The Talking Points Podcast

How are companies and brands managing influencer relations? It's a broad topic and Arik and Kevin discuss several aspects of it, including working with bloggers. Also this week, why are there so many women working in PR? Plus, Red Bull's content machine and Facebook's decision to end like-baiting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview edition - Holly Spaeth, supervisor of marketing communications/social at Polaris, tells Arik and Kevin about her team's role in several recent motorcycle launches for the company. She also discusses her team's structure, the changes in the approach to social media at Polaris over the last few years and her unique approach to hiring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest co-host Lionel Menchaca of W2O Group talks about his role there, his pioneering work in social media at Dell and why he sought a new direction for his career. In the weekly news recap, Lionel chats with Arik and Kevin about a blog post that suggests company blogs should be judged by the number of comments they receive. Also, they discuss a post by Jay Baer that could get companies and brands to flip their thinking on content and engagement across their social channels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Digital transformation is underway at companies of all sizes - but how is it going? Arik and Kevin discuss a report tracking the benefits and challenges of the effort. Also this week, some trends in the evolution of social media - have you heard of the rise of "dark social"? Microsoft announced layoffs in a clumsy way, brand journalism has matured, press releases need some help to stand out, and a mayor gets kudos for heading to Reddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the secret to making memorable videos for YouTube? What are big brands thinking about in terms of their approach to global social media and paid media? Arik and Kevin kick off this week's show with those topics. They also talk about employee advocacy, ghostwriting, sponsored content (do consumers trust it?), Twitter's new analytics and a project in Minneapolis that got some buzz during the MLB All Star Game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arik and Kevin discuss some projections for spending on digital among CMOs, a new take on the "Every Company is a Media Company" mantra, suggestions for future job titles in social media and marketing, Taylor Swift's thoughts on building an audience, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arik and Kevin discuss a survey of PR pros about paid media, blogging habits and best practices, GE's new "Pressing" site and Facebook's controversial A/B testing in the news feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices