PRWeek Coffee Break

This week on Coffee Break, PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett is joined by Matt Prince, senior PR manager of Taco Bell. After internet outrage when Taco Bell removed its Mexican Pizza from the menu in 2020, the company knew it had to bring it back. The brand reached out to rapper Doja Kat, who had posted multiple times on Twitter about missing the Mexican Pizza, and signed her up as a brand partner, recording a TikTok video and doing some Twitter posts. Then Doja Kat announced Mexican Pizza was coming back at her Coachella performance this year. To keep the momentum going, the brand is also doing Mexican Pizza: The Musical with Dolly Parton’s involvement, which was initially postponed because the relaunch campaign was so successful Taco Bell couldn’t keep up with demand. Coffee Break topics: - Origins of Mexican Pizza - Keeping your other brands separate - Logistics of bringing the Mexican Pizza back - Advice for others that want to take a leap of faith with an idea - Ensuring you’re on the same page with marketing - Incorporating your partners to help deliver an activation - Musical and Dolly Parton’s involvement

This week on Coffee Break, Hirsch reveals the secret sauce inside his new versatile, agile, generalist agency. Hirsch, together with Evan Leatherwood (duos at SJR, Hill+ Knowlton and WPP), set up their very own shop in December 2020. Today, with a staff of 20 based out of an office in midtown Manhattan and a suite of services steeped in media relations, content and strategic comms, the agency is thriving. In this week’s Coffee Break, Hirsch opines on talent recruitment, the tech boom migration and creating a flexible culture that embraces a positive work/life balance. Podcast topics- Creating a small team of nimble, versatile, generalists with the ability to create efficiencies, greater value and engagement.  - Experimenting with the work week to avoid burnout and integrating programs to ensure success for every member of the team.- The tech boom migration from Silicon Valley to Miami, Austin, LA and Canada too!- Hirsch Leatherwood’s tactics for less fire drills and work-free weekends.- Why investing in talent will become even more crucial for building out teams, culture and attracting long-term growth.

This week on Coffee Break, PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett is joined by Gulden Mesara, chief marketing and communications officer at City of Hope. She talks about starting her new role during Covid, in fall 2020, and how the pandemic affected other parts of the health system, such as cancer care, and people's declining likelihood to keep up to their regular appointments, the implications of that and how to communicate around it Coffee Break topics: - Mesara’s new role and what attracted her to it - Having a joint communications and marketing role - Moving around for work - How did Covid impact your new role? - Anything you did during this time that you are specifically proud of? - Did anything change as a result of Covid, and if so has it stuck around to today? - Diversity and health equity, how different classes are impacted and what did City of hope do to bridge these gaps? - How do you get the message out that healthcare is accessible to all?

Patrick discusses the importance of having role models in the C-suite and why purposeful business is good business.

This week on Coffee Break, PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett is joined by Lou Hoffman, president and CEO of The Hoffman Agency. Hoffman discusses an unprecedented year of growth at the firm, with revenue increasing 41% to more than $28 million. He expects the trend to continue this year with 50% growth in the U.S. and more than 30% globally. Hoffman also talks about the agency's plans to return to the office on June 14 on a fully flexible and hybrid schedule structured around an aspiration to be in-office two days a week. Coffee Break topics: - The beginning of the agency and what Silicon Valley was like in 1987 - An outstanding year of revenue growth - The work that is driving the growth - Was media relations the majority of work when the agency was founded? - How the media landscape has changed since 1987 - Have other agencies gone away or evolved? - Surveying employees - Going back to the office in June

This week on Coffee Break, PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett is joined by Ben LaBolt, partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive.LaBolt was named an advisor to the Biden White House earlier this year to assist in the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, and he was press secretary for the Obama re-election campaign. He also worked on the Rahm Emanuel Chicago mayoral election campaign in 2010. LaBolt used his digital campaigning experience to start The Incite Agency in 2013, which was acquired by Bully Pulpit Interactive in 2016. Coffee Break topics: - Working on Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination - How the process has changed over the past 10 years - Highlights from Jackson’s nomination process - Elon Musk and Twitter - How has social media influenced politics? - Advice for brands when customers and employees want to know their political stance

Huq reflects on the world NFTs contribute to, and he responds to accusations from environmentalists about the sustainability of NFTs and Bitcoin. He also previews VeeCon, which takes place this month in Minneapolis. Coffee Break topics: - Huq’s new role at the company - The future of NFTs - Are NFTs the modern version of collectibles? - What brand managers should look for when considering NFTs - Consumer brands that have caught Huq’s eye - Environmental impact of business - VeeCon event this month

This week on Coffee Break, PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett is joined by Dave Tovar, SVP, communications & government relations, GrubHub.He talks about the reputational issues facing the food delivery industry, particularly after the front-page article of New York magazine last September that detailed the fraught lives of NYC-based delivery workers. Coffee Break topics: - Why the move from McDonalds and how is it? - The importance of delivery drivers - What is Grubhub doing to make drivers' lives easier? - Some of the things Tovar is doing to put ideas into action - Other businesses Tovar and Golin have worked together - In your sector, are you seeing how important PR jobs are and how your employees value their jobs? - Retaining talent

This week on Coffee Break, PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett is joined by Leela Stake, global head of FH4Inclusion and global co-lead of True Mosaic.Stake, one of PRWeek’s 2022 Women to Watch, stopped by during Celebrate Diversity Month to discuss diversity in all its forms, across ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability. FH4Inclusion is FleishmanHillard's pro-bono arm that works with clients that can’t afford to hire a global PR firm. In 2020, FH4 joined forces with True Mosaic, Fleishman’s DE&I comms practice. FH4 has provided more than 30,000 hours of pro-bono services. Coffee Break topics: - Background on FH4Inclusion - Working with people spread out around the globe - What are you doing for Celebrate Diversity Month in April? - Following through with previous diversity promises - What work are you most proud of? - Working with the African American Policy Forum - Navigating (on behalf of clients) the division of people and opinions in the world - Businesses and their morals post-George Floyd’s murder

Coffee Break topics: - Tells us about Lavoie and how the company did in 2021 - Company name and how that reflects the work LavoieHealthScience does - References to work that supports what Lavoie was speaking on in the last answer - Launching an IR Practice - Boston’s market & where LavoieHealthScience fits in - How has covid-19 impacted people and their perception on healthcare - How does innovation thrive without in person meetings? - Returning to the office - Health Equity in healthcare and LavoieHealthScience’s contribution to it - Future endeavors you are excited for Follow us on twitter: @PRWeekUS