Paul Holmes 08 Jan 2024 // 6:42PM GMT
In October, Unlock Health joined me to discuss the PRovokeGlobal Summit. This month they sat down again to discuss the main lessons learned from a diverse and provocative event.
In a wide-ranging discussion that took in major industry challenges from the growing use of artificial intelligence to the spread of disinformation, from the “pink economy” post-Barbie to the need to address social inequality in all its forms at future events, I sat down with Unlock Health chief executive Brandon Edwards and the agency’s managing director of innovation Kathleen Perley to discuss the main takeaways from the PRovokeGlobal Summit in November.
Said Edwards, “Everything that was discussed at PRovoke, to me, is an example of context, and important context globally. If we are talking about those big issues it helps us to understand what is happening around the world and therefore to help meet our audiences where they are. How do we then operationalize that? The answer is not nearly as well as we should. We do a pretty good job of talking about big issues at a senior level, but I think we do a poor job of translating that down into the organization.”
Among the topics of discussion:
- A discussion of how AI can enable and empower PR professionals rather than threaten to replace them, and how those familiar with the technology can make their colleagues more comfortable about the transformation AI will bring.
- Why corporate interest in ESG is unlikely to dissipate, even if the language we use to discuss a broad commitment to stakeholder capitalism needs to change—and why more relatable language may be needed.
- How the “pink economy” has always been central to healthcare, where women are often the gatekeepers for the entire family, and what consumer brands can learn from that.
- The importance of discussing economic inequality, and why that’s an issue at the root of ESG, DEI and the kind of tribalism that seems to have taken over political discussion in the US and globally.