Hanson & Hunt

Get relevant news and advice about public relations, corporate communications, social media and marketing each month from Arik Hanson and Kevin Hunt. Arik is a solo marketing and communications consultant in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Kevin leads corporate communications content, channels and analytics at General Mills.

Talking Points #71 – 3/10/17

Is there a “truther” movement underway in marketing? Arik and Kevin discuss a post that said more people in the industry think “this internet stuff is a bunch of hooey.” Also, clients of PR pros are often confused about what PR really is or does, the importance of having differentiated content and serving a niche…

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Talking Points #70 – 2/9/17

Communicators are talking about the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, so Arik and Kevin tee that up this month and discuss what it means for PR and corporate communications. Also, a new approach to influencer marketing and who should “own” it, revisiting the concept of “content shock,” the use of emojis in business communication, and more….

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Talking Points #69 – 1/12/17

The first episode of 2017 kicks off the new year with discussions about Help a Reporter Out (HARO), the PR implications of voice technology, and Richard Edelman’s PR predictions for 2017. Plus, in Quick News & Quick Takes: Facebook’s new live audio feature, a survey of social media use by executives, and the most-shared video…

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Talking Points #68 – 12/15/16

The alarming rise and influence of fake news tops the discussion by Arik and Kevin in this month’s episode. They explore what it means for PR pros in companies and brands. Also, bloggers are apparently spending more time writing fewer posts, and that’s a good thing. Plus, IBM launches an internal radio station, a push…

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Talking Points #67 – 11/10/16 (Winona State)

Arik and Kevin took the show on the road, to PR students at Winona State University. This episode features interviews with two WSU students, plus a Q&A segment that shows what’s on the minds of soon-to-be PR pros. Before that, the topics up for discussion include a silly but thought-provoking piece by 60 Minutes about…

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Talking Points #66 – 10/13/16

Arik and Kevin talk about improving the PR agency/client relationship, and a desire by some companies and brands to move from producing more content to working with influencers to be more relevant to culture. Plus, what global chief communications officers view as their top priority, what’s keeping businesses from podcasting, and more. Learn more about…

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Talking Points #65 – 9/22/16 (Interview: Jeff O’Keefe)

Interview edition – Jeff O’Keefe, the manager of digital and social media at Richard Childress Racing, joins Kevin to talk about his role, RCR’s approach to social media and content creation, and his view on the evolution of social media in NASCAR and the sports world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Talking Points #64 – 9/15/16

Should the brand exodus from Twitter begin? That’s one of the topics up for discussion by Arik and Kevin in this episode. Also, in Quick News & Quick Takes, what are reporters looking for in the subject line of your pitch? Plus, Walmart steals a page from James Corden. Is it the job of internal…

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Talking Points #63 – 8/18/16

Companies and brands often ask, ‘Is our audience there?’ before deciding to try a new social media platform. Is that the right question? Arik and Kevin discuss that in this episode. Also, a new segment (“Quick News & Quick Takes”) debuts to highlight a few news items in the communications world since the last show,…

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Talking Points #62 – 7/21/16 (Interview: Tom Forsythe)

Interview edition – Tom Forsythe, who is about to retire as vice president and chief communications officer at General Mills after 25 years with the company, joins Arik and Kevin to reflect on his career, and the evolution of corporate communications and PR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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