Beyond the Noise - the PRWeek podcast

We put more of your confessions under the spotlight in the latest episode of PRWeek’s ‘Am I the PR A***hole?’ (AITPRA) podcast.In each episode of AITPRA, PRWeek will read out your anonymous confessions and our judges – Lynn Advisory founder Shayoni Lynn and Hoffman Agency UK co-MD Richard Fogg – will decide whether an ethical line has been crossed. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.This week’s confessions include:Making a colleague cry (and being pulled up) after giving honest feedback.Making a group of pensioners sit in a cordoned-off area for hours for a PR stunt.Purposely avoiding work but getting promoted anyway.The episode is hosted by PRWeek UK editor John Harrington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a Cannes Lions special, PRWeek’s Beyond the Noise speaks to communications professionals from Edelman, Burson and Smarts about this year’s Festival.Ahead of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which starts on Monday (22 June), PRWeek UK spoke to Edelman’s international chief creative officer, international, Kate Stanners, alongside Burson’s chief strategy officer, Eleanor Sullivan, and Smarts’ brand futures director, Natalie Moores.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen in the browser above or on your favourite platform.The trio discuss what they are looking forward to at this year’s event, whether purpose-led campaigns will win big this year, and the impact of AI technology. They also offer advice on how to get the most out of the festival from a business perspective.Asked whether the festival may look a bit extravagant in 2026, especially given industry consolidation and cost-cutting, alongside the ongoing geopolitical strife, the professionals share their thoughts. As part of the episode, the three comms pros debate earned creativity within the PR Lions, and if the lines between PR and advertising have blurred. Stanners, who spent two decades at advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi before joining Edelman last year, dismissed the idea of a turf war between PR and advertising agencies.“There is a school of thought where advertising agencies are saying: ‘Watch out, PR companies, we know how to do it,’” she said. “I think, interestingly, it’s the wrong discussion to have. This is about recognising the power of a very different media landscape.”In the discussion, Stanners argued that audience behaviour increasingly favours earned communications over traditional advertising.“Ninety-nine per cent of people would like to skip the ads if they could, so that tells us a huge amount,” she said. “People are significantly more likely to trust work that comes in an earned space, which also tells us a huge amount.” PR retains a unique advantage in creating earned impact, added Stanners. “It is a battleground, probably, for all sorts of businesses to be playing in. But a truly earned piece of work plays slightly differently.”The three professionals assess the festival’s updated guidelines, introduced following controversies at last year’s awards, and whether they will prove effective.And the panel members share their own experiences at Cannes and outline the criteria they use to evaluate what makes a standout PR campaign.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creative bravery is the topic of PRWeek’s latest podcast.Joining PRWeek UK editor John Harrington this week are Ahalya Moxon, associate creative director at FleishmanHillard, and Shilpa Saul, partner at The Unmistakables.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.The idea for this week’s episode was sparked by comments from Nicola Green, Virgin Media O2’s chief communications and corporate affairs officer, at PRWeek’s Year Ahead Conference in January. Green said her brand’s “biggest fear is becoming undiscoverable”, meaning she’s keen to take “considered risks” that are “brave but not stupid”.Our podcast guests examine some recent and historic campaigns that have arguably crossed the line from ‘brave’ into ‘stupid’ and analyse why they fell down.They look at how campaigns can find that balance to be provocative enough to be remembered without drawing damaging criticism.The duo discuss whether there are times when ‘playing it safe’ is the best approach; whether there are generational differences regarding creativity; and stress the importance of having diverse perspectives when creating campaigns. Saul also argues that people are “losing the art of critical thinking”.Finally, the guests look at how to respond if a campaign receives heavy criticism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PRWeek’s latest podcast examines how the PR industry in the UAE, and the wider Middle East, has been responding to the new crisis.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or on your favourite platform.Our guest this week is Conrad Egbert, who is based in Dubai and leads the PRCA’s operations in the MENA region.Events in the Middle East have dominated the news in recent days following the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran, and the retaliatory strikes directed at several US allies in the region. This includes the United Arab Emirates, which is home to a particularly thriving PR industry.Speaking to PRWeek journalists John Harrington and Eliza Wiredu on Tuesday afternoon (3 March), Egbert discusses what life is like on the ground in Dubai in the aftermath of the strikes, and during the ongoing crisis.He talks about how the PR industry is adapting to the situation, including how agencies are handling live events and supporting employees and clients alike.He analyses how the authorities have been handling their communications and bemoans the deluge of mis- and disinformation appearing online.Egbert also explains how PR in the UAE will “bounce back” after the crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should PR pros react to Reddit’s surge in popularity? PRWeek’s latest podcast takes a look.Joining the latest episode of Beyond the Noise are Paige Hiley, director of social at Golin; and Jo Bromilow, director of social and influence at MSL.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.Speaking to PRWeek UK deputy news editor Evie Barrett, the guests discuss clients taking an interest in social media platform Reddit, and how its community focus requires an entirely different approach to other channels.Reddit’s changing userbase, and its links to Google and OpenAI, are also discussed within the episode.Bromilow and Hiley give advice on communicating with Reddit moderators, as well as using the app as a social listening tool.The episode was recorded prior to the news of Reddit being fined £14m by the Information Commissioner’s Office for failing to properly check the age of its users, as reported on Tuesday (24 February).Commenting after the announcement, Bromilow said: “Reddit’s response – that it intends to appeal and that it feels like it treads a delicate balance between protecting users’ privacy and policing its platform – is a consistent one with how it has always operated and helps reinforce some of the points we made about the platform self-policing and the moderators existing to protect the userbase.“There have been lots of headlines recently about various social networks from TikTok to Meta being hit with fines in this regard, so this isn’t a Reddit-specific issue. I anticipate a lot of back and forth along these lines as the online safety act comes into effect, and the reality of enforcing it vs the PR power of talking about it.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.