Beyond the Noise - the PRWeek podcast

Two PR creative directors dissect the effectiveness of this year’s Christmas campaigns in the latest episode of PRWeek’s Beyond the Noise podcast.Steve Strickland, executive creative director at One Green Bean, and Lucy Baker, creative director at Earnies, sit down with PRWeek UK’s Evie Barrett in this week’s Beyond the Noise episode.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.The pair give their views on the 2026 cohort of Christmas campaigns, analysing the main trends and noting which they liked best.They discuss celebrity cameos, with Strickland sharing his view that Christmas campaigns are now the UK’s equivalent of the Super Bowl in the US.Strickland and Baker also speak on the importance of having a flagship TV advert, even in the age of social media, as well as how earned media comes into play.Elsewhere, they share their favourite Christmas campaigns beyond the typical supermarket and retail brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How has Reuters been innovating in the AI age, and what does it mean for comms? PRWeek finds out in the latest part of the Future of the Media series - which is now live on the podcast feed.Our guest is Jane Barrett, head of product at Reuters, who has overseen the AI strategy and earlier led a digital transformation of the newsroom.Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, Barrett offers advice on landing PR pitches and gives other tips for communications professionals.She discusses how AI has been “transformational” in the newsroom, and describes how the business has been using chatbots and embracing GEO, alongside other innovations. She talks of the increasing need for “empathy” in journalism, the use of social media, and combatting the “mushrooming” problem of fake AI ‘experts’.The journalist also explains how fundamental skills of journalism remain hugely important – and what the future might hold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do the winners of the recent PRWeek UK Awards tell us about industry trends in 2026? PRWeek’s latest podcast takes a look.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.In the podcast, PRWeek UK journalists Danny Rogers (editor-in-chief), Siobhan Holt (deputy editor) and Evie Barrett (deputy news editor) chat about the awards night, which took place last week (21 October) in London.They discuss the winners, specifically the rise in campaigns hitting back at ‘big tech’, and the other key themes among the winning agencies this year.They also reflect on the industry and the reasons behind the rise in winning entries from smaller, independent agencies versus the network agency groups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PRWeek looks at more of your comms confessions in the latest episode of the ‘Am I the PR A***hole?’ (AITPRA) podcast.In each episode of AITPRA, PRWeek will read out your anonymous confessions and our judges – Lynn Advisory founder Shayoni Lynn and Hoffman Agency UK co-MD Richard Fogg – will decide whether an ethical line has been crossed.Confessions can be submitted via this link. All the confessions are totally anonymous – PRWeek has no way of identifying the confessor.Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.This week’s confessions include:Swearing about a journalist when the journalist could hear.Swearing at a Eurostar employee after missing a train to a press conference – then blaming journalists for the event starting late.Not standing up to shake a client’s hand because the confessor was not wearing trousers.The episode is hosted by PRWeek UK editor John Harrington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you recruit comms and PR professionals in the AI age? PRWeek’s latest podcast takes a look.On this week’s Beyond the Noise podcast, Don Ferguson, managing director of creative comms agency Hope&Glory (pictured above, left), and Laura Oliphant, founder of comms consultancy Stand (above, right), share their insights on the recruitment market. Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.In the episode, Ferguson and Oliphant discuss the specialisms and current roles they have been recruiting for. The pair share their overall view of the current recruitment market in comms. In addition, the comms chiefs consider candidate applications and explain how AI technology is impacting the hiring process. They also comment on the rise in AI-created CVs and cover letters, as well as offer advice to candidates on how to approach a job interview in PR. Separately, the best way to proactively reach potential employees is also discussed on this week’s episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Romans’ chief executive, Joe Mackay-Sinclair, discusses the past, present and future of the fast-growing agency on PRWeek’s latest podcast episode.Mackay-Sinclair joins PRWeek UK editor John Harrington as this week’s guest on Beyond the Noise.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform. As PRWeek previously reported, Mackay-Sinclair discusses potential new overseas markets for The Romans, which currently has offices in London, New York, Dubai, Amsterdam and Berlin. He also reveals his ‘big bets’ for growth at the firm, which is backed by the global ad agency Mother.Other topics covered include:How business is “more hard-fought than it’s ever been”How client expectations are shifting (and how they aren’t)Recruitment as the agency’s biggest challengeWhat he wants from new hiresThe importance of the corporate offerHow agencies would be “crazy” not to have a dedicated sports offeringThe Romans’ approach to AI and GEOPR firms he admiresHow agencies could get better at articulating what they doRunning an (arguably) ‘Marmite’ agencyRunning an agency as a “social introvert”The importance of face-to-face connectionsInvesting in start-up agenciesBeing the “energy bunny” for The RomansHis personal ambitions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the true balance between human spaceflight and robotic exploration when it comes to science, inspiration, and decision-making capabilities? How is space transitioning from a niche frontier to an everyday commercial workplace? What role do regulatory frameworks, such as the United Nations, the Artemis Accords, and the Astra Carta, play in keeping orbit and the lunar surface safe and sustainable? And how can the UK Government act as an "anchor customer" to bridge the commercial "valley of death" for domestic space startups?Join Alice and Jonners in this special episode recorded in Chichester Marina with British astronaut Tim Peake as he shares insights on space adaptation syndrome, commercial space stations, lunar research bases, global space traffic management, and the future of human exploration to Mars.Contributors:Alice Bunn, President of UKspaceDr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedInUKspace: Overview | LinkedInJonathan Davies, The Karman LineJonathan Davies | LinkedInThe Karman Line | LinkedInTim Peake, AstronautTim Peake | LinkedInKey topics covered:Human spaceflight vs. robotic explorationSpace Adaptation Syndrome (nausea & gravity adjustment)Normalising space as a commercial workplaceTransition from space stations to commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO)Artemis programme & sustainable lunar research basesAstronaut selection mindsets, psychological profiles, and stress testingInternational space cooperation & soft power (ISS legacy)Governance, leaseholds, and regulatory frameworks on the MoonThe Astra Carta & space sustainabilityHuman exploration of MarsGovernment as “anchor customers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do clients really want, and not want, from agencies? That’s the focus of the latest PRWeek podcast, featuring Emily Vickers, strategic comms lead at the Ministry of Justice.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.Speaking to PRWeek deputy editor Siobhan Holt, Vickers offers some dos and don’ts of client/agency partnerships and discusses the role of procurement.She chats about the skills she values the most from agency execs and offers advice on working with public sector organisations.Elsewhere, the comms professional discusses regional communications and shares top tips for professionals considering a role in government or public sector comms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PRWeek looks at more of your comms confessions in the latest episode of the ‘Am I the PR A***hole?’ (AITPRA) podcast. In each episode of AITPRA, PRWeek will read out your anonymous confessions and our judges – Lynn Advisory founder Shayoni Lynn and Hoffman Agency UK co-MD Richard Fogg – will decide whether an ethical line has been crossed.Confessions can be submitted via this link.Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen in the browser above or on your favourite platform.This week’s confessions include:Inventing a story about a car crash to cover for a client pulling out of a media briefing.Resigning an account after the client behaved appallingly - but without the authority to do so.Messing with colleagues in a team bonding session of ‘guess who from the baby photo'.The episode is hosted by PRWeek UK editor John Harrington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you merge PR and communications agencies? PRWeek’s latest podcast takes a look.On this week’s Beyond the Noise podcast, VCCP Roar chief executive Stephanie Brimacombe (pictured above, left) and VCCP founding partner and group chairman Charles Vallance (above, right) share their strategies on merging PR agencies.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.Nine months after the launch of VCCP Roar, the product of the merger of sister PR agencies Good Relations, Harvard and Teamspirit, the duo sit down with PRWeek reporter Elizabeth Wiredu to discuss the process. Together, Brimacombe and Vallance explain how they united three specialised agencies spanning consumer, corporate, tech and financial PR services. They discuss the reasons behind the merger, what the biggest challenges were in the process and how they overcame them, and how to maintain agency culture at VCCP Roar. They also chat about the agency’s recent Starbucks account win. Elsewhere in the episode, legendary adman Vallance discusses the rivalry between the advertising and PR sectors and argues that the PR sector is in a strong position in the current market compared to other disciplines, such as advertising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.