Inside PR 427: SxSW drops the ball

December 28, 2015 • thornley • Inside PR

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Martin Waxman, Gini Dietrich and I are back with another episode of the Inside PR podcast. This week, we point to several #IPRMustKnows:

Gini talks about the backlash against Black Friday consumerism and what one company did, announced it would be closed on Black Friday. A gesture that gained them tremendous positive commentary around social media.
Martin tells us that Rogers Publishing is pulling its Canadian fashion magazine, Flare, from newsstands, starting in January 2016. They’re not abandoning the magazine. They’ll keep publishing it digitally, because that’s where their audience is. Traditional magazines continue to evolve.
On the growth side of the ledger, podcasts are on their way to the Google Play. US Podcasters are registering their podcasts with the app now. Expect to see the launch to consumers early in 2016.

The US-first launch of podcasts on Google Play, the US-first launch of Facebook Instant News, the US-first launch of the Apple News launch raises an important issue for non-Americans. In a world in which first to market and first to use provides a real advantage, social businesses and marketers outside the US must play catch up again and again.

Finally, we talk about SXSW’s bobble of the gamergate panels. This was big news when it happened and it will be interesting to see how it colours the conference when it opens in March.

Are we talking to ourselves? We hope not. Please let us know what you think about the things we discussed on this episode.

Leave a comment on the blog, send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the FIR Google+ Community, join the Inside PR Facebook group, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini Dietrich, Joseph Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

And we have a favor to ask: If you like this podcast, please rate us on iTunes.

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Thank you to the people behind Inside PR.

Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR is produced by Joseph Thornley.

Inside PR 367: Reflections on SXSW and PressFriendly

March 27, 2014 • Martin • PR, social media

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Martin here.

When we recorded this show, I’d just returned from SXSWi and I offer my thoughts reflections on this year’s Festival.

There’s no doubt SXSW remains a one-of-a-kind event with a unique laid-back energy and excitement for all things tech and social. That’s something you see first-hand watching the featured speakers and keynotes and in many of the smaller sessions, too.

And while there weren’t any big new platform launches in 2014, there was a lot of big thinking.

SXSW is still a defining event. Yet with so many people and ideas in one place it can seem a bit overwhelming. Before you go, do your homework and figure out what you want to see and do and who you want to meet; the Festival offers such a friendly, open vibe, you can meet anyone.

And if you’re looking for a more intimate conference with the South-by feel, check out the second annual SXSW V2V in Las Vegas that happens in July.

You can read more about my SXSW highlights on the TFC blog.

Oh and here’s Kevin Bacon’s hilarious video explaining the ’80s to millennials.

In the second part of the show we talk about PressFriendly.

After receiving a pitch, Gini asked Laura Petrolino to test out the product and Laura wrote about it on SpinSucks. Essentially PressFriendly helps automate media relations. It’s aimed at startup entrepreneurs who are frustrated with the PR experience and want to try it on their own.

Gini feels they have the right thinking but that it’s difficult to automate relationship-building. She also wonders if reaching out to media and bloggers is the best use of an entrepreneur’s time or if they’d be better off hiring a professional.

Joe’s not sure building a media list should be handed to the most junior person or to an algorithm. That can lead to spammy pitches that hurt the reputation of the entire industry.

Finally, I mention that one of the students in my UTSCS hybrid Foundations Course produced a video, Joey Loves Water, and it went viral. It was part of her class assignment and as of this writing, she has nearly 200,000 views.

Joe notices the video has been picked up on a lot of cat sites as well as on Huffington Post. Once it got on the circuit, he observes, you can almost trace its virality by seeing which sites help amplify and pass it along.

The lesson? Ditch the corporate spokesperson and bring in a cat. Or…maybe not.

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We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Inside PR is part of the FIR Podcast Network.

Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the FIR Google+ Community, join the Inside PR Google+ Community, join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini Dietrich, Joseph Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter.

Thank you to the people behind Inside PR

Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR is produced by Kristine D’Arbelles and Ashlea LeCompte.

Inside PR 3.44: Getting Creative at South by Southwest V2V

August 29, 2013 • Martin • Inside PR

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This week, we’ve got a special episode of Inside PR live from the South by Southwest V2V conference in Las Vegas. OK, live to digital audio.

Just before we recorded, I’d attended a high energy and insightful panel on creativity and brainstorming and invited the panelists to continue the discussion on the show.

Note: We’re in one of the speaker lounges so apologies for the sound quality and background noise. Next time, I’ll travel with my portable IPR studio, that is, I’ll find a quieter spot.

Our guests are:
Helen Todd, co-founder and CEO, Sociality Squared
Adam Marelli, artist and photographer based in NYC
Jim Hopkinson, fellow podcaster at the Hopkinson Report, author and principal of Hopkinson Creative Media
Jey Van-Sharp, business strategist and market analyst/editor at My Uber Life

Here are some highlights of our conversation:

Adam Marelli says one of the best pieces of advice he ever received on creativity came from a Zen monk who said do just one thing at a time. For Adam, no matter how long the to-do list becomes, he finds he’s most creative if he focuses on a specific task without distractions.

For Jey Van-Sharp, it’s all about prioritizing your priorities. He starts by thinking of the objective as a big boulder you can’t move very easily. Then he breaks it into smaller rocks and easy to handle pebbles, with each pebble being one task. Each day he picks several tasks to work on, knowing he can’t get through them all at once, but will accomplish the project over time.

Jim Hopkinson believes you should really know yourself and references a Paul Graham post on maker’s and manger’s schedules and how the two are often in opposition. Being creative means being a maker and it’s important to find clumps of uninterrupted time for your work.

Helen Todd agrees you need to block off periods during your day to cultivate your ideas. Her advice: avoid productive procrastination – where you work on administrative projects or answering emails because it makes you feel productive, when you should be focusing on the creative challenge at hand.

Final word goes to Adam who says, there’s an art to failure and you get there by practicing it; the separation between failure and success is very thin.

Do you consider yourself creative or in a creative job? What challenges do you have coming up with fresh ideas? Is creativity something you live and breathe or do you try to compartmentalize it? Any tips you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you.

You may also be interested in the interview we did with Festival producer Christine Auten.

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Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Google+ Community, join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini Dietrich, Joseph Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter. Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer. Inside PR is produced by Kristine Simpson and Ashlea LeCompte.

Inside PR 3.40: South by Southwest V2V – a new event for startups and entrepreneurs

July 17, 2013 • Martin • PR

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This week, I’m solo and we feature an interview with Christine Auten, interactive producer of South by Southwest.

Christine has been working with SXSWi since 2008 and is currently focused on a new project: launching SXSW V2V in Las Vegas, August 11 to 14, 2013.

SXSW V2V is a re-imagining of the legendary SXSW experience with an emphasis on the creative spark that drives entrepreneurial innovation. It grew out of the success of the main Festival and focuses on two of its strongest sectors – startups and entrepreneurs. SXSW wanted to expand beyond Austin and Las Vegas seemed a natural choice given its easy access and abundance of hotel rooms and conference space.

Then there’s Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, longtime SXSW supporter and the man behind the Las Vegas Downtown Project, an ambitious multi-year plan to bring back the city’s urban core.

Hsieh, one of the three keynotes, will talk about the Las Vegas revitalization project in The City as Startup. Other keynotes include Steve Case, CEO of Revolution on The Rise of the (Entrepreneurial) Rest and what it takes for his company to invest in a startup; and Lauren Bush Lauren, CEO, FEED Projects in conversation with Inc. contributing editor Donna Fenn on doing well by doing good.

SXSW V2V is SXSW on a micro scale. Programming is structured in a similar way with traditional panels, a daily keynote, solo room, a pitch event called V2Venture and mentor sessions. But with fewer tracks, it will be a more intimate event.

After hours, you can expect to experience SXSW’s lively networking and parties and a closing night mixer in downtown Las Vegas.

Christine is most excited about the mentor sessions, an opportunity for startups to connect and gain insights from 90 experienced professionals. Note: I’m happy to be included as one of the mentors. My focus will be on how to develop a strategic approach to PR, content and news. If you’re attending the event, I hope you’ll drop by.

Like SXSW, creative takes centre stage at V2V, a place for designers, developers, thinkers, investors and tinkerers from around the world to come together, learn and exchange ideas. And as a first-time event, it’s bound to have its share of start-up energy.

“We plan and set the stage and then the community comes and does what it does and that’s exciting to see,” says Christine.

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Inside PR 3.36: Inside SXSWi – an interview with Hugh Forrest

June 19, 2013 • Martin • PR

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This is the second of the two shows, Gini, Joe and I recorded at PRSA Counselors Academy Conference in Austin – our annual must-attend agency leader event.

We’ve just watched Hugh Forrest, director of South by Southwest Interactive Festival – or as he likes to call himself, the community manager – present a keynote on SXSWi and how it’s grown to become a major social media and tech event.

Hugh was there from the start as the first employee of SXSW. He was hired by the organizers in the mid-90s when they heard you could migrate a database to a computer and asked him if that was possible. When he said yes, they asked if it could be housed on his computer – he had an early Mac – and a career was born.

The lesson? You need to have the right technology at the right time.

In an interview after his talk, Hugh tells us about how the acronym P.E.A.C.E. describes their approach to the growth of SXSWi:

Patience over profits. It took SXSWi five to 10 years to incubate and grow to where it is today.

Early buzz is good buzz. SXSWi is involved in a 10 or 11 month planning process that starts in July and they try to get people talking about the next year’s festival not long after the current one is done.

Acknowledge your mistakes. If there are issues (and there usually are), be honest and explain to the community that you understand there were problems and you’ll do what you can to do a better job next time. Whenever you’re innovating, he says, expect to make mistakes.

Customer service leads to customer advocates. WOM endorsement and publicity has always been important to SXSWi. They try to create customer ambassadors by communicating often, listening to criticism and establishing a two-way conversation with the goal of turning ‘haters’ or people who’ve had a bad experience into advocates. And that’s what they’ve done.

Encourage massive creativity. SXSWi is not a technology event, it’s all about creativity.

He mentions they’re starting a festival offshoot called SXSW V2V, August 11 to 14, in Las Vegas focused on startups and entrepreneurs. It’s going to be a smaller and more intimate event than Austin and they’re excited about the possibilities of extending the brand.

Gini, Joe and I discuss Hugh’s points and our take on community building, something Gini spoke about in her Social Capital keynote. Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Have you ever been to SXSW? What do you think about the event? Are you planning to attend in 2014? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Inside PR 3.29: Google Reader, Feedly, and the perils of a dominant competitor

April 22, 2013 • thornley • Inside PR

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We could call this episode of Inside PR, the “Joe goes on a rant about Google, Reader, single competitor dominance and the viability of RSS feeds” episode.

Google Reader’s pending demise is a big deal for us. Like many writers, we use RSS feeds to be sure that we don’t miss content that passes in the flow at times when we aren’t paying attention. Gini and Joe have shifted to Feedly. And what did we discover? That a Feed Reader could be much better than Google Reader, like switching to full colour from black and white. That the emergence of one dominant provider of any service does not foster innovation.

Joe also wonders what impact does the shut down of Google Reader have on the trust that Google’s most passionate fans have on the company.

Finally, for those who thought that RSS fees are dead, the reaction of the heavy users shows that there is a deep, dedicated user community.

End of rant. (And thanks to Gini and Martin for patiently hearing me out. 🙂 )

Finally in this episode, Martin gives a shoutout to Daniel Davidson and his Pitchin’ Ain’t Easy video.

If you’re a PR person, watch it and have a chuckle.

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Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Google+ Community, join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini Dietrich, Joe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter. Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer. Inside PR is produced by Kristine Simpson.

Inside PR 3.10: Check-in with the Founder of Foursquare and the Role of Agency and Client

September 27, 2012 • admin • PR

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Well ladies and gentlemen, this is our last episode of the summer series of interviews. Next week, you get to hear all three voices of the Inside PR team: Martin Waxman, Gini Dietrich and Joseph Thornley.

This week, Martin catches up with Dennis Crowley, co-founder and CEO of Foursquare , at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Martin and Crowley talk about how far Foursquare has come, what they plan on doing next year and the amazing stuff they are doing with big data.

Martin also catches up with Doug Haslam, Client Services Supervisor at Voce Communication Architecture, at the PRSA Digital Impact Conference. Martin and Doug talk about the relationship between agency and client and the roles each should fulfil.

They also talk about data and trends. Doug says “data lies, trends don’t.” It is important to look at data over a period of time watching where the spikes and lows are to determine what works and what doesn’t.

Doug also shares his views on infographics. He has two Pinterest boards, one called Infographics I like and the other Infographics Crimes Against Humanity. Just remember, Doug says “if you make me scroll I will troll.”

Until next week!

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Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], join the Inside PR Facebook group, leave us a comment here, message us @inside_pr on Twitter, or connect with Gini Dietrich, Joe Thornley, and Martin Waxman on Twitter. Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer. Inside PR is produced by Kristine Simpson.

Inside PR #197 – Wednesday, March 24, 2010

March 24, 2010 • Terry • 30, 4Qs, Comments, Inside PR, News, PR, Show Notes, social media

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, Terry and Martin welcome listener comments and discuss Martin’s trip to SXSW.

00:29 Terry opens the show.

01:14 Terry welcomes a comment from Ann Lamanes.

03:26 Martin talks about his experiences at South By Southwest.

16:30 Martin introduces his 4Q’s with Robert Scoble.

25:27 Terry kicks off the -30- segment.

28:33 Martin closes the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Sarah Laister.

Inside PR #196 – Wednesday, March 17, 2010

March 17, 2010 • Terry • 30, Comments, Inside PR, News, PR, Show Notes, social media

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Comments? Send us an email or an audio comment to [email protected], visit the Inside PR Blubrry site, leave us a comment on the Inside PR show blog or message us @inside_pr on Twitter.

This week on Inside PR, Terry and Dave welcome listener comments and discuss the current state of Twitter.

00:27 Dave opens the show.

01:19 Dave welcomes listener comments from Danny Starr and Eric Portelance.

03:02 Terry reminds us that Martin is at South by Southwest, which leads to a discussion about the value of the conference.

09:13 Terry introduces this week’s topic: the current state of Twitter, based on research from Barracuda Labs.

22:17 Terry kicks off the -30- segment.

24:55 Terry wraps up the show.

Our theme music was created by Damon de Szegheo; Roger Dey is our announcer.

This week’s episode was produced by Sarah Laister.