Hacks and Flacks

Ada Developers Academy seeks to change a lack of diversity in tech by creating a learning platform that trains women and gender-expansive people to enter the industry and reach their goals. Students can come to hold jobs with tech giants like Amazon, Google and Microsoft after just one year, most of them witnessing life changing salary increases.    In this episode Jodi Petrie, March EVP, and Lauren Sato, CEO of Ada, discussed the reality of the tech world today and how Ada is playing a role in propelling the careers of minorities in the tech world and changing the tech landscape to be a level playing field for all.

Brands already know how powerful social media is when it comes to engaging with your audience. But posting and putting their own ideas out there is just a piece of engaging with audiences - if brands pay attention, they can learn more about their audiences and connect more deeply.  In this episode Zorina Akhund, Social Media Associate at March, spoke with Nicole Tabak, Community and Content Manager at Own Up, about how brands can benefit from social listening and achieve success through a proactive strategy that analyzes audience, target market and competitor data. 

Big news! We've been acquired by Walker Sands, a full-service, award-winning integrated marketing agency based in Chicago.   We wanted all of you to hear why we're so excited about this partnership straight from the source – which is why we've invited Mike Santoro, CEO of Walker Sands, to join our co-founders, CEO Martin Jones and President Cheryl Gale, on today's podcast.

Healthcare is evolving in parallel with consumer tech and more patients are relying on digital tools that brings care into their homes. This virtual shift, plus the new tools making it possible, improves healthcare access and speeds delivery. Marchers Kelsey Johnson, Account Supervisor, and Regan Schiappa, Account Coordinator, discussed how innovation has taken at-home health tech from a possibility to the expectation.

Just over one year ago, the first widespread lockdowns due to Covid-19 outbreaks went into effect across the US. Since then a lot has happened for organizations and their PR & marketing plans.  March Senior Account Executive, Tom Korolyshun, spoke with three March account leads about how objectives evolved and strategies shifted under unknown and constantly changing circumstances. The crew discussed what changed for their accounts as a result of the pandemic, learnings from the last year, and the lasting impact on PR and marketing as we move forward.

Sena Pottackal shares her experience as a legally blind woman navigating opportunities in the PR & comms industry. She talked about what it's like to lobby employers to reimagine workplace roles with more accessibility and inclusivity in mind, what’s missing from today’s industry conversations around inclusion, and what PR leaders and hiring managers need to know about in order to make accessibility more of a priority. 

Coming up on one year of a mostly virtual world, we're talking about how the virtual events have become the norm and show no signs of slowing down.   March Account Director Hailey Melamut spoke with Samantha Powers, Account Supervisor, and Janabeth Ward, Senior Account Executive, to talk about how they're working with clients to navigate this new landscape - both tapping into industry conferences that have moved online, and reimagining clients' own user conferences and events for virtual formats. 

In the spirit of Black History Month, today we're talking about our latest Overbooked Book Club choice – Race After Technology, Marchers Zorina Akhund and Franki Darnold take us through a brief background on the book’s author, Ruha Benjamin and her achievements as a writer and professor. They also cover few major themes of the book – including, how racism is deeply engrained in technology, Benjamin’s coined phrase: “The New Jim Code,” and how discriminatory design impacts the way we interact with tech. Finally, Zorina and Franki answer the overarching question of Race After Technology: Are robots racist?

Over the past year we’ve been thinking about how to refocus our podcast approach. Now more than ever, we want to hear from those powering our Innovation Inside Out mantra. That’s why we’re more committed than ever to passing the mic to the incredible minds rethinking the future and the communicators who work to shape their stories. Hearing more voices, with unique perspectives, to get a better understanding of the innovators behind the innovation. Welcome to The Innovator’s Mic. We’re kicking off by passing the mic around for four conversations between eight Marchers, riffing off what they’re looking forward to in PR & tech this year. The team covered a lot in little time, from corporate DEI efforts, to game-changing tech, to paid content and social programs.  

We’re switching things up on Hacks and Flacks today. This year March Communications celebrated 15 years as a tech PR agency. To mark the occasion, we're taking a moment to not only reflect on these past 15 years, but also think about what the next 15 could look like. Who better to do so than our co-founders Cheryl Gale and Martin Jones? Martin’s up this week, covering COVID-19 and the PR industry, what clients want from agencies right now, and PR’s role in mitigating misinformation.

Cheryl Gale, President of March, chatted with Samantha Mayowa, Head of Global Communications at VMware Carbon Black. Cheryl and Samantha talked about how much headspace PR leaders have dedicated to DEI up to now, specifically in Boston where the PR scene remains predominantly white despite a diverse talent pool available. Samantha also shared ways that these PR pros can expand their reach to give more people a seat at the table, as well as advice for candidates with unique backgrounds frustrated by inclusivity challenges.

Mental health has taken a more prominent space in the public consciousness, especially in light of the pandemic. Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness through its app and online content offerings, is one of many apps folks are turning to during these times. The company even launched free services and offerings to users in response to COVID. On today's episode Olivia DeJesse, Senior PR Associate at Headspace, covers the ins and outs of wellness tech PR. We discuss how the market is growing, the role of influencer marketing, and answer the question: are certain consumers being under-served or overlooked?

Artificial intelligence is a technology that shows a lot of promise but it's also one that brings up a lot of ethical questions around data privacy, transparency, bias, and more. As VP of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at Samasource, Heather Gadonniex has a lot of perspective on these issues. Heather's professional background - and Samasource's founding story as a nonprofit dedicated to addressing global poverty - both sit at the intersections of impact and growth. Heather shares lessons and insights on impact marketing, product marketing, and ethics in AI. We cover all of that and more in an interview that will be helpful to any marketer and PR pro who needs to tell the story of complex industries with thorny issues.

How can something as cold and calculating as a computer actually make people feel more connected to each other? The new memoir from Affectiva CEO and founder Rana el Kaliouby talks about her personal mission to humanize technology before it dehumanizes us. The book is called Girl Decoded and it was the selection for the latest installment Overbooked, the March book club. Hailey Melamut and Janabeth Ward join the show today to discuss its most important themes, including the mission to more humanity to tech interactions, the state of racial diversity in tech, and the unique challenges of being a woman and a leader in a male-dominated industry. Overbooked rolls on. Every quarter, we’ll select a book with a technology innovation theme to read together, and we’ll be announcing our next selection soon. If you have any ideas or recommendations on great books to read, tweet us @MarchComms.

Many of us know that we should probably be eating better. But sometimes good information on nutrition feels hard to come by and even harder to follow - especially for those who don't have easy access to affordable food or knowledge. Sandy Purewal, a former PR professional turned well tech entrepreneur, is the founder of Superfied. His goal is to make everyone self-sufficient in their everyday wellbeing by changing the way they think about food - what they eat, how they eat, when they eat - and why it matters. We talk to Sandy about whole-body health, about the rise in well tech and the trends that define that market, including some of the consumer trends identified in March's Year of Smart Living report. And we ask Sandy what marketers should know about wellness in a future that's increasingly being shaped by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The team here at March has been reading Girl Decoded: A Scientist's Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology, the memoir by March client, and Affectiva CEO Rana el Kaliouby, along with co-author Carol Colman. On today's podcast, March Account Supervisor Hailey Melamut discusses her unique role as the book launch manager, which placed her in the middle of the book publishing, distribution, and promotional process. It's a behind the scenes look at what goes into book marketing. Our chat also offers valuable lessons in how to pivot - Rana's book was published on April 21, which meant that many of the promotional activities occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak, which naturally meant a lot of big changes to the marketing plan. Find out what they did to make it all work.

For many people around the country, we're approaching nearly two full months of self-isolation due to COVID-19. The pandemic has affected our way of life in so many ways, and that's no different for the public relations industry. Marketers, PR pros, and communicators have had to navigate a new reality where news coverage is so focused on the medical, economic, and social impacts of the virus. It's really hard to talk about anything without also talking about the coronavirus, which means brands have to be careful about how they choose to present their business at this time. T. Garland Stansell is the newly elected Chair of the Public Relations Society of America. He is also the Chief Communications Officer for Children's of Alabama. He joined Hacks and Flacks to discuss how brands are changing the way they communicate and the long-term impact of this pandemic on the public relations industry.

These were already turbulent times for journalism, and that was before a global pandemic put issues like trust, bias, and the impact of digital technology into even sharper focus. Cision has published its 2020 State of the Media Survey. They received more than 3,000 responses from journalists in print, broadcast, digital, and social media across 15 countries. The results paint a picture of an industry that is coping with new and familiar challenges in the wake of COVID-19 but also shows signs of optimism for the role that journalism will play in the recovery. Seth Gilpin, Product Marketing Manager at Cision, joins Hacks and Flacks to cover the major insights from the survey, including important lessons that PR and communications professionals need to know. How can PR professionals support journalists at this time, and how do journalists feel about the future of their industry? Download the 2020 State of the Media Survey: https://www.cision.com/us/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-media/ Register for Cision's 11th Annual State of the Media LIVE! (4/28 from 2-3pm ET): https://www.cision.com/us/resources/webinars-events/2020-state-of-the-media-live-stream/ Guests include Anthony Ha of TechCrunch, Sarah Paynter of Yahoo Finance, and Julie Carl of the Toronto Star 

Tech media expert Sam Whitmore has been producing in-depth coverage of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the tech media. You can read all of his coverage over at mediasurvey.com. Today he joins the show to tell us how the tech media is handling the crisis, how coverage has changed, and what PR professionals should expect when they engage reporters. March Vice President Kelly O'Brien covers the PR and brand side of the equation. What are some of the dos and don’ts around engaging journalists, which brands are rising to the occasion during this tense time, and how will this all shake out in the long run for our industries?

It's an old trope, but there's a reason why people say "a picture is worth a thousand words." Visual images tell a powerful story: human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and research shows images are much more persuasive than text alone. Shlomi Ron, CEO of Visual Storytelling Institute, understands the power of visual storytelling. He turned his passion for Italian cinema into an agency that works with clients to help them harness the effectiveness of visual media. On today's show, he explains how visual stories can help brands stand out in a crowded marketing landscape, and explains some of the core principles that make up great visual stories. Shlomi also hosts the Visual Storytelling Today podcast and runs the Italian cinema blog cafe Pellicola.

Looking for remote content marketing ideas? March partner Owen Mack of Cobrandit Video joins Hacks and Flacks to discuss the different ways you can create professional-quality videos from home. We cover the tools, tips, and strategies you’ll need to improve the visual and audio quality of your online meetings, turn PowerPoint presentations into engaging video, repurpose existing video assets, and start producing your own live streams. For more virtual marketing ideas and tips, check out recent pieces from the March team: Maintaining Agency Life & Business in These Strange Times How to Launch a Low-Budget Corporate Podcast in Under a Week

Wellness tech is a hot trend, and consumers today are trying more apps that promise to help them live longer, look great, and feel better, too. But is all of this technology and innovation actually making us healthier and making our lives better? March's recent consumer survey - part of the Year of Smart Living - examined the impact of technology on health and wellness, and the role of marketers and brands that want to convince consumers that they’re making the right choices. To learn more, we talked with one of the exciting brands in the wellness space: FitGenie. They are an Atlanta-based startup that offers nutrition planning combined with meal delivery. On today's show, founders Obi Anachebe and Keith Osayande discuss what's important to consumers in the wellness tech space and how they built an app that makes a positive difference to users.

How do misunderstandings happen? What actually went wrong when someone didn’t pick up on your message, or even worse, interpreted your words in a way that was completely different than you intended? It happens to people, of course, and these days it’s happening to a lot of brands, too, who find themselves facing consequences as a result. A new bestseller from Malcolm Gladwell tackles the challenges of communication. His book is called “Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know,” and it was the selection for the latest installment Overbooked, the March book club. In this episode, Marchers Kelsey Johnson and Molly Masi recap the major themes from ‘Talking to Strangers’ and talk about issues of trust and transparency in marketing and communications. EVP Jodi Petrie also joins to answer an important question: how can brands earn trust from consumers who are increasingly skeptical? Overbooked continues in 2020: Every quarter, we’ll select a book with a technology innovation theme to read together, and we’ll be announcing our next selection soon. If you have any ideas or recommendations on great books to read, tweet us @MarchComms.

Brands today are trying to reach buyers and influence audiences all around the world. When the time comes to run an international PR campaign in Europe, APAC, or elsewhere, where should a brand turn? At March, global PR has been in our DNA since the very beginning, which is also why we're a longstanding member of ION, a global network of more than 40 agencies in countries around the world. It was launched by Octopus Group, a UK-based agency, and on this episode, Octopus Group co-founder Pete Hendrick covers the formation of ION, its role in helping brands reach global scale, and the market-by-market differences brands encounter when running international PR campaigns in Europe.

As the old saying goes, you are judged by the company you keep. That's true for many businesses today, including PR agencies. Those companies are being asked, sometimes by their own employees, to distance themselves from problematic people or organizations. March founders Martin Jones and Cheryl Gale discuss this issue through the lens of PR agencies. Should agencies move on from a client if their employees aren't comfortable with it? And how much of a say should employees have in the work the agency takes on? subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

In October 2019, March supported our client Affectiva at their third Emotion AI summit, which explored a human-centric approach to AI with leaders from across the industry. In this episode, we talk with Affectiva Events Manager Ashleen Bershad and March Account Supervisor Hailey Melamut to discuss the ins and outs of corporate event planning. They share tips on how to stay on-schedule and on-budget, maximize your event ROI with content, and talk about the pivotal role PR and comms agency can play in supporting a client event.

A new bestseller from philanthropist and entrepreneur Melinda Gates tackles issues of gender equality and women's empowermnet. Her book "The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World," proposes that if you want to lift an entire society - all genders - you need to invest in women. On this episode of Hacks and Flacks, Account Supervisor Kylle Sullivan and Senior Account Executive Bill Moody recap the major themes from the book and also discuss the issue of gender equality through the lens of the tech and PR industries. We also hear from Cheryl Gale, co-founder and president of March, on the unique paradox facing many women in PR: despite the fact that women make up between 60 to 80 percent of the PR workforce, only 20 percent of the senior leadership positions at PR agencies are held by women.  Overbooked continues in Q4: Every quarter, we’ll select a book with a technology innovation theme to read together, and we’ll be announcing our next selection soon. If you have any ideas or recommendations on great books to read, tweet us @MarchComms. subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

Link building - the practice of securing backlinks to your website from other sites that have more authority - is a classic SEO practice. But it's typically a practice reserved for digital marketers or content managers. What do PR professionals need to know about it, and should they be more involved? After all, when done well, the practice of link building mirrors the day-to-day of many PR pros. It involves research, outreach, and relationship building. And, backlinks from news sites offer some of the best SEO value on the web.  In this episode, Ashton Meisner of Directive Consulting, a search engine marketing agency, explains why PR professionals are the right people for the job when it comes to securing quality backlinks from reputable websites, and offers gives tips on how to apply a little bit of SEO strategy to your media outreach. subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

Going to a trade show? Putting on your first corporate event? Well, then you must have a well-thought content strategy already planned out... right? If the answer is no, this podcast is for you. We talk to content marketing expert Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Officer at The Content Advisory, to get his tips on how to plan and execute on an effective content strategy for events. As he explains, most companies don't leverage their events for the ongoing content that they can provide. He's got advice on how to create great material before, during and after a show, including some lessons learned from putting on the Content Marketing Institute's annual Content Marketing World show.   show notes 69% of B2B companies plan to increase their budget for in-person events this year https://welcome.bizzabo.com/b2b-tech-trends-2019   76% of B2B marketers think events are their most successful top-of-the-funnel demand gen tactic. http://view.ceros.com/g3-communications/dg093-surv/p/1 WhatPods subscribe to hacks and flacks  Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

Summertime is the season for beach trips and blockbusters. It's also one of the busiest times of the marketing year for GasBuddy, the leading provider of real-time gas prices on mobile and the web. On this week's Hacks and Flacks we ask GasBuddy CMO Mike DiLorenzo how his team leverages seasonality in their marketing strategy. He also talks data-driven PR and marketing, and the benefit of having a clearly defined "brand villian" to position your company against in the minds of consumers. subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

The story behind Theranos became a media sensation, with books, podcasts, documentaries and, soon, a movie all charting the highs and lows of the much-hyped health tech “unicorn” that falsely promised to change the way blood is tested. But on this episode, March's Rebecca Ferrick and Angelica Bishop explain why Theranos also offers a cautionary tale for journalists, PR, and marketing pros about the line between hype and deception. We're covering Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, as the latest selection of the Overbooked book club. Overbooked will keep on rolling in Q3: Every quarter, we’ll select a book with a technology innovation theme to read together, and we’ll be announcing our next selection soon. If you have any ideas or recommendations on great books to read, tweet us @MarchComms. subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

The wellness tech industry encompasses much more than fitness bands and apps. There's lots of innovation happening in the way consumers monitor and improve their nutrition, sleep, mental health, and even plan for end-of-life care. On this week's Hacks and Flacks we talk to March's resident wellness tech experts, Kalyn Schieffer and Kelsey Johnson, to understand how this industry is evolving and the things tech PR and marketing professionals need to know to help well-tech brands tell their story. subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

The principles of good marketing - know your customer, build a brand, find creative ways to tell your story - apply in any business, including brewing. To find out how craft breweries stand out in an increasingly competitive space, Manny and guest host Lizzy Snell talked to Liz and Jared Kiraly, the owners of Bone Up Brewing Company in Everett, Massachusetts. They tell the story behind Bone Up, their quirky mascot Horatio, and how Liz applied her design and marketing background toward creating a fun, social beer brand. Subscribe to Bone Up's blog at boneup.beer/blog subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

Chris Penn, co-founder of Trust Insights and an authority on analytics, digital marketing and marketing tech, joins Hacks and Flacks to tell us about the latest advancements in data science for marketing and public relations. We discuss artificial intelligence and machine learning for marketing, the connection between SEO and PR, and he provides some definitive answers on some of our team's lingering PR and marketing questions - like what's the rule around duplicate content and keyword density? links Check out Chris's latest book, AI for Marketers (Second Edition) at AIforMarketersBook.com Find free courses from Google Analytics and HubSpot Find free statistics courses on MIT OpenCourseWare  subscribe to Hacks and Flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

March's Kelly O'Brien and Alex Jafarzadeh chop it up over Conversational Marketing, the new release from Drift's David Cancel & Dave Gerhardt and the first selection of Overbooked, the new March book club. Alex and Kelly talk about the lessons that PR professionals and marketers can learn from the book, including insights on customer loyalty and why it's important to market like you're an actual human being. Plus, we feature bonus audio from Dave Gerhardt's recent appearance at the March Innovators Collective, where he talks about the role social proof played in creating buzz for Conversational Marketing before its release. Overbooked will keep on rolling in Q2: Every quarter, we’ll select a hot new release with a technology innovation theme to read together, and we'll be announcing our next selection in April. If you have any ideas or recommendations on great books to read, Tweet us @MarchComms. subscribe to hacks and flacks Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcast Overcast

True to our credo - "Innovation Inside Out" - March has launched a series of events called the March Innovators Collective (MIC). Our first event was held in early March (appropriate), and where EVP Jodi Petrie hosted a panel discussion with three Boston marketing luminaries: Jeanne Hopkins of Lola.com, Jessica Meher of Notarize, and Dave Gerhardt of Drift. The conversation covered a lot of ground: what's in the DNA of a good marketer? What marketing trends need to go away? How can brands build communities of loyal buyers? Jeanne, Jessica, and Dave give their expert answers, and in this episode, we present the live audio from the panel discussion. And, in a one-on-one conversation with Jodi, Dave shares one tip that came in handy when marketing his new book "Conversational Marketing," which we think is great advice for marketing just about anything.

The concept of influencer marketing is nothing new, but it's been in the news a lot lately. And brands are more interested than ever in partnerships for sales, awareness or engagement campaigns. In this episode, we tackle influencer marketing from several different angles. First, we interview Jess Ann Kirby, an influencer who has worked directly with brands, to find out how this works as a content creator. You can follow Jess Ann Kirby at her website www.jessannkirby.com and podcast Cozy Ranch Radio. Then, March Director of Digital Services Caroline Black and Account Director/Zoom practice lead Kelly O'Brien share best practices and explain how influencer marketing is paid marketing, but managed like a PR relationship. Links: The Ringer: The Influencer Who Didn’t Influence: Luka Sabbat and the Fame Economy of 2018 The Atlantic: Rising Instagram Stars Are Posting Fake Sponsored Content

When most people think about innovation they might focus on innovative technology. But there is also a lot of innovation occurring in storytelling and communications. Customers are more discerning in both consumer and B2B environments, so it means businesses of all kinds have to find creative ways to tell compelling stories to buyers. Diana Marszalek, senior reporter at The Holmes Report, just finished a series of articles on this topic, and she tells us what she heard from brands and agencies on both sides of this challenge. Read the series here: Brand Storytelling Driven By Purpose, New Platforms Brands Mix Traditional Storytelling And 21st Century Techniques In Driving Their Messages

On this week's Hacks and Flacks, we discuss the growing podcasting industry and the continued challenges around podcast discovery. Kevin Goldberg, founder and editor of DiscoverPods, joins the show to recap his ongoing coverage of a scheme in which fraudsters are gaming the Apple Podcasts charts to make their shows appear more popular than they really are, and why that's making things harder for podcast listeners. subscribe to podcast iTunes Stitcher Spotify Google Play

On this week's Hacks and Flacks, we discuss the concept of a brand story. First, we ask March EVP Jodi Petrie why it's important for a brand to take the time to define its story. Then, we talk to March co-founders Martin Jones and Cheryl Gale about the recent process our agency went through to re-imagine our own brand, with lessons for companies like yours.  LINKS: Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit our blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or Google Play today. 

Blogging is a crowded world, and it's getting harder than ever to drive organic traffic from social and search to a website. So it's no surprise that newsletters and podcasts are gaining in popularity as publishers and businesses look for ways to reach consistent audiences. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we talk to Tyler Morin, co-founder of The Water Coolest, a daily email newsletter and podcast that covers financial news. We ask Tyler about making the move from blogging to running a newsletter and podcast, and why it's important today to distribute content in a way that fits into your audience's life. Tyler also talks about the grind of the side hustle, and his journey building The Water Coolest around a full-time day job. LINKS: Subscribe to The Water Coolest Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit our blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Local TV news can be a great venue to tell a company's local story if you know how to reach the right person with the right pitch. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we speak to Marshall Hook, assignment editor at WHDH-TV Channel 7 in Boston, to learn the best ways PR professionals can pitch local broadcast media. Marshall offers a primer on the dynamics and structure of a broadcast TV newsroom, explains how stories are typically evaluated for air, and deconstructs the TV broadcast so you can figure out where in the nightly news show your story might have a fit. He also explains the best time to pitch a local station, the criteria for what makes a good story for television, and his PR pet peeves. LINKS: Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!  

In an interview with March Managing Director Cheryl Gale, Laura Tomasetti, CEO and founder of 360PR+, covers her path to becoming one of PR's top leaders, from her beginnings in ad copywriting, to her stops at agencies in Washington, D.C., and Boston, to her in-house experience at Hasbro. They also talk about why PR is growing in importance as CEOs because more conscious and concerned about their own reputation, and the reputations of their brands. And they discuss the value of relationship building in communication, the intersections between content, digital, social, advertising and PR, and the skills they look for when recruiting for comms talent. LINKS: Follow Laura and 360PR+ on Twitter: @Laura360 and @360PRPlus Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

March 8 is International's Women Day, and in recognition, we recorded a fun and insightful roundtable chat between March Director of Digital Services Caroline Black, Managing Director Cheryl Gale and Executive Vice President Jodi Petrie. They talk about navigating their careers in PR, covering the challenge of juggling work and life responsibilities, the journey to find confidence in the workplace, and the importance for young women to make sure their voices are heard. They also touch on creativity, authenticity, meditation and, most importantly, cocktails. LINKS: Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

CES 2018 is history, and March Senior Account Executive Alex Jafarzadeh has a full report from Las Vegas. He tells us why this year's event was the "voice-controlled CES" and why, of all the major technology players in that space, Google was the biggest winner at the show. We also talk about brands that made the wrong kind of impact and thus found themselves caught up in the sometimes-cynical coverage that surrounds CES every year. Alex offers advice for businesses that are thinking about showcasing at next year's event, explaining that the best comms strategy can ensure you leave the right impression on attending media and potential partners, while also helping you avoid sideways glances and social media mockery. LINKS: Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Podbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!  

Inbound 2017, the annual marketing conference here in Boston, has officially wrapped up. March sent several team members to the show, including Content Manager Andrew Grzywacz, who wrote a blog post (http://bit.ly/2xLoEN0) summarizing his top content takeaways from the show. Now Andrew's on Hacks and Flacks to share more thoughts from the event, including the science behind how stories stick in the human mind, tips on sourcing content ideas from Reddit, and insight into the future of podcasting. LINKS: Read Andrew's Inbound '17 recap: http://bit.ly/2xLoEN0  Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Podbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Two years after helping to launch Hacks and Flacks with our first interview, media watcher Sam Whitmore of mediasurvey.com is back again to talk about the big topics in media and marketing. Major media brands are making big bets on video content, but Sam explains why he thinks vertical publications in tech and other industries likely won't be able to follow suit with similar initiatives. We also discuss: the future of Facebook Live the art form of content distribution versus the over-focus on content production the new ways publications view and seek contributed content from brands the increase in tech reporters being asked to report on politics, government structures, and policy and the effect on all of the above on tech PR professionals and content marketers. LINKS: Subscribe to Sam Whitmore's Media Survey: mediasurvey.com Follow Sam on Twitter: @samwhitmore Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Podbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com! 

TUGG Boston helps early stage, experimental nonprofits in the city earn funding and build their networks through multiple events and resources. Its annual Tugg Makes Boston fundraiser distributes more than $200,000 in funding to local organizations looking to solve challenges in their communities. On this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we speak to TUGG Executive Director Elizabeth Dobrska, covering the resources TUGG offers to help its portfolio companies hone their message, and the biggest developmental challenge facing most nonprofits (hint: it's not fundraising). We also talk about the potential for marketing innovation in the nonprofit sector, and the importance for founders to build genuine, long-term relationships with the media. LINKS: Get involved in TUGG's Tech Gives Back on October 19, 2017 techgivesback.org Learn about Pledge 1% Boston pledge1boston.squarespace.com Learn more about TUGG Boston: tugg.org Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Recruitment and hiring are cornerstones of any growing business. Whether you're developing an agency from the ground up or looking to bring fresh talent into an established organization, it's important to find people with the right skills and attitude to push your business forward.  In building our agency, March co-founder Cheryl Gale and Vice President Liz Swenton Hosman have frequently tweaked their recruitment approach and philosophy in order to find and attract the right talent. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, they share their perspectives on recruiting and hiring for a PR agency, along with tips for first-time agencies looking to build their team, and advice for aspiring PR and marketing pros hoping to get hired.  LINKS: Connect with Cheryl on LinkedIn to get her thoughts on developing a PR agency: linkedin.com/in/cagale/ Connect with Liz on LinkedIn to learn about opportunities at March: linkedin.com/in/lizswenton/ Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Michelle Cove has turned a career as a media maker into an opportunity to address that industry's most harmful effects. She's founder and executive director of MEDIAGIRLS, a nonprofit that gives young girls the tools to filter and think critically about the harmful sexist and biased messages communicated in today's media.  In this week's Hacks and Flacks, Marina Askari and Manny Veiga talk to Michelle about her journey from filmmaker to startup founder, chat about the communications strategies she's learned on to grow MEDIAGIRLS and build the program, and ask for her thoughts whether brands, the media and the general public are finally making progress in the effort to curb harmful messages. LINKS: MEDIAGIRLS: mediagirls.org Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

We're living in the era of fake news, or at least, the fear of fake news. Stories that would have once been reserved for salacious supermarket tabloids are now being shared like wildfire across social media and discussed seriously on the nightly news. It's bad for readers (who do you trust?) bad for media (how do you prove your credibility?) and bad for businesses, who don't want to get caught up in a phony but potentially damaging story. Even a fake story could be a massive PR risk. In this week's Hacks and Flacks, March VP Meredith L. Eaton and Content Manager Andrew Grzywacz break down the fake news phenomenon. Meredith shares crisis communication tips for brands that need to react to a damaging fake story, and we discuss the budding cottage industry of fake news publishers. LINKS: Meredith L. Eaton: The Rise of Fake News. Does PR Need to Worry? Wall Street Journal: You’re the Victim of Fake News, Now What? Wall Street Journal: Caution Required When Responding to Fake News Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!