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 beginnings in electrical engineering - saw her transition to psychology in undergrad, ultimately leading her to digital marketing. Having worked together over the years, host Kyle A.Turner invited Rosalyn for a conversation on the podcast.

Listen in as Kyle and Rosalyn discuss:

• Misnomers and misunderstandings about technological advancement in agriculture today
• The ubiquity of digital marketing and what it looks like in agriculture
• The importance of identifying your audience, and meeting them where they are across digital platforms
• How recent evolutions in the ag industry are driving changes to the marketing around it
• The power and potential of AI tools on the digital marketing landscape

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 Spring Seminar, Anne Green, host and G&S Principal, asked him to join her on the podcast.

Listen in as Howard and Anne discuss:

• Today’s limited conceptions of "ability" versus "disability" and why our approach to accessibility in digital spaces needs a significant paradigm shift
• The importance of human guidance and ethical considerations in employing AI as a tool to advance inclusivity and accessibility
• Sorting through the hype and potential of AI in bridging the digital divide and transforming accessibility

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 spending 22-years contributing to the marketing of a brand that is 117-years old, David Marine, Chief Marketing Officer at Coldwell Banker, knows a little something about playing the long game. He joins G&S Principal Anne Green to share insights on two decades of experience at Coldwell Banker, thoughts on the concept and evolution of branding, and smart advice for those looking to build a career in marketing.

David underscores the significance of staying grounded in the essence of your message, despite shifting priorities, technologies and tactics. This is especially critical when guiding a well-known brand that is over a century old while continuing to innovate.

Listen in as David and Anne discuss:

• How to continuously advance and innovate while remaining true to core brand values
• The roles of compelling storytelling and cultural relevance in brand longevity
• Lessons from the evolution of iconic brands like Nike and Marvel - and how David translates these learnings for into selling the American Dream of home

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 intuitive. Building them takes intentionality, inclusive leadership and active investment.

Join us as we discuss:

• How to actively invest in inclusivity and belonging to avoid lip service, build relationships and champion diversity
• The vital role of internal champions in driving DEI initiatives
• Staying true with a mission-driven focus for genuine impact and organic growth

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 intentional ethical consideration across all contexts — Kim, Mark and Anne dive in and discuss:

• The transformative potential of generative AI as a technology and societal shift
• Overall role and importance of ethics in communications, and the pressing need to apply an ethical lens to uses of generative AI
• Importance of and opportunities to lean into ethical decision-making training in the context of AI
• How core tenets of the PR Council Code of Ethics & Principles - such as transparency, disclosure, sourcing and promoting truth/accuracy - are hugely relevant to the generative AI evolution

To make sure you never miss an episode of Building Brand Gravity, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the website.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Building Brand Gravity in your favorite podcast player.

This episode is a follow-up to Anne Green’s conversation with Dr. Osei Appiah, Professor at the 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 majors—and ultimately careers—in marketing communications, the specific areas of work that excite them, and their experiences with BASCA and its impact on their professional development.

These students share their excitement and concerns about entering the industry, as well as their thoughts on previous work and internship experiences. They also touch on the issue of bias, the challenges of being the “only one” in a room and in opening doors for others in the Black community, and offer advice for marketing organizations looking to support young Black professionals.

Join Anne and her guests as they provide valuable insights into the marketing communications industry and share their thoughts on what it takes to help professionals from traditionally marginalized communities build a successful career in these fields.

To make sure you never miss an episode of Building Brand Gravity, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the website. 

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Building Brand Gravity in your favorite podcast player.

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 communication
• Intentional approaches to cultivating and empowering Black professionals
• Historic barriers to building and sustaining a strong talent pipeline
• The roles of industry and academia in making change and building belonging

Dr. Appiah shares his thoughts on the progress of diversity in the advertising and marcomms industry and provides insight into how we can work together to increase representation and empower Black talent by highlighting BASCA—the Black Advertising and Strategic Communications Association.

Dr. Appiah Founded BASCA as a partnership between students, faculty, and professionals to develop and prepare Black students for careers in advertising, communications, marketing and more.

More information about Dr. Appiah and today’s topics:

• LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osei-appiah-ph-d-3446472/
• University Website: https://comm.osu.edu/people/appiah.2
• Other Relevant Links: https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Persuasion-Perspectives-Research-Application/dp/1609277325

https://www.amazon.com/Biased-Uncovering-Hidden-Prejudice-Shapes-ebook/dp/B07DH89ZDY
Make sure to subscribe to hear the follow-up episode in which Anne will interview three BASCA student leaders!
To make sure you never miss an episode of Building Brand Gravity, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the website.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Building Brand Gravity in your favorite podcast player.

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 workers and managers on sustainability and how to overcome it
• What is the biggest blind spot in sustainability reporting?
• What is the role of the Chief Communication Officers in sustainability?

More information about Rob and today’s topics:
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robjek/
Company Website: https://theharrispoll.com/

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 the links? Just search for Building Brand Gravity in your favorite podcast player.

Due to the current media landscape, it may feel like there is a new crisis every day. 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. 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 their sentiments
• Brands that are doing it wrong (Twitter) vs. brands that are doing it right (Ben & Jerry’s)
• The key steps senior communicators can take to build effective crisis management

More information about Dr. Eaddy and today’s topics:
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lashonda-eaddy-ph-d-apr-12a1b03
 
Company Website: https://www.bellisario.psu.edu/people/individual/lashonda-l.-eaddy
Other Relevant Links: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21722372/

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 the links? Just search for Building Brand Gravity in your favorite podcast player.