The PR Week

Bloomgarden discusses the evolving landscape of PR, the strategies that drive success in a competitive market, and more.

In this episode of The PR Week, Steve Barrett and Julia Walker welcome Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn, to discuss the firm's impressive growth, the shift toward independent agencies and the impact of AI on the PR industry.

Bloomgarden shares insights on winning major clients such as Wendy's, the importance of technology in communication and the agency's pioneering work in China amid geopolitical challenges. Other topics include the dominance of major tech companies and implications for the stock market, regulatory challenges, and the evolving landscape of PR and marketing strategies.

News stories discussed include Omnicom's Q3 earnings report, the impact of major sporting events on corporate sponsorships and the launch of PRWeek's 2026 Reader Survey and 2027 Sports Conference.

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In 1996, Richard Edelman took over his eponymous agency from his father. Now, celebrating its 30th year under Richard’s leadership, the firm’s global revenue is $950 million. It was $85 million when he took the reins. The rousing success of his independent agency is largely due to Richard’s constant eye on the future, as well as his ability to anticipate it — a skill as sharp today as it ever was. That was on full display during the session at the recent PRWeek Conference in Chicago. He spoke to PRWeek’s Jess Ruderman about his succession plans, his stronger-than-ever belief in being an independent shop, the industry-wide impact of agency consolidation and the ever-increasing importance of a word that has become synonymous with Richard and his organization — trust.

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This week’s episode of The PR Week comes to you from the PRWeek Conference in Chicago, focused on navigating the comms revolution.

PRWeek associate news editor Jess Ruderman and reporters Jeremy Sodergren and Julia Walker catch up with leaders from Patagonia, McDonald’s, E.l.f. Beauty and John Deere to discuss AI, authenticity, trust, the creator economy and other top issues.

The episode also features on-stage highlights from the day’s top sessions, including Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett’s keynote on hope and snippets from Edelman CEO Richard Edelman’s conversation on legacy and the importance of trust.

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On this week's episode of The PR Week, Andrew Bowins of RestlessUrban joins us in the studio to chat about building a lifestyle brand for adults over 50 and how that demographic’s social media and AI usage is evolving. He also discusses why working with agencies and corporations continues to inform his current role.

In the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, Stephen Kehoe retiring from PepsiCo and public relations, new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s first press briefing, Kelly Clarkson’s spat with an artisanal shop in Brooklyn, and the continued fallout from the Cornell sexual abuse case.

And at the episode's outset, Steve Barrett speaks with PRWeek news editor Diana Bradley about her recent travels to South Korea, where luxury car brand Genesis invited press for a screening of their new short film.

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On this week's edition of The PR Week, Nick Ashooh, senior director of corporate and executive communication at APCO, joins us to talk about corporate reputation, what it takes to navigate today's complex stakeholder environments and working in Saudi Arabia.

Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including Golin Ketchum winning a national tobacco education campaign, Edelman helping Betty Crocker celebrate its 105th birthday, Chipotle's viral vegetable instrument campaign, brands moving beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, new data showing Gen Z uses social media as its most-trusted election info source, Karoline Leavitt joining Fox and key executive moves at Brunswick and Sanctuary.

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On this week's podcast, Jim Weiss, chairman and founder of Real Chemistry, joins us to chat about his podcast, Get Real with Jim Weiss, which explores personal health crises, or what he calls “getting hit by the bouncing ball.” He also talks about the importance of preventive care and why GLP-1s could be the most important thing happening in the economy.

In the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, tech titans breaking bread with Presidents Trump and Xi, the latest in AI safety and regulation, Meta’s global comms lead, Edelman winning the American Egg Board’s creator AOR brief and the Cornell sexual abuse crisis. Plus the launch of the 2027 PRWeek US Healthcare Awards.

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Joe Cohen joined Axis in September 2016 as its CCO. Marketing was added to his purview in 2020. In that decade, Cohen has become one of the industry’s foremost authorities on not only managing risk, but avoiding it when possible. He knows how to construct marketing and brand campaigns that project strength and reliability without sounding overly alarmist about macro risks. His brands current “25 Years of Specialty Solutions, Elevated” initiative is proof of that. He understands that some of the biggest risks brands face are internal and operational. He and his team think about risk when it comes to everything from experimentation to philanthropy to even your choice of music for various projects. And he generously gives of his time and expertise to spotlight all of this and more during this podcast.

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The industry is buzzing about the role of the chief communications officer, a topic jumpstarted this month by this op-ed in PRWeek by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Torod Neptune, a former top comms exec himself.

Adding her expertise on this week’s episode is Candace Steele Flippin, VP of thought leadership and professional development at Page, who talks about her organization’s new research on the topic.

Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including why Converse apologized for a new campaign, layoffs at Edelman, the launch of Trump TV and the latest provocative Sydney Sweeney ad.

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It’s definitely something on the minds of in-house communications execs: How is the chief communications officer position changing? Does it matter if it reports to the CEO? Is it shrinking in importance? The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Torod Neptune raised those questions in an op-ed last week, and Jon Harris discusses them further on this week’s edition of The PR Week.

Plus, Harris talks about his expectations for entries for the PRWeek Awards 2027 and discusses the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including Frank Shaw stepping down at Microsoft and concerns about safety — human safety, to be specific — related to AI.

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It’s a very special episode as Steve Barrett makes his return to The PR Week.

The guest on the September 10, 2026, edition of The PR Week is Kenny Gold, who was appointed this year as Edelman’s first chief creator officer.

He talks about the changing creator economy and creators as media outlets and news sources in their own right, as well as how his agency advises brands that are working with them.

Plus, the biggest marketing, PR and communications news of the week, including how Publicis Groupe ended up handling media for both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the start of the 2026 NFL season and the legacy of Gloria Steinem.

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Kelly McGinnis has worked across technology and consumer PR, most recently as chief communications officer at Levi Strauss & Co. Now, she’s teaching students about having a seat at the table in a graduate course at the University of San Francisco.

On the agenda for this week’s episode:

• Why she’s inviting current and former top communications executives to interact with students on the topic of problem-solving.
• What most people don’t realize about the San Francisco PR market.
• The work that inspires her.
• Her away-from-work life as an amateur equestrian.

PRWeek reporter Jeremy Sodergren discusses the top PR and communications news of the week, including:

• His upcoming feature about Microsoft chief communications officer Frank Shaw.
• New comms executive appointments at Stellantis and Airbnb.
• Chipotle’s influencer push.
• Campaigns and brands at the US Open.

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The latest guest on The PR Week is Charlotte West, VP of global corporate communications at Lenovo.

She talks about how Lenovo’s role as official technology partner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was much more than a sponsorship, improving operations and even the broadcast of the tournament. West also talks about how her team is using AI, balancing one global message with regional specifics and making earnings calls more interesting.

Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including crises at Callaway Golf and Neutrogena, people moves at Walmart and Wendy’s, the start of the US Open and the death of entertainment legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton.

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From public affairs officer in the U.S. Navy to leading communications at New York Life and previously Voya Financial, Paul Gennaro has had a career spanning major organizations. He talks about that and how New York Life is implementing AI on the latest edition of The PR Week.

Also on the agenda this week: PRWeek’s 2026 Hall of Fame class. And PRWeek’s Jess Ruderman talks about the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including new appointments at Vaseline and Burson and The Athletic’s “Advantage calendar for football fans.”

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The latest guest on The PR Week is Grant Toups, global CEO of Hotwire.

Toups talks about his first days and weeks on the job after stepping into Hotwire’s top role more than six months ago, as well as how his agency uses AI and works with influencers and creators. He also chats about his inspirations from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Plus, PRWeek’s Julia Walker discusses the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including PRWeek’s 2026 40 Under 40 list, Burson’s acquisition of AI company Limbik, a change at the top of American Airlines’ communications team and much more.

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The latest guest on The PR Week is Ann Melinger, CEO of Bink, which works with biotech and life sciences companies on organizational culture, employee engagement and change management.

She talks about Bink’s new Culture at Work Study and its key findings about how some companies fail to produce winning cultures while others thrive.

Plus, PRWeek’s Diana Bradley on the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including key executive exits at Conagra, Edelman and Airbnb and acquisitions by FGS Global and One Strategy Group.

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What area of marketing is best positioned to be in charge of affiliate marketing? Mike Rush, EVP and partner at 360PR+, makes the case that it’s PR on the latest edition of The PR Week.

Rush also talks about the Boston PR market and what it’s like having a lettuce client in the current news cycle. Plus the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, such as PRWeek’s Power List 2026, Wendy’s decision to hire a new PR AOR for the first time in more than 30 years, a new chief communications officer at Skims and a look inside the New York Liberty’s PR playbook.

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In beautiful Cannes, France, one of the most interesting places during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is actually a basement — because that’s where the shortlisted campaign case studies are.

The latest guest on The PR Week, Taj Reid, global chief creative officer at Burson, talks about that and much more, including how Burson and VML won the PR Lions Grand Prix for their work for client KitKat. Reid also chats about unconventional paths into the industry, AI’s impact on creativity and inspirational work.

Plus, PRWeek’s Carina Cole talks about winners and losers from the World Cup — that’s to say brand winners and losers — and effective tournament marketing by players, countries and fans.

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The latest edition of The PR Week features Jennifer Risi, founder and president of The Sway Effect.

Risi founded The Sway Effect, a New York-headquartered global marketing and communications agency, exactly seven years ago on July 16. In 2025, The Sway Effect reported revenue of $4.9 million, up 11% from the same period a year prior, according to PRWeek’s latest Agency Business Report.

Risi discusses what her firm has been up to, what she attributes its success to and highlights some client campaigns.

She also talks about her takeaways from this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Plus, PRWeek news editor Diana Bradley reviews the biggest PR and communications news of the week with newly promoted senior reporter Julia Walker, including how brands are cracking jokes amid the cyclospora outbreak; the FDA taking steps to make good on its threat to remove the adequate provision rule for pharma DTC ads; Praytell’s expansion into the Asian market; and people moves atSeatGeek, Etsy, Whoop and Unilever.

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The latest edition of The PR Week features Kevin Dulaney, EVP of innovation and integrated marketing at SourceCode Communications and a top agency strategist on AI.

He talks all about AI — from where it’s most useful for agencies and their clients to where it’s overhyped — and discusses what he thinks is coming next.

Plus, the biggest PR and communications news of the week with PRWeek news editor Diana Bradley, including top World Cup campaigns, brands’ reaction to Taylor Swift’s wedding and major executive moves at Ogilvy, Onclusive and Nvidia.

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The latest guest on The PR Week is helping explain fusion to the world and why it might soon be a part of people’s everyday lives.

Joe Paluska is chief marketing officer of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is now the world’s largest fusion company. He talks about making a complicated technology understandable to the public and explains how his company works with influencers and content creators.

Plus, PRWeek associate news editor Jess Ruderman interviews Frank Washkuch about the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and main takeaways from the event.

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