni Adekunle Samuel

Website | Email | Instagram

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

Request a transcript of this episode

It’s Groundhog Day in the Public Relations Industry

Why is the PR industry still having the same tired conversation? Year after year, event after event… while the world moves on without us?

We talk about getting a seat at the table, then sit quietly when we do.

We debate metrics like we haven’t had decades to solve them.

We celebrate awards for campaigns that often say nothing and change even less.

We hold events that are same panel conversations… different year.

Somewhere along the way, the industry built for cultural leadership got stuck in a cycle of repetition, imposter syndrome, and comfort.

David Gallagher of Folgate Advisors is a veteran voice who’s seen the industry from the inside and isn’t afraid to say what others won’t. It’s time to stop outsourcing our thinking and start redefining what this industry is actually for.

Listen For

4:58 Are We Really as Dynamic as We Claim?
10:22 Why PR Avoids True Innovation
11:34 How PR Lost Its Science-Driven Edge
17:43 Following the Wrong Model: PR as Advertising’s Shadow
19:30 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Bill Welser

Guest: David Gallagher, Folgate Advisors

Email | LinkedIn | Folgate LinkedIn

Apply to be a guest on the podcast

Connect with us

Request a transcript of this episode

Hello Türkiye Campaign (YouTube)

Rebranding a Country

What does it take to rebrand an entire nation? Not just a logo or slogan—but the name itself. Gökhan Yücel helped lead the campaign to officially shift the international name from Turkey to Türkiye.

It’s a move that goes far beyond semantics—touching diplomacy, identity, and global perception. Gökhan pulls back the curtain on how such a monumental change has been communicated to the world and why it matters more than most of us think.

But this conversation goes even deeper. From repositioning Türkiye as the “nexus of the world” instead of merely a bridge between East and West, to attracting the next generation of global investors, to reshaping the way governments confront disinformation and how strategic storytelling can reshape the image of an entire country.

Listen For

3:06 Renaming a country… where do you even start?
6:53 How “country as brand” became a global strategy
9:42 “Hype is the new narrative”
13:57 Branding Türkiye for audiences in the West
16:33 From SEO to AEO — marketing in the AI era
18:15 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Bill Welser IV

Guest: Gökhan Yücel, Campaign Designer Hello Türkiye Country Rebranding Campaign

Email | X | LinkedIn

Türkiye Century Campaign (Official Site)

Apply to be a guest on the podcast

Connect with us

Request a transcript of this episode