For Immediate Release #34: Mired in stock photo hell

Despite unusual recording issues, we managed to get this one in the can! Panelists include Cruiseable.com CEO JD Lasica, Elasticity Senior Vice President Jason Falls, and ClaimWizard Marketing Director Lynette Young — social media thought leaders all — had a lively conversation about the following topics:

* New research that finds that influencers produce the greatest ROI and a significantly lower cost than other marketing approaches

* With messaging apps ascending and social networking sites on the decline, public media is giving way to private media. How can brands cope?

* We’re entering a new era of authenticity, and JD says it applies to a variety of different issues, including live video, messaging apps, sponsored content, and even stock photos.

* “Live-tweeting” historical events on their anniversaries has become a thing. Can brands play?

* Access to Facebook topic data — at a price — is disrupting the social listening space.

* A study finds that bad news hurts brands that have low engagement scores more than brands that have been engaging with customers. Is this a face-palm moment, or a usable lesson for crisis teams?

* Dan York reports on what we can learn from the languages that are taught in other countries, a White House official who says he “pushed a narrative” to sell the media on the Iran nuclear deal, the ongoing ad-blocking wars, Apple’s role in podcasts, and an invitation to an Internet Society discussion.

Connect with our panelists on Twitter at @jasonfalls, @jdlasica and @lynetteradio.

Links to the source material for this episode are on Delicious.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

About today’s panel:

Jason Falls is the no-nonsense, loud, brash, straight-shooter who is more apt to tell you the truth about digital marketing, public relations and social media than try to sell you something. Sure, he drives strategy and content for clients through his work with Elasticity, but when Falls talks, people listen. Unabashed, unafraid and unfiltered, Falls leaves audiences thinking, laughing and wanting more. Aside from his engaging talks, he is a well-respected social industry analyst, oft-interviewed and quoted by the likes of the BBC, Reuters, Forbes and more. Falls writes at JasonFalls.com, GoElastic.com and for Entrepreneur.com, among others. He has authored two books, neither of which are about his favorite topic (bourbon) and is an unabashed fan, resident and advocate for the city of Louisville and the State of Kentucky. He is Senior VP of Digital Strategy at Elasticity.

JD Lasica is an entrepreneur, journalist, public speaker and social media pioneer. He co-founded Ourmedia, the first free video hosting site, six weeks before YouTube was born. He also founded Socialmedia.biz, a global social media consultancy for brands, and Socialbrite.org, a social media agency for nonprofits. In 2012 he spoke at the United Nations on how to use social media to combat global poverty. He is now CEO and co-founder of Cruiseable, a website and mobile app that makes it easy for people to discover and plan the perfect cruise vacation. He’s recently back from cruises to Istanbul and the Mexican Riviera, courtesy of Viking and Princess Cruises. JD is also a professional photographer, with more than 10,000 photos on Flickr.

Lynette Young is co-founder and Director of Marketing ClaimWizard, a software-as-a-service workflow management system for the public adjuster industry.