Interviews

FIR Interviews

Saturday, January 21, 2012

FIR Interview: Walgreens Social Media Director Adam Kmiec

walgreensFIR co-hosts Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz interview Adam Kmiec, director of social media for Walgreens, the largest drug store chain in the U.S. and a Fortune 50 company. Walgreens has engaged in the last 10 days or so in a social media-focused effort to build awareness among customers of alternatives to Express Scripts, the prescription benefit manager through which hundreds of thousands of people pay for the prescription medications. Unable to reach an agreement to renew their contract, Walgreens no longer accepts Express Scripts but using mechanisms like Prescription Savings Club membership (left) to retain customers.

The campaign to build awareness and retain customer loyalty has been largely focused on social media, including paid tactics like promoted Twitter trends and sponsored blog posts. In this wide-ranging interview, Kmiec outlines the challenges of the campaign, discusses the importance of statistical insights to drive decision-making, and the use of paid social media, as well as outcomes of the effort to date.

(Note, the Walgreens campaign was covered by Advertising Age and was the subject of a story covered on FIR #634. The FIR report was covered by the Best o’ Pop blog.)

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About our Conversation Partner

Adam KmiecFor more than 14 years, Walgreens Social Media Director Adam Kmiec has worked for some of the most forward thinking organizations in the world, while helping some of the most dynamic brands find success in the interactive and social space. His career spans both the client and agency sides of the marketing and advertising industry, covering stops at renowned organizations that include Fallon, Leo Burnett, and ConAgra Foods. His focus has always been on solving business problems by leveraging consumer driven insights to fuel creative ideation. He is a frequent speaker and news contributor. He is currently working on a book titled, “Yes, It’s Hypocritical,” due for completion next summer.

Connect with Adam on Twitter: @adamkmiec or via other social networks.

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Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

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Posted by shel on 01/21 at 01:01 PM
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Friday, January 20, 2012

FIR Interview: Social Media Monthly Publisher and Editor Bob Fine

The Social Media Monthly

In this FIR Interview, FIR co-hosts Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz chat with Bob Fine, publisher and editor of The Social Media Monthly, a new print publication that is also a current Kickstarter project.

The Social Media Monthly was conceived at the 2011 South by Southwest Interactive conference and launched a mere 53 days later, on May 20th, 2011 at BlogWorld in New York. Three weeks later Fine secured national distribution for the magazine with Barnes and Noble. The magazine was honored as one of the top magazine launches of 2011 by MIN, an organization that reports on the publishing industry.

In the interview, Fine recounts the magazine’s origins, why he opted to produce a print magazine about social media, the audience he’s trying to reach, the motivation of article authors, and a host of other topics.

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About our Conversation Partner

Bob FineRobert Fine is the founder of Cool Blue Company, LLC, and author of “The Big Book of Social Media Case Studies, Stories, Perspectives”. Robert has over 17 years experience as a systems and sales engineer with various companies including CMGI, Hughes Network Systems, and most recently as Senior Director of IT for Global Strategy & Development at Conservation International (CI). He is currently pursuing his PhD at George Mason University where he is researching links between investments in information technology and achieving conservation outcomes.

Connect with Bob on Twitter: @bobfine.

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Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

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Posted by shel on 01/20 at 06:04 PM
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Friday, January 13, 2012

FIR Interview: Stuart Bruce and Phil Gomes on PR and Wikipedia

FIR co-hosts Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz host a Google+ Hangout with Stuart Bruce, principal, Stuart Bruce Associates, and Phil Gomes, Sr. VP, Edelman Digital, to discuss efforts to improve the ability of corporate representatives to make ethical, transparent, disclosed and factual revisions that are independently verifiable to Wikipedia entries.

Currently, a host of communication professionals report having revised entries to reflect accurate financial numbers, spellings of executive names, new or departing board members, employee headcounts and the like. Yet because they are identified as “paid editors” without a neutral point of view, their revisions are often reversed and many are banned from the site. Gomes posted an open letter to Jimmy Wales on his blog at the same time Stuart Bruce Stuart Bruce post on his. Within days, the UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) CIPR announcementit would engage in talks with UK Wikimedia representatives. At John Cass’ urging, Gomes created a Facebook group to host a conversation on the subject.

In this interview, Gomes and Bruce discuss the various dimensions of the subject and potential outcomes of the discussion.

Connect with Phil at @PhilGomes; reach Stuart Bruce at @StuartBruce.

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Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 01/13 at 11:57 AM
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

FIR Interview: John Clemons, Interim Executive Director, IABC

IABC

Leading a professional association that represents about 15,000 business communication professionals in over 80 countries is a challenging opportunity for a visionary leader.

It’s a challenge that John Clemons, ABC, APR, has grasped with alacrity following his appointment as Interim Executive Director of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in early January as the association leadership pursues its search for a new permanent leader.

In this FIR Interview, Clemons discusses his new role with co-hosts Neville Hobson, ABC and Shel Holtz, ABC - both long-time IABC members - starting with his reasons for accepting it on an interim basis. In a wide-ranging discussion, Clemons outlined his vision as interim leader, explaining what he intends to accomplish. He paid tribute to the leadership tenure of IABC President Julie Freeman, ABC, APR, who retired at the end of 2011 after a decade in the role.

And he spoke of present issues and challenges confronting the profession and IABC at a time of continuing change and evolution in society and in business that he intends to address, including the effects and potential of social media, the importance of diversity, the international aspects of IABC, and more.

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About our Conversation Partner

John ClemonsJohn G. Clemons, ABC, APR, is a senior executive and consultant with an  award-winning record of success in corporate and organizational communications. He has special expertise providing strategic counsel and support for top executives and corporate officers of Fortune 500 companies.

His most recent position was corporate director of community relations at Raytheon Company in Dulles, Virginia, where he was responsible for the development and execution of a community involvement strategy for the greater Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region, as well as corporate outreach initiatives. Clemons’ career has also included leading all areas of professional communications for several Fortune 500 companies, as well as newspaper journalism and magazine writing and editing.

Clemons has a strong history of leadership with IABC. He served as the association’s chairman 2001-2002 and has served on the international executive board for more than six years. He has also been a member of IABC’s multiculturalism committee, the 1996 international conference planning committee, a trustee for the IABC Research Foundation 1997-1998, judged the EXCEL award, and been a member of the Communication World advisory panel. He has contributed to several IABC publications and is a frequent speaker at IABC conferences at the international and local levels.

Connect with John on Twitter: @jgclemons.

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Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by neville on 01/11 at 02:27 PM
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Thursday, January 05, 2012

FIR Video Interview with Eric Schwartzman on Collaborative Consumption

Eric Schwartzman joined FIR co-hosts Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz in a Google+ Hangout to recount his less-than-satisfactory experience with AirBnB while attending Le Web in Paris this past December. The experience prompted thinking about collaborative consumption services in general. These are services that connect buyers and sellers without providing an intermediary, such as an agency, to resolve disputes and address issues that arise as a result of the transaction.

Connect with Eric at @EricSchwartzman

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Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 01/05 at 02:49 PM
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Sunday, December 11, 2011

FIR Video Interview: Sprinklr.com Founder and CEO Ragy Thomas

Sprinklr.com is a social media management platform for large organizations, run by founder Ragy Thomas. In this FIR video interview—conducted over the latest iteration of the Google+ Hangout (with its ability to include screencasts)—Thomas explains the origins of Spinklr how it works and who’s using it. The audio quality isn’t the greatest, but the information about the platform is worthwhile for organizations seeking insight into managing multiple social accounts and channels across a variety of brands and business units.

Connect with Ragy at @RagyThomas

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Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by shel on 12/11 at 01:50 PM
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Monday, November 14, 2011

FIR Interview: Tony Loftis on using social media to find his missing daughter

UPDATE: Allie has been found and is safe. Limited information here.

imageTony Loftis’s daughter, 13-year-old Allie Loftis, ran away from her Boston-area home and is believed to be in the New York City area. FIR listener John Cass—part of Tony’s communications network in Boston—reached out to FIR about conducting an interview to help get the word out.

Tony—a member of the PR community in Boston—is using social media to spread the word and speed Allie’s return. In this interview with FIR co-host Shel Holtz, Tony discusses the tools and strategies he’s been employing. If you live in the New York area, please keep your eyes peeled for Allie; details on reporting sightings appear below. All FIR listeners, please spread the word.

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About our Conversation Partner

imageTony Loftis is currently a consultant with a high business transformation consultancy. He has 12 years experience in high tech public relations, marketing and community relations, Mr. Loftis has overseen and run a wide range of public relations and industry analyst programs. Previously, was a Team Lead at the Davies Murphy Group, where he works a full range of communications and marketing programs for both emerging companies and household brands. Mr. Loftis got his start in public relations at Lois Paul and Partners.

Prior to entering the high tech PR agency world, Mr. Loftis worked in the related field of community relations. In this capacity he developed community relations plans for a multi-million dollar wastewater treatment program that affected several hundred thousand residents and commuters. On that project he served as the first point of contact for the community’s questions and needs, and also designed and developed content for the project’s Web site.

Mr Loftis has a BA from Tufts University and a graduate certificate in public relations from Emerson College.  He is a resident of the Wayland, Massachusetts.

If you sight Allie, please call the New York City Missing Persons detectives at 212-694-7781.

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 3239 9082 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by shel on 11/14 at 01:57 PM
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