Podcasts about fuel for thought

Renee joins us to speak about her new book Fuel For Thought, but in true YHRF style, we speak about so, so much more!Renee is so giving with information and her opinions on a variety of subjects, and it's delivered in a way that everyone can understand,.'Humans are not textbooks', keep that in mind...Our relationship with running fluctuates doesn't it? Renee covers all of this in her new book, it's packed full of advice, facts and recipes, Renee has a passion to make food accessible, and her fantastic recipes include ingredients and methods that people don't have to think about to much.Fuel for Thought, written from the perspective of Renee's life and learnings is a must have for your bookshelf, although it won't sit there too long, you'll be engrossed.We speak about a newly released film entitled 'Unfiltered', the subject matter is Renee McGregor, the film has been created by Ellie Green of Summit Fever, it's showing around book/film festivals at present with general release scheduled for Summer 2025We also speak about Renee's running, specifically her Lakeland 50 2024 experience, and guess what...July 2025 will see a return for Renee on that start line in Coniston.Grab a cuppa, or lace up your running shoes and enjoy an hour and a bit with Renee McGregor.#realbutnottrueFuel For ThoughtUnfiltered

Today, we talk uranium nuclear fuel. MIT Professor Koroush Shirvan, joins me to dive into the hidden complexities of nuclear fuels. From early fuel experiments that saw uranium rods turn into spaghetti-like structures under neutron bombardment to the intricate economics shaping the future of fuels like TRISO, Shirvan offers insights into the realities behind nuclear power's remarkable yet challenging fuel technologies.Listen to discover how history shaped today's dominant fuel choices, why accident-tolerant innovations are critical, and about the economic realities that could either launch or limit the nuclear renaissance.

You may be asking yourself why this episode is titled “Fuel for Thought”. Any guesses?I mean if you know me, you know I love a good old play on words, hence the name of this new series that I've produced with Xact Nutrition.Athletes train for hours, work with coaches on technique, join workout groups and sign up for big challenges but one of the things we feel could be overlooked by athletes that is so critical, is education regarding nutrition and how it helps you perform.So we've put together a multi episode series to discuss specific topics pertaining to just that,in hopes that you come away with more in depth knowledge and a better understanding of nutrition.On this episode of Just In Stride, Fuel for Thought Edition, we learn how to train our gut and execute our fueling plan on race day with Nick Kleban.We go in depth on what it actually means to train your gut and how athletes can go about doing that effectively so they're ready on the day of their event.Fueling is as important as the physical training itself no matter what endurance sport you choose. You can train as well as you want but if you want to optimize your performance on race day, you have to go with your gut.-------Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!

You may be asking yourself why this episode is titled “Fuel for Thought”. Any guesses?I mean if you know me, you know I love a good old play on words, hence the name of this new series that I've produced with Xact Nutrition.Athletes train for hours, work with coaches on technique, join workout groups and sign up for big challenges but one of the things we feel could be overlooked by athletes that is so critical, is education regarding nutrition and how it helps you perform.So we've put together a multi episode series to discuss specific topics pertaining to just that,in hopes that you come away with more in depth knowledge and a better understanding of nutrition.On this episode of Just In Stride, Fuel for Thought Edition, we'll discuss all the ways we can fuel to recover with Alister Gardner.We cover a wide range of recovery topics from training cycles, to sleep, ideal hydration and of course fueling windows before, during and after training.It's as important as the training itself and can help you reach your goals in a more efficient and sustainable way. It's the small details that can make a big difference and we hope it'll take you to the next level.Some topics we covered were:-Ideal sleep time-Training cycles-Feeding windows-Better Hydration-EZ days vs Workout days-------Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!

You may be asking yourself why this episode is titled “Fuel for Thought”. Any guesses?I mean if you know me, you know I love a good old play on words, hence the name of this new series that I've produced with Xact Nutrition.Athletes train for hours, work with coaches on technique, join workout groups and sign up for big challenges but one of the things we feel could be overlooked by athletes that is so critical, is education regarding nutrition and how it helps you perform.So we've put together a multi episode series to discuss specific topics pertaining to just that,in hopes that you come away with more in depth knowledge and a better understanding of nutrition.On this episode of Just In Stride, Fuel for Thought Edition, we digest high fuel consumption for better performance with Elite Cyclist, Nick Kleban.Nick is notoriously known for how many carbs he can consume per hour, leaving little doubt that he has enough fuel to support his max effort.We go in depth into hourly carb intake, different ways to consume fuel, time between feeding, signs you might be low on energy, how to recover from bonking and so much more. I have a gut feeling this will be the perfect crash course to high fueling and that it will leave you more energized than before.Some topics we cover:-Min and Max fueling consumption-Fueling schedule-Different ways to consume fuel-Ideal to mix and match different types of fuel-Troubleshooting due to lack of fuel?-Signs your are low on fuel-How to reset when our body is rejecting fuel?-Lessons learnt from poor fueling?-Fuel consumption 101-------Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!

You may be asking yourself why this episode is titled “Fuel for Thought”. Any guesses?I mean if you know me, you know I love a good old play on words, hence the name of this new series that I've produced with Xact Nutrition.Athletes train for hours, work with coaches on technique, join workout groups and sign up for big challenges but one of the things we feel could be overlooked by athletes that is so critical, is education regarding nutrition and how it helps you perform.So we've put together a multi episode series to discuss specific topics pertaining to just that, in hopes that you come away with more in depth knowledge and a better understanding of nutrition.On this episode of Just In Stride, Fuel for Thought edition, we'll debunk various nutrition myths, with Elite road and trail runner, Alister Gardner.When it comes to nutrition and best practices, everyone has an opinion. Whether it's using salt tabs, choosing between real food vs gels or bars, identifying an ideal race weight, fasting during workouts or using supplements, we'll provide detailed explanations and discuss the importance of each one.So no matter if you're an elite or just starting out, you'll certainly gain something from this conversation and that's no myth.Here are some of the key questions we cover:-Does taking salt tablets prevent/stop cramping?-Is supplementing with maltodextrin beneficial for endurance athletes?-Is it better to fast or fuel before training?-Does carb loading enhance race day performance?-The lighter you are, the faster you'll race.-Real food is better than gels/bars-------Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!

The influencer market is evolving, but there's no need to worry about falling behind. We've got your back.  HAVAS Red released its inaugural “The State of the Influencer in 2024: A Client's Perspective” white paper, diving into the findings of a client survey that covered 10 markets — Australia, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Philippines, Singapore, UAE, the U.S. and the U.K. In this episode, Lara Graulich, HAVAS Red account executive based in London, dives into the findings covered in the white paper with the Redsters who created it. Stuart Hood, executive director of social and content, and Tina Provis, PR account manager, both representing HAVAS Red Australia, joined Lara on the podcast to share where the influencer market is heading.  "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by HAVAS Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers. What did you love? What would you like to hear about next? Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  For further learning:  https://bit.ly/44oVEYX 

Is the Metaverse still relevant to brand marketers? This month we answer that very question. When Meta launched its Metaverse, the virtual universe felt unbaked to many comms professionals. Promises of unimaginable audience connection were put back into the oven indefinitely. However, these promises shouldn't be left in too long to burn…   Lara Graulich, a HAVAS Red account executive based in London, interviewed Umbar Shakir, Partner - Experience, Digital and AI at Gate One, and Sabrina George, CMO and executive producer at Xcyte Digital Corporation.  In a two-part series on the Metaverse, Lara speaks first with Umbar, who gives us an introduction to the Metaverse in part 1. In part 2, Sabrina drives it home, covering how brand marketers can use the Metaverse to their advantage and what caution brands should take before jumping in. "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by HAVAS Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers.      What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?      Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!     For further learning:    https://www.thevrara.com/ https://metaversebusinessconference.com/ https://www.virtualworlds.museum/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/microsoft-mesh https://www.xrwomen.com/ https://metaversefashioncouncil.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-web3-cmo-brief-7063083421643730944/ https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2093378/ 

Is the Metaverse still relevant to brand marketers? This month we answer that very question. When Meta launched its Metaverse, the virtual universe felt unbaked to many comms professionals. Promises of unimaginable audience connection were put back into the oven indefinitely. However, these promises shouldn't be left in too long to burn…   Lara Graulich, a HAVAS Red account executive based in London, interviewed Umbar Shakir, partner and client director at Gate One, and Sabrina George, CMO and executive producer at Xcyte Digital Corporation.  In a two-part series on the Metaverse, Lara speaks first with Umbar, who gives us an introduction to the Metaverse in part 1. In part 2, Sabrina drives it home, covering how brand marketers can use the Metaverse to their advantage and what caution brands should take before jumping in. "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by HAVAS Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers.      What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?      Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!     For further learning:    https://www.thevrara.com/ https://metaversebusinessconference.com/ https://www.virtualworlds.museum/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/microsoft-mesh https://www.xrwomen.com/ https://metaversefashioncouncil.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-web3-cmo-brief-7063083421643730944/ https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2093378/  

This month, we got to pick the brain of a communications insider at IBM — so you get to, too! The February episode of the “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” podcast is part of our #BehindTheBrand series, which pulls back the curtain on an iconic brand to focus on the people shaping that brand's communications and marketing strategy.  Linda Descano, CFA®, EVP at HAVAS Red interviewed Brandi Boatner, manager of digital and advocacy communications at IBM. Together, they discuss the 3Ds: digital, data and diversity and how they're shaping Brandi's career path and IBM's mission.  We launched the Behind the Brand series in April 2023, with Gráinne O'Brien, senior director of corporate affairs for Kellogg Europe and look forward to continuing it with other brand insiders.  "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by HAVAS Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers.      What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?      Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!      For further reading:  New York Women in Communications Public Relations Society of America PRSA Tri-State District “Behind the Kellogg's Brand” with Gráinne O'Brien episode  “Behind the Meltwater Brand” with Dino Delic episode 

In this episode with Rob Rebich the cofounder of Aupa premium meat bars we discuss the tech behind 5g, how modern living is loaded with EMFs, the potential health effects, concerns and ways you can reduce your EMF environment. Rob Rebich, Co-Founder of AUPA, a company on a dedicated mission to provide customers with convenient, nutrition-packed meat-based snacks, all free from harmful industrial additives.  Rob's vision is to champion small, local regenerative farms and ranches by sourcing ingredients locally, thereby contributing to a broader transformation aimed at enhancing the entire food system. Sponsors: River is the Bitcoin exchange of choice for the long-term investor. Use this link to get started and earn up to $100 in BTC when you buy Bitcoin at River. Theya is a simple and secure multi-sig vault for BTC self custody. Download the app on your phone today and go multi sig to secure your Bitcoin for generations. GET SIX MONTHS FREE HERE: theya.us/cedric Affiliates: Aupa energy bars: A new kind of energy bar, live life untamed, Question everything. Use the code MATRIX at eataupa.com for a discount off your purchase. Hodlers Official is the Team Bitcoin merch and memorabilia company for Bitcoin's biggest fans! Go to hodlersofficial.com today and get your Team Bitcoin gear and use the code MATRIX for 10% off your entire purchase! The Florida Beef Initiative - Discover their premium beef selections, like the Florida Pasture Beef Box, and join a movement that's restoring Florida's local economy one juicy, grass-fed, succulent steak at a time. Visit The Florida Beef Initiative to be part of the change. Cedric can help you set up your multi-sig vault, estate plan, collaborative custody, or be of service via The Bitcoin Adviser. Book some time to talk on my calendar. Follow Rob Rebich on Twitter Check out Aupa's website Follow Cedric Youngelman on Twitter Follow The Bitcoin Matrix Podcast on Twitter Finally if you could write a five star review for The Bitcoin Matrix Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts that would really help get the word out and help new listeners find the show. And thank you for listening!

We kicked off the new season with tears streaming down our faces, but not for the reasons you might think—laughs had us rolling as we geared up for a year of unscripted, no-holds-barred conversations. This is Few for Thought, where the only thing we take seriously is our commitment to keeping it real with you. Embark on this wild ride through 2024 with us as we tackle the ups, downs, and everything in between, served with a side of unexpected hilarity. Remember those bloopers from season one? You bet they're making a comeback, so brace yourself for laughter that's as genuine as our candid discussions.Season two is shaping up to be a melting pot of incredible stories, featuring guests whose experiences are as rich and diverse as the voices behind the mic. We're bringing the wisdom of those beautiful souls straight to your earbuds, with gratitude for the community that's grown with us. It's not just about looking back though; we're forging ahead with fiery debates and raw reflections on the year that's unfolding. Join us—you're not just tuning in to another podcast season, you're stepping into a movement, and your role in this narrative is as vital as the conversations we're sparking. Let's keep it real, together.Follow our journey on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fuel_for_thought_podcast/

In this month's episode of the “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” podcast, host Lara Graulich, merged media account executive at HAVAS Red, is joined by Redsters Nancy Anderson, SVP, social and content, and Audrey Arbogast, associate vice president, to discuss our Red Sky Predictions 2024 surrounding social media and influencers.  Together, they time travel, jumping back to analyze HAVAS Red's 2023 predictions and then looking forward to those in 2024. The goal: to help prepare brand communicators to tackle the virtual landscape ahead.   Nancy explores how our 2023 predictions came to life, covering topics such as TikTok as a recruitment method and how reactive content can be used to insert brands into cultural conversation. When looking to 2024 trends, Nancy breaks down how social media managers will use AI to fuel social strategy and content creation and reduce workload.   Audrey, our resident influencer guru, gives us the lowdown on our 2024 influencer predictions, focused on the “minfluencer,” aka the next generation of young influencers: Generation Alpha. Audrey covers how the minfluencers have already begun to take over the social landscape and the potential impact these mini tastemakers can have on brands. Importantly, Audrey also highlights the legal considerations brands must take when it comes to working with children online.   As you create your social plans for 2024, consider us your trends barometer. Read up on our Red Sky Predictions 2024 to help you navigate 2024's volatile communications landscape.   "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by HAVAS Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers.    What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?    Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!    For further reading: Red Sky Predictions 2024 

Richard Halsey is the director of the California Chaparral Institute and an activist concerned about the way that we approach fire safety.We have a conversation that may raise some questions (and eyebrows) about how we protect our homes from fire.About the Lawsuit against CalFire>>>>>>>Alternative? Monterey Fire Safe Council.>>>>>>>Big Sur Land Use Plan>>>>>>>'Laws that interfere with preparing for wildfires.'Support the show_________________________________________________This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!We are FaceBookInstagramLet us know what you think!SEND US AN EMAIL!

Chase shares his ideas and challenges our thinking about why it seems we are more diligent about routine car maintenace to ensure our vehicle's longevity and reliability... but we don't always take that same approach to investing regularly on our own "maintenance" to ensure our skills and knowledge are sustainable and reliable into the future.    Got a question? Ask us! Do you have a question you'd like to hear answered on Career Dreams? You can submit an audio recording of your question to be featured on an upcoming episode!    Like it? Share it! If you're finding value in exploring your Career Dreams through this podcast, please share it with your friends, followers and colleagues! Also, your ratings and reviews help others find the show...so please, let us know what you think! You can share your Career Dreams with us anytime via email: careerdreams@forumcu.com. To learn more about making your Career Dreams come true at FORUM Credit Union, visit our website:  https://www.forumcu.com/careers   Dream on!

In this month's episode of the “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” podcast, host Ellen Mallernee, Editorial Director at Havas Red is joined by Redsters Linda Descano, CFA®, EVP and client partner Bianca-Maria Cavuoto to discuss our 2023 Word of the Year: “CHAOS”.  Together, they walk through our process of selecting “chaos,” other Words of the Year that have been announced so far (from “AI” to “rizz”) and each of their own personal picks for Word of the Year.  As our survey respondents who selected this word wrote, “Chaos encapsulates 2023's tumultuous global events — embodying uncertainty, disruption and the need for collective solutions. It reflects our shared experience and challenges ahead.”  One wrote that we have “too many changes without clear objectives,” while another pointed to “global waring factions (Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza), U.S. congress disruption, Trump indictments, the impact of global warming on the global temperatures and weather phenomena.”  The opposite of chaos? It's peace. That's our hope for 2024. We hope it's peace that has the last word.  "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by Havas Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers.    What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?    Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!    For further reading: Merriam-Webster: Authentic   Oxford University Press: Rizz  Collins Dictionary: AI  Cambridge Dict HAionary: Hallucinate  Oxford English: Pay harder  Australia National Dictionary Centre: Mathilda  Germany youth word of the year: Goofy  

How we achieve net zero is more than just a political or environmental decision. It is one that will have huge societal impacts. How we get our energy translates to how we move around, how we heat our homes. It's a reminder that the energy transition has many trade-offs, as we navigate achieving net zero while protecting the wellbeing of people and industry, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.  Might hydrogen be part of the answer? In this special podcast, The Spectator's economics editor Kate Andrews speaks with those working in government, NGOs, and industry about how to unlock this technology. She is joined by Chris Stark, Chief Executive of Climate Change Committee (CCC); Chris Skidmore MP, author of the government's net zero review; Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of Energy UK; and Jon Butterworth, CEO of National Gas.  This podcast is kindly sponsored by National Gas. 

In this month's episode of the “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” podcast, Ryan Kisiel, partner and head of Sustain at H/Advisors Maitland, joins host Linda Descano, CFA®, EVP, Havas Red, to discuss trends in climate and sustainability disclosures and reporting, and implications for how brands and businesses communicate internally and externally about these topics in 2024.   2023 has marked another year of climate and sustainability in the spotlight. There's been continued — if not increasing — scrutiny on whether brands and businesses are actually following through with their pledges, particularly around climate and net-zero, and whether there are real data and actionable plans behind those pledges.   In many countries, the push for mandatory disclosures has gained momentum during this period. Back in July, the European Commission adopted the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), standardizing how companies within the European Union report climate change and other ESG-related actions. Meanwhile, in the U.S., where policy on climate disclosures remains in limbo, the state of California has taken matters into its own hands, signing into law the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, known as SB-253, which has implications well beyond companies operating in California.   "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by Havas Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers.    Note: This H/Advisors' article was referenced in the podcast: “California sets the standard for mandatory carbon disclosures”   What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?    Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!   

In this month's episode of the “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” podcast, Linda Goldstein, EVP of customer experience and marketing at CSAA Insurance Group, joins host Linda Descano, CFA®, to discuss the current challenges of marketing and communications, the keys to creating campaigns that break through and marketing trends to watch out for in 2024. Goldstein, who was recently recognized as one of PR Daily's Top Women in Marketing, provides insight into CSAA's viral campaigns featuring musical artists like Rick Astley and iconic '90s boy band members. She also touches on CSAA's proactive approach to supporting initiatives including a California Wildfire Innovation Fund and the climate resiliency challenge the company spearheaded this past summer. Finally, she addresses the role of comms in the insurance industry in regards to ESG-related issues. This episode is part of our #BehindTheBrand series, which pulls back the curtain on an iconic brand to focus on the people shaping that brand's communications and marketing strategy. We launched this series in April 2023, with Gráinne O'Brien, senior director of corporate affairs for Kellogg Europe. "Red Sky Fuel for Thought" is a monthly podcast produced by Havas Red, examining emerging themes relevant to brand communicators and marketers.   Background reading: ·     The Power Nostalgia & Music Bring to Insurance Marketing  ·     “Boys No More,” Featuring Joey Fatone, Nick Lachey, Joey McIntyre and Wanya Morris  ·     How CSAA Pulled Off the Ultimate ‘Rickroll'  ·     Climate Resiliency Challenge Unveils New Solutions to Address Climate-related Disasters What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?   Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!

Getting Ahead on Generative AI: Ep. 40 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:·     How marketers and PR professionals can use generative AI to make our lives easier·     Where we should not use generative AI from a legal or ethical perspective·     How to strike the balance between being better with AI and being better than AI Now that the dust is settling on the AI maelstrom that's raged for the past few months, our September episode looks at what we've learned about generative AI in particular: the good, the bad and the uncertain. Host Lara Graulich examines how artificial intelligence, or AI, has become a buzzword that elicits many emotions: wonder, excitement, confusion and anxiety, among others. As she says, “One thing is certain: This technology is here to stay, and it's important for us to understand it as marketing and public relations professionals.” To help you make out the full picture of generative AI today, we've divided this episode into two parts. First, Umbar Shakir, a partner and client director at Gate One, gives us a whip-smart introduction to generative AI, what it's capable of and what its limitations are. In part two, we dig into the specific implications that generative AI has in the PR and marketing space. For this roundtable, we're chatting with Rachael Sansom, CEO of Havas Red U.K., and Myrna Van Pelt, head of technology and business for Havas Red Australia. The episode begins with Umbar (pronounced “Amber”), who differentiates traditional AI from generative AI. Traditional AI, she says, is the ability of machines to mimic human intelligence to perform tasks and automate workflows. This is AI as we've known it; it's what's been around for decades, and it's something technology consultants have been implementing for clients for a long time. However, when large language models began arriving over the past five years or so, generative AI stole the spotlight. With generative AI, trillions of bits of crowdsourced data can be used to synthesize new data. Does this new capability represent a threat to human creativity or to job security? No, says Umbar: “As marketers, your whole value add to customers is differentiation and personalization. Even though generative AI can generate content for us, you need the human brain to give the differentiation. And then you need the human heart and emotion. In all the marketing campaigns I've been involved in, an emotive response is really important to memorability. That comes from heart, and a lot of our emotional intelligence comes from our values, beliefs and moral judgments. At the moment, you can't mathematically program that in. What we need to remember is that we've built this tool, and we can interact with it; it might be faster than us, and it might be able to process more data than we can at any point in time, but it doesn't replace our humanity.” Instead, AI can create space for those of us in this industry to get back to our craft and to doing some of the things that drew us here in the first place — to creating human connection, for example — rather than the monotony of data analysis or transcription. Plus, with generative AI, we're going to get richer insights much more quickly than we would on our own.   When it comes to humans' job security, Umbar says, “I've got a slightly provocative view on things. When people worry that generative AI will cause people to lose jobs, I say there are some jobs out there that humans should never have been doing. We have taken really tedious work and turned it into careers for people. We've normalized tedium. How do we unshackle ourselves from some of that tedium? How do we then free up capacity to solve for bigger and better problems for society? How do you use this technology to replace what humans have been doing that fundamentally doesn't tap into our humanity or our values or our creativity?” Umbar's segment ends with her answering these questions, before Lara then welcomes Rachael and Myrna to the podcast. She first asks them what excites them most about generative AI and the capabilities it brings to our clients and which tools they've most enjoyed using. “Gen AI cannot create ideas, but what it can do is take great ideas, by humans, and push them faster and further and help iterate them more brilliantly,” says Rachael. In marketing and communications, Myrna says AI also has a distinct role to play in helping us in the area of rapid decision making. “As humans, we have finite ability to scan volumes of information,” she says. “However, AI does this at a fraction of the time. So, for example, when it comes to understanding audience preferences, or demographic nuances, AI can help sort through this massive volume of content, identifying patterns and trends, anticipating future scenarios, and then categorizing the data. We then have an absolute smorgasbord of useful pre-categorized content we can use to inform campaigns, particularly so in industries where a rapid pivot of a campaign might make the difference between success and failure — particularly so in political campaigns.” Among Myrna's go-to AI tools, she highlights Brandwatch, which provides media monitoring and competitor tracking; TLDR, which summarizes high-tech articles; and DeepL Translate, which can accurately translate content in dozens of different languages. Next, they talk about the inherent risks of using AI, including where we should and shouldn't use it from an ethical and legal perspective — e.g., is a press release fair game? Thank you to each of our guests for weighing in on the transformative power of AI. We hope you'll give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·     ChatGPT·     Brandwatch·     TLDR·     DeepL Translate Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·      iTunes·      Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  

Meaningful Workplace Transformations 101: Ep. 39 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:·     Trends that have influenced the need for increased focus on the employee experience and meaningful work·     What steps an organization can take to maintain the alignment between what they say and what they do·     A framework for building trust with employees August's episode digs into the subject of meaningful transformation and why it's increasingly important for organizations today to think about how to connect the values they espouse with what their employees experience day to day.  Host Linda Descano, CFA®, EVP, Red Havas, starts by asking Hannah Caldwell, principal of Gate One, a London-based business and digital transformation consultancy within the Havas network, to define what “meaningful transformation” means. A “meaningful transformation” is a business transformation that delivers a step change in the impact and results delivered for the business but that's also meaningful for the individuals involved in that change — it's about making it really matter to employees to ensure that it lasts, says Hannah. Hannah cites the statistic that 70% of large transformation projects fail; she then explains why that's the case: “One of the key reasons why those big transformation projects fail is the human element. Fundamentally, it's not organizations that change; it's people that change — or in some cases, they don't. If people don't believe in the vision that leadership is sharing, if they don't trust leadership, they're not going to adjust to new ways of doing things or make the effort required to create a step change in the way you operate, regardless of how brilliant the strategy and rationale is.” Linda and Hanna's exploration of meaningful transformations dovetails with Havas' new 2023 Global Meaningful Brands™ report, “Welcome to the Me-conomy.” The report, which serves as a playbook for how brands can be meaningful in people's lives, was the subject of our May podcast episode. Says Hannah, “A lot of companies are increasingly aware of the need to connect meaningfully with their customers on issues they care about, such as sustainability and supporting Pride, but this has focused more on attracting customers. We're now also seeing a complementary desire to focus on the internal side: what employees experience and the internal culture as a measure of whether organizations are authentically living the values they say they stand for.” So what trends are influencing the increased focus on the employee experience and meaningful work? Three things stand out, says Hannah. First, post-pandemic employees are rethinking the meaning of work and priorities and seeking purpose from work (contributing to the great resignation). And generationally speaking, Gen Z is a purpose-driven generation. Their desire to know how their individual contributions help support the organization's mission differentiates them. Finally, information travels so quickly in the digital age, and social media means many more voices are heard.Linda then asks what steps organizations can take to maintain the alignment between what they say and what they do. What's most critical, says Hannah, is for organizations to listen and understand — without an ego — what people are experiencing within your organization. She also advises bringing together those teams that traditionally only managed elements of external or internal communications so that both have a full view. And if you're building an external campaign on a topical issue such as ESG or DE&I, Hannah says there are a lot of ways to involve employees in those campaigns. When organizations neglect their corporate culture, the repercussions can be enormous. Hannah cites research from MIT that found that toxic corporate culture is 10 times as likely to lead to attrition as poor compensation, whereas positive company cultures are more likely to attract top talent and see 33% higher revenues.The conversation closes with a discussion of practical steps that marketers and communicators can take to drive a positive culture within their teams and the businesses they support. Look and listen for tangible examples of how employees describe your culture and values, says Hannah. “Believe it or not, there's a mathematical equation for building trust!” She tells us of Charles H. Green's Trust Equation, which details four components that affect trust. Three of them increase a person's trustworthiness: credibility, reliability and intimacy. The fourth one, self-interest, reduces a person's trustworthiness.  “If people believe that you're doing these things because you have an ulterior motive, or it's part of a corporate initiative and you're just trying to tick a box, they're all undermined by that,” says Hannah. “So it's really important that you balance that carefully. In an organizational context, there will always be some elements of self-interest because of strategic decisions that need to be made, or economic imperatives, but it's very important that people see that you're very thoughtfully balancing your values with those challenges, and they don't just get pushed to one side when times are tough.” Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·     What It Takes to Be a Meaningful Brand in the Me-Conomy: Ep. 37 of “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” podcast·     Meaningful Brands 2023 report·     Analyzing the Changing Workforce of Young, Highly Engaged Employees: JUV Consulting ·     Putting Purpose to Work: PwC·     Why transformations fail: A conversation with Seth Goldstrom·     Help your employees find purpose—or watch them leave: McKinsey & Company·     Employees Seek Personal Value and Purpose at Work: Gartner·     Gen Z study: EY·  The Trust Equation Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·      iTunes·      Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  

What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why influencer marketing, ESG and misinformation were the hot topics at this year's Meltwater SummitWhat differentiates companies that succeed in the short term from those that succeed in the longterm This episode is part of our Behind the Brand series, which pulls back the curtain on an iconic brand to focus on the people shaping that brand's communications and marketing strategy. We launched this series in April 2023, with Gráinne O'Brien, senior director of corporate affairs for Kellogg Europe. This month, host Linda Descano welcomes Dino Delic back to the pod (he previously chatted with us in December 2020 about our Word of the Year). Dino has been with Meltwater since 2009, having grown with the company through four promotions and roles in Melbourne, New York, Chicago and now Los Angeles. Now with 27,000 global customers in 50 offices across six continents, and 2,300 employees, Meltwater empowers companies with a suite of solutions that spans media, social, consumer and sales intelligence. Linda kicks off her conversation with Dino by asking him to describe his role at Meltwater, to which he replies, “My job is to help our team help our clients connect the dots as much as possible with all the external data that we collect. What we're really helping companies do is collect information outside of their four walls, make sense of it and make more informed decisions so they can better understand where they're spending money wisely and not spending money.” Dino says he landed in the external intelligence field many years ago, by accident. “I studied marketing, but I got my first sales job at the age of 18; I was just hooked on interacting with people. It turns out, if you like problem solving, sales is a pretty good profession. But I didn't stick around in a sales career for over two decades now because I love sales. It was just through pure luck that I landed on a company that has such an interesting data set.” The company also has an immense following, having recently attracted more than 800 attendees and more than 50 speakers, including Bethenny Frankel and Trevor Noah, to the Meltwater Summit in New York. At the Summit, Meltwater introduced two new AI Assistants, leveraging the latest technology in generative AI (learn more through the link in our show notes). The first is a PR Assistant which helps PR professionals draft press releases and personalize pitches to journalists in record time. The second is the AI Writing Assistant, powered by the ChatGPT API, which drafts highly engaging social content, saving teams time and increasing social engagement at scale.  Dino says, “There's a lot of interest in AI, especially because of how excited people are that automation can save time, but I'm kind of sick of the conversation going into fear mongering about AI. Especially in professions in strategy, customer service, sales, brand marketing, PR and comms, the biggest gripe for everybody is that they're so busy, that they don't have time to do their job because they have to do a lot of manual work. There are so many things that people just pull their hair out about. That's what I'm excited about — is that AI can eliminate all those menial tasks. That shouldn't be replacing jobs. That I think is just hype and hyperbole.” Linda and Dino also talk about what defines a successful company today and how data can be used to ensure not only longevity but collaboration between departments.   “The companies that do better, versus the ones struggling with business, are the ones that have a nice, central unifying mission and set of values, and everybody contributes to those goals,” says Dino. “The companies that do well, but only for a short period of time, are the ones that have a really strong marketing discipline or function, but it doesn't last because they don't work all well together.” He points to use cases highlighted at the Summit, whereby PR and sales teams are working together, using Meltwater's media monitoring tools to track competitors or key accounts and ultimately inform customer service and sales. “The holy grail for PR is to be able to say, ‘We ran a campaign and generated this much business,'” says Dino. “That's next to impossible because that's not how people make purchasing decisions. But a good PR campaign changes user behavior. What keeps me employed and excited is realizing that, especially in PR and comms, people don't often connect the dots between what they're doing and what their company is doing. They're just looking to measure their own performance. With the benefit of data, and the tools that we have, you can really inform strategy, but you can also inform other departments.”  The most popular track at this year's Meltwater Summit was the influence track, says Dino, explaining they couldn't put enough chairs in the room. “What was interesting is when I looked around at all the name tags, and all the disciplines that were in that room, it wasn't just marketing or PR,” he says. “Influencer marketing is becoming such an interesting space, because it's at the confluence of a really good earned campaign, backed by an influencer campaign, and then also a paid strategy. It's customer acquisition, it's building trust, it's creating awareness.” The Summit's second most-talked about topic: ESG and how consumers crave authenticity and desire tangible actions from brands. This is particularly relevant in influencer marketing, where consumers seek a genuine connection with influencers and desire behind-the-scenes content. Dino emphasizes that it's not enough for brands to make promises, such as electrifying their fleet or implementing sustainable practices. Consumers want to know how these promises will be fulfilled and desire influencers who genuinely share their passion for the brand. They want to see influencers who can take them behind the scenes and provide an authentic look at the brand's actions and values. Linda closes by asking Dino a few rapid-fire questions, including what his superpower is, what's the best career advice he's ever received and if he lives by any particular motto or mantra.  Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us! Also mentioned on this episode:Our first Behind-the-Brand episode with Gráinne O'BrienOur 2020 word of the year episode featuring Dino DelicMeltwater announces new AI-powered assistants, summaries and analysis at Meltwater SummitRecapping Meltwater Summit      Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:TwitterFacebookInstagramLinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.iTunesSpotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear f

In the inaugural episode of Fuel For Thought, hosts Tracy Elizabeth and Nicole Heller embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Join them as they share their excitement and nervousness about launching their very first podcast and explore the transformative power of finding one's voice.Tracy and Nicole reflect on the emotional and spiritual weight they've shed to embrace their newfound passion. They express their deep desire to help other women experience the same liberation and embark on a path of self-expression. Together, they discuss the significance of breaking free from silence and embracing positivity and strategies to reclaim their lives.With gratitude for their friendship and openness to learning, Tracy and Nicole, both mothers of teenagers, set the stage for an authentic and relatable podcast journey. They invite listeners to join them on this messy yet empowering path, where they explore the transformative power of mindset and the potential for personal change.Fuel For Thought encourages introspection and provides practical strategies for listeners to challenge their thoughts, shift their perspectives, and tap into their inner strength. Tracy and Nicole's infectious enthusiasm sets the tone for an exciting adventure of growth and self-realization.Expressing their heartfelt gratitude, Tracy and Nicole thank their listeners for joining them on this inaugural episode and encourage them to invite others to be part of this supportive community. Fuel For Thought promises to be a platform where you can find inspiration, encouragement, and strategies to ignite positive change in your life.Join Tracy Elizabeth and Nicole Heller on this exhilarating podcasting venture. Subscribe now and be part of the transformation!Follow our journey on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fuel_for_thought_podcast/

What It Takes to Be a Meaningful Brand in the Me-Conomy: Ep. 37 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast  What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the “Me-conomy” is and how it's driving the creation of new services, products and purpose narratives How cultural and societal forces are changing what it means for a brand to be meaningful today Key considerations for brands that want to make meaningful connections    This episode of the Red Sky Fuel for Thought podcast examines findings from Havas' new 2023 Global Meaningful Brands™ report, “Welcome to the Me-conomy.” The report, which serves as a playbook for how brands can be meaningful in people's lives, examines the cultural and societal forces changing what it means to be a Meaningful Brand™ today. In the first phase of the research, Havas partnered with leading pollster YouGov to survey more than 91,000 people across 10 markets, generating 782,000+ data points across 1,300 global brands and 42 categories.   Linda Descano, CFA®, and Red Havas EVP, moderates the roundtable discussing the report with its co-creators, Seema Patel, global managing director of Mx Intelligence, Havas Media Global, and Mark Sinnock, global chief strategy officer, Havas Creative Network.  As Seema tells us, Havas has measured Meaningful Brands™ annually since 2009. Now, nearly 15 years into this landmark proprietary study, it continues to be a vital sense check about people's aspirations, guardrails and expectations of brands. The methodology examines a brand's impact and equity based on consumers' perceptions and expectations across three key pillars — its personal, functional and collective benefits (listed across 40+ dimensions and attributes). The most Meaningful Brands™ are the ones performing well on all three metrics.  “[The report] explores the strength of a brand's role and how it translates to business performance through our proprietary metric, the Meaningful Brand Index,” says Seema. “It identifies how brands can meaningfully engage with or through media, customer and brand experiences. It also really helps to identify the deficit or gap between what consumers' expectations are versus a brand's delivery.”  As compared to years previous, Seema says the report signaled an energetic shift from a doom-and-gloom mentality (the last report was called “The Age of Cynicism”) to more positivity and resilience.  “People want to engage with brands that are optimistic, that bring them joy, that support their health and wellbeing, and that at the end of the day, make their lives simpler and easier,” says Seema, who explains that the expanding definition of purpose is leading people to expect brands to provide more tangible benefits in their day-to-day life.   That's where the Me-conomy comes in. People are now acutely aware that we're living amid global crises affecting nearly every aspect of our lives — environmental, economic, political, societal and health crises. All are carrying a huge threat to our ability to survive and thrive. Consequently, people are having to adapt and change, and with that, what they require from brands is changing too.   With 54% of those surveyed saying they're optimistic about the future, despite experiencing crisis in their lives, the time is right for brands to turn their more austere pandemic-era purpose conversations into optimistic narratives that are focused on enabling citizens to do good, says Mark. “People want brands to help them feel more energized and alive. They want to feel good about themselves. [The report has] a strong theme around how brands can help people generate greater well-being.”  After citing the finding that 71% of people feel that companies and brands should be improving and supporting their personal health and wellbeing, Mark says, “That could be a really powerful opportunity for brands moving forward — people want to continue to experience and feel more. They want new ideas about connecting in new ways, building self-confidence and feeling good.”  What else should brand marketers and communicators be considering?  Mark asserts that that are two types of purpose now — a business purpose and a brand purpose. Mark says sophisticated consumers expect a business' purpose to be about doing good in terms of how they treat their employees and deliver on ESG pledges, while they expect a brand's purpose to be about making consumers' lives easier and better. Mark says brands need to get back to basics by entertaining, pleasing, empowering and driving citizens' well-being.   When it comes to the connection between the meaningfulness score of a brand and its financial performance, Seema says top-rated Meaningful Brands™ aren't just good for the world, but also have stronger bottom lines. In fact, they outperform the stock market by 222%, which is consistent across years.  Linda then asks Seema to highlight two or three of the top meaningful brands on the index. She points to “those daily brands that people utilize on a day-to-day basis,” naming WhatsApp, Amazon and Amazon Prime as brands that performed well across all three of the Meaningful Brands pillars.   “I found it interesting that high-end car brands — BMW, Porsche — brands that are very much associated with carbon offset performed really well this year,” says Seema. “So did a lot of utility brands, such as Vanish and Lysol. Daily usage of a brand's products very tangibly makes a difference in people's lives.”  Overall, the top Meaningful Brands™ in 2023 deliver on the “me” as well as the wider world issues.  Linda closes the episode by summarizing what stood out to her from their conversation. “To me, it comes back to brands being very consistent with what they say and what they do. Your products and services have to deliver; they also have to be relevant and enable me to be my best self, make my life better and easier, help me achieve my goals and do right in my community. Because if my community is thriving, I'm also thriving.”   Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us! 

 Behind the Kellogg's Brand with Gráinne O'Brien: Ep. 36 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:·     How an in-house brand team can get the best work from their agency partners·     Insights on communicating effectively through splits, spins and other catalysts of change within a business·     How to listen to the voice of the employee through employee resource groups In our annual predictions report, we said 2023 is the year in which Behind the Brand will become a staple theme in every content marketing strategy. We're certainly making it a theme of our own strategy because we've used episode 36 as an opportunity to roll out a new series called Behind the Brand. Rather than bring in several voices to weigh in on a topic (our normal format), we're pulling the curtain back on an iconic brand — Red Havas client Kellogg's — with a one-on-one interview with Gráinne O'Brien. She currently serves as senior director of corporate affairs for Kellogg Europe and in July will take on a new role as VP, corporate reputation and KNA Communications for Kellogg's. Kellogg's recently announced it will soon become two companies as a result of a company spin off. Kellanova will serve as its global snacking powerhouse, with a leading presence in international cereal and noodles, plant-based foods and North America frozen breakfast, while WK Kellogg Co, will become its North American food company. Nancy Anderson, our VP of social and content, kicks this episode off with a quick chat with Linda Descano, CFA® and EVP, who then embarks on a far-ranging one-on-one interview with Gráinne, starting with a recap of her career journey to date. Born in Northern Ireland, Gráinne tells how she grew up in Sligo. Her father was involved in the country's early civil rights movement with people like John Hume and Seamus Mallon, and her brother was a journalist, sparking her interest in current affairs and politics. She attended University of Ulster in Coleraine, where she studied media studies and history, before taking on post graduate work in journalism in the University College, Galway, under some of the finest journalist and writers in Ireland at the time. Post-college she got her first job with a local radio station and worked for three years covering everything from court cases to local council meetings to agricultural shows. She then migrated out of journalism into PR, when she became a press officer for the young farmers' lobby in Ireland. From there, she made her way into the agency world, working primarily for food and agri clients. In 2015, Gráinne joined Kellogg's Europe in Dublin to set up a regional comms function, before going on to head up its corporate affairs in 2019. As Gráinne tells it, “When I initially joined Kellogg's, I joined to lead the external comms work that we were doing across Europe. That was really about trying to identify the right stories to tell around our brands, across various different markets, and it was about trying to build a team that could do that. At the time, we were quite siloed, and we had various different reporting lines. That was one of the things I tried to fix first — that we were one team reporting into the function together so that we didn't have mixed priorities. Then I sort of created a vision for the team, which was having a best-in-class, agency-style in-house team. That rally cry unified us all.” Linda then asks Gráinne what in-house teams can do to get the best work out of their agency partners. As Gráinne sees it, “PR for the sake of doing PR is very old school thinking. It's so hard to cut through now, [so] you really want to work with agencies, partners, who help you be authentic and help you create the content and stories that will connect your brand or your company to consumers.” When working with these external partners, in-house teams have to be really clear about what they want to achieve, says Gráinne. And they need to understand whether or not they have a track record in certain spaces that qualifies them to tell those stories. She cites two examples from Kellogg's, about how it earned the right to speak on matters of food poverty and men's mental health. “We've invested a lot in measurement in my time in the role,” says Gráinne. “That's really helped inform the types of stories we tell and how we tell them. And it's had an impact across leadership because the more you can demonstrate your improved reach or your improved impact, the more you can argue for funds to execute, and the business takes notice.” When Linda brings up the three P's — the pandemic, polarizing politics and protest around social inequity — the two get to talking about brand purpose and how Kellogg's determines what to focus on and when to act. “Our brands are world famous,” says Gráinne. “They have long histories, and whoever is a particular brand manager at a given time is only a custodian of the brand. So, we did put a process in place. We ask ourselves a set of questions, whether we think a partnership will be deemed low risk or high risk. And if the proposal or the idea is deemed high risk, we go through a process to challenge ourselves around, ‘Do we have a track record in this space? And does it make sense for the brand? Would it make sense to consumers?' We want to avoid accusations such as greenwashing. So we have quite often referred to partners or taken external advice, or indeed [we] talk to our own employee resource groups around their thoughts. So that's the process we've put in place, and it's worked very effectively.” The two wind the episode down with talk of Kellogg's historic split into two businesses — a time Gráinne calls “phenomenally exciting,” explaining how they ushered employees through the changes.   “There has been a regular cadence of comms, have been town halls, have been surveys,” she says. “And the company has been very open and honest throughout the process. Even when we didn't have a lot of news, we engaged. And I think that has brought people through the change. I think people are optimistic for the future, and I think it's been a masterclass in how to do it.” Linda closes by asking Gráinne a few rapid-fire questions, including what her superpower is, to which she replies, “I don't think I have a superpower to be honest. What I would say is, I'm always authentic. I think it's great to work with people you like and to be kind. Even if it's a demanding, high-paced environment, I try to be authentic. I try and meet people where they are and understand what's going on in their personal lives, and at the same time deliver for the business.” Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·      Kellogg's support for school breakfast clubs·      Kellogg's Reaches Gender Parity Target, Three Years Ahead of 2025 Goal·      Kellogg's food hunger research  ·       Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·      iTunes·      Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  

In this episode Jevon and Marc break the seal on the topic of fuel. They discuss the pro's and con's to the array of fuel types, and they give their opinions on brands in which they have experienced. But, before they fuel the main fire, they spark the conversations with a few community questions. During the questions segment, they discuss the in's and out's of temperature controllers, thank you Carlos (@ve.los.iraptor on IG), and they discuss tips about getting a more “fall apart” brisket, thank you Andrew!If you have questions you would like them to answer on air, please submit them over at www.thestallpodcast.com.Links discussed:Smobot: https://amzn.to/41GjdtRThermoworks Signal: https://www.thermoworks.com/signals/You can follow the podcast on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StallPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stallpodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StallPodcastCheck out the men behind the mics:Jevon:https://www.youtube.com/@cheneyconcepts/ https://www.instagram.com/cheneyconcepts/https://www.facebook.com/@cheneyconcepts/Marc:https://www.youtube.com/@TWWBBQhttps://www.instagram.com/twwbbq/https://www.facebook.com/groups/twwbbqAs always, thank you so much for listening. We hope to see you back for the next one.

Renewable, sustainable energy has made strides in the last 20 years with developments in solar and wind power, but much of the field still struggles to move forward from traditional fossil fuels. Today's guest has broken new ground on a uniquely clean, and extremely effective energy technology.Robert Piconi is Chairman and CEO of Energy Vault, developers of sustainable energy storage solutions. Prior to Energy Vault, Robert was founder and CEO of Pantheon Healthcare Group, and he also served as group at the Danaher Corporation. His earlier experience includes roles of increasing responsibility at Fortune 500 public companies, including the Diversified Energy Group at Amoco and British Petroleum, as well as executive leadership roles at Bell Labs Lucent Technologies. Robert holds a BS/BBA from Notre Dame, and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.We talk to Robert about his early career, the energy storage market, and Energy Vault's huge runway for growth. Highlights: Robert's transition from the fossil fuel market to renewables (2:51) Energy Vault's story and services (5:06) How Robert spotted a gap in the market (6:37) Energy Vault's growth and expansion tactics (9:02) The Inflation Reduction Act and impact on business (12:38) How the unique gravity storage method works (14:25) Target audience and customers (17:29) Robert explains the business's economic model (21:46) Energy Vault's leadership team (24:10) The future of the business and new projects (25:49) Links:ICR TwitterICR LinkedInICR WebsiteRobert Piconi on LinkedInEnergy Vault on InstagramEnergy Vault on LinkedInEnergy Vault WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Is the Future of Marketing Earned? Episode 35 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:o  The difference between paid, owned, and earned mediao  Why earned media is more essential than ever beforeo  How to capture the attention of journalists in the current ‘news you can choose' environmento  Advice for brand marketers looking to master the art of earned mediaIn this month's episode, we focus on the sometimes-elusive form of media known as earned. This was the crux of a recent Adweek article, which argues that earned media is the best tool in the marketing playbook due to its ability to appeal to consumers who are wary of ads. (82% of consumers aged 18-24 use some kind of method to avoid seeing ads – and we're finding that clients, too, are wary of spending big money on ads.)We also dug into this topic in our recent News You Can Choose white paper, where we explored three major trends shaping the news environment today. These include the sheer volume of content that people now must filter through, consumers' deepening distrust and apathy toward the news media, and the changing business of news as it becomes more difficult to capture the attention of journalists.However, only about 11% of U.S. marketing budgets are now allotted toward earned, according to a CMO Study. So, what do we make of this?To answer all these questions and more, moderator Linda Descano, CFA® brings in three of our most savvy news pitchers and news makers at Red Havas— Jodi Einhorn, Neil Johnson, and Bianca-Maria Cavuto – to discuss all things earned media.To kick off the conversation, Neil Johnson, Head of Media & Publicity at Red Havas in London, helps to define owned, paid, and earned media.“Owned media is content that the brand itself owns, such as a website, logo, or email newsletter, whereas paid is content that a brand pays for but does not own, such as a TV commercial, paid search results, or a sponsored advertorial,” explains Neil. “Earned media is content that a brand neither owns or pays for, such as an organic newspaper article, a user review, or a comment on social media.”Next up: the growing importance of earned media.“As the merits of ‘earned' media imply, we have to go out and convince media to write about a timely topic at hand,” says New York-based Jodi Einhorn, SVP, Media Relations at Red Havas. “The pros are that it has tremendous reach and opportunity to influence; the cons are that you have less control over the messaging. So, when you pay for coverage or post owned content, there is a bit more of an opportunity to own the messaging. Each has their own purpose, and one is not more versatile than the other.” “There's only so much control you can have with earned media, but there are things you can do to make sure brands are getting a desired outcome.” says Bianca-Maria Cavuoto, Associate Director at Red Havas, based in Manchester, U.K. “Agency partners must manage their expectations and establish clear communication and be upfront about what it is they want to get out of a campaign. Life moves fast, media moves fast, and relevancy moves even quicker.”“We in earned media are storytellers,” says Neil. “With ad spending being cut and shrinking across the board, earned is a trusted bet more than ever before.”Jodi then walks through what it takes to earn the attention of journalists in the current media climate: “Building meaningful connections with journalists starts with understanding what topics will grab their attention. It requires you to listen to what is happening around you. Once you've done your homework and listened to an established connection to inform your strategy, you can start to build out tidbits of news that will tell a compelling story for your audience.”Next, Neil explains how earned media comes with a ‘sheen of credibility': “Authenticity and credibility matter more than ever for brands. Unlike paid or owned media, earned goes through a vetting process, needing endorsement and approval by the journalist, content creator, or influencer you're working with. Ultimately, word of mouth is what we earn through these activations, which is a powerful tool.”Our guests then discuss the notion that we must treat consumers ‘like participants, not targets.'“The consumer is always right,” says Bianca. “When a campaign falls flat, you must learn from it and go back to the drawing board to understand why the intended impact wasn't achieved. Then, you have to take those learnings and reshape your future campaigns and the way that you communicate based on what the consumer wants. There is always a requirement to deliver something that resonates with them.”“When it comes to earned media, media is the channel used to reach the end consumer, as opposed to an owned channel where we're going directly to the audience” says Jodi. “Earned has the added layer of convincing the media to share something that is of note to the consumer. While the playing field is a bit different, the end goal remains the same.”Another key element to earned media is making sure a story is relevant on a local level across global markets. Jodi explains, “We operate on a global platform, and many of our companies are global businesses trying to reach new markets. Tapping into the expertise of relevant regional teams is one of the most critical assets to ensure we can jump on trends and create a narrative that will resonate with local markets around the world and not just here in the US.”To round out our discussion, each of our guests provides one piece of advice for brand marketers and communicators who are rethinking their marketing mix and want to master the art of earned.“Your agency partner needs to be well informed and well connected and needs to be coming to you with some key insights and journalists with an understanding of the news agenda,” says Neil. “Every day is a news day, so every day is a school day.”“Even though it's only getting a small portion of budget, earned should be in consideration from the moment you start to plan and develop an idea for a campaign,” says Bianca. “You have to bring in an agency and your PR specialists to make sure that the campaign is fit for purpose across all the channels, including earned.”“As we think about external communications at a global level, mass media in regions across the globe, in markets big and small, play a key role in the interconnectedness of the world,” concludes Jodi. “To facilitate the cultural exchange of information, brand visibility, and positioning between countries, earned media, international news, and regional publications that capture the nuances of certain regions are critical in not only creating a strategy for brand communications through earned media, but enabling us to tell the story at a local relevant level.”Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·     Red Havas: News You Can Choose White Paper·     AdWeek: The Future of Marketing is Earned·     Patagonia's “Don't Buy This Jacket” environmental campaign·     Wimbledon 2022 nail art campaign (Red Havas client) Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·     Twitter·     Facebook·     Instagram·     LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·     iTunes·     Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  

2023 SOCIAL PREDICTIONS: Episode 34 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:o  What's the current state of the social landscape?o  Which brands are doing social the right way?o  What is most in-demand for brands on social?o  What should brand marketers be thinking about in 2023?The world of social media is constantly changing and keeping us on our toes, from year to year and month to month. That means our expertise in social is only as good as our ability to change with the platforms. To that end, Redsters stay obsessively up to date on what's happening and how we can make the most of it for our clients.  Our Red Sky Predictions report, which we put out at the top of each year, is one of the ways we demonstrate our evolving expertise in social. In it, we cast several predictions focused on social media, along with guidance about how to best manage the changes ahead. In this episode of our Red Sky Fuel for Thought podcast, host Nancy Anderson brings in two of our global experts on the topic — Redsters Davitha (“Davs”) Tiller and Stuart Hood – to talk about what we can expect for social media in 2023.To start off the conversation, Davs, our EVP of social and integration, gives her overview of what she's seeing happen with social right now.“Over the last year, the social landscape has undergone big and unexpected changes,” says Davs. “From Meta to Twitter, we've seen a major shift away from the ‘go-to' platforms for marketers, with newcomers such as TikTok poised to step in and take over some of that space. And with that, we've seen some exciting changes in behavior and trends.” Stuart Hood, executive director of social and content at Red Havas AU, then chimes in about the growing popularity of TikTok and Instagram for news consumption, referencing our Meaningful Brands study. “People are still looking for entertainment and inspiration on social, but they want to be entertained in many different ways,” says Stuart. “We've found that almost half of all content provided by brands is not meaningful to consumers, and help content is the most desired category from brands today. So, whereas content that rewards or inspires is the most expected, people are really wanting to see that help content which the news agenda is pushing for consumers.” Next, Davs walks through our “Behind the Brand (BTB)” prediction. “Following the pandemic, people-focused storytelling has become a staple in social strategies for brands,” she says. “This trend started with executive visibility and bringing in the CEO perspective but has since expanded to bringing in voices from people on all levels of the organization who are usually behind the scenes. The social landscape has become incredibly competitive, so offering an authentic perspective of what goes on in your business can help to differentiate yourself and break through the noise as a company and as a brand.” The conversation then shifts to brands that are getting it right on social. Stuart lists the following as best-practice brands that take users on a journey of what it's like to be part of them:·     The Daily Aus·     Lurpak Butter·     Red Bull Racing·     Bailey Nelson Davs adds to the list with brands she thinks are doing social the right way:·     Delta Airlines·     IBM·     Trader Joe's Next, both of our guests discuss what's most in-demand from their clients regarding their social channels. “Brands are finally starting to look at paid social as part of their always-on organic strategy,” says Stuart. “Many social channels don't provide very good organic reach anymore, so it's been a bit of a battle to convince clients that while great creative is important, you also need to spend some money to ensure that people are seeing your content. But we're seeing a big shift in how brands are becoming more educated in how paid efforts can boost their organic performance and amplify their brand storytelling.” “We are getting an incredible amount of demand for social listening and social intelligence to look at what audiences are talking about, what they're looking for, what they're missing, and then proactively plugging those gaps through content,” says Davs. “We're starting to use social listening in a much more sophisticated way to look at brand reputation, not just on the social side, but holistically from an earned social, paid influencer perspective as well.” “In the last few months, we've had about five different briefs from separate clients come through asking us to develop a social listening strategy,” says Stuart. “Some clients want to understand what people are talking about from a brand point of view and what their competitors are doing, and other clients are asking for a monitoring service to understand what's happening daily. Overall, brands are really starting to tune into what people are saying about them, and they're using data and insights from social listening to help feed into their content strategy.” To close out our discussion, Davs provides advice for brand marketers and communicators on social: “Having a full understanding of the versatility of social is more important than ever. There is nothing across the marketing funnel that social cannot accomplish, whether it's driving awareness, consideration, conversion, advocacy or customer service; it really spans the gamut. Social is a complex channel, so it is vital to invest in specialism. There's more about it to know than ever before, but there's also a lot that can go wrong. If you're a brand that doesn't have an internal point of contact or agency partner that is versed in all things social and can advise how to activate on the latest changes, then now is the time to get amongst it.” Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·     Red Sky Predictions 2023 report·     Red Havas Meaningful Brands Study·     The Daily Aus·     Lurpak Butter·     Red Bull Racing·     Bailey Nelson·     Delta Airlines·     IBM·     Trader Joe's Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·     Twitter·     Facebook·     Instagram·     LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·     iTunes·     Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  

Red Sky Predictions 2023: Ep. 33 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast  What You'll Learn in This Episode: What are we predicting for communicators in 2023? Which of our 2023 predictions stand out most? How did our 2022 predictions pan out?  As Red Havas' new Red Sky Predictions report explores, it's a wild time to be alive. Around us, wars are being waged. The pandemic continues. Our climate is its own battlefield. The economy is hurting and the cost of living growing. Many of us are traumatized, outraged and despairing over the state of social, racial, reproductive and criminal justice. When we pick up our phones — which we do constantly — we're confronted by headlines about these things and more. It's no wonder peace eludes so many of us now.  Of course, this is also the context in which organizations are operating — making it a critical time for brands and employers to consider their purpose and how they want to make a positive impact on the world and earn greater trust with their stakeholders. Our 10 predictions for communicators in 2023 are also the subject of this month's podcast episode. Host Ellen Mallernee, VP of content, speaks to Tom Norquist, SVP of corporate innovation at PlayCore, and fellow Redster Lesley Sillaman, EVP, to walk through our 10 predictions for communicators in 2023, including which predictions stand out most to them and how our 2022 predictions panned out over the last year.  Our 2023 Red Sky Predictions are as follows:  1. ROWING BACK IN THE WAKE OF ROE V. WADE  Companies will need to extend their ESG strategy to include a proactive framework for navigating highly charged political waters in a way that supports and complements their business strategy, especially with those issues that matter to their key stakeholders internally and externally.  2. MALICE, MANIPULATION AND OPPORTUNITY IN THE METAVERSE  We'll have to build confidence and trust among key stakeholders for brands that will want to have a meaningful presence in the metaverse and ensure the security of the people and data that enter. Governments will also need to heed what we have learned from the social media space and get on the front foot with rules and regulations.  3. VIRAL HEALTHCARE MISINFORMATION EXPOSED  Improving individual health literacy and equity will become a greater focus as misinformation surrounding health conditions increases. Artificial intelligence, similar technology tools and digital health literacy efforts are positioned to play a key role in disrupting the viral nature of misinformation.  4. CLIMATE CHANGE-D  The conversation around climate change will continue to change — in the media, in politics, within corporations and amongst the general public — moving away from denial and toward demand, as more climate events occur, the costs of inaction become clearer and more get on board with taking a stand.  5. BRAND VALUES TO INCREASE IN VALUE  As the impacts of global economic and geopolitical uncertainty really start to bite, purpose-aligned brands will be the ones that succeed at talent retention and attraction and supporting sales enablement. But it's going to be an increasingly competitive space as brands across all categories compete for share of voice and mind.  6. THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND GREATER SOCIAL SEPARATION  More campaigns and activations will consider how to reach populations that we have left behind with the acceleration of digital during the pandemic, causing an increased emphasis on user experience, education and awareness about digital inclusion, as well as (re)consideration of more direct interface interactions for services.  7. NEWS TAKES ON NEW SOCIAL SHAPES  Every brand is increasingly seen as a news brand and will be expected to help its audience by providing meaningful social content that equips them with new knowledge or tools. In addition, brands will be more careful about the platforms they use, thinking as much about brand loyalty and love as they do about reputational risk.  8. HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE: THE HYBRID QUANDARY  As people exert further control over their preferences for the ways, times and places in which they work and live, employers, retailers, landlords and homeowners will need to think creatively about what it means to design with flexibility. We predict more customized spaces that encourage collaboration, relaxation and team building.  9. OUR MENTAL FITNESS MUSCLES ARE FLEXED (FINALLY)  Mental fitness is finally at the forefront, and we expect it to be embraced further, being viewed through the same lens as physical health — and soon it could become a requirement in schools like physical education. We'll also see a greater investment in mental health services by governments, businesses, communities and individuals.  10. BEHIND-THE-BRAND (BTB) TAKES SOCIAL BY STORM  2023 is the year in which BTB will become a staple theme in every content marketing strategy. Both B2C and B2B marketers will prioritize all forms of people-led content production, from employee- and customer-advocacy programs to influencer co-creation and serialized branded content production — as authentic-by-design social storytelling becomes the new norm. Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us! Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn   Subscribe:  Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.  iTunes  Spotify  What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?  Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!   

What You'll Learn From This Episode:Today Madeline and Cynthia explore how we may be starting this year depleted. The tiredness, the losses, and the frustrations make it hard to keep going. Just as a car will stop working if not fueled and maintained, we have needs that must be met if we are to continue in productive and abundant living. We will explore what is it that keeps us going: knowing how to fill the tank, managing our emotions, and caring for our bodies enough to gain strength and abundance.What we discussed:(00:13) New Year, Same Energy?(01:14) Sitting with and allowing icky emotions(03:47) Noticing that disconnect comes from more than one place(05:15) Tool: Your Inner Emergency Responder Team(07:19) Your inner resources are infinite(08:58) Finding an abundance mindset that doesn't ignore reality(10:39) Why it's important to go internal and "tend to your garden" first(13:00) Discovering your own needs instead of making people guess(14:35) Vulnerability is a driver of support(15:18) Reaching out and connecting through strengths instead of suffering(16:51) The 5 Types of Energy in Friendships(19:24) Don't wait for that perfect time to rest and reflect(21:29) NEWS: Retreats at Home Coming March 2023(22:38) Summarizing what we discussed(23:47) Ending with a Quote(24:31) Get in touch For further reading and tools: 5 Types of People by Richard Foster VRP-Very Resourceful people-ignite my passionVIP-Very important people-share my passionVTP-Very trainable people-I ignite their passionVNP-Very Nice people-they use my passion with little resultsVDP-Very draining people-they drain our passionQuestions to ask oneself:Who is on my internal team? What internal team members help me thrive? *Remember they always say YESAbundance…What's in your garden? (Strengths)Brené Brown “The Power of Vulnerability” Quote for reflection: “Accept then Act. Whatever the present moment contains accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it…this will miraculously transform your whole life.” Ekhart Tolle Want to get in touch? Email us at podcast@knomii.coach or madeline@knomii.coach to request a topic, give feedback, or learn more about our 1:1 sessions. Follow Knomii on Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn. Follow and connect with Madeline on Linkedin. Follow and connect with Cynthia on Linkedin.Hosts &...

2022 Word of the Year: Ep. 32 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:o  Why we chose “resilience” as our 2022 Word of the Yearo  Other interesting words our survey yieldedo  Other 2022 words of the year from institutions around the globe Since 2020, Red Havas has named a global word of the year (WOTY). The selection of this word is informed by quantitative input (via a Havas Group employee survey) and qualitative input (from a mix of global communications pros and thought leaders across the industry). Ultimately, it's identified by an internal team at the agency who considers all words received, not only numerically but thematically. This year, when reviewing the submissions that poured in from every corner of the world, two categories of words stood out to us. One stream was around words related to flexibility, fluidity, adaptability, agility, comeback and change. The second was around our feelings, behaviors and attributes as people. The category with the most “votes” were resilient/resiliency, grit, enduring, tenacious and persevere/perseverance — all of which are aspects of resiliency. Ultimately, we chose resilience as our 2022 Word of the Year. In this month's episode, host Nancy Anderson, VP of social and content, speaks to fellow Redsters James Wright and Ellen Mallernee to discuss our 2022 Word of the Year and dig deeper into some of the other popular and interesting words, both from our survey and from around the world. To kick off our conversation, James Wright, CEO of Red Havas Group and global chairman of the Havas PR Global Collective, talks through our rationale for selecting resilience as our 2022 word of the year. “I think resilience encapsulates 2022 perfectly,” says James. “It's a great word that has a lot of stretch for what's happened to us all in this last year. I love its connection to resilience theory, which looks at how people are affected by things such as adversity, change, loss and risk and how they can adapt and become stronger as a result. So, it has some symmetry to last year's word of the year, which was adapt.” “It's a beautiful word with a backbone,” adds Nancy. “Resilience is not a matter of getting knocked down by a difficult circumstance and then staggering blindly into the next challenge. Rather, it's about gleaning wisdom from those difficult circumstances and getting back up with conviction and confidence.” “Our word of the year really shows that we have been through the wringer, but we're always going to keep trying,” says Ellen Mallernee, VP of content. “Language has the power to help us reframe difficult circumstances in positive ways, so each year we aim to choose a word that has some forward momentum to it. Resilience just feels right.” Next, Ellen walks through some of the other words of the year chosen by institutions from around the world. Some of the ones she touches on include:·     Gaslighting, chosen by Merriam Webster, which is the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one's own advantage·     Goblin mode, chosen by Oxford English Dictionary, defined as the idea of rejecting societal expectations put upon us in favor of doing whatever one wants to·     Permacrisis chosen by Collins English Dictionary, which is a term used to describe the plethora of ongoing crises that nations across the globe are facing·     Teal chosen by Australia National University, which is an adjective relating to an independent political candidate or politician who advocates for greater integrity in Parliament and more action on addressing harmful climate change·     Smash chosen by DW, an English word popularized among German youth that roughly means to start something with someone, pick someone up, or have sex with someone·     Homer chosen by Cambridge Dictionary, which was searched for nearly 75,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website during the first week of May when it was a Wordle answer, disgruntling many players whose winning streaks were ended by the unfamiliar American baseball term Within our own survey, we also received some interesting submissions, including words like transmogrify (to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect) and quiet quitting (doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary). Each of the panelists then walk through some of their personal WOTY submissions. “Similarly to last year's word, I chose adaptability, which is the quality of being able to adjust or adapt,” says James. “We now live in a constant state of adapting and adjusting the way we work, live, think and educate ourselves. We also must adapt our expectations for current issues, from equality and climate change to war and conflict; from navigating misinformation and disinformation to adapting our approach to business and politics. The art of adaption is a craft we're all learning to master. The world needs a rethink, and we need to be open to modifying every part of our lives to help improve our communities and society.” “It's always tough to identify a word of the year because it requires introspection and retrospection and the ability to examine the collective experience,” says Ellen. “Ultimately, I chose metamorphosis as my word. We've all been through the gauntlet, and this was the year we got to decide how we wanted to emerge from a painful chapter.” “Most people focused on the positive with their chosen words,” adds Nancy about our survey results. “I think that really ties back to our word of the year, as we're forever resilient, always picking ourselves back up, treating hardships as a learning lesson, and marching forward.” Closing out our discussion, our guests reflect on this year's word and look ahead to what 2023 may bring, foreshadowing our annual Red Sky Predictions report that will be releasing in January. “In 2023, I'm hoping for growth as a nation, as a human race, as a community and as an economy,” concludes James. “But I also think there's a word we may or may not be talking about in a year's time: Twitter.” “I hope that next year, our word isn't so much about having to cope,” adds Ellen, rounding out our discussion. “So, while I haven't identified what my ideal word for 2023 would be, I just I hope for good things for all of us. We deserve a break.” Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·     Twitter·     Facebook·     Instagram·     LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·     iTunes·     Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  

Two recent aftermarket conventions – Automechanika Frankfurt, and AAPEX in Las Vegas – highlighted key mobility, supply chain, and remanufacturing trends that will have significant impact on the industry moving forward. The existence of an electrified future also loomed large with attendees and providers. Join Kristen Balasia, VP of Advisory Services, Todd Campau, Research and Analysis Associate Director Global Insight, David Bellamy, Principal Research Analyst Comp Forecasting as they share their thoughts on this topic.

Aside from the supply shortage, one of the biggest buzzwords in the commercial vehicle industry over the past few years has revolved around electric vehicles (EVs). Everyone has an opinion on whether EVs are a fad or here to stay but what does the data say specifically about EVs in the commercial industry? Even through the supply issues of the past few years, there were more EVs registered commercially through August 2022 than all of 2021. Join Kristen Balasia, VP of Advisory Services, Mark Hazel, Associate Director of Commercial Vehicles, Andrej Divis, Executive Director of Global Truck Research, and James Martin, Consulting Services as they share their thoughts on this topic.

Creativity in a Time of Change: Ep. 30 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:o  What does creativity in communications look like in an increasingly polarized marketplace?o  How can communicators stay inspired and keep their creativity flowing?o  How can brand marketers and communicators elevate the creativity of their campaigns in 2023?In this month's episode, Red Havas' Linda Descano, CFA®, is joined by two creative thinkers and culturally savvy storytellers: Andrew Stevens, executive creative director at Red Havas U.K., and Aaron Padin, founder of design firm VSLMTH and former head of art and design at J. Walter Thompson. Together, they explore the theme of creativity and their takeaways for brand marketers and communicators who want to keep their creativity sparking in a post-pandemic, purpose-driven and highly polarized marketplace. “Creativity is about using ideas to solve problems,” says Andrew, kicking off our conversation. “That's where we can add real value for clients. You have to ask yourself, ‘Is my idea new, novel, unexpected or surprising in some way?' And crucially, ‘Is it aligned to what's happening in culture?'” “Creativity really brings purpose to life,” says Aaron. “It boils down to the purpose of what we're trying to solve, whether it's a business solution or awareness play.” Next, our guests talk about how creativity can help bridge the divide between brands and consumers. “People need to fall in love with brands,” says Aaron. “The top brands in the world, like Nike or Apple, don't reach that point overnight; they have been years in the making. Consistency is the key to establishing authenticity for your brand.” “You need to stand for something, otherwise you stand for nothing,” says Andrew. “It's one thing for a brand to say it's doing something with purpose, but creativity allows you to show what that purpose looks like and why it matters to your audience. Some brands don't want to take a position on anything because they fear they'll alienate certain audiences. This has led to creative outputs that are overly earnest or bland, which is disheartening because creativity should excite, inspire and illicit an emotional response.” The conversation then shifts to how both of our guests stay inspired and keep their creativity flowing. "I approach the world with open eyes," says Aaron. "The world can be jaded and dark sometimes, but I keep a sense of innocence, optimism and acceptance, which creates cool creative opportunities for me and excites me to wake up every day. It also helps to hear about what others are doing in the creative space and how it can inspire my own work." “I try to expose myself to as many different things as possible,” says Andrew. “In order to be creative, I need to be able to view things in new ways and from different perspectives, which requires setting up points and counterpoints. It's all about creating new contexts for your brain to do its work and reach that ‘eureka' moment.” Our discussion closes with advice for how brand marketers and communicators can elevate creativity in their campaigns and communications in 2023. “You need to be honest and empathetic,” says Aaron. “As creatives, we must be able to put ourselves in other people's shoes to understand and talk to them in a way they connect with. You also need to be provocative, whether it's being fun and whimsical or triggering an emotional response. Brands can't play it safe.” "Brands need to be radical and daring," says Andrew. "The world is in a state of radical disarray, and we have everything to lose and everything to gain with the solutions we put forward in response. We all need laughter and positivity right now. Start putting bold ideas in front of your clients that may not have been approved or well-received just a few years ago." Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·     “Human Motivation” by Robert Frank·     ‘Imagine' gender equality campaign by CPB London·     British Museum Disputed Artifacts Tour by Vice·     'The Lost Class' gun reform stunt by Leo Burnett·     Cadbury ‘Chocolate Fingers' sign language campaign Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·     Twitter·     Facebook·     Instagram·     LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·     iTunes·     Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!  

Mike interviews Saleem Ali, University of Delaware professor of Energy and the Environment, about his book Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life. Plus, Mike recognizes that the Georgia Senate race will be close, but also lays out that, of course the latest revelations hurt Herschel Walker. And also, just how to think about some baseball home run kings who allegedly—and also very much did—take steroids. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marketing to Women with Authenticity: Ep. 29 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:o  The current state of the female consumero  How brands can effectively reach women and avoid ‘pinkwashing'o  How social media has helped women take over brand marketingo  The importance of authentic representation of women in media In the late 1990s, the phrase ‘marketing to women' became part of the corporate lexicon. Seemingly overnight, financial services brands, among others were waking up to the power of the female consumer. Some brands responded with a ‘shrink it and pink it' strategy – just changing the size, color, or packaging of products; others created bespoke products & services designed for women by women; and others changed how they marketed to women, in terms of how they featured women in their advertising and spoke to them with email or other communications. Over the ensuing two decades, many brands put forward real game-changing campaigns, but not without a fair share of tone-deaf ones as well.  In this month's episode, Red Havas' Linda Descano, CFA® is joined by Aliza Freud, Founder and CEO of SheSpeaks Inc., and Jeannine Shao Collins, President of SeeHer, to explore the state of marketing to women and offer actionable tactics for how brands can build more authentic, meaningful connections with women across different touch points, whether advertising, marketing or PR-driven. Aliza kicks off the conversation with a look into the current state of the female consumer and how women are responding to brands, a topic covered in a recent survey conducted by SheSpeaks. “Women are feeling burnt out,” says Aliza. “The instability caused by many outside factors in the last few years have interrupted the lives of women and impacted the way they are feeling, both mentally and physically.” Aliza goes on to explain how this has changed the expectations women have for brands trying to reach them: “Women have hit a point where they have too many important things to focus on and don't have enough time or energy to cut through the marketing of it all; they are looking for brands to talk to them authentically about how their product will make their lives better and easier." “When women are seeking out brands, they want to understand a company's purpose, values, and what they stand for,” says Jeannine. “Standing up for what you believe in as a company can be a driving force for growth for your business. We've also seen that when a company has high gender equality scores, women are more likely to make purchases and have a better perception of its brand reputation.” Next, our guests discuss some insights from their personal experiences for creating meaningful engagement with women and avoiding ‘pinkwashing.' “Women want a benefit-driven conversation,” says Aliza. “You also need to be highly aware of the macro-environment, such as the political and economic landscape, because women are very much plugged into how these issues affect themselves and those they care about.” “We believe that if you can see her, you can be her,” says Jeannine. “Through that intersectional lens, we deal with the seven tenants of inclusivity, which include race, gender, race, and ethnicity, body type, age, and ability. We make sure that we are talking to all women, not just one type of woman. In our research, we found that ads perform better and lead to better sales when women are portrayed as counter-stereotypes, doing things that are unexpected and being represented in their full lives.” Our guests then discuss the creative shift occurring in brand marketing as more women begin to have a seat at the table. “The advent of social media content creators has democratized brand marketing for women,” says Aliza. “With 86% of social media influencers being women, they are dominating in terms of building followings and creating engaging content. When you compare a piece of content from a female influencer with a brand-developed asset, the influencer content is winning every time, largely due to the benefit-driven messaging it provides.” Jeannine talks about SeeHer's series of “#WriteHerRight” guides, which were developed to help writers, show runners, media executives, and actors to understand how to portray women authentically. The series also includes guides specifically centered around portraying Black female characters and Latina characters, with more in the works. “It's important that women are represented in all aspects, whether it's front of or behind the camera,” adds Jeannine. “There is a lot of unconscious gender bias that people don't realize they're putting forward when there are no women present in the room.” To close out the conversation, both of our guests provide one recommendation for brand marketers and communicators to keep in mind when marketing to women as they plan programs and campaigns for 2023. “In this environment, gender equality is not something to take for granted,” says Jeannine. “Equip yourself with the tools and resources needed to combat your unconscious gender biases so you can better understand what consumers want and how you can produce creative that resonates with them.” “It's important to recognize that women are not a monolith,” says Aliza. “You need to be mindful that not every woman believes or thinks the same way. Be aware of this as you come up with your campaigns, messaging, and the products and services you're offering to the women's market.” Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·     SheSpeaks Women's State of Mind Survey·     SeeHer #WriteHerRight·     Fidelity's influencer program·     Always #LikeAGirl campaign·     P&G #ShareTheLoad campaign·     Adidas x Havas Liquid Billboard case film Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·     Twitter·     Facebook·     Instagram·     LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·     iTunes·     Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!   

The reimagined 2022 Detroit Auto Show, also known as the North American International Auto Show, finished its media and industry days with limited automakers and brands participating after a three-year hiatus in the city. Those OEMs and brands who did participate – mostly the hometown automakers – most told a brand story that included both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicle (EV) solutions. While tomorrow's auto market seems to be rushing to be electric, today is in transition. The result is a more dynamic and diverse market than ever. Join Kristen Balasia, VP of Advisory Services, Mike Wall, Executive Director of Automotive Analysis, Stephanie Brinley, Associate Director Automotive Intelligence as they share their thoughts on this topic.

In this special episode, sponsored by Schroders Capital, Richard Nourse and Karin Kaiser of Greencoat Capital discuss how the war in Ukraine and the energy crunch will impact the shift away from fossil fuels. This podcast is for professional investors only

We are in year two of the great supply chain crisis. There are a handful of factors — from chip supply to impacts from climate and conflict — as to when "normal" production will return. Here is what we do know now: profit margins are near historic highs for OEMs while consumer loyalty scores are near historic lows. Listen to this podcast and learn important data signals for automotive marketers. Join Mike Wall, Executive Director of Automotive Analysis, Amber Daniel, Director of Product Strategy for Polk Automotive Solutions, and Cheryl Woodworth, Consulting Associate Director as they share their thoughts on this topic.

Inclusive Communications and the Language of Gender: Ep. 28 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought podcastWhat You'll Learn in This Episode:o   How the language of gender is evolvingo   How communicators can be more gender inclusive in our internal and external communicationso   How we can model gender inclusivity in our everyday interactionsIn March 2021, we released an episode on the topic of inclusive communications, focusing on practical steps for ensuring that equity, respect and a sense of belonging are  integral to the employee and customer experiences brands create. During that conversation, we briefly touched on how gender and identity were playing out on the larger stage of brand communications.In this month's episode, Red Havas' Lara Graulich (she/her/hers) and Shane Blackburn (he/him/his) are joined by John Kelly (he/him/his), Ari Humirang (she/he/they/them), and Cathy Renna (she/her/hers). Together, they dig deeper into understanding how gender is approached across organizations' work on internal and external communications. As more people publicly identify outside the “traditional” gender binary of male and female, showing this understanding is now a must for any global organization.To kick things off, John Kelly, senior director of editorial at Dictionary.com, sets the stage with an update about the ever-evolving language surrounding gender. “Because gender is evolving, it's our responsibility as communicators to learn this new terminology and become fluent in it,” says John. “We need to internalize new best practices, such as using the language that people use to refer to themselves.”John then walks through the appropriate process of asking about someone else's gender and being a “linguistic ally.”“First, take some time to research and learn some of these challenging gender terms and concepts. Then, be sure to conduct the conversation at an appropriate time in a non-public format that doesn't make a person feel pressured or put on the spot. Begin by sharing a little bit of yourself and taking the lead. That way, you can facilitate a conversation where you include yourself in this as opposed to unintentionally othering a person.” Finally, John offers reassurance for anyone concerned about making mistakes on their path to becoming more gender inclusive.“We all make mistakes. It takes time. If the heart of your linguistic allyship is in the right place, and you're being honest in your efforts, you're well on the road to achieving more gender-inclusive communications.”  Next up in our discussion are two prominent voices in the LGBTQ+ space: Cathy Renna, communications director of the National LGBTQ Task Force and principal of Target Cue, and Ari Humirang, reception and concierge manager at Havas, IPA iList 2022 winner, and the British LGBT Award 2020 winner with Havas Pride.Of the steps organizations should be taking to establish relationships with the LGBTQ+ community and create communications that are more inclusive to all gender identities, Cathy says, “‘Ally' is a verb. You have to roll up your sleeves and do the work to get to know folks. Be willing to ask questions, but don't make assumptions. Be curious, but also be respectful and listen. It takes more than waving a rainbow flag; it's about building relationships with community members, organizations and markets.”Next, our guests provide their thoughts on brands putting action behind their words to promote gender inclusivity.“Saying you're an ally is one thing, but taking affirmative action is what goes the mile rather than just the inches," says Ari. “If you firmly believe in effecting change and being a voice for those who aren't being represented, just go for it. Don't hold back in fear of people looking down on you or possibly losing customers that don't share your beliefs.”“It's not about what I am, it's about who I am,” says Cathy. “The LGBTQ+ community is a microcosm of a larger culture, including issues of gender expression and gender identity. But we're very loyal. And we see who's taking meaningful steps to being more inclusive in their campaigns and communications.”Wrapping up our discussion, Ari shares how personally meaningful it can be for someone to see LGBTQ+ and gender-inclusive representation in media.“There is a sense of empowerment that comes with it,” says Ari. “It can be difficult to grow past the hardships that many people experience just for being different. Seeing progress being made by media and brands that don't typically enter this space has been impactful in breaking the mold and creating a more inclusive culture.”Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·      10 Ways To Be More Inclusive In Your Language·       How To Use Gender-Neutral Language To Promote Inclusivity·      Demigender, Maverique, And Other Gender Terms You May Not Know·      Gender and Sexuality Dictionary·      Gendercool.orgFollow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news: ·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedInSubscribe: Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app. ·      iTunes·      SpotifyWhat did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you! 

Navigating the opportunities within the comparatively nascent EV industry will see winners and losers emerge. But how real are the concerns around the battery upstream market and could this genuinely be the next automotive supply chain crisis? In what way can automakers achieve economies of scale while feasibly navigate fluctuating commodity prices to deliver competitively priced EV offerings? Join Kristen Balasia, VP, Advisory Services, Jay Hwang, Sr Technical Research Analyst and Anoop Desai, Consulting Director as they share their thoughts on this topic.

Revisiting the 2022 Red Sky Predictions: Ep. 27 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought podcastWhat You'll Learn in This Episode:How some of our 2022 predictions are playing out What brand communicators and marketers should monitor heading into 2023Each February, we publish an annual Red Sky Predictions 2022 report that forecasts 10 fundamental trends shaping the integrated communications and PR landscape. It features the collective insight of Redsters from around the agency's global network and is intended to serve as a playbook for brand communicators and marketers to help make sense of the lessons the pandemic has taught us.In this month's episode, Red Havas' Linda Descano, CFA® is joined by fellow Redsters and agency leaders James Wright, Lisa Davidson, Lesley Sillaman and Matthew Thomas to discuss the current state of our 2022 predictions, including what has played out as anticipated and what in on our radar for the rest of the year heading into 2023.To start things off, James Wright, who is global CEO of Red Havas Group and global chairman of the Havas PR Global Collective, sets the scene for the current state of our 2022 predictions.“A lot of these predictions are coming to the fore in a big way,” says James. “With the unpredictable environment that we've been working and living in over the last couple of years, it can be challenging to come up with these types of predictions. But some of them have manifested themselves quite clearly in the last six months.”First up for discussion is our “Corporate Purpose or Bust” prediction, which focuses on the continued shifts in substance, style and tonality of brand communications to allow for deeper connections with consumers. “One of the biggest challenges for many of our clients is how to navigate around purpose and demonstrate it in a meaningful way,” says Matthew Thomas, executive director of corporate affairs for Red Havas Australia. “The social media conversation around major events is moving faster than some corporations can keep up with, which makes their communications feel a step behind or reactive. Fundamentally, it's about raising the profile of communications within organizations to demonstrate purpose in a period of significant change.”“Employees have been a big driver for the shift in corporate purpose," says James, referencing our “From Pledges to Progress” white paper. "Businesses have had to shift from communicating and demonstrating the 'why' of corporate purpose to demonstrating the 'how' of corporate purpose. The pressure and expectation for organizations to take a stand on key social issues has increased dramatically in recent years. Employees now expect that the companies that they work for and buy from have a purpose beyond their own profit.”“Companies also need to show an aptitude to act on their purpose very quickly,” says Lesley Sillaman, EVP. “You need to be purposeful with your purpose by determining which set of issues to stand for, where you have the right to engage, where you've earned a place in the conversation, and what is material to your business so you can speak up in a credible way with your audiences.”“It's about purpose built from the inside out, starting with employees and going outward,” says Lisa Davidson, managing director at Red Havas Health. “The companies that are genuinely invested in the issues they stand for, rather than only supporting issues as a means to an end for business purposes, will be the ones that succeed.”Next, our “Personnel Gets Personal” prediction is revisited. This prediction sees employees leveraging their voices to reshape the world of work as we know it — driving greater relevancy, meaning and value for workers personally. This trend was also explored in a recent PR Week Roundtable co-hosted by Red Havas, and is underscored by a recent ManpowerGroup survey which clearly indicated that workers want more choice, autonomy and consideration for their well-being, particularly around their mental health.“Through the pandemic, we've had to reimagine what the workplace is, how we interact with our teams and how you build culture and continue to be successful in that environment,” says James, who recently touched on this topic on the PRovoke Media podcast. “There's a rebalancing occurring between organizations and their employees as we go back into the office, because too much flexibility has created certain problems for the delivery and the outcomes that businesses are trying to deliver. The ability to be as flexible as you can is going to be vital as we move from this great resignation of the last few years, into the great reimagination of the workplace.”In many ways, moderator, Linda Descano, CFA, added, “On-site has become the new off-site, with employees using office time to drive connectivity, collaboration, and inspiration, while getting the bulk of their work completed at home.”“This has become a large conversation between employees and their employers, and some excellent ideas have come out of it,” says Lesley. “Even in our own agency, we've heard ideas from every level of employee to help us become a better place to work and establish a more productive environment while in the office.”“Patient Choice, Patient Voice” was another of our 2022 predictions, which focused on Big Pharma taking a human-first approach to addressing issues of health equity and inclusion. Red Havas recently touched on this topic at the PR Week Healthcare & Pharma Comms Summit + Awards.Lisa provides insight from her personal experience in the health sector: “Everyone is now a guru for their own health, so healthcare marketing is shifting from being purely creative to focusing more on the patient. We're seeing more programs that use inclusive messaging, a resurgence of experiential activations and collaborating with communities to help co-create solutions. Issues of inclusion and equity transcend everything — from the C-suite of pharma companies where decisions get made to clinical trial recruitment, and even building hospitals.”Linda points to various companies who have taken steps toward these initiatives, such as Johnson & Johnson's health, equity, and innovation challenge which enlists local communities to help create healthcare solutions for minority groups; GSK's inclusion of LGBTQ+ community members in its digital films and product messaging; AstraZeneca's commitment to increasing representation of BIPOC in its leadership ranks; and the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Association of Community Cancer Centers, which issued a call to boost participation rates among racial and ethnic minority groups who have been historically underrepresented in cancer studies.Finally, our guests discuss the “Experiential Retail Renaissance” prediction, which outlined the opportunity for brands to reimagine their brick-and-mortar shopping experience to complement e-commerce efforts to bring a brand more fully to life.“Whether it's in person or online, shared experiences are key to building lasting relationships between brands and audiences,” says James. “The online shopping experiences has changed and is on the rise with brands embracing a new form of brand experience for customers, and it feels like nothing is off limits now.”“We've seen many outstanding examples of brands bringing immersive, exciting, and loyal new experiences to consumers,” says Lesley. “Everybody wants an experience that is tailored to them, and they're all looking for different things out of their shopping experience. So, it gives brands an opportunity to create experiences that bring a different level of loyalty from consumers who aren't coming into a store to just make a transaction, but for an experience that makes them feel like part of the brand.”To close the discussion, James provides his takeaways for brand communicators and marketers heading into 2023.“It's more important than ever to understand your business' place in the world in terms of what you want to be known for and what you stand for,” says James. “The evolution of the 'S' in ESG has changed for organizations as they embrace social issues, labor standards, human rights, social dialogue, pay equity, diversity, and access to health care. All these areas have become much more important than ever before to employees, shareholders, and stakeholders, and it's here that businesses can find their own unfair advantage by positioning themselves in a way that makes them an attractive place to work and a brand that you want to be loyal to in the future.”The episode wraps with Red Havas VP of Content Ellen Mallernee Barnes and our Red Questionnaire guest Linda Descano, CFA®, (playing double duty this episode!) for a conversation spanning various topics, including her go-to travel destination (Machu Pichu, Peru), her favorite book (“The New Megatrends” by former Havas PR CEO, Marian Salzman), and how she would describe her job to a child (“I help tell stories about people, places and things using words pictures and music”).Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·      “Red Sky Predictions” 2022 report·      “From Pledges to Progress” white paper·      PRovoke Media Podcast featuring James Wright·      PR Week Healthcare & Pharma Comms Summit + Awards·      PR Week: Employee Engagement Roundtable·      ManpowerGroup Employee Sentiment Survey·      “The New Megatrends” by Marian Salzman·      “The Agent” podcastFollow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news: ·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedInSubscribe: Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app. ·      iTunes·      SpotifyWhat did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you! 

Although financial markets grab headlines when fear and volatility are highest, the same markets do also function rationally, and are a window into an ongoing re-evaluation of companies' prospects and risks. So, what can we learn from the state of the markets today? Join Kristen Balasia, VP, Advisory Services, Michael Robinet, Consulting Executive Director and Demian Flowers, Product Management Executive Director as they share their thoughts on what automakers could learn from capital markets.

How to Write Content that Cuts Through: Ep. 26 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought PodcastWhat You'll Learn in This Episode:·      Why are companies struggling to find strong writers? Are writing skills are a dying art?·      How can writers break out of their comfort zones and avoid block?·      What are some tricks for writing copy that actually gets read?Writing and storytelling are two of the most powerful ways to put ideas into the world. As written communication skills decay around us, both skills have also become competitive advantages.  This observation is the basis for Red Havas' newest whitepaper “Content That Cuts Through,” which explores how to write content that modern audiences can't help but read. In this month's episode, Red Havas' Vice President of Content Ellen Mallernee Barnes, author of our recent whitepaper, is joined by Sadie Dean and Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, two accomplished writers who frequently speak and write about the craft of writing — screenwriting in particular. They also cohost the “Reckless Creatives” podcast. Together, our guests discuss the craft of writing. The conversation begins with an assessment of society's collective writing skills, and whether or not companies are struggling to find strong writers because it is, perhaps, a dying art.“There are a lot of tools and AI services now that are hindering the real written word and killing the essence of a really good writer," says Sadie, who is also editor of Script Magazine. "Good writing is about clear messaging, which AI may never fully grasp in comparison to human writing.” Jeanne, who is an executive at Pipeline Media Group and editor-in-chief of Pipeline Artists, explains how focusing on her intended audience allows her to write with more clarity: “We writers like to think of ourselves as clear thinkers, but the clear thinking part of it comes in during the rewrite. Anything I write needs to be rewritten to become clear. And since writing is about getting people to feel, I have to put myself in the reader's shoes and ask how they will interpret it and whether I'm getting the message across.” Jeanne then discusses the importance of moving past the barriers within your comfort zone to become more vulnerable and “naked” in your writing.“It takes practice to be comfortable being raw and honest," says Jeanne. "And honesty is so important on so many levels, even in marketing. People can smell somebody blowing smoke a mile away, and if they're selling hope. It takes a certain level of honesty for the person writing the copy to let the company be vulnerable, honest and transparent with your audience. I think it just takes practice. It's very scary the first time you write something personal, but once you start writing with reckless abandon, you get more comfortable.”Sadie then provides her personal take on another mental barrier (writer's block) and how to approach it, saying: "People want writer's block to be real since it's an excuse not to write, but it's all in your head. Overcoming blockage requires just sitting down and writing, which is the toughest thing to do. But once you're not thinking about it too much and you get out of your own way, it becomes much easier."Next, Jeanne walks through the editing step of the writing process and how to best approach feedback.“Once you feel your work is as good as it can be, the first step is to hand it over and ask for feedback, which can be very hard, especially for fiction,” says Jeanne. “The second step is looking through the feedback, asking yourself how you feel about the suggestions and what your gut feeling says about it, and determining if it's still true to the story you want to tell.”Sadie compares writing great headlines to writing great loglines — those one-line sentences that set up a scene and hook you into reading a screenplay. Walking us through her headline-first approach to this process, Sadie says, “When I was first starting out, I would write the script first and then write the logline, and would end up getting confused because they were not matching up. Writing the logline before the script can make a huge difference because you've set up a very simple blueprint of where you're going with your story.”The discussion wraps with the art of writing more with less, to which Jeanne adds, "As an editor of online content, I always break paragraphs up a lot. But in terms of learning that skill set — to write concisely and with meaning — I would say when Twitter was 140 characters, that was the best teacher in editing yourself. I loved that; I was really upset when they expanded the character limit. I also always come back to Ernest Hemingway's bit of writing 'For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.' It tells a whole story in six words."The episode concludes with Red Havas VP of Social and Content Nancy Anderson and our Red Questionnaire guest Melanie Klausner, EVP.  Together, they discuss a myriad of topics ranging from Melanie's go-to travel destination, her favorite podcasts and how she describes her job to a child.“I help brands tell stories, connect with people, and build and maintain a positive reputation,” says Melanie on the latter. “What I love most are the clients and media relationships that we build, and the opportunity in my role to coach and encourage our colleagues to find their voice and passion and figure out how to shape, visualize, influence and secure the stories that we tell for brands.”Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·      “Content That Cuts Through” whitepaper·      "Reckless Creatives" podcast·      10 Things Before the Opening Bell by Business Insider·      The Broadsheet by Fortune·      The Good Stuff by CNN·      A Slight Change of Plans with Maya Shankar·      Making Space with Hoda Kotb·      Crying in H Mart by Michelle ZaunerFollow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news: ·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedInSubscribe: Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app. ·      iTunes·      SpotifyWhat did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you! 

The automotive electrification outlook is a component of many intertwined factors from vehicle technologies and infrastructure availability to consumer sentiments and OEM partnerships. Many propose this to be a “Chicken and Egg” paradox, though S&P Global believes the vehicle (demand side) and charging stations (supply side) can be, and will be, developed and deployed largely at the same time. While there will be momentary shifts toward an oversupply of vehicles or an excess demand for charging, in the long run an equilibrium will emerge in most markets globally. Listen in as Mark C. Boyadjis, Global Technology Lead, Consulting Services and Claudio Vittori, Associate Director, Supply Chain & Technology share their thoughts on this subject.

Tackling the Health Literacy and Equity Conundrum: Ep. 25 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought PodcastWhat You'll Learn in This Episode:·      The relationship (and discrepancies) between health equity and health equality·      Health equity as a reputational management issue·      The importance of cultural context in communications·      The power of partnership in achieving health equity·      Turning increased recognition of health equity issues into resultsWhen it comes to health care access in the United States, not everyone is equal. This reality has only been reinforced as we've all dealt with COVID-19.  Major deficiencies in health care literacy have also become far more prominent over the past two years — in many cases exacerbating an already troubling situation. In this month's roundtable discussion featuring our Global CEO James Wright, we take a deep dive into the current state of health equity and literacy and the role that brands can play to increase health care knowledge, continuing a recent conversation hosted by Red Havas at the 2022 PR Week U.S. Healthcare + Pharma Awards & Summit.So, what is health equity? It's about ensuring equal access to quality health care for everybody by ending institutional and discriminatory barriers, whether it be systemic racism, sexism, poverty, or unequal distribution of resources. Healthy equality, on the other hand, means giving everyone equal opportunity and distribution of the care and services available. While achieving health equality can resolve some disparities, not enough progress can be made without also addressing health equity and the many social factors which influence people's health and wellness. Health inequity has never been more high profile than it than it is today for our clients across the health and pharma industries," says James. "These underlying problems go back hundreds of years but have clearly surfaced during the pandemic. This is a complex issue that requires businesses, health care systems and governments to work together to address. It's driving greater diversity in the product and service portfolios of our clients, and it's increasingly becoming a subject in marketing as organizations seek to learn more about these groups to better reach and service them."While health equity is a moral issue, it's also emerged from the pandemic as a reputational management issue. Organizations now must clearly define what their role is, whether it's raising awareness and education on health inequity, helping clients better interact and learn from different population groups, building messaging and proof points, or promoting the products and services that are being provided and launched to diverse groups. Any brand that engages with the public must think about healthcare and how they are addressing access, equity, and inclusion.PR experts must also look through a health equity lens to determine the preferred terms, language, and distribution channels of various diverse groups. Beyond that, we must also consider things from a cultural context — to learn how different demographics view health care providers. For example, research has shown that people from under-served populations or under-resourced populations feel more comfortable working with a provider who comes from their community or background and can instinctively understand some of their challenges, thought processes, and cultural norms."There's an increased recognition from the media, governments and big pharma that we need to focus on addressing health inequity," says James. "Now, that recognition needs to turn into results. We need to focus on the success of programs that have been launched and learn from areas that haven't succeeded to continue to build momentum and effect change."The episode wraps with Red Havas VP of Content Ellen Mallernee Barnes and our Red Questionnaire guest Claire Davies, strategy director at Red Havas U.K., for a conversation spanning various topics including Claire's outlook on time management, her favorite podcast (“The Secret History of Hollywood") and how she'd describe her job to a child."It's like working in shop, but instead of selling items, we sell ideas," says Claire on the latter. "I like the mental image of a shop with rows of jars with different sparks and ideas in them, waiting to be plucked and formed."Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·      2022 PR Week U.S. Healthcare + Pharma Awards & Summit·      PR Week: Healthcare is Big Business for PR Firms·      4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman·      "The Secret History of Hollywood” podcastFollow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news: ·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedInSubscribe: Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app. ·      iTunes·      SpotifyWhat did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you! 

Kristen Balasia, Tom DeVleesschauwer and Mark Boyadjis talk about Pace of Change: Energy & mobility, climate and innovation. The global energy and mobility industry is at a critical inflection point. Meeting ambitious emissions targets while also delivering energy and mobility for a growing world economy will require new thinking, innovation and a transformation of a system that supports the $90 trillion world economy. Are our current systems ready for the transformation? What are the innovations necessary to support this new world and what can we do to get there?

Is It Time for an ESG Reset?: Ep. 24 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought PodcastWhat You'll Learn in This Episode:·       The relationship between purpose, CSR, ESG and sustainability·       The various ways that the ‘S' in ESG is being defined·       How the events and experiences of the past two years have changed the ESG landscape at a high level·       The importance of simplification and clarity surrounding ESG effortsThe recently elevated attention on company purpose has proven to be a watershed moment for ESG, as stakeholders seek to align on the different approaches on values and purpose, what constitutes ‘best in class' programs and efforts, and how to harmonize different ways of reporting key metrics. Further, within ESG, we've seen a particular focus on the ‘S' and what it does or does not encompass in terms of the important factors that link to a company's reputation and brand equity. In this month's episode, Red Havas' Linda Descano, CFA® is joined by guests Mike Tyrrell and Jeffrey Whitford to explore the current state of the ESG landscape and whether it's time for a reset in a post-pandemic future.The conversation begins with a look into the relationship between purpose, CSR, ESG, and sustainability, and how organizations can clarify these terms for audiences.They're all dealing with roughly the same area of the wider social responsibilities of a company, but there are nuances between them as well,” says Mike Tyrrell, editor, SRI-Connect. “The two that are most tangible are purpose and sustainability. Sustainability is the overarching term that we all need to achieve as a society to ensure our survival. But purpose accords most neatly with companies. Companies have two purposes: they have to make money to satisfy their shareholders, and they also have to deliver on other societal responsibilities, which break down into governance, environmental, social, economic, and ethical.”“The most important thing that we can do to get employees on the journey with us is to focus on simplification and clarity surrounding what is included under the sustainability umbrella,” says says Jeffrey Whitford, Head of Sustainability and Social Business Innovation for the Life Science business of Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany. “It's also important to make sure that the lived experience of employees matches what they're hearing or seeing from organizations on a meaningful scale. All the work you've done over the years disintegrates the moment your employees lose trust in your efforts.”Mike then provided a perspective on how the ESG landscape has evolved over the past two years: "We have seen the world change both in terms of the volume of interest in this area, but also the sophistication with which investors are using the information that they receive. Investors are much more up to speed with this, their clients are demanding it much more from them, and companies are talking to them more openly and clearly about how these factors are affecting their business performance."“You need to be very clear about where you're going to have impact, rather than trying to boil the ocean,” continues Jeffery. “You need to understand what your stakeholders expect of you and what matters to them in relation to your business, which then gives you a roadmap of how to focus in on key issues while ensuring all other issues are still included in your approach.”Next, the conversation shifts to how the ‘S' in ESG is being redefined.“One of the tough parts about ‘S' is that it doesn't have a clear definition, and you can't measure it,” says Jeffery. “It is a sea of lots of different things that are inconsistent between different businesses and brands, so it becomes more challenging. For this area to become a clear driving force forward, you must be able to boil it down into something that people can just grab and run with.”Adds Mike, “Over the last few years, there has been a renewed focus in some markets on DEI issues and public health. I think investors have a pretty good framework for considering social issues, and these newer issues have slotted into that framework quite well. We often talk about ESG issues as if they're all about managing downside risk, but in this social space, one of the things that we've seen is when companies articulate purpose, what they're really doing is capturing that upside social value.”To round out the discussion, each of our guests offers advice on how to prioritize and communicate ESG issues to stakeholders, along with one thing they would reflect on from the past few years.“My guiding principles are always data and transparency as an anchor, followed by simplification,” says Jeffery. “For communicators, you must figure out how you simplify this, because it is complex; there's a lot of data and detail. But you need to be guided by data and transparency as your guiding light.”“If you're communicating to investors, you must bring your investor relations officers into the picture,” says Mike. “Communications is often mistaken as being an outbound activity. From an investor's point of view, we very much want to hear the inbound that communications can bring. If you're sensing a change in your customers based on preferences for climate awareness or DEI issues, then investors need to hear that from you so that we can judge whether this company is or isn't aware of the brand risks and opportunities available to it. That sort of listening exercise is something which investors could really benefit from as these issues become more complex.”The episode wraps with Red Havas VP of Social & Content Nancy Anderson and our Red Questionnaire guest Amy Takis, Senior VP of Red Havas Health, for a conversation spanning various topics including her go-to travel destination (London), her favorite author (Mel Robbins), and how she would describe her job to a child.“PR is all about connecting with people to tell stories. And the people that I work with are usually people who are sick and want to tell their stories so others don't get sick,” says Amy on the latter. “Working with the media is like giving those people a really big microphone to tell their really important stories. This microphone is super loud and makes the story spread far. And we know if the PR works by counting how many people we reached.”Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·       SRI-Connect·       MillipporeSigma Sustainability·       Mel Robbins·       BBC: Rejuvenation of woman's skin could tackle diseases of ageingFollow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news: ·       Twitter·       Facebook·       Instagram·       LinkedInSubscribe: Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app. ·       iTunes·       SpotifyWhat did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you! 

A New Lens on Brand Experience: Ep. 23 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You'll Learn in This Episode:·      What the future looks like for brick-and-mortar retail experiences amid a surge in e-commerce trends·      How brands are getting audiences involved through co-creation of experiences·      How brands can determine whether to jump into new trends such as the metaverseIs 2022 the year of an experiential renaissance in retail? That's what we posited in our annual Red Sky Predictions report — namely, that 2022 is the year that brands will fully merge experiential and retail to completely reimagine the shopping experience. And, by turning a store into a destination, brands can ensure that brick-and-mortar shops not only remain relevant, but that they complement e-commerce efforts and more fully bring a brand to life.  In this month's episode, Red Havas' Linda Descano, CFA® is joined by fellow Redsters Steve Fontanot, Michael Ozard, Kana Phung and Courtney Myers, co-authors of our new white paper, A New Lens on Brand Experience, which explores the factors that are reshaping the brand experience landscape in 2022. The conversation begins with a look at the future of brick-and-mortar retail experiences amid a surge in social media selling and shifting e-commerce trends. “The idea of blending physical and digital elements together has become incredibly critical,” says Steve. “I think good brands have found ways to blend those together. But now that the world is opening up again, how do we ensure physical elements matter just as much as digital?” “Social is playing a pivotal role in e-commerce, and platforms like TikTok have really turned this concept on its head,” says Michael. "But with so much focus on e-commerce and social, there's a real opportunity for brands to differentiate themselves by providing unique in-store experiences that add value through deeper and more connected moments in a way that digital cannot.” The conversation then shifts to the topic of co-creation between brands and audiences. “We're being introduced to this evolved category of brand collaborations, called co-creations,” says Kana. “I think we can see that the mindset is really shifting from creating campaigns for audiences, to creating campaigns with the communities that we value. Essentially, the rewards are greater if we can understand how audiences can be part of the creation process.”Says Courtney, “Amid unprecedented employee turnover, organizations are increasingly recognizing that people are their greatest assets. As we reimagine our hybrid ways of working, brands should start viewing employees as co-creators to help create engaging employee experiences in both physical and virtual environments.” Finally, our guests share their thoughts on brand experiences moving forward, and how to decide whether to take a leap into new digital experiences such as the metaverse."I think we've already seen some immersive multimedia experiences that really play on the metaverse in its current form,” says Michael. “It's really important for brands to look at ways that they can collaborate with the existing digital platforms to tap into these new and far-reaching audiences and next level communities." “Sometimes brands can jump into trends without even knowing if their customers or their employees are there,” says Courtney. “I think the first things you need to understand are who your audience is, where they are engaging, whether they're interested in this, and if it is the right way to reach them.” Says Kana, “In contrast to the mass marketing strategy, it's okay to take a step back and see how the bespoke elements and meaningful brand experiences of the past have evolved in their own ways. There's a huge space for speaking to individual needs and offering a unique experience through micro events.” Closing out our discussion, Steve offers his final thoughts on the topic: “Overall, the focus should be on creating meaningful brand experiences. But it's important for brands to understand that what they think is meaningful, might not be meaningful to their consumers. Spend time thinking about what your holistic brand experience is, because too often we've seen brands invest time and resources into great things just to be let down by one small thing.” The episode wraps with Red Havas VP of Content Ellen Mallernee Barnes and our Red Questionnaire guest Mel Panabi, business director at Red Havas Philippines, for a conversation spanning many topics, including his go-to podcasts (“The Black Tapes” and “The Magnus Archives”), his guilty pleasures (his expansive collection of CDs, perfumes, and action figures), and how he describes his job to his children.“Companies and brands want to get their message out, and some of them need help doing that,” says Mel on the latter. “My job is to make sure that whatever it is that they want to say is accurate and has an impact on their target audience.”Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don't forget to rate and review to help more people find us!Also mentioned on this episode:·      A New Lens on Brand Experience White Paper·      Red Sky 2022 Predictions Report·      Dojacode Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:·      Twitter·      Facebook·      Instagram·      LinkedIn Subscribe:Don't forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.·      iTunes·      Spotify What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?Remember to rate and review today's show; we'd love to hear from you!