The guest on the latest edition of The PR Week podcast is the global CEO of Allison, Jonathan Heit. 

He talks about the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, where Allison’s holding company, Stagwell, held Sports Beach and other activations. Also on the agenda: Allison’s collaboration with other agencies for Go Daddy and what clients are looking for halfway through 2025. 

Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including an upset in the New York City mayoral race’s Democratic primary, major executive moves and FTC approval for the Omnicom-IPG deal. 

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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On this special edition of The PR Week podcast, VP, editorial director, Steve Barrett talks with FleishmanHillard chief inclusion and impact officer Adrianne Smith about the growth of Inkwell Beach at Cannes and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the creative industry. 

Smith reflects on her journey to make the festival more inclusive, the challenges and misconceptions about DEI, and the role of FleishmanHillard in promoting an inclusive culture.

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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PRWeek VP and editorial director Steve Barrett caught up with PR Lions jury chair and Weber Shandwick chief creative officer Tom Beckman in Cannes this week for a wide-ranging discussion.

Beckman talks about standout work and other trends from this year’s Cannes Lions in the latest edition of The PR Week podcast.

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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On this week’s first live-from-Cannes special edition of The PR Week, PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett interviews Stagwell CEO Mark Penn, who discusses the Stagwell Sport Beach at Cannes, the role of sports in marketing and the positioning of Stagwell as a challenger in the holding company landscape. Penn highlights the importance of collaboration among creative agencies and shares insights on political communication.

Listen to their conversation and stay tuned for more exclusive interviews this week from the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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“You build a brand. You earn a reputation.” Just one of a myriad pearls of wisdom Ray Day, executive chair at Allison Worldwide and vice chair at Stagwell Group, shared with PRWeek’s Gideon Fidelzeid during this podcast. Reputation has always been among every company’s most important assets and every brand communicator’s most vital responsibilities. The associated challenges, though, have never been more daunting due to the unprecedented amount of uncertainty we all face today — societally, economically and otherwise. How do you combat that as a communicator? By being data-led, digital-first and future-focused. By being comfortable with the noise. By mastering the admittedly difficult balancing act of appealing to stakeholders on both sides of the political aisle. And by understanding and respecting the emotions of your key audiences. The intelligence you need to do all this is there for you — including in two pieces of recent research and a plethora of inspiring examples that are referenced throughout this conversation.

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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This week’s guest on The PR Week podcast is Josh Earnest, former White House communications director and EVP of communications and advertising at United Airlines. 

He talks about a wide range of topics and issues, such as his priorities leading earned and paid media at a major international carrier, the challenges of messaging for critical topics like airline safety and issues at Newark Liberty International Airport and next week’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. 

Plus the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, from Reddit naming its first chief communications officer

 to WPP CEO Mark Read’s decision to step down to the results of the wide-ranging Mars review. 

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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Maybe the biggest news to come out of PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2025 was that Real Chemistry supplanted Edelman as the No. 1 PR firm in the U.S. by revenue for 2024. 

Real Chemistry CEO Shankar Narayanan talks about that honor, and what the disposal of specialist shop Swoop will mean for his firm, on the latest edition of The PR Week podcast. He also previews Real Chemistry’s presence at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, talks about how nearly all of his firm’s work is rooted in communications and discusses what happens when large organizations combine — spoiler: they don’t become more creative. 

Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, from the opening honorees on 

PRWeek’s Pride in PR list to McDonald’s chief impact officer Michael Gonda’s new job at Nike.  

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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This week’s episode of The PR Week podcast comes to you from PRWeek’s Women of Distinction event at The Lighthouse at Pier 61 in New York City.

PRWeek’s associate news editor Diana Bradley and reporter Julia Walker discuss this year’s Women of Distinction and Women to Watch honorees. 

Additionally, they give highlights from a panel held with comms execs from Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Merck on coping with RTO mandates as moms and a talk with Baked by Melissa CEO and cofounder Melissa Ben-Ishay.

The episode also includes conversations with honorees from on and off the stage at the event.

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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PRWeek toasted the best international work last week at the PRWeek Global Awards in London. Here’s a special behind-the-scenes look at the show with Andy Pharoah, VP of corporate affairs and sustainability at Mars and chair of judges for the awards program. 

Weber Shandwick was the big winner, taking home six awards from the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, in the heart of Knightsbridge, London.

Plus, here’s a recap of the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including Adam Collins stepping down from the top comms job at Molson Coors, major hires at Eli Lilly and Company and Jeep and a tribute to Al Tortorella, a key figure in Tylenol’s 1982 crisis response. 

AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! 

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