Episodes
In this episode I interview the person that has inspired me the most in my career; Gary Preston. Gary is the founder of CoverageBook, AnswerThePublic and the new (free) PR measurement tool ‘CoverageImpact’. We discuss how the last 15 years of working together in marketing and the last 10 years of Gary being a successful software founder in the PR industry has led to the launch of this new PR tool. In a time when PR budgets are being cut and in-house teams are admitting its often down...
Published 02/22/24
Published 02/22/24
In the 25 years Steph Bridgeman has been working PR measurement, the world, media consumption and data has changed. But at a time when technology and data is abundant, why are we hearing of PR budget cuts and team struggles with proof of outcomes? In this fascinating podcast chat Steph and I explore why this is; from pivot table and design skills to senior management experience being involved, we delve into what PR measurement needs to be a success in 2024. Steph Bridgeman is the founder...
Published 02/07/24
It's January 2024, offcially back to work. But before you dive into your next campaign its important to consider focus and development for the year. What do you as an individual, your team and as a collective industry need to work on to move forward and succeed this year? I have enlisted the help of PR powerhouse Stephen Waddington to help us do exactly this. So grab a coffee and listen to this 30 minute episode of the PR Resolution to set your 2024 off to the best start possible. ...
Published 01/04/24
In this episode Stella interviews Carla Boyd, Senior Social & Content Marketing Manager at Cineworld Cinemas  Live from the Cineworld London Head Quarters they delve into influencer relations and why Cineworld UK has decided to switch nearly all of their communications to working only with social influencers over journalists. Carla explains how the essence and the feeling of cinema is being brought to life by the social influencers they’re working with, which traditional comms...
Published 12/01/23
In this episode Stella interviews the Chief Executive of the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) Alastair McCapra. They talk about FTSE 100 businesses and the lack of PR expertise in executive leadership teams and on boards in the UK. Alastair and Stella explore the reasons for this; including reputation management being viewed as a ‘when it happens’ scenario right through to senior opinions on the financial value of PR. Alastair Shares examples of what can happen when PR...
Published 11/10/23
Bev Boyle, who is the Global Head of Media at World Animal Protection, plays a pivotal role in shaping the narrative around animal welfare on a global scale. She's at the forefront of crafting media campaigns that not only raise awareness but also inspire action. In this episode of the PR Resolution Podcast, Stella and Bev discuss a current campaign that is making change; Bev shares how the ‘Stop TUI from profiting from dolphin cruelty’ emerged as an issue, how the content is reaching a...
Published 09/28/23
How healthy does your agency feel? Are there uncertainties around budgets? Are some of your retainers switching to projects? Is your pipeline flowing or in need of some work? If your agency finances are feeling like a challenge right now you’re not alone. Research has confirmed that PR budgets are being reduced. Data gathered in June 2023 from the world’s 100 most powerful communicators (Provoke 100 research) found that there has been a drop in public relations investment in the past 12...
Published 09/07/23
In episode 40 Stella interviewed Rebecca Jolly and Joe Bellioti; the authors of best-selling book; ‘How Music Grows Brands’. They discussed the benefits music can have on a brands business but what about the other side of the partnership? The music artist. How does the involvement of a track in a PR campaign, advert, or TV show affect the artist? What does it mean to the target audience? Can it make or break an artist? In this episode, Stella Bayles interviews Jelena Grozdanich,...
Published 08/18/23
In this episode I’m joined by Martin McGlown who was once a crime journalist at the London Evening Standard newspaper and went on to head-up media relations at the world's leading cancer charity; Cancer Research UK. We talk about the moment Martin made his career-defining decision and why he and the charity have never looked back. We cover the changing media landscape and how Martin’s journalism background and skills have shaped the way his team operate as a newsroom. Martin shares the...
Published 07/31/23
Margo Neely is the Chief Creative Officer of Neely & Daughters a New York based start-up business consultancy. She is also the creator of the Neely Air TR-808 “Disturb the Peace” drum machine shoe concept: a digital tap shoe (of sorts) that allows the user to create digital beats and rhythms with movement.  This interesting breadth of experience has a one key point in common; PR. and specifically how PR coverage helps attract investors and gains funding. Margo experienced this first...
Published 06/22/23
Due to its success ‘Secret Cinema’ isn’t so secret anymore. The London-based entertainment company that specialises in immersive film events now has fans throughout Europe and has recently launched in the US. The magic of the immersive performances has led to a cult following. But how much of the following is driven by PR and marketing and how do they retain and grow that audience? Stella Bayles interviews Simon le Grice the new VP of Marketing at Secret Cinema to find out! Having...
Published 05/31/23
As a rule I don’t discuss PR agency’s values on the show. They are for staff and should stay on slides or post-its. But when I heard this story of how one ‘agency value’ resulted in a team helping to evacuate 54 orphans from Ukraine, I broke that rule and dedicated a whole episode to it! I interview David Fraser, the Founder & Managing Director of Ready10, who are a consumer agency, best known for creative digital PR for the likes of McDonald’s, Paddy Power, Flora and Brewdog. However...
Published 05/04/23
In this episode I interview PR measurement experts, Richard Bagnall and Darryl Sparey on their latest joint research that explores the effects PR has on attracting investors and gain funding for tech start-ups. We delve into the research results including the types of business that see this success, the PR approach needed to gain these results and specifically how important a CEO or founder can be in the process. This conversation is fascinating, not just because of the correlation the...
Published 04/30/23
In this episode I delve into the power of music; how it shapes cultures, grows brands and can drive business. I’m interviewing two people who’s deep understanding of music & culture has led them to work on brand partnership deals that have built reputation and grow businesses. I’m joined by ex-Head of Global Music at Coca-Cola, Joe Belliotti and Rebecca Jolly who is a global business consultant focused on growing business through culture. Former MD at Mixmag and now MD at new...
Published 03/06/23
This episode lifts the lid on data literacy in one of there world’s most well-known agencies; H&K Strategies. I interview global head of data and analytics - Allison Spray alongside PR Agency One MD James Crawford. James and I co-wrote two chapters in a recent PRCA paper; ‘Data literacy in PR’. We looked at how to use tech to build confidence and improve data use as well as a chapter on how to build a ‘data culture’ in your team. It was the latter chapter that Allison Spray’s team...
Published 02/23/23
In this episode I interview Amar Singh, ex-Evening Standard journalist turned content and digital marketing expert in sport and entertainment. Amar spent time at data-football specialists, Squawka. He worked in-house at Budweiser as Head of global football content and then at West Ham United where, as Head of Content, he helped the club grow its audience to a global level across multiple platforms. Now at MKTG as Vice President of content and communications, Amar and has team are...
Published 12/12/22
AMEC Measurement Month is a time for everyone in Public Relations to level-up their knowledge in evaluation and measurement of comms. Held in November its the perfect time to learn and refresh your approach ready for new KPIs in a new year. There are just over 4 weeks of events and content releases from AMEC (Association of Measurement & Evaluation) members and most are available for free to all. In this special episode of the PR Resolution Podcast I interview the Global Managing...
Published 11/04/22
At the time of publish, we are 3 weeks away from the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. Normally at this stage we’re at the height of World Cup hype, fans are excited about team selections, journalists are reporting from training camps and tabloids are on WAG watch. This year is very different. Nearly all lead-up stories have been negative; covering the human rights issues, corruption, timing and infrastructure problems. So what does this mean to the huge World Cup audience? How does this...
Published 10/23/22
Stella Bayles interviews Dan Flanagan, founder of the growing community interest group 'Dad La Soul'. From humble beginnings of group of 14 dads getting together for a play date with their kids, ‘Dad La Soul’ is now a globally recognised Community Interest company that connects over 2.5k dads through art, tech and music events & in turn helps them beat loneliness, and live happy lives. Dad La Soul attributes a lot of its growth and success down to PR, and specifically their PR &...
Published 08/24/22
In this episode I interview Donna Loughlin, she is the founder & owner of PR firm LMGPR and host of podcast ‘Before It Happened.  Having started journalism at just 10 years old; helping at a local newspaper network that her family managed, Donna progressed & became a global journalist for Reuters and the BBC. It was when she was reporting in the Valley during the .com boom that Donna swapped sides to PR and started to stories on behalf of tech start ups. Her experience of...
Published 07/08/22
This episode explores the business success that occurs when two areas of marketing combine and work together really well. I interview Grace Keeling and James Beverage, co-founders of Made by Giants. Launching a B2B communications agency at the beginning of a pandemic may sound may sound like a tall order but for Made by Giants, it couldn’t of gone better. I find out how remote working restrictions and influences from James’ brand experience led to a very unique ‘investigative’ approach...
Published 03/10/22
The day this podcast publishes (Tuesday 16th November 2021) CoverageBook 2 will launch. So, in this episode I catch up with the original founder of our PR tech; Gary Preston to share the details with our listeners first! We start with our journey; our agency pasts, and the measurement and reporting experiences that led to the birth of CoverageBook. Gary shares his aims for the second version of the platform; making every PR practitioner ‘an accidental analyst’ and how he hopes...
Published 11/16/21
In this episode I interview Brian Wallace Founder of NowSourcing, the top rated infographic agency in the United States. If you thought using infographics in PR activation had its day, think again. Brian and his team recently helped a NBA player secure a $64million deal by reshaping the way the US media thought about him, all through data visualisation. It doesn't end there; Now Sourcing only use infographics to secure coverage for their clients on the biggest US news sites every week...
Published 11/04/21
In this episode I interview Effie Kanyua, the Director of PR & Comms at Hearst UK (Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health and Women’s health) She was previously Communications Director at Bauer Media. Before publishing, Effie was agency side at UK agencies, Splendid Communications (when we worked together :)), Clarity, Weber Shandwick, Talk.Global and M&C Saatchi. Effie is also a former BME PR Pros mentor and is a current Women in PR Mentor. I don't...
Published 07/01/21