Carrie J. Bloxson

Pivot Point: NPR and the Changing Dynamics of Communications and Media Content. It's not just about viewpoint diversity, but the overall changing demographics of consumption and satisfaction. The question is: What is the value proposition for the future of media and public broadcasting?

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There's a new report about the lack of diversity in advertising from the Center for an Urban Future highlighted in aNew York Times story today. Diversity in #advertising has always been a laughable proposition. The industry has never shown any interest in being anything but a siloed monolith of talent and perspective based on Mad Men era sensibilities. Even though the industry, which remains centered in NYC, is now 58% women and consistently leverages diversity and its cultural idioms as an optics tool and signifier of 21st hipness. It's purely transactional, all about the Benjamins of targeted consumers. But those consumers are not represented in the room where the decisions and concepts are finalized. And guess what? The commercials still get the cultural stories wrong as a result. Like the KFC commercial showing Black people eating fried chicken and licking their fingers that ran in Canada last summer. Or the Ancestry.com commercial that showed an enslaved woman eloping with her owner. It would have been romantic, except for that tiny detail. That ad ran in the US was promptly pulled as opposed to the commercial in Canada. Yep, we don't play that over here. The new report, about the profound lack of diversity in advertising, is ironically from another decidedly non-diverse organization, @ Center for an Urban Future, sheds light on advertising's poor track record and reveals the underlying travesty of this whole conversation. Whose voice matters? Black Enterprise Magazine, the National Urban League, and the National Black MBA Association have been talking and providing data about these issues for years, as have others, but its only when a Center for Urban Future, which has no appreciable commitment to diversity on its staff, and the NY Times publishes a story about the report that the issue has legitimacy? Communities that are impacted are not even a part of the reporting apparatus or influential organizations that grab attention about this important issue. Here's the report, draw your own conclusions. Is it merely another example of performance art by an organization with no discernible commitment to diversity within its own ranks or a legitimate call to action that can actually galvanize change. Only time will tell. #advertising, #NYCworkforce, #NewYorkTimes #NationalUrbanLeague, #diversityequityinclusion, #dei

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Change in corporate landscapes is constant. Are you leading a budding creative team, navigating the intricacies of restructuring, adapting to leadership changes, and hemming the AI curve? You're not alone. In my work with NBC/Peacock, Hasbro, and UKG, I discovered three “change commandments”: 1️) Reject Fear: Acknowledge fear, a universal response to change, but don't let it stagnate your decision-making. I’m excited to share how. 2️) Extend Empathy: Consider the enterprise and its impacts. Resistance might isolate you. Being part of the change increases your chance of success. This is not a sell-out. 3️) Uncover Unknowns: Embrace the marketer's discovery process. Initiate conversations to understand strategies, apprehensions, and the envisioned future. Change is the only way to advance, personally and professionally. Harness it. If you’re a leader who cares more about leadership improvement than grinding through more and more emails and meetings, we’ve built a workshop for you. And your leadership team. For more info visit https://lnkd.in/gUF3uZ5e #LeadingChange #Workshop #ChangeManagement #CareerAdvancement #CorporateChange

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The learning, discovery, inspiration, innovation and creativity that makes the in-person SXSW experience so much fun has come and gone for 2024. But the many many many great ideas put forward by so many thought leaders who come to Austin each March are still available via the extensive content on the SXSW YouTube channel. For today's edition of this ongoing SXSW-focused LinkedIn series, we highlight the video for "Masterclass: Storytelling for Social Impact." This session features Amber Payne (publisher and general manager of the Emancipator) and Ibram X Kendi (author nine books, including "How to Be an Antiracist"). These two discus how to take a single, powerful idea and reimagine it to reach entirely new audiences. Their session from SXSW offers practical insights on how you can unleash the power of storytelling to create transformative change. Click here to watch the complete 60-minute video of "Masterclass: Storytelling for Social Impact" https://lnkd.in/gDd5FnYP Or visit the SXSW YouTube page to gain access to hundreds of other informative and entertaining video clips from the 2024 event. https://lnkd.in/dFivB6RN Got a great idea for a session at next year's SXSW? Then be sure to enter your speaking proposal via the SXSW PanelPicker. Speaker proposals accepted via this interface from Tuesday, June 25 until the end of the day on Sunday, July 21. panelpicker.sxsw.com/about #sxsw, #sxsw2024, #sxsw2025, #innovation, #creativity, #inspiration, #storytelling, #movementbuilding, Amber Payne, Ibram X. Kendi, #leadership, #leaders, #masterclass, #socialimpact, #impact #Austin, #ATX, #video, #youtube

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Anyone who has founded and run a company knows the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. It was so fun to talk to Nate and Eric about their journey and also provide some insight on what PR is (and isn't). Thanks for having me! #thoughtleadership #entrepreurship

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This coming week, after six years of building an incredible Brand + Creative team, growing the agency and the ATL office, supporting hundreds of nonprofit clients, winning 80+ awards, and making some dear lifelong friends, I'll be saying "until next time" to my Media Cause crew, and heading on to a new adventure as the Managing Director of the Health Action Alliance (HAA). I'm carrying a lot of mixed emotions with all of this – gratitude, excitement, confidence, nervousness, sadness, nostalgia, inspiration, curiosity, anticipation – because well, transitions are hard and complicated, no matter how right you know they are. The last six years have been a wonderful and challenging journey, and I've grown in so many ways. Like one of the lyrics from The Tortured Poets Dept album says: "there wouldn't be this, if there hadn't been you." When I join HAA in a few weeks (yes, I'm taking some time off to decompress in-between, and for anyone who is able, I would advocate for you to make that a requirement for yourself, too), it'll be my first time not having "creative" attached to my title. And, it'll be the first time I'm not leading teams in an agency environment. But, change can be beautiful. I'm following my passion for workplace mental health, organizational leadership, team building, and in a way, entrepreneurship, as HAA is still young, and I'll be diving-in to help shape its vision and scale the incredible work they're already doing. So while it feels like a big shift in some respects, I think it's actually more of an organic evolution. Everything I've learned and experienced throughout my 20+ year career so far has led me here. And while this week may mark the end of one chapter, I wouldn't be able to write the next one without it. Cheers to more amazing things to come. 🥂

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Our 6th piece of research on Business and Racial Justice in the U.S was released this week. I and our teams have been committed to this critical research for the last five years. Despite the current ongoing debate, discourse and division, the work of racial justice and DEI must continue. Regardless of the rhetoric and the attacks, the data shows that there is increasing desire for the work across communities, and the benefit from it to employees and consumers. This is a time for business and employers, in particular, to recommitment, not retreat. https://lnkd.in/eN2bTED7

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Internal comms seems to have gotten a refresh. As communicating with employees becomes a critical priority for companies, many are looking for internal communications talent who have an editorial bent. -- Amazon is looking for a leader for its workplace and operations executive communications team -- Law firm Latham & Watkins is hiring a director of internal communications Goldman Sachs is looking for a VP-level role to lead internal communications -- Notion is looking for an executive to lead content and communications for its workforce and employees -- Fintech startup Ripple is looking for an internal communications manager who will “own” the editorial calendar -- Understood.org is looking for a director of internal communications who will be responsible for creating content for internal channels. -- McCann Worldgroup is looking for a manager who will run newsletters and content across communications teams Companies increasingly view employees as they do external audiences: As people to be engaged with, courted, and communicated with regularly. As a result, a growing number of organizations are developing editorial content aimed specifically at internal audiences. That means content responsibilities are increasingly becoming part of internal communicators’ job descriptions. “One of the big reasons we’re seeing more internal communications and content roles is culture wars,” said Kate Meissner, co-founder at D.C.-based Velocity Partners and a former EVP at Edelman. “People now want their workplaces to be places that institutionalize their values.” “I strongly believe it should be called employee communications,” said Becca Chambers ✨, chief communications officer at ControlUp. “Employees are less engaged and they don’t know how to reach them. That means internal communications needs to be about engagement, culture building, employer branding, and crisis and change management as well.” Will drop the full story in comments below.

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Advertising pioneer and author Michael Farmer, veteran brand and agency procurement guru Sabrina Traskos and XR Extreme Reach President Jo Kinsella discuss what's real and what's bull "shite" when it comes to the current advertising market, creative utilization and outcomes relative to growth brands need and deserve. Jo - As an industry, we haven't spent any time focusing on the creative. That's broken. Creative is the New KPI. Michael - Sabrina, if you were dictator for the day, what would you do to fix things? Sabrina - First, you have to fix all the broken practices. True or False 1) More creative is better than fewer? Jo: More valuable is better than more or less. 2) AI? Jo: Not holy grail but important. Not the Ozempic of adtech. Proceed with caution and use it intelligently. Use it to facilitate a marketplace where all sides win. AI should help us govern and optimize ads to truly reflect and align creative with audience. #AdTechEconomicForum #ATEF24

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A fun one to co-author with David Weinstock whose team is creating highly impactful results for our #finserv clients. The concluding paragraph crystalizes our thesis cemented by a marked uptick in demand: creating clarity with complex subjects is critical for building trust, developing understanding, and driving adoption of financial and technology concepts. There is simply too much noise in all communications channels not to utilize video as a medium to differentiate your offering.  DM us for case studies and more info #contentmarketing #video #fintech #digitalmarketing #financialservices 👇 👇 👇

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Key Lessons Learned from Edelman’s 14-Year Citizenship Journey               When PRWeek named Edelman recently as the agency dynasty of the last 25 years, it praised our “commitment to creating movements, not moments” and cited our global citizenship movement launched in 2010. That acknowledgment is noteworthy. Not just because I have led our CSR Program since its inception. Or because my dad, Daniel Edelman, was a visionary about citizenship when establishing our agency 72 years ago. Rather, the recognition reveals today’s reality. Every company must develop and embrace an integrated CSR strategy, not just ad hoc programs to help protect our planet and make societal progress. For one thing, high expectations from stakeholder groups underscore the value of sustainability efforts. Our respected Edelman Trust Barometer finds that 70% of more than 32,000 global respondents want to work for a company that addresses societal issues. For another, a CSR strategy already is all but mandatory for big and small businesses. The European Union’s CSRD begins phasing in ESG reporting requirements this year for U.S. and global entities. A citizenship strategy becomes transformational on several fronts. It becomes an integral part of a company. Our journey provides a roadmap for developing a comprehensive CSR strategy. Four key lessons learned:    It’s an evolutionary, not a revolutionary, path. When we began, I thought we just needed to launch a few programs to generate early successes. But the programs morphed into much more. For instance, we initially reported four sources of GHG emissions – paper, business travel, electricity, and water. Now, we have added purchased goods and services, employee commuting, and waste, among others as part of our Science-Based Targets initiative. Embed CSR and sustainability into the corporate culture. Achieve this by moving away from siloed citizenship-related programs, consolidating them over time, and integrating them strategically into your culture. We've experienced 10 transformations that we highlighted in our fiscal 2023 citizenship report. Employ data and measurements. They’re critical to drive action and inform strategy. We established a proprietary Citizenship Score to manage and report our activities across global offices. Set goals and report your progress against them. Incorporate a mix of short-term objectives and long-term goals. For example, we set a goal of eliminating single-use non-PET plastics by the end of this fiscal year on June 30. At year-end 2023, 94% of our offices had stopped buying plastic bottles. A long-term goal seeks to achieve at least 15% of our addressable spending with diverse suppliers in the U.S. by the end of fiscal 2025. Developing and embedding CSR and sustainability into Edelman’s culture has been transformational for us as it will be for any other company. I have given you a glimpse of our ongoing CSR journey. I look forward to hearing your stories. 

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Grateful to Agility PR Solutions for featuring my brand new book, 𝐁2𝐁 𝐏𝐑 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬! "New Book from Influential PR Vet Michelle Garrett, B2B PR That Gets Results, Just Released" "I felt there was a need for this type of book that explains—in a straightforward fashion—the work of PR professionals and the challenges they face so that companies can get the most out of engaging with a PR consultant or agency and achieve their public relations goals." #B2BPRbook #newauthor #publicrelations

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Considering a career in public relations? Check out this piece by Christina Fera and Emilita Dela Cruz on the internship experience at Argyle. Thanks for sharing Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) - Toronto! #pr #publicrelations #prcareer

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From early adoption to ethical applications, three of WE’s leaders - Nitin Mantri, Laura Gillen and Tiffany Cook – unpack our latest #WEBrandsinMotion research, on how brands must bridge the AI expectation gap, with PRWeek.

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Purpose builds trust, but knowing who you are and what you care about BEFORE a crisis hits will give you a clear North Star for how you respond. #PRWeekCrisisComms #crisiscomms #brandpurpose

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It's crucial as PR practitioners that we adapt to new technologies rapidly, yet cautiously. (We're nothing if not cautious, right?!) The use if AI has rapidly changed the way we conduct business, for the better/more efficient. We have enhanced our service offerings, improved response times, and are better managing our workloads. GenAI has benefited our clients as much as it's benefitted us. Read more in Axios about how MikeWorldWide has advanced using AI. #AI #GenAI #publicrelations #PRAgency

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PRWeek's great 2024 Business Report highlights the key challenge facing our industry. Communications is more important than ever. Comms and policy leaders are being asked to play far larger roles as business partners supporting ever more stakeholders. So why did the industry suffer so much in 2023 after many years of growth? As an sector, we are not adapting fast enough to the needs. Organizations are desperate for help but also under tremendous financial strain. They now need both senior level counsel and advisory support as well as deep domain expertise to actually produce. By and large, our industry is still split by this chasm - between strategic and tactical. Clients cannot afford to separate these, either in time or money. At Bully Pulpit International our goal is to bridge this divide, building a team that can both 'think and do' at the highest levels. It's not always easy. Last year was a challenge. But if you share this vision for the future, please check out some of our open roles: https://lnkd.in/dGQwJUSG

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Start-up and scale-up founders, CEOs and CMOs can save themselves a lot of heartache if they assess their company's readiness for corporate communications before they bring on an expensive corp comm leader. By identifying where the requisite building blocks for success already exist, executives can develop the function in a way that impacts business results by making better hiring decisions, understanding where to expect results near and long term, and strategically planning their investments in the function. Looking for a guide to help you do this? Drop me a line. As a 25-year veteran leader who has helped a number of start-ups and scale-ups build their corporate communications departments, I can help you figure out if you are ready to add this strategic function. #CorporateCommunications #ScaleUp #StartUp #PublicRelations

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