The Innovator's Mic
90 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratingsThe Innovator’s Mic, from March Communications, explores technology, innovation and the people who make it happen. Each episode we’ll pick the brains of true innovators who hail from across the technology, marketing and PR worlds, getting into the weeds of what makes them tick, how they get their stories out there, and what they’re focused on right now.
From AI to health tech to diversity and inclusion in tech, listen in as we discuss the intricacies of what it’s like to have a tech insider’s knowledge with an outsider’s perspective. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on social media @marchcomms to be the first to know who’s on the mic next.
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Episodes
40 - I'm in the Weeds, and It's Gross
May 15, 2017 07:00 - 40 minutes - 39.9 MBMichelle Cove has turned a career as a media maker into an opportunity to address that industry's most harmful effects. She's founder and executive director of MEDIAGIRLS, a nonprofit that gives young girls the tools to filter and think critically about the harmful sexist and biased messages communicated in today's media. In this week's Hacks and Flacks, Marina Askari and Manny Veiga talk to Michelle about her journey from filmmaker to startup founder, chat about the communications strate...
39 - Backed Facts vs Fake News
March 31, 2017 04:00 - 30 minutes - 31.6 MBWe're living in the era of fake news, or at least, the fear of fake news. Stories that would have once been reserved for salacious supermarket tabloids are now being shared like wildfire across social media and discussed seriously on the nightly news. It's bad for readers (who do you trust?) bad for media (how do you prove your credibility?) and bad for businesses, who don't want to get caught up in a phony but potentially damaging story. Even a fake story could be a massive PR risk. In ...
38 - There's No Bad Time for Pop Tarts
March 10, 2017 08:00 - 45 minutes - 46.3 MBWhen you're trying to start a business, it can be tough to figure out your next step. Daquan Oliver, founder and executive director at WeThrive, learned this from a young age, and now he works to develop entrepreneurial skills in students from middle school on up. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, Daquan shares a few lessons in social entrepreneurship. Having successfully built a national collective of undergrad mentors for youth in under-resourced communities, Daquan describes how in...
37 - Know Your Customer
February 22, 2017 14:55 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBCompanies like to talk a lot about their fancy gadgets and whiz-bang whirligigs (good word), but are customers actually listening? In most cases, probably not. So, how should brands re-think marketing and PR to grab the interest and attention of the right buyers, and drive them to take an action? We ask Jodi Petrie, Executive Vice President at March and the head of our new Consumer Innovation shop, for her perspective. Jodi offers thoughts on the current state of tech communications, and s...
36 - Believe the Hype
January 30, 2017 08:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBJanuary was a busy month for the tech world, and for March Communications. We sent team members out to major tech events this month, and in this episode of Hacks and Flacks, three of them report back what they heard and saw while on the road. Courtney Allen, James Gerber and Alex Jafarzadeh check in after trips to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail's Big Show. They evaluate how the biggest innovators in artificial intelligence, virtual reali...
35 - Let Your Freak Flag Fly
January 13, 2017 05:00 - 53 minutes - 53 MBRica Elysee is a builder. Based on her personal experiences with family and friends, she saw the need for a community for women that care about a natural hair lifestyle, which is why she created BostonNaturals. Now she's built a business in BeautyLynk, an on-demand marketplace for people to find beauty professionals for at-home appointments. Through both experiences, she found that staying true to herself and her own personal journey helped her build grassroots communities, whether it was ...
34 - I'm Just Asking the Question
December 23, 2016 05:00 - 34 minutes - 39.4 MBIf some content is good, more is better, right? Marketers know that's not always the case, especially in today's content marketing environment, where the sheer volume of content available for buyers to read can be overwhelming. When there's too much content out there, you have to change your own content creation strategy to get noticed. In the final Hacks and Flacks of 2016, we talk with Joe Flynn, Managing Editor at Sales Engine Media, about that exact challenge. A veteran B2B content mar...
33 - The Slipperierest Slope
November 11, 2016 08:00 - 32 minutes - 31.5 MBMost tech businesses abide by that old rule of thumb: never discuss politics and religion in polite company. However, this year we've seen many prominent individuals and companies thrust into the political spotlight, whether they wanted to be there or not. How have they responded? And as tech becomes more intertwined with our everyday life, should we expect to see more companies comment on social and political issues that are typically outside their depth? In this episode of Hacks and Flac...
32 - Pitch Early, But Not Often
October 21, 2016 07:00 - 31 minutes - 29.9 MBBloomberg is a brand of contrasts. It's simultaneously one of the biggest names in news, while also flying under the radar for those of us who don't keep up on the latest in business or investment. The Bloomberg Boston office is inconspicuously tucked away on two upper floors of a Downtown Crossing high-rise, but within that space, reporters are creating stories that are read and heard by a huge international audience. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks we talk to Anne Mostue, radio ancho...
31 - Cut the Complexity
October 07, 2016 07:00 - 25 minutes - 27.4 MBWhat's one buzzword that's just about run out of steam in the world of healthcare? "Solutions." Boston Business Journal reporter Jessica Bartlett hears it often enough, and that's because she's regularly pitched by PR professionals working on behalf of the region's many healthcare businesses. Off the back of a recent Pub Club of New England speed pitching session, Jessica joins Hacks and Flacks this week for a discussion about media outreach and reporting. She offers a glimpse into the d...
30 - I Liked The Way You Looked at That Ocean
September 23, 2016 07:00 - 40 minutes - 39.1 MBWhen you're hyper-focused on results, it's easy to view PR and marketing as a purely numbers-driven game. However, the creative arts - writing, photography, video and more - play a central role in contributing to those numbers by helping companies tell their stories and reach their desired audience. On this week's Hacks and Flacks, we talk to two people who understand the art and science of visual mediums. When she's not working as a biomedical engineer for Boston's MC10, photographer Ello...
29 - You Have to Pick a Hill
September 02, 2016 04:00 - 35 minutes - 36 MBGawker.com is gone. Some people are upset, some people are dancing on its grave. Is there a right or a wrong perspective on Gawker's demise? Was its fate deserved because of its controversial and confrontational editorial style, or was Peter Thiel's cash-fueled vendetta an ugly harbinger of what could happen to the state of media if the powerful choose to litigate the free press into non-existence? The hot Gawker takes have been flying left and right, and on this week's Hacks and Flacks, A...
28 - New Phone, Who Dis?
August 19, 2016 07:00 - 40 minutes - 38.9 MBThe relationships between PR pros and journalists can be... complicated, to say the least. But, it's not all form pitches and frustration - in the best case scenario, PR folks and reporters can establish mutually beneficial relationships that result in great stories and reliable sources. On this week's Hacks and Flacks, Manny Veiga and Paul Davenport talk to HealthITSecurity's Elizabeth Snell about her preferred rules of engagement when it comes to PR pitching and outreach. We also talk ab...
27 - To Newsjack, or Nah?
July 22, 2016 07:00 - 30 minutes - 28.7 MBWhen big news breaks, it's tempting to check if there's a chance to add your company's voice to the issue (how's your Pokemon Go pitch coming along, by the way?). As March Senior Account Executive Alex Jafarzadeh recently wrote, the recent Brexit story provided interesting examples of what works and what can go wrong when you try to offer your spokesperson to reporters as an expert on a major timely news story. "Newsjacking," as this PR strategy is called, can pay off when you have a leg...
26 - Surprise Macarons
July 15, 2016 07:00 - 43 minutes - 43.3 MBWhether you're hiring for a PR agency or an in-house marketing team, it's helpful to know as much as possible about the capabilities, expectations and possibilities of your potential future employees. That's why Hacks and Flacks brought in Amy Shanler, Associate Professor of Public Relations at Boston University and the head of BU's PRLab, for a glimpse into how tomorrow's professionals are being trained for a PR career. The student-staffed PRLab is the nation's oldest student-run PR agenc...
25 - One Hazy Chicago Afternoon
July 01, 2016 07:00 - 51 minutes - 54.1 MBData can tell a great story, and research campaigns are how you find that data. In this week's episode we talk to March Research Manager Jeremy Guterl, Account Manager Steph Jackman and Senior Account Executive Samantha Bell about their recent work developing, distributing and promoting a successful PR research campaign. Jeremy defines the difference between media-genic and strategic research, and walks us through every step of the research process. Steph provides a blueprint for conductin...
24 - #PRXNE16 Preview with Erin Callanan
June 03, 2016 04:00 - 29 minutes - 28.8 MBWant to host an event? You better be organized. Organizing an industry event or trade show takes careful planning, collaboration, support from sponsors, great content and much more, as we learned in this week's interview with Erin Callanan, co-chair of PRXNE16, the annual conference for PRSA's North East district. Erin is one of the chief organizers for PRXNE16 - held this year in our hometown of Boston - and we talked to her to get her expert tips on event organization. She also previews ...
23 - I Want Twitter to Work
April 08, 2016 04:00 - 44 minutes - 101 MBWhen they think about a business social media strategy, most marketers probably think platform-first: where's my audience most active, and how can I spend the most time on that channel engaging with them? But is that actually the right strategy? Is it better to be hyper-focused on one platform, try to build quality engagement on every channel, or do something in between? On this week's Hacks and Flacks we cover those questions and many more with March Senior Account Executive Alex Jafarzad...
22 - Show Me a Little Evil
March 04, 2016 05:00 - 34 minutes - 33.8 MBWhat's new in the world of digital media? Some publications are launching on new platforms to get their content in front of readers, while others are experimenting with social and mobile channels to improve reader engagement. And no one can figure out what's going on with Twitter. We cover it all on this week's Hacks and Flacks, in our first monthly roundtable featuring March's own Andrew Grzywacz and Paul Davenport, plus Hacks and Flacks alum Jim Young. We muse about the BBC's use of Yik...
21 - There's No Such Thing as Intangibles
February 12, 2016 05:00 - 41 minutes - 47.7 MBNumbers can be a little scary. Marketing and PR are results-driven industries, and demonstrating why the work you do every day meet key businesses objectives can seem daunting if you don't have the right tools, processes or perspective. Even worse, you might be reluctant to measure your results in the first place, out of fear of what cold, hard facts might reveal about your every day work. On this week's Hacks and Flacks we talk to Katie Delahaye Paine, also known as The Measurement Queen,...
20 - Ain't No Party Like a Warehouse Party
January 29, 2016 05:00 - 34 minutes - 27.5 MBIt's one of the biggest trade shows in the world, and it can be a complete nightmare for the woebegone PR pro who hasn't adequately prepared. But, the Consumer Electronics Show - better known as CES - is also a great opportunity to connect your client or business with a huge number of journalists and influencers in one fell swoop. So, how do you avoid the chaos and make the most of your time at CES? This week we talk to March Vice President Erica Frank, Account Director Courtney Allen and ...
19 - This Is Not the Time or the Place
October 09, 2015 04:00 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBIs there anything more frustrating about the Internet than advertisements? Pop-ups, banners, videos – they interrupt the browsing experience and may even grind your page load times to a halt (and drain your monthly mobile data plan, by the way). At the same time, online advertisements are a valuable source of revenue for publishers, who have seen revenue from print advertisements largely dry up. Enter ad blocking software. These controversial tools are common among Internet users, and they'...
18 - Complicated, Weird Human Beings
September 25, 2015 04:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBHubSpot's INBOUND isn't quite like other business events and conferences. Yes, it attracts thousands of attendees (15,000+ this year), is hosted by a world-class city, features show-stealing keynote addresses (Aziz Ansari, Seth Godin, Brené Brown and Chelsea Clinton) and provides educational sessions – not unlike, say, Dreamforce. What's different about INBOUND, and what's been proven over six annual events, is that HubSpot's ambition is to create a movement. To get an inside look at INBOU...
17 - Take That Kernel and Make It Awesome
September 11, 2015 04:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBIf a picture is worth a thousand words, how valuable is video? Visual storytelling can be a powerful medium, as it often allows you to convey messages, invoke emotions and inspire action far more effectively than the written word alone. Brendan Reilly is a believer in the power of visual storytelling for B2B marketers. He should be, considering he is, after all, the Director of Video Services here at March Communications. In this week's episode, he sat down with us to share some of his favo...
16 - Air Force Ones In Mint Green
August 28, 2015 04:00 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBThe last time you went shopping, did you actually drive to a store, or did you just stroll over to your couch and log into your computer or phone? If you bought online because the cost was lower, did you wish you had an opportunity to pick up and preview whatever it was you purchased? Even though websites and mobile apps have taken some traffic away from brick-and-mortar retailers, customers still crave an engaging in-store experience, and that desire has helped some of these stores undergo...
15 - Journalism, Unshackled
August 14, 2015 13:35 - 42 minutes - 39 MBIt's been a busy summer in the world of media and journalism. The "New York Times" made some news of its own, after topping 1 million digital-only subscribers and rolling out its "live journalism" program. Bill Simmons left behind writing for ESPN in favor of a multi-platform gig with HBO. Digital media companies continued to trend toward unionization, and Gawker in particular experienced some of the greatest growing pains, following an editorial controversy that split its newsroom. On thi...
14 - They Call It The Bookternet
July 24, 2015 04:00 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBIt's like a success story you'd read in a business book. Less than four years after launching your startup, you've built a dedicated community of supporters, expanded well beyond your core product offering, and received coverage from the likes of Buzzfeed, TechCrunch and Mashable. And you've done it with only a handful of employees. Jack Neary, Head of Community at Litographs, is living this story. In this role, he's has helped bring exposure to the popular Boston-based company, known for i...
13 -Live From President Taft's Oversized Bathtub
July 10, 2015 04:00 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBWhen thinking about how social media analytics and reporting has evolved, it's helpful to borrow an example from the world of sports. In baseball, traditional statistics like batting average and runs batted in are equivalent to retweets, likes and favorites on social media − they provide some insights, but they don't tell the whole story. In his work with Crimson Hexagon, customer success manager (and baseball fanatic) Justin Gagnon uses social listening tools to dig deeper than surface-lev...
12 - Very Little Scotch Tape in Sausage
June 26, 2015 04:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBSo, we have a podcast. We want to promote it. A social media strategy was in order, and we figured why not give you, our listeners, an inside look at its development. Step 1 was to meet with drew Wallace, Hacks and Flacks alumnus (Episode 2) and digital marketing guru. On this episode, you'll hear our first conversation with drew, as we work with him to identify our audience, brainstorm content for our target social platforms, and assign metrics. We also experimented with live broadcasting ...
11 - Whatever You Call It, We Still Want It
June 12, 2015 04:00 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MBWhether as Employee No. 11 at HubSpot or in her current role as VP of Marketing for Toast, Ellie Mirman has always taken a data-driven approach to marketing. By measuring everything they do, marketers can better communicate results – what Ellie calls the "universal language" across the entire business. Ellie joins us this week to chat about the differences in marketing for HubSpot and Toast, how she uses agile marketing and "sprints" to align with the goals of the sales department, and what...
10 - A Tyranny of Clicks
May 29, 2015 04:00 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBAttracting attention on the Internet today is an artform. Sometimes, a compelling story alone isn't enough to break through the noise. You may need a "clickbait" headline, a timely topic, and the right means of distribution. For Blaise Lucey, Content Marketing Manager at Movable Ink, email has become his distribution channel of choice. Just back from Las Vegas for Content Marketing Conference 2015, Blaise joins us this week to explain how email marketing, when coupled with excellent stories...
9 - You Tell Me, Mr. Newsman
May 08, 2015 04:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBPew Research Center's "State of the News Media 2015" is a must-read for anyone who follows the U.S. media. This year, the report provided a broad look at the media landscape, while also identifying winners and losers, based on audience size and revenue. Not surprisingly, the report painted a rough picture for newspapers and cable news, while it projected a brighter future for mobile and digital news, local and network news, and podcasts. On today's episode, Manny and Jim break through as mu...
8 - Rolling Stone Gathers All the Moss
April 24, 2015 04:00 - 44 minutes - 40.3 MBEarlier this month, Rolling Stone published a 13,000-word, independent review conducted by the Columbia Journalism School around its November 2014 story, "A Rape on Campus," which the report deemed to be riddled with basic reporting errors. Rolling Stone has since retracted the story and the reporter has issued a formal apology. To walk us through the full timeline - from how the article came together and how it finally fell apart - we spoke with Allie Bidwell, Education Reporter for U.S. N...
7 - Dragons Don't Happen on the Margins
April 10, 2015 04:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MB"It has always been about the story. The story is everything, which means it's our jobs to tell better stories." Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey, who delivered those comments as the keynote speaker at last year's Content Marketing World 2014, knows a lot about the alchemy of a compelling story. Sitting out in the crowd that day was Matt Moretti, Senior Content & Media Analyst at Flipkey. Matt joins us this week for a lively conversation about storytelling. We cover it from all angles, from how b...
6 - More Strings in Your Bow
March 27, 2015 04:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBIs the Gigaom shutdown a harbinger of what's to come for some tech journalism? Manny and Jim brought in March Communications CEO Martin Jones to discuss what led to Gigaom's downfall, how consumer expectations for media have changed and why the influence of journalism "gatekeepers" has tailed off. Leading into our conversation with Martin, we tried the Meerkat app for the first time, with mixed results. We also chatted about Facebook's "Faustian" plot to become the go-to platform for all me...
5 - There Are No Minions
March 13, 2015 04:00 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBTo our friends in PR and marketing agencies: When something goes haywire, don't you wish you could escape and hide behind the plant? Lauren Peresada, Senior Customer Success Manager at Hubspot, knows the feeling. This week, Lauren shares stories from her time as an account manager, what she sees as the differences between small business and enterprise clients, her blueprint for managing client crises, and why asking the obvious questions has saved her on many occasions. And, in light of th...
4 - Allow Me to Play Brand Advocate
February 27, 2015 05:00 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBWhat marketer wouldn't feel accomplished getting their company's name published by U.S. News and World Report, the Huffington Post, Lifehacker and Business Insider? In becoming a brand advocate, Ben Weiss did just that, and built up his personal brand along the way as well. This week, Ben joins Jim and Manny to chat about brand advocacy, the value of relationships in public relations and marketing, and why he's thankful to have made mistakes before he had an audience. Caroline Legg, Senior...
3 - The Elephant and The Rider
February 13, 2015 05:00 - 52 minutes - 47.6 MBWhat makes for great video marketing? Jim and Manny ask Marc Amigone, director of marketing for the professional video sharing platform MediaSilo, for his take on effective video marketing, and riff on the best and worst ads from this year's Super Bowl. They also chat the struggles and benefits of transitioning from agency work to in-house marketing. Brendan Reilly, video director at March, also drops in to share his tips for making great brand videos. Learn more about MediaSilo: MediaSilo...
2 - Kids These Days and Their Social Media
January 30, 2015 05:00 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBBeing the new kid in high school can be a little scary and awkward. Brands today find themselves in a similar position when they tiptoe onto unfamiliar social media networks to market to a younger, savvier audience. In this week's episode drew Wallace, Director of Marketing at Roundtown, shares tips on how brands can find their ideal network and audience on social media. Learn more about Roundtown: roundtown.com Follow drew on Twitter: @anotherdrew Visit the PR Nonsense blog: marchpr.com...
1 - On Tech Media and Massages
January 15, 2015 21:23 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBIn the very first episode of Hacks and Flacks, hosts Jim Young and Manny Veiga talk to tech media analyst Sam Whitmore about the friction that may or may not exist between tech companies and the reporters who cover them. They also discuss brand journalism's true potential, debate whether startups really need PR, and offer an out-of-the-box marketing plan for... massage parlors. Also, March Communication's James Gerber shares takeaways from this year's CES in Las Vegas, and weighs in on the...