PR professionals are stepping up their game, transforming from mere communicators to strategic partners who drive business success by blending storytelling skills with essential business acumen. Today, we’re uncovering the secrets to mastering this game-changing skill set, crucial for communication leaders at every career stage—from entry-level roles to Chief Communications Officers (CCOs). In this episode, we’re excited to welcome Ron Culp and Matt Ragas, Ph.D., two esteemed faculty members...

SNL. NFL. MLS. 313. You know you’ve got a good brand on your hands when all it takes is three letters or numbers to evoke an image or a moment that millions of people around the world recognize. But whether it’s a super quotable comedy sketch, an unforgettable moment in football (both American and European), or the birthplace of the car and Motown, it can be all too easy to take powerful branding for granted after it becomes so ingrained in our daily lives. But that doesn’t detract from just...

In this episode of "Building Brand Gravity," Steve Halsey interviews Kim Losey, CEO of Rapid Robotics, about her journey from designer to marketer to one of Silicon Valley's few female CEOs. The discussion centers on the transformative power of AI-driven manufacturing and the importance of design thinking, customer experience and bold innovation.  Kim shares insights from her diverse career, including her time at Hasbro, where she learned to integrate design thinking into business strategy....

B2B vs. B2C marketing, internal vs. external communications, public affairs vs. business communications – these are typical examples of the binaries that have long dominated the communications landscape.  As the industry evolves, many professionals are recognizing that these binaries contribute to siloed organizations – and less effective communications across a complex array of external and internal stakeholders. To propel organizations forward during uncertain and challenging times, we...

The role of Chief Communications Officers continues to evolve into an ever more integral and matrixed leadership position. The days of being seen as the ones who just write the press releases are (hopefully!) behind us in the communications field. Yet communications professionals themselves must foster - and articulate - a clearer vision of the centrality of this role to the business. Today’s visionary leaders will drive faster change and take greater ownership by positioning the...

The media landscape is undergoing rapid and unprecedented transformations, driven significantly by the powerful influence of artificial intelligence, social media, and remote work.   In an effort to understand modern journalism and predict its future trajectory, Greg Galant, CEO and Co-Founder of Muck Rack, joins host Steve Halsey to discuss Muck Rack’s latest research, The State of Journalism 2024. They delve into emerging trends shaping the media industry and examine how these developments...

No one can escape a conversation about AI today (and this statement will likely remain relevant whenever if read in the near future). As AI continues to dominate discussions in 2024, we revisit a previous dialogue with Anne Green, host of the Building Brand Gravity podcast and CEO of G&S Business Communications, and Kyle Turner, Digital Growth Director at the same firm. This conversation explores the transformative impact of AI across the tech and comms industries and anticipates the...

This year, half of the world is heading to the polls, making it the most significant election year ever witnessed. However, amidst geopolitical unrest, polarization, and divisiveness, these circumstances bring forth substantial challenges in managing data and information. But how can you determine if your organization is adequately prepared to tackle them? In this episode, we are joined by Rob Jekielek, Managing Director at The Harris Poll, and Eliot Mizrachi, Vice President, Strategy and...

“I’m not creative.” “We don’t have time to be creative.” “This is not a creative profession.”   These are all too common refrains. Yet they are also false. We are socialized to view “creativity” as the domain of artists or individuals in specific fields. In organizations, we tend to fixate on an outcome or solution at the expense of falling in love with the process itself – which includes intentionally cultivating a culture of creativity within our teams. We speak about “innovation” without...

In 2020, the term DE&I, or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, became part of corporate culture. Diversity executives were being hired across industries and companies large and small pledged to diversify workforces and take inclusion seriously. Fast forward four years, and in an uncertain economy and a downturn for the media and tech industries, DE&I leaders and initiatives were often the first to be cut. Host Anne Green sits down with two G&S Communications leaders to discuss the...

Perhaps the only topic more discussed in 2023 than Taylor Swift, is AI. From the rise of ChatGPT to conversations around job security across Hollywood and beyond, the technology has been everywhere. Building Brand Gravity hosts Anne Green and Kyle Turner discuss the year in generative AI - breaking down where the tech is today, how MarComms professionals can capitalize on its growth, and the focus businesses must place inside and outside of their organization as it continues to proliferate....

The role that business plays in society is vastly different than it was 10 to 20 years ago and integrated marketing communications agencies have had to adapt…fast. A 2022 survey found that 82% of consumers want brands to align with their values. Younger demographics, including Millennials and Gen-Z, are at the forefront of this evolution. Luke Lambert is the outgoing President and CEO of G&S Communications. As he prepares to move on from this post, he recounts his career beginnings in PR...

The advancements in digital marketing from just 5 or 6 years ago to now are staggering - even in industries that tend to be overlooked as purveyors of the space. Agriculture has had a complete makeover post-pandemic, and therefore so has the marketing around it. Rosalyn Moore is the Marketing Insights and Innovation Manager at Syngenta, a farming technology company on a mission to safely provide more food to more people across the globe. Rosalyn’s unconventional career journey - with...

There is no “average user” of digital experiences in our world today. If we can grasp that there is significant nuance beyond current understandings of “ability” and “disability,” can generative AI help us narrow a digital divide that is far greater than most individuals and organizations perceive? Howard Pyle is a leading voice in the mission to advance inclusivity in digital experiences as the founder of Experience Futures (XF). After an enlightening encounter with Howard at the Page...

Branding is a long game requiring continuous attention and reinvention, all pointed back to the core values of the business. With strategic intention, marketers can help to build something as valuable as Marvel or Nike— cultivating meaning and relevance that spans audience demographics and decades. Yet marketing executed without an understanding of a brand’s true “north star” can just as easily result in indifference, erosion of market share, or memeable attention of the wrong kind. After...

Communities are at the heart of success — building the right one can fuel your business, but when community is lacking, your organization will feel its absence. According to Lindsay Kaplan, Co-founder Chief, there are two wildly different types of communities: one made of brand advocates and followers, and another more formally official where individuals opt-in to participate. With the latter, an organization can soar, building an incredibly powerful brand. But communities aren’t always...

In this episode, Anne interviews Kim Sample and Mark McClennan about the ethical implications of the use of AI in communications and beyond. This conversation delves into the experiences and insights of Kim, as President of the PR Council and Mark, General Manager at C + C, Host of the Ethical Voices podcast, and one of today’s top voices in ethics in PR and communications. With the growing exploration of generative AI in all industries, including communications, there is a need for...

This episode is a follow up to Anne Green’s conversation with Dr. Osei Appiah, Ph.D Professor, School Of Communication at The Ohio State University. Listen to it here. In this episode, Anne interviews three aspiring marketing communications professionals, Rikki Lee Joiner, Michaela Matheney, and Keilah Thompson, who are all students at The Ohio State University (OSU) and members of the Black Advertising and Strategic Communications Association (BASCA). They discuss their personal journeys to...

Welcome back to Building Brand Gravity. In this episode, Anne interviews Dr. Osei Appiah, a renowned communication and race scholar who serves as a Professor in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. Dr. Appiah explores critical questions on building meaningful diversity across the fields of marketing, communications and advertising - and supporting Black talent in particular. This includes: the importance of race in the field of communicationintentional approaches to...

As sustainability becomes a more common and essential part of corporate conversation, it is important for key communicators and C-Suite executives to know how to navigate conversations and plans of action around it. This episode features Rob Jekielek, Managing Director at The Harris Poll. Rob has been featured in many notable publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review and more. He joins Steve to talk about: The disconnect between front-line...

Due to the current media landscape, it may feel like there is a new crisis everyday. As more and more brands get hit with controversy, what can we do to measure trust and avoid fallout? In today’s episode, we speak with Dr. Lashonda Eaddy Ph.D. Dr. Eaddy is an Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Penn State and an Arthur W. Page Center Senior Research Fellow. This Episode Covers: Using Social Media to Gain and Manage Trust Finding your audience and knowing how to track and measure...

This episode features David J. Albritton, one of the world’s foremost executive coaches. Steve and David talk about: The leadership reset in the post pandemic world How a leader must have the tools, insights and relationships to show up to work without fear The key differences between bottom-up and top-down leadership To make sure you never miss an episode of Building Brand Gravity, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Listening on a desktop & can’t see...

How does academia and branding overlap? What are some of the ways you can incorporate cutting edge research into your communications strategy? Today’s episode takes a holistic approach to answer these questions and more. This Episode’s guest is Matt Ragas Ph.D., Professor, College of Communication and Founding Director, M.A. in Professional Communication, a DePaul University. In this conversation, he shares: What fuels his passion about the communications industry What motivates him to share...

Welcome to Building Brand Gravity. This is a show for communications pros across industries looking to gain an inside view into industry influence. You’re about to hear a conversation with leading industry professionals, talking about the importance of building business impact through sound brand strategy. Each episode, we talk to chief communications officers, senior communications executives and leading academics to get their direct insights on the challenges facing B2B and B2C brands,...