Digital Download with Paul Sutton

Last week Brewdog came under fire for a story that turned out not only to be untrue, but that came from a hard-to-identify source. It is the perfect example of the challenges facing brands in a post-Trump, post-Brexit world where misinformation holds as much if not more weight than the truth.

In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I discuss the phenomenon of fake news with Alex Myers, CEO of Brewdog’s PR agency, Manifest. He candidly opens up about the circumstances surrounding the story, and we go on to talk about the impact of fake news on the media, on individuals and on communications campaigns.

Here’s what is discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

When Nike published its latest advertisement featuring racial injustice campaigner Colin Kaepernick, it sparked a torrent of abuse for the brand from those who disagree with Kaepernick’s stance. It also prompted an outpouring of admiration from supportive consumers and marketers alike. To say it is controversial is an understatement.

In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I discuss Nike’s approach with Stephen Houraghan, who runs Australian branding agency Iconic Fox. We talk about how Nike uses brand archetypes modelling to understand its consumers, and about how archetypes can be used to differentiate brands from competitors. We also dig into what brand archetypes are and discuss authenticity, brand personality and why taking a stand on topical issues is so powerful.

Here’s what is discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

In the opening episode of Season Three of the Digital Download podcast, we take a look at some of the emerging technologies that digital communications professionals need to start paying attention to. Using Gartner’s Hype Cycle as a reference point, communications technology expert Neville Hobson and I discuss what’s predicted to hit the mainstream within the next two to three years. Through the lens of public relations and marketing communications, we analyse the impact that these might have and what we should be doing now to prepare ourselves for what’s around the corner.

Here’s what is discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

In the final episode of Season Two of the Digital Download podcast, we take a look at some of the major themes to have emerged from the show during the last three months. MD of Carrot Communications and co-founder of Polpeo Kate Hartley and I discuss how, despite the podcast being primarily about how digital technology is impacting the communications industry, the outstanding message to come through is one of humanity. We talk about what this means in terms of technologies including social media and artificial intelligence and speculate as to how the marketing communications industry may develop with this in mind.

Here’s what is discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

Hard rock band Halestorm won a Grammy Award in 2013 and is about to release its fourth album in nine years on Atlantic Records. Lead singer Lzzy Hale is one of the most popular and likeable frontwomen (or men) on social media, where she is pretty much ever-present on Twitter and Instagram. But does popularity pay?

I caught up with Lzzy and guitarist Joe Hottinger (who, incidentally, are two of the nicest people you could wish to meet) on a recent media trip to London to promote their new record. In this special episode of the Digital Download podcast, I chat to them about the band’s very personal use of social media, the bond they have with fans, how their fans inspire their music, and ultimately how social media helps them to sell records and concert tickets. We also talk about dealing with trolls and even death threats, and about how to keep pushing yourself to achieve bigger and better things. There’s a lot that marketers can learn about relationship building in this episode from the way Halestorm goes about things.

Here’s what is discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

The word ‘community’ is often misused by communications professionals, many of whom fail to grasp the fundamental nature of community and how to leverage it. But when deployed strategically, with a clear purpose and focus on the members not the administrator, online communities can provide huge business value.

In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Gemma Went, a digital strategist who has built a successful mentoring business by building a vibrant online community. We discuss what role communities can play in the marketing process, how much time and effort it takes to build and maintain a valuable online community, how being true to yourself and vulnerable builds intimacy, and ultimately how to monetise a community.

Here’s what we discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

There’s a lot of corporate rubbish spoken in and around the PR industry. From over-elaborate brand statements and communications jargon to pseudo-propitious CSR initiatives. Companies and brands hide behind walls of carefully constructed marketing initiatives that present a polished veneer instead of what really goes on inside those organisations. But what if we remove that veneer?

In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to John Brown, founder of Don’t Cry Wolf, about honesty. We talk about how transparency and authenticity are fast becoming something that clients and customers not only want but demand, and about the difficulty many brands have when faced with this change. Vulnerability is not a weakness unless you treat it as one.

Here’s what we discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

B2B influencer marketing is a discipline that, far from being in its infancy, has not reached the maturity of the consumer sector. While the latter is plagued with Instagram and YouTube ‘stars’ who flog their supposed influence to the highest bidder, the B2B sector is relatively untouched. Many communications professionals are unsure of how to best utilise B2B influencers and of what the differences in approach are to the consumer sector.

In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Scott Guthrie, an independent communications professional who has made his name in the influencer marketing space. We discuss how B2B influencer marketing differs from B2C, what makes someone influential in the B2B space, how to find and approach B2B influencers, what motivates them and why having affinity with them is so important.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

This episode of the Digital Download podcast was recorded live at Digital Download Live 2018. The event presented a challenging set of developments for the communications industry that necessitate ensuring you are up-to-speed with technological change, namely fake news, a potential crash in influencer marketing, the decline of content visibility and the threat of artificial intelligence. In today’s show, some of those attending Digital Download Live 2018 discuss what they heard at the event and what they feel we should do about it.

Here’s what’s discussed in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.

Instagram is arguably the most creative of all of the social media channels, and yet so many brands, companies and marketers struggle with how to utilise it. While many corporate accounts are dull and predictable, there are individuals using Instagram to build their personal brands in highly creative ways, and it is from these examples that inspiration can be taken.

In this episode of the Digital Download podcast I talk to Bronte Huskinson about her phenomenal rise from 3000 to 42,000 Instagram followers in just nine months. Bronte’s approach to the platform is one of the most creative I have ever seen, and in today’s show she lets us into the secrets of where she finds her own inspiration and how to grow a large and loyal following based purely on creativity and without resorting to silly tricks like follow-for-follow and Instapods.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

I’d love to hear from you with any comments or thoughts. I read and reply to every single email, tweet or message.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please email it to a friend and/or share it on your favourite social media channels. You might also want to check out Digital Download Membership, which is like having an army of expert mentors to turn to who keep you updated with the latest digital and social media developments and provide feedback and opinions on your ideas.

And finally, it would also be very awesome and hugely appreciated if you’d be able to take a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, as this helps others discover Digital Download.