PRovokeGlobal 2022 capped off a year spent discussing the many industry trends that have emerged and re-emerged. Over the course of the year which culminated with the 2022 Summit, we’ve covered topics such as internal stakeholders, purpose, data and disinformation. In this PRovoke Media Podcast episode, Paul Holmes chats with Stephan Miller, Kivvit’s Chief Brand Strategist to unpack themes from the recent Summit and what those topics will mean for the industry this year.

Buzzwords that have become synonymous with 2022 such as purpose and ESG will continue to play a role in the new year, but Holmes and Miller also discuss the importance of brands committing to internal culture work in addition to their external initiatives and messaging.

“No company is immune to the question of purpose and what they say publicly about mission and values,” Miller said. “But the first thing that you need to do, internally, is have your values organized. You can't communicate on values if you don't know what your values are.

For agencies to do their work effectively and partner with clients successfully, they need the right people in the room to be having these discussions. No longer can an agency have one point of contact with a client. With internal stakeholders being so important, more internal teams on the client’s side need to be involved, too.

“The collaboration and cooperation of HR and communications has never been more important,” Miller said. “And I think typically they're pretty separate, and the reporting structure is often pretty separate. Agencies can be a bridge. I think for any agency listening out there that hasn't explored this, it might be a way to expand scope within your current clients and to go after new opportunities.

Holmes and Miller cover a number of topics throughout their hour-long discussion and end the conversation joking that the year will be undoubtedly chaotic and full of obstacles. That has been the case for a few years now, so it’s not a surprise, but preparation can help get ahead of challenges.

“When you have a strong sense of who you’re trying to speak to, everything flows from there,” Miller said. “Then we can go into the data to find out: What is the creative and the messaging that's going to resonate with these people? What are the methodologies, what are the platforms, what are the mediums to get our message out, and who are the messengers that are going to be most effective?”

 

Topics Covered
1:00 PRovokeGlobal Summit Recap
4:55 The Rise Of Purpose And Preeminence Of Purpose
6:23 Employees As Partners
10:05 The Agency World Doesn’t Focus On Internal Communications Enough
16:23 Controversy: There is a Risk in Engaging And A Risk In Not Engaging
20:07 The Challenge of Knowing When To Rise Up
23:55 The Key to Corporate Reputation Work
28:55 Geographic Diversity Can’t Go Forgotten
35:20 You Need to be Careful With AI
40:24 Ignoring Disinformation Is No Longer An Option
49:24 Create Creative That Cuts Through Clutter
50:26 The Year of Chaos and Obstacles