If your company or brand is ever fortunate to have a commercial in the Super Bowl, will you recommend the PR boost for an early release online? Arik and Kevin crunch the numbers on the ads that aired Sunday night. Also, social media “war rooms” are a common sight on the big game’s big night…

Awareness isn’t everything in PR, marketing and social media. Instead, there’s a growing call for making stronger connections with consumers. Arik and Kevin talk about that. Also, PR and paid media, the modern journalist’s view of their day-to-day work, and some of the disruptive forces that marketers and communicators need to pay attention to in…

Evil trolls on the Internet have the potential to make life miserable for business and brands. Arik and Kevin discuss how to handle the hate. Also, Allstate’s “Mayhem Sale,” the use of “social” in job titles and the potential burnout of social media pros, the importance of customer experience over content, and the future of…

Forget about predictions for 2015 – in PR, marketing and social media – instead, Arik and Kevin focus their year-end episode on actual trends to pay attention to: 1) The increase in branded apps, 2) Analytics for PR, 3) Visual design and photography, and 4) An “ignition strategy” for content. Learn more about your ad…

Interview edition – Chad Mitchell, senior director of digital communications at Walmart, talks about how his team is structured, their work and responsibilities, a Black Friday tactic on Twitter involving a store employee, the company’s overall approach to Twitter and the mission of the Walmart blog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story about Black Friday and Cyber Monday wasn’t just the deals and what was sold. They also were notable for a big increase in social chatter around them and how brands engaged with consumers. Also this week, Facebook’s crackdown on promotional posts from companies and brands, the Girl Scouts are finally setup to sell…

Interview edition – David Jungers and Erin Vande Steeg, senior social media strategists at Mall of America, talk about their roles, how they manage social media content creation and engagement, their emphasis on the customer experience and how they work with Mall of America’s 520 tenants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Target found out what can happen when grown men tweet as if they are high school girls. Really. We talk about #AlexFromTarget. There’s another great hashtag worth chatting about: #TechnologyandStuff. Chevy had some fun with that one. Also this week, Verizon jumps into brand journalism, IHOP tweets at “the kids” and a post that suggested…

Interview edition – Andy Sernovitz, CEO of SocialMedia.org, provides his perspective on social media use in big brands, along with three rules every social media leader should keep in mind. And, Natanya Anderson, director of social media and digital marketing for Whole Foods Market, explains her role and team – and how they prioritize listening…

Guest co-host Greg Swan – SVP of consumer and digital marketing, emerging media innovation and strategic partnerships at Weber Shandwick Minneapolis – helps run through several topics, including wearable tech and augmented reality, animated gifs, Ello, Snapchat ads and trends in advertising overall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices