For Immediate Release

By Neville Hobson and Shel HoltzBusiness News Marketing Business News Tech News

For Immediate Release episodes

July 05, 2020 FIR Zoom Chat #12: Diving into Streaming Software
This week’s FIR Zoom Chat included a discussion about using streaming software like OBS and vMix.
The post FIR Zoom Chat #12: Diving into Streaming Software appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
1 hr 2 min
June 22, 2020 FIR #196: Speak Up, Twitter
The June 2020 episode of The Hobson and Holtz Report features Neville and Shel discussing their appearance on Joe Jaffe's broadcast show; a report on the all-virtual IABC World Conference; Twitter's move to let users record and tweet audio; three new blockchain developments of interest to communicators; Flipboard's new Storyboard feature; a user email that prompted Merriam-Webster to update a dictionary definition; how Wikipedia became a battleground for racial justice; and Facebook's news tab and Instagram's rise as a source of news. Dan York reports on inclusive language in technology and big players making big plays in podcasting.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR #196: Speak Up, Twitter appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
1 hr 17 min
June 18, 2020 FIR Zoom Chat #11: Virtual Conferences
This week's FIR Zoom Chat included a discussion of IABC's virtual 2020 conference and the viability of virtual conferences in general.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR Zoom Chat #11: Virtual Conferences appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
55 min
May 29, 2020 FIR Zoom Chat #10: Virtual Tours
Among the topics in this week’s FIR Zoom Chat: What services companies have introduced during the coronavirus that may (or may not) still be around after it’s all over. Also, Sherrilynne Starkie shares what her museum clients are doing while nobody is allowed in museums, including virtual tours conducted by curators over Instagram Live.

41 min
May 29, 2020 FIR Zoom Chat #10: Virtual Tours
Among the topics in this week's FIR Zoom Chat: What services companies have introduced during the coronavirus that may (or may not) still be around after it's all over. Also, Sherrilynne Starkie shares what her museum clients are doing while nobody is allowed in museums, including virtual tours conducted by curators over Instagram Live.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR Zoom Chat #10: Virtual Tours appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
41 min
May 23, 2020 FIR Zoom Chat #9: Zoom Better
The ninth weekly Zoom conversation with FIR hosts and listeners covered (among other things) how to make Zoom meetings more engaging.

1 hr
May 23, 2020 FIR Zoom Chat #9: Zoom Better
The ninth weekly Zoom conversation with FIR hosts and listeners covered (among other things) how to make Zoom meetings more engaging.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR Zoom Chat #9: Zoom Better appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
1 hr
May 18, 2020 For Immediate Release #195: Online Retailers Go Postal
In the May episode of “The Hobson and Holtz Report,” Neville and Shel discussed how a group of online retailers led by Amazon has come together to pressure the U.S. Congress to save the Postal Service through a highly targeted advertising campaign. Other topics include…

* The importance of being true to your brand purpose during the pandemic
* New tools on LinkedIn
* The evolution of brand movies
* How Skype faded while Zoom rose
* A challenge from the United Nations for creative types to create visual pandemic messages

Dan York reports on Facebook’s acquisition of GIPHY and the opportunities for communicators to learn more about live streaming.
We are hosting an FIR Communicators Coffee Break on Zoom each Thursday during the stay-at-home period at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials, contact Shel or Neville directly or request the credentials in our Facebook group or send an email to [email protected]. Spread the word to your communications community.
Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.
You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog.
The next episode of For Immediate Release will be posted on Monday, June 15.
Links from This Week’s Episode

* To All the Purpose-Driven Businesses: We Will Remember You
* How PepsiCo Partnered with Actor John Krasinski to Highlight CSR Efforts
* PepsiCo Foodservice Launches Four New Initiatives To Support Restaurant Industry COVID-19 Relief Efforts
* PepsiCo Finds Empathy Is The New Imperative for Marketers Amid Pandemic Uncertainty
* PepsiCo Helping Restaurant Workers Coping with COVID-19
* PepsiCo Is First Major Consumer Foods Name to Take a Big Dive Into DTC
* Popeyes Is Hiring Musicians to Record its Iconic ‘Love That Chicken’ Jingle
* Top AWS engineer Tim Bray quits $1m-plus job over Amazon firing employees
* Maintaining Healthy Reputations During a Pandemic
* 18 Brands Getting In On Virtual Graduations and Proms (With a Slew of Celebs)
* IKEA designs forts for children in lockdown
* Top 6 Gin Distilleries Making Their Own Hand Sanitiser
* LinkedIn adds polls and live video-based events
* Brand Film ...
1 hr 16 min
May 18, 2020For Immediate Release #195: Online Retailers Go Postal
In the May episode of "The Hobson and Holtz Report," Neville and Shel discussed how a group of online retailers led by Amazon has come together to pressure the U.S. Congress to save the Postal Service through a highly targeted advertising campaign. Other topics include...
The importance of being true to your brand purpose during the pandemic
New tools on LinkedIn
The evolution of brand movies
How Skype faded while Zoom rose
A challenge from the United Nations for creative types to create visual pandemic messages
Dan York reports on Facebook's acquisition of GIPHY and the opportunities for communicators to learn more about live streaming.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR #195: Online Retailers Go Postal appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
1 hr 16 min
May 16, 2020 FIR Zoom Chat #8: Evil Fictitious Corporations
The eighth weekly Zoom conversation with FIR hosts and listeners covered a lot of ground, including a look at Phil Gomes’ collection of mugs featuring the logos of evil corporations from movies. Not to worry, there was lots of communication-focused conversation, too.

1 hr