Blog - plain talk

Whether you’re just starting to experiment with AI or looking to sharpen how you use it day to day, understanding the basic do’s and don’ts of AI in public relations is key to using it responsibly and making it work for you, not against you. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll help you navigate what AI does well and how to use it in a way that still sounds like you.

You can’t out-perk a trust problem. Try as many brands might, they can’t seem to get past building their loyalty strategies around symptoms of the deeper issues they’re ignoring. This reactive approach leads to pouring money into the same three “fixes”: richer loyalty perks, sleeker UX updates, and shiny new branding. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll explore the main reasons why your customer loyalty strategy is failing and what you can do about it.

Consumer demand matters, but it’s only half the battle for CPG brands. Without retailer and distributor support, even popular products struggle to earn shelf space. Success depends on connecting shopper appeal with clear business value that convinces buyers, making strong B2B messaging just as essential as consumer marketing. This edition of Plain Talk explores how to punch up your B2B messaging and strategy, so it resonates with buyers and turns more impactful consumer campaigns.

As long as the marketing industry has existed, it’s been the case that when global financial disruption strikes, marketers must pivot. Those pivots represent challenges, but they’re also opportunities for brand leadership and differentiation. In this edition of Plain Talk, we explore how marketers can take a disciplined, strategic approach to budget planning in the face of global tariffs and economic uncertainty.

In today’s digital age, bad news can go viral in minutes. A single misstep—a social post gone wrong, a supply chain hiccup, a partnership backfire—can quickly spiral into a crisis. Without preparation, these moments can be disasters. With the right strategy, they can instead showcase resilience, authenticity, and creativity. In this edition of Plain Talk, we explore how brands can move beyond crisis management to build trust and long-term loyalty.

In times of economic uncertainty, smart brands are shifting from broad awareness to focused, measurable tactics that influence buying decisions. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll give the humble trade show its due as B2B marketers flood back to this time-tested selling tool.

Most organizations don’t write marketing requests for proposals (RFPs) very often, and that’s understandable. When you do, it usually means your business is facing a moment of change. Whatever the reason, the goal is the same: to find the partner that can help you move your brand forward. However, sometimes that’s where the trouble starts.

Because most teams are unfamiliar with the RFP process, they often write documents that are too vague, too rigid, or too focused on the wrong things. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll share some practical steps to help you write better marketing RFPs—the kind that lead you to the right agency partner.

In this edition of Plain Talk, you’ll learn how to work more effectively with your marketing agency. We’ll go over how to kick things off with clarity, communicate without confusion, and build a partnership that gets better over time. On your mark, get set, let’s go!

From start-ups to mature companies, mom n’ pops to multinationals, every product or service should have a marketing strategy. While surprisingly there are many definitions of strategy (and tactics)—some good, some not so good, we can all agree that when marketing is working, there will come a time when your strategy will need to scale to keep your business ahead of competitors. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll dig into how marketing strategies must scale to support (and keep up with) your brand and, more importantly, how to recognize the signs when it is time for a change.

Keeping up with social media trends and updates sometimes feels impossible. Algorithm changes, new features, and even entirely new platforms are popping up regularly. From the uncertain future of TikTok in the U.S. to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) reshaping the digital landscape, 2024 saw its fair share of changes to social media. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’re diving into the most significant social media shifts of 2024 and sharing our predictions for what’s on the horizon in 2025.