December 23, 2015
ReplyAll Podcast, Re: Are You For Serial?
Happy holidays from the Pod Squad! It’s hard to believe the year is nearly over. We hope you’re soaking up the remaining days of Starbucks red cups, Star Wars mania and an Instagram feed full of ugly sweater Christmas parties. Thank you as always for your support and feedback on our podcasts, we appreciate it.
For many people, including several in our offices, Christmas came early this year as the hugely popular “Serial” podcast began its second season on December 10th. This time, host Sarah Koenig and the creators of “This American Life” take us through the incredible story of Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Soldier who was a prisoner of the Taliban for nearly five years and was released in May 2014. Within days of his return, people began saying he shouldn’t be celebrated; some soldiers from his unit called him a deserter and that he had deliberately walked off their outpost in eastern Afghanistan and into hostile territory. The case is still going on now, as Bergdahl was arraigned on December 22nd on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
What’s the pitch? Well regardless of whether you listen to “Serial” or not, you can’t deny its popularity and we discuss some of the reasons why we think that’s the case. Check out the Serial website here and get hooked: http://serialpodcast.org
Our HARO of the month comes from The Levo League, a career resource website for Millennial women, and it touches on a somewhat personal subject – explaining to people what we do for a living. Believe it or not, there are still a lot of people who don’t understand PR. We break down our experiences while singing “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors (just kidding…or not).
(But really though, did you know Spin Doctors has a new album out?? Stay up to date and follow @SpinDoctorsBand on Twitter)
It wouldn’t be the last On Review of the year without a little breakdown of the year in review. We take a trip down memory lane with some of the news stories and events that made a big splash.
And Sidenote: Adult coloring books are a thing so we tested them out. Great stocking stuffer, right? We’ve got more ideas. Also, Kimye’s new baby, Saint West, has joined Twitter. We ponder the serious questions: when are Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds going to share pictures of baby James? Do we really need to reserve Twitter handles and Instagram names for babies now?
We’re excited to see what the new year brings, and we’ll be back with Episode IV in January!
Wishing you a happy new year,
Megan, Mariel, Brittney, Stephanie, Olivia and Jackie
The Latest

In The Red
Elevated: Reflections on the Worldcom Public Relations Group’s North American Regional Meeting in Park City, Utah
Stefan Pollack reflects on the Worldcom Public Relations Group's North American Region meeting in Park City, Utah.

In The Red
Consumers Don’t Want Ads. They Want a Reason to Show Up.
Marketers chase attention. The challenge is figuring out how to earn it when consumers can scroll past a brand in a fraction of a second.

In The Red
Sited Visibility Index: Who’s Brewing Up the Best Fall?
The Pumpkin Spice Latte season is here, and we examined the AI search visibility of some of the nation's leading coffee brands.
Solutions
Some communications challenges call for a more focused approach. The Pollack Group’s proprietary solutions combine decades of communications experience with specialized methodologies, technology and audience intelligence to help organizations solve specific business and reputation challenges. From strengthening messaging and preparing for a crisis to understanding audiences, elevating leaders and measuring how brands appear in AI-driven search, our solutions give organizations practical tools and insights they can put to work.
Leadership Now
Creating leadership platforms that are essential to building audience trust and confidence.
