In this enlightening episode, we dive deep into the transformative role of AI in local government communications. Join me as Iconverse with an industry expert, Michelle Bono, a member of the City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA). We explore how local governments can effectively utilise AI to enhance their communication strategies, build trust within communities, and navigate the challenges posed by misinformation.

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has captured the world's attention, and with good reason. Once a niche topic in academic circles, AI is now at the forefront of technological innovation, reshaping industries, redefining work, and raising important ethical questions. In this episode, we explore these critical issues and discuss the role of AI in shaping the future of society, work, and governance.

Exciting news from the digital marketing world! Ireland has just launched its first national Digital Marketing Apprenticeship Program, a major milestone in the country's education and training landscape. Spearheaded by the Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB) and led by Debbie Woodward, the interim national program manager, this initiative is set to revolutionize how digital marketing skills are developed in Ireland. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Debbie...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 104 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  In today’s episode I’m getting serious. Serious about the disruption of mainstream media, attacks on journalists and the threats to our democracy.  Online hate is increasing, politicians are hanging up their political boots as it has become too much and decision-makers fear backlash and personal attacks. I’ll talk about the challenges to democracy and the role of media, social media and the challenges...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 103 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  In today’s episode I’m asking the questions: Are we better off at work now than before the pandemic?What is workplace wellbeing?How can we master it as employers and managers? I take a closer look at how workplaces are changing for the better and some of the innovative strategies that organisations are introducing and implementing.  I interview Dolores Andrew who recently held a national Workplace Wellbeing...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 102 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  The rules of PR and marketing are changing so fast, faster than we can say transformation.  But in today’s show I want to look more specifically at our work in public relations – how we engage target audiences and get them to know, like and trust us.  It’s becoming more difficult for sure, with AI, Deep Fake and the misinformation revolution online trying to divide and conquer.  So, I’m going to try to unpack...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 101 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  In a recent episode I talked about the value and power of influencer marketing in 2024.  But in today’s show I’m going down the ethics road and asking some tough questions about the grey areas of this marketing discipline.  Did you know that there are laws in some European countries around child labour and influencer marketing? Did you know that Ireland is also conducting research in this area? Stay tuned for...

Hello and welcome to Episode 100 of the Public Sector Marketing Show! It's Episode 100, and we're celebrating in a big way! Andy Lambert of Adobe Express joins us as we explore AI's impact on social media trends, driving engagement and personalization across platforms with chatbots and content recommendation systems. We dive into all things public sector marketing and answer questions live!

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 99 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  The influencer marketing industry is worth over €21 billion euro and growing.  For anyone scoffing at this sector, you would do well to sit up and take note.  We are living in the creator economy where social networks are paying influencers to create and brands paying influencers to sell their product or service. Creators are winning on the double!  But what does this mean for public sector marketing and how...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 98 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  I love the Internet and how it has democratised the voice of citizens, the world of work and media. However, it has some dark sides and the latest negative trend is deep-fake.  The combination of the Internet, social media, generative AI give those with malicious intentions huge opportunities. And manipulated media is now mainstream and we all need to watch out for it.  I already mentioned that it’s election...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 97 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  The World Economic Forum has published its Future of Jobs Report.  They say technology is driving the current transformation of the jobs market, especially the coming of age of generative artificial intelligence.  This disruption is being further affected by economic crises, geopolitical instability and growing environmental pressures.  The report is based on a unique survey of the world’s largest employers,...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 96 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  Are you surprised I’m talking about TikTok again? No, don’t be.  They recently released their 2024 TikTok Trends report and if I have learned anything about social media over the past 20 years, it’s that the social network know exactly how consumer behaviour is changing because we are telling them! So in today’s show I am giving you that report in my words, but more than that, how you can use their insights on...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 95 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  2024 is the year of AI isn’t it? If 2023 was the year ChatGPT went mainstream, 2024 will be year of adaptation to this AI tools and others.  But there is still so much uncertainty and fear around AI being part of our every day and I am having these conversations in public sector boardrooms every week.  But as always, I am here to try to help you take the first or next AI step, so, let’s dive in.

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 94 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  Seasoned marketing and communications pros know all about SEO – search engine optimisation. But 2024 is the year that we go all in on social SEO! TikTok is going after Google and YouTube market share and along with Social SEO they are encouraging creators to publish videos longer than one minute.  In today’s show I am going to unlock the social SEO secrets to help improve discoverability, reach and your...

Hello and welcome to Season 6 and Episode 93 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  We are sauntering into 2024 and the world is not becoming any friendlier.  It’s also Election Season and with that will bring more divisiveness, disinformation and dare I say it, voter disillusionment.  But not to start off this season with pessimism, I want to open up a conversation on this show about X, Elon Musk’s first interview with an Irish media outlet and how we navigate the online space through...

COP28, the United Nations Climate Change conference, recently took place in Dubai. COP28 stands for the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and it was attended by 70,000 delegates including world leaders, media, NGOs and environmental, public policy, finance and science experts. But what came out of the conference was another urgent warning and appeal to decision-makers about our growing climate crisis.  Coming up in today’s show:  The Main COP28 Goals & Outcomes  The role...

Hello, Happy New Year and welcome to Episode 91 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  A new year and a new blank sheet, right? What does your public sector marketing plan look like for the 2024? Well, I’m here to tell you what’s in store.  Coming up in today’s show:  Why You Need to Press Play on 2024  The Top 10 Public Sector Marketing Trends for 2024 I speak to Stephanie Stahl, General Manager of Content Marketing Institute who reveals their top Content Marketing Trends of 2024. Their...

Hello and welcome to Episode 90 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  Can you believe 2023 is drawing to a close? What a year. What a year.  Personally, it’s been really great.  Professionally, it’s been so rewarding given the diverse range of clients we have worked with and the projects, training and events that were entrusted to us.  We love what we do.  We love representing public sector pros and raising the profile of your important work.  We are committed to leading with value and even...

Hello and welcome to Episode 89 of the Public Sector Marketing Show.  It’s time for our Christmas Special! 🤶  The jingle bells are ringing, and my nerves are jangling! I am ready for my festive break. A few weeks ago, I asked my Instagram followers for some ideas for this special episode and in fairness, they had some great ideas.  But a few stood out. So, we are stepping aside from the serious Joanne talks digital, to the fun version of Joanne Grants Christmas Wishes to the Public and...

In this episode I’m giving you a masterclass in mobile video strategy to take your public sector marketing to a new level. In 2023 people are watching, on average, 17 hours of online video per week. That's actually fallen from an average of 19 hours in 2022. Globally, people are watching around 84 minutes worth of videos every single day. We prefer shorter videos, thanks to TikTok. Other social networks have followed suit with the TikTokification of social media. Specifically, videos under...

In today’s show I decided to talk about one of my favourite topics – content marketing.  Still on a high from Content Marketing World 2023 in Washington, I used the opportunity to investigate some of the new Ai tools that are taking the world by storm. As an avid user of apps, tools and software in my own business, I decided to share my content marketing shortcuts with you in Episode 87.  Content marketing tools help you work smarter, not harder, and without cutting corners.  So, sit back and...

Welcome to Episode 86 of the Public Sector Marketing Show! In this episode, I am diving deep into a thought-provoking question: "Are public sector leaders unintentionally letting down their marketing professionals?" Yes, it's a bold claim, and we're not afraid to explore it! Now, before you worry about me getting "cancelled," let me be clear—I hold immense respect for public sector leadership. Many of them are devoted lifers, driven by a genuine vocation for public service. However, as the...

Listen Now Episode 85: Does Public Trust Matter? Join me in a thought-provoking exploration of the critical topic of trust in the latest episode of Public Sector Marketing Show. In this episode, I delve into the findings of a groundbreaking survey conducted in Ireland for the Medical Council, shining a light on how various sectors are perceived by the public. Discover the fascinating insights that emerged from the survey and gain a deeper understanding of how different sections of society are...

Welcome to today's episode of the Public Sector Marketing Show! In this episode I provide a new way of tackling mis-information.  Join me as we explore an innovative approach to combating misinformation and learn from some of the world's most prominent organizations in this field. We'll also take a closer look at a media outlet in Ireland and discover how they're contributing to the fact-checking landscape. But that's not all! We have a special guest today, Leda Letra, a digital...