The PR Week

It’s definitely something on the minds of in-house communications execs: How is the chief communications officer position changing? Does it matter if it reports to the CEO? Is it shrinking in importance? The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Torod Neptune raised those questions in an op-ed last week , and Jon Harris discusses them further on this week’s edition of The PR Week . Plus, Harris talks about his expectations for entries for the PRWeek Awards 2027 and discusses the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including Frank Shaw stepping down at Microsoft and concerns about safety — human safety, to be specific — related to AI. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a very special episode as Steve Barrett makes his return to The PR Week . The guest on the September 10, 2026, edition of The PR Week is Kenny Gold, who was appointed this year as Edelman’s first chief creator officer . He talks about the changing creator economy and creators as media outlets and news sources in their own right, as well as how his agency advises brands that are working with them. Plus, the biggest marketing, PR and communications news of the week, including how Publicis Groupe ended up handling media for both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo , the start of the 2026 NFL season and the legacy of Gloria Steinem. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kelly McGinnis has worked across technology and consumer PR, most recently as chief communications officer at Levi Strauss & Co . Now, she’s teaching students about having a seat at the table in a graduate course at the University of San Francisco. On the agenda for this week’s episode: Why she’s inviting current and former top communications executives to interact with students on the topic of problem-solving. What most people don’t realize about the San Francisco PR market. The work that inspires her. Her away-from-work life as an amateur equestrian. PRWeek reporter Jeremy Sodergren discusses the top PR and communications news of the week, including: His upcoming feature about Microsoft chief communications officer Frank Shaw . New comms executive appointments at Stellantis and Airbnb . Chipotle’s influencer push . Campaigns and brands at the US Open . PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest guest on The PR Week is Charlotte West , VP of global corporate communications at Lenovo. She talks about how Lenovo’s role as official technology partner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was much more than a sponsorship, improving operations and even the broadcast of the tournament. West also talks about how her team is using AI, balancing one global message with regional specifics and making earnings calls more interesting. Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including crises at Callaway Golf and Neutrogena , people moves at Walmart and Wendy’s , the start of the US Open and the death of entertainment legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton . PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From public affairs officer in the U.S. Navy to leading communications at New York Life and previously Voya Financial , Paul Gennaro has had a career spanning major organizations. He talks about that and how New York Life is implementing AI on the latest edition of The PR Week . Also on the agenda this week: PRWeek’s 2026 Hall of Fame class . And PRWeek’s Jess Ruderman talks about the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including new appointments at Vaseline and Burson and The Athletic’s “ Advantage calendar for football fans .” PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest guest on The PR Week is Grant Toups, global CEO of Hotwire. Toups talks about his first days and weeks on the job after stepping into Hotwire’s top role more than six months ago , as well as how his agency uses AI and works with influencers and creators. He also chats about his inspirations from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Plus, PRWeek’s Julia Walker discusses the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including PRWeek’s 2026 40 Under 40 list , Burson’s acquisition of AI company Limbik , a change at the top of American Airlines’ communications team and much more. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest guest on The PR Week is Ann Melinger, CEO of Bink, which works with biotech and life sciences companies on organizational culture, employee engagement and change management. She talks about Bink’s new Culture at Work Study and its key findings about how some companies fail to produce winning cultures while others thrive. Plus, PRWeek’s Diana Bradley on the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including key executive exits at Conagra , Edelman and Airbnb and acquisitions by FGS Global and One Strategy Group . PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What area of marketing is best positioned to be in charge of affiliate marketing? Mike Rush, EVP and partner at 360PR+, makes the case that it’s PR on the latest edition of The PR Week . Rush also talks about the Boston PR market and what it’s like having a lettuce client in the current news cycle. Plus the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, such as PRWeek’s Power List 2026 , Wendy’s decision to hire a new PR AOR for the first time in more than 30 years, a new chief communications officer at Skims and a look inside the New York Liberty’s PR playbook . PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In beautiful Cannes, France, one of the most interesting places during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is actually a basement — because that’s where the shortlisted campaign case studies are. The latest guest on The PR Week , Taj Reid , global chief creative officer at Burson, talks about that and much more, including how Burson and VML won the PR Lions Grand Prix for their work for client KitKat. Reid also chats about unconventional paths into the industry, AI’s impact on creativity and inspirational work. Plus, PRWeek’s Carina Cole talks about winners and losers from the World Cup — that’s to say brand winners and losers — and effective tournament marketing by players, countries and fans. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest edition of The PR Week features Jennifer Risi, founder and president of The Sway Effect. Risi founded The Sway Effect, a New York-headquartered global marketing and communications agency, exactly seven years ago on July 16. In 2025, The Sway Effect reported revenue of $4.9 million, up 11% from the same period a year prior, according to PRWeek’s latest Agency Business Report . Risi discusses what her firm has been up to, what she attributes its success to and highlights some client campaigns. She also talks about her takeaways from this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Plus, PRWeek news editor Diana Bradley reviews the biggest PR and communications news of the week with newly promoted senior reporter Julia Walker, including how brands are cracking jokes amid the cyclospora outbreak; the FDA taking steps to make good on its threat to remove the adequate provision rule for pharma DTC ads; Praytell’s expansion into the Asian market ; and people moves at SeatGeek , Etsy , Whoop and Unilever . PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest edition of The PR Week features Kevin Dulaney , EVP of innovation and integrated marketing at SourceCode Communications and a top agency strategist on AI. He talks all about AI — from where it’s most useful for agencies and their clients to where it’s overhyped — and discusses what he thinks is coming next. Plus, the biggest PR and communications news of the week with PRWeek news editor Diana Bradley, including top World Cup campaigns , brands’ reaction to Taylor Swift’s wedding and major executive moves at Ogilvy , Onclusive and Nvidia . PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest guest on The PR Week is helping explain fusion to the world and why it might soon be a part of people’s everyday lives. Joe Paluska is chief marketing officer of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is now the world’s largest fusion company. He talks about making a complicated technology understandable to the public and explains how his company works with influencers and content creators. Plus, PRWeek associate news editor Jess Ruderman interviews Frank Washkuch about the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and main takeaways from the event. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“PR is no longer that last mile. We’re the starting point in many initiatives.” Chris Foster, CEO of Omnicom Public Relations (OPR), spoke those words as he sat down with PRWeek in Cannes. This was evident in the many PR-led Cannes Lions award victories. It was equally apparent as Foster discussed his main takeaways from his time on the Croisette. These included a notable shift from ad influence to earned influence and the prevalence of reputation in conversations on the ground. Foster's all-encompassing chat with PRWeek executive editor Frank Washkuch also covered AI and the early days of OPR post-Omnicom-IPG merger. A must-listen. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Influencer marketing has officially grown up. What was once a fragmented landscape of one-off deals and experimental budgets has evolved into a sophisticated marketing channel defined by rising creator compensation, faster execution cycles and stronger long-term partnerships. Monica Caponigro, MD at Bobbie and co-author of a new study analyzing six years of creator partnership data, discusses the signals behind the creator economy's maturation and what they reveal about the future of brand-creator relationships. She'll explore why operational excellence is becoming the new competitive advantage, how marketers should rethink creator selection beyond follower count and why the brands winning today are treating creator marketing less like a campaign and more like a business system. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When one person shares their experience living with a condition, something powerful happens. Empathy spreads, understanding grows and change follows. Motivated by this belief, Chandler Chicco Agency created Ripple, which closes the gap between brands and the real patients they serve. The story behind this revolutionary offering, the incredible results already achieved and the lessons brands in every sector can learn are front and center during this podcast featuring Anna Khersonsky, managing director at Chandler Chicco Agency (CCA), Kerry O’Keefe, patient engagement lead for Ripple at CCA, and rare disease advocate James Ian. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So much conversation around AI has centered on its power as a tool to change how communicators operate. And it’s all valid. However, the realization has become inescapable: AI is no longer just a productivity enabler or touchpoint of amplification. During this podcast featuring RepTrak’s chief reputation and strategy officer Stephen Hahn, we tackle how AI has become your most important stakeholder for everything from reputation matters to crisis comms to the development of actionable insights. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week’s guest on The PR Week podcast is Mike Neumeier, cofounder and CEO of Arketi Group. In a wide-ranging interview, Neumeier talks about everything from the Atlanta PR market to making AI an effective part of an agency’s workflow. He also chats about the firm’s aggressive expansion strategy and what it looks for in prospective deals. Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week: the first round of the 2026 World Cup , the Knicks winning the NBA title , AMD’s new chief communications officer and much more. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week’s guest on The PR Week podcast is Jim O’Leary, an alum of Edelman and Weber Shandwick who recently joined Penta Group as CEO . O’Leary talks about why he switched firms and what the agency of the future looks like. Plus, the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including the completed Golin Ketchum merger , a new healthcare leader at Allison Worldwide and an interesting NBA Playoffs campaign starring Chipotle and Timothée Chalamet . And it wouldn’t be The PR Week podcast without some banter about the start of the World Cup, so tune in to see who PRWeek’s staff is supporting. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Does every technology client now need to be able to tell an AI story? Tyler Perry, co-CEO of Mission North, tries to answer that question and much more on this latest edition of The PR Week podcast . Perry also chats about: -How her firm makes sure employees are upskilled on the latest technology. -Mission North’s status as a Benefit Corporation, and how it balances that with servicing clients. -Her expectations for the PR agency sector. Also on this episode: PRWeek’s Jess Ruderman talks about the 2026 edition of PRWeek’s Pride in PR list , as well as trends she’s reporting on as major brands pull back from public Pride sponsorships. Plus, Edelman names its first global chief creator officer and T.J. Maxx has a cheeky response to being made the object of fun in the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. PRWeek.com Theme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC Jaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUS Receive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.