Brian Bonilla

DOS Won't Hunt -- Recording Schedule through December   Interested panelists, please contact me directly via email, not just with comments on this post: [email protected]   Note to public relations teams: please only pitch panelists you have CONFIRMED will be available on those dates. This is a video podcast recording. Only the panelists will be in the session. Here are the topics I plan to cover on the podcast in the weeks ahead. All recordings will be on video, panel discussions, at 12 pm ET on the recording dates below.   December 6 – What Enterprise IT Predictions Actually Mattered in 2024? Every year sees prognostications about what tech will take off, evolve, and transform the enterprise world. What expectations did your organization start 2024 with and how has that played out? Did anything hold water? Did surprises in tech emerge during the year eclipse the predictions? Is it better for organizations to not chase predictive trends or does that mean giving up a competitive edge? December 13 – The Cloud You Want vs the Cloud You Need: Are enterprises able to tailor their cloud resources to fit their operational needs? How does that compare with ambitions? Cost? Usage? Are more organizations cloud-first? Are we ever going to see an all, cloud-first world where EVERYTHING exists in the cloud? Does that dream no longer seem real?   December 20 – Cyber Threats and the Holidays: Do retailers still face high levels of cyber risk in a world fraught with ransomware attacks year-round? Do bad actors focus their attention more on targets they strike when an opportunity arises, which might not have anything to do with the holiday shopping season? Or are there still Cyber Grinches out there who are making a concerted effort to strike as transactions fly faster than reindeer? December 27 – Infrastructure Resilience: Y2K 25 Years Later. What have we learned about maintaining our infrastructure, a generation after putting in the work to correct the Y2K bug? How has computer infrastructure been rethought? What “rules” and “norms” that were part of legacy tech no longer apply in the time of cloud, edge, and all else beyond we are exploring?

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The Cipher News team of climate tech journalists report our own stories and we also point out top-notch and timely pieces other journalists in the ecosystem are publishing. I have come to really enjoy seeing what my colleagues are reading and why. Here are a few highlights of late: Here's a recent one from Bill Spindle: https://lnkd.in/eQUZHbQu Bill's summary: "Texas entrepreneur. Bloomberg profiles a new startup company in Texas that aims to install batteries in homes super-cheaply and then aggregate the energy they store and sell it into the state’s market-driven grid." Bill's hot take: "Texas is a hotbed of clean energy innovation due to its freewheeling, market-driven power market. The start-up is co-founded by the son of Michael Dell, who upended the PC market in its early days." The story from on Bloomberg News from Ashlee Vance: https://lnkd.in/efBm4z88 Here's from Amena H. Saiyid: https://lnkd.in/eXxYa3mV Amena's summary: "Culture war. The Washington Post reports on how political ideologies are dictating decisions to buy electric vehicles across the country." Amena's hot take: "Saving money on gasoline while protecting the environment could be seen as a plus; instead it has become a culture war issue." The story on The Washington Post from Shannon Osaka: https://lnkd.in/et75YTTG And from Amy Harder: https://lnkd.in/ejG4GWTX Amy's summary: "Offshore oil. The NYT uses impressive visuals (along with text) to illustrate life and work on an offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico, including a required helicopter crash training course." Amy's hot take: "I took that same helicopter crash survival course in 2014; it was one of the hardest things I have done. Candidly, I'm not sure I could do it again, knowing fully well how hard it was!" (My little addition here: Wow! I am impressed, Amy!) And the story on The New York Times from Ivan Penn with visuals by Erin Schaff: https://lnkd.in/eiE8f3F5 And from our esteemed European colleague, Anca Gurzu: https://lnkd.in/ebAeTEAR Anca's summary: "Greenwashed flights. EU regulators are investigating 20 airlines over their potentially “misleading greenwashing practices” including the claimed benefits of offsetting emissions from flying, the FT reports." Anca's hot take: "Since offsetting is an unregulated practice and anyone can use big words, these kinds of investigations are crucial in keeping airlines accountable and not misleading consumers." And the story at the Financial Times from Philip Georgiadis and Kenza Bryan: https://lnkd.in/ehNqphpm Check Cipher News each day for more! https://ciphernews.com/

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For today's Wide Shot newsletter, we return to the question of whether streaming is a good business and, more precisely, for whom? We address cable giant John Malone's recent assessment (categorically "no") and take a look at the state of Netflix, Disney, Paramount and others who participated in the streaming war. Who's winning? Who's still losing money? What's the next stage of the streaming business? (Oh, we also get into JOKER 2's box office travesty). #entertainmentbusiness #hollywood #streaming

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This week's PR Roundup looked at: ✅ Data on X's (formerly known as Twitter) downward market valuation spiral ✅ Nonverbal communication and the making of a Kamala Harris meme ✅ An opportunity for communicators and academics to bond and share new research at the Institute for Public Relations 2025 Bridge Conference. As we all know, users/advertisers generally gravitate toward entities with a good reputation—X's chaos and advertiser exodus shows what happens when that reputation is sullied. Brand Finance provides us with the data that proves how this impacts market value. And if you watched the presidential debate (but who am I kidding, even if you didn't you were bound to hear SOMETHING about it this week), you may have noticed that words didn't always speak as loudly as Kamala Harris's facial expressions. In a world where traditional media trainers may say to remain stoic when public speaking, the VP is breaking all the rules, making a real non-verbal impression. And finally, check out IPR's Call for Presentations! Thanks to Richard Haigh, Isabelle Dienstag, Rebecca Evans and Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., APR for their insights this week. And, I'm curious—let me know what you are seeing in regards to your organization and clients utilizing or backing away from X. Is it still part of your strategy? Happy weekend!

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The rise of artificial intelligence has sent publishers scrambling to understand the potential threats it poses to their business models and how they can best react. Toolkits spoke with David Buttle, independent consultant and former Director of Public Affairs and Platform Strategy for the Financial Times, to discuss how publishers can quantify the risks AI intermediation could pose to their business models, how to future-proof their editorial and content strategies, and how to ensure their interests are protected in licensing negotiations with AI platforms. https://lnkd.in/gdrn6Yds

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The Debrief podcast by The Business of Fashion is back. Take a listen to the first episode with Brian Baskin, Sarah Kent, and yours truly 🎙️

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New from me: The House Judiciary Committee has been intensifying an antitrust probe into the Global Alliance of Responsible Media and its members, which includes major advertisers, agencies, and platforms. The Committee alleges GARM's members have been colluding to defund conservative media. While the ad industry insiders I spoke to felt the allegations were without merit, they are concerned about the chilling effect the probe -- and its numerous document and interview requests -- could have on GARM's work around brand safety and online misinformation. Read more over at Business Insider #garm #brandsafety #advertising #gop https://lnkd.in/ePpYBcRa

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A month after losing a landmark antitrust case brought by the Department of Justice, Google is headed back to court to face off for a second time against federal prosecutors Monday. The ad tech trial begins in Alexandria, Virginia and the first tech antitrust trial from a case brought by the Biden administration. For Google, the focus turns to its ad tools, which are part of the company’s $200 billion digital ad business. Google’s ad business has drawn numerous critics over the years because the platform operates on multiple sides of the market — buying, selling and an ad exchange — giving the company unique insights and potential leverage. In its initial lawsuit, the DOJ cited internal communication from a Google ad executive, who said owning multiple sides of the ad-selling process is like “if Goldman or Citibank owned the NYSE,” referring to the New York Stock Exchange. At stake is how Google is allowed to operate its portfolio of ad products. The DOJ, if successful, seeks the divestiture of, at minimum, the Google Ad Manager suite (GAM), the marketplace that gives brands the ability to create and manage ad units and track ad campaigns and lets publishers sell ad inventory. In addition to a potential partial breakup, Google could see a flood of litigation from advertisers seeking monetary rewards if the DOJ is successful. Bernstein analysts said Google could potentially face up to $100 billion in such lawsuits.

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We've talked about the >10 reasons why News is in trouble: Locally, Nationally, & Globally, and why we at Prohaska Consulting are working on fixing 3 of them thru our industry initiative The Rebranding of News with a larger next phase & announcement coming in the fall. Several reasons focused on Local are highlighted well here by our friend Howard Homonoff from Grant Thornton (US), with thanks for the mention. https://lnkd.in/enN6n-2j

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It's easy to think about AI within the context of a CMS. Of using AI to optimize writing, editing, and SEO workflows. The more exciting choice is putting AI in the hands of reporters early on in the process. Over the weekend we published a deep look at how immigration is being portrayed in political ads this election cycle. It's an absorbing read--with editing and reporting from multiple desks across the newsroom. It's also the debut of one of our AI-powered reporting tools: Haystacker. We carved out a lane in our roadmap for "Ambitious Journalism"--this is what it looks like. https://lnkd.in/eTteMFxY

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Excited to share that Marketing Dive will be hosting a virtual event, “Insights into the 2024 Holiday Shopping Season," on Sept. 18. Hear from our reporters and a panel experts as they break down how to tackle key technologies and media channels like generative AI and CTV for the crucial promotional period. You can register for free to get the full scope of developments heading into retail’s most important quarter. Save your seat here: #retail #marketing #ecommerce #SupplyChain 

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The White House has announced new consumer protections against corporate “tricks and scams” that “waste Americans’ time and money,” from fake reviews to suspicious subscriptions and the dreaded customer service “doom loop.” Hitting back at retailers and other corporate entities that perpetuate burdensome customer service practices—like long hold times, excessive paperwork or online forms, and other hoops and hurdles that make it tough to cancel a subscription, get a refund or shop with confidence—the Biden-Harris administration has announced a series of regulatory actions under the header, “Time is Money.” “Americans are tired of being played for suckers, and President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to addressing the pain points they face in their everyday lives,” the White House briefing room wrote in a statement on Wednesday. #bidenharris #timeismoney #consumerprotection #ftc #subscriptions #chatbots #ai #regulation #fakereviews #ecommerce #amazon

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Meta seems ready for redemption in the 2024 election cycle. If so, it's thanks to its Oversight Board. My latest CEO Daily for Fortune. With the U.S. presidential election less than six months away, and elections also happening in the EU, U.K., India, and many more countries, now is a good time for CEOs to reflect on their company’s relationship to democracy at large. One company that has done so, and seems ready for redemption, is Meta.  Meta has come a long way. Eight years ago, the Trump campaign used improperly obtained Facebook data to build voter profiles for 50 million users, and Russia weaponized Facebook to undermine the integrity of the U.S. elections. The scandals led to Facebook’s darkest hour, and forced its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to testify before Congress.     But 2024 isn’t 2016. A crucial part of Meta’s response since then has been the creation of an “independent” oversight board. And last week, that group released its key lessons in a historic election year. These are my takeaways: – A company should think about its principles vis-à-vis democracy and not react only to specific instances. Meta learned this lesson when it blocked former President Donald Trump’s Facebook account after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which was seen as arbitrary. When it reinstated Trump’s account in 2023, Meta did so based on more broadly applicable protocols.   – Almost no company can be entirely apolitical. Some of the most divisive societal issues concern foundational democratic principles—freedom of speech, equality, limits on government interference—written up in constitutions and human rights charters. A company must know where it stands on such values.  – Efforts to interfere with elections often start small or in inexpensive markets. They then move to more expensive markets. Some interference campaigns are subtle, using deep fakes or somewhat credible fake claims. A company must study its weakest points of entry to ensure it’s not a vehicle for such schemes. – Finally, oversight boards are a good idea for almost any organization. Meta’s self-governing board can be critical of the company, and its supervision ensures Meta is caught off-guard less often by user protest or complaints.  Meta didn’t get it 100% right. One shortcoming of its oversight board is that it still depends on Meta for funding. Over time, that’s bound to lead to problems. But Meta’s approach nevertheless benefits the company—and society—in myriad ways. For Meta, it lowers the likelihood of future PR crises. More broadly, it makes Meta act as a more responsible corporate citizen. That’s in everyone’s interest, and a model to follow. Thanks to my old classmate Simona Sikimic-French for providing very useful background, and Claire Zillman for another excellent edit. #elections #socialmedia #corporateresponsibility https://lnkd.in/e3Dq6F9D

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As I approach my third month at The Baltimore Banner, I have been thinking a lot about defining success. A mentor offered the following thoughts: For reporters, it is much easier to define success. Editors often need help seeing that their goals should be quite different than their reporters'. They need to see each of their reporters as individuals with different strengths and weaknesses. So editors need to meet each reporter at a different place and help them improve, and hopefully, thrive. Sometimes that means focusing on reporting or writing skills, sometimes it is helping a reporter figure out how to cover a beat, or how to distinguish their work from the competition. Editors of course are key to guiding coverage, whether it's breaking news or a more conceptual beat, when the goal has to be finding the front edge of the topic (for an education reporter, that might be new trends in teaching and for the city hall reporter it might be who are the emerging power brokers.) When it comes to editing copy, editors have to avoid rewriting stories, which can completely demoralize reporters, but they also can't send along stories that are confusing or take too long to get to the point. It takes awhile for editors to figure out that sweet spot between improving copy but not just rewriting it the way they would have written it. The hardest part of editing is probably dealing with difficult reporters and there is no easy answer for that. The only part of running a newsroom that I could advise on is running the coverage and for me, that was always driven by focusing on the big news of the day. You have to make sure that editors have put enough staffers on the big stories and are looking across the news cycle, e.g. what will we have to publish first thing tomorrow, and make sure some people are trained on the bigger, deeper questions that take a few days to report. If you are clear on your top priorities each day and the newsroom aligns behind those, then the smaller stories will take care of themselves. You will be judged by how the Banner did on the big things, not the small things.

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Disney's James Minnich shared some new data around WNBA for Ad Age's story about advertising around the playoffs, which start Sunday, as ratings surge for the league. Disney doesn't disclose exact revenue figures but ... -Disney's WNBA revenue is up 182% year over year during the regular season, and up 418% year over year for playoffs. -Since 2022, Disney’s WNBA revenue increased 641%. -“Even next season, we’re probably close to 85% sold already,” Minnich said. -The number of advertisers for WNBA has grown more than 60% since last year, hitting nearly 150 advertisers. -The ad rates are rising commensurate with the interest. CPMs grew “triple-digits” on a percentage basis this year compared to last year. -And Nielsen data shows how interest in WNBA is up: Ratings are up 201% this year in the regular season. #Disney #WNBA #Playoffs #TV #Ratings #Sports #Brands

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In this episode of Unpolitics, host Ben Kaplan talks with Macon Phillips, founder of Starling Strategy and former Deputy Director of New Media for President Obama's campaign. They discuss Macon's journey from Howard Dean's campaign to shaping Obama's digital strategy. Learn about the evolution of digital media in political campaigns, the transition from campaigning to governance, and the innovative strategies Macon used at the White House and State Department. Tune in to the full episode now: https://lnkd.in/dU9CGBbY #Unpolitics #MaconPhillips #ObamasCampaign #HowardDeansCampaign #DigitalStrategy

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Four years after the murder of George Floyd sparked a social injustice movement that caused advertisers to make commitments to improve industry diversity, companies appear to be reversing the promises they made. Several issues are at hand: cuts to internal DE&I departments at ad agencies; layoffs disproportionately affecting people of color leading to a decreasing number of diverse executives and employees at agencies and marketers; and marketers scaling back on hiring diverse vendors, suppliers and running advertising that targets diverse audiences. “There is a panic or fear that’s happening,” said Darren Wesley Martin Jr., founder and chairman of integrated marketing firm Streamlined Media & Communications and founder and CEO of its subsidiary, Bold Culture, an inclusive marketing and workplace development consultancy. “People don’t want to be canceled. The influx of DE&I programs, in ideology and investment financially into certain groups, was a lot [in 2020]. And it was impactful. What we’re seeing is a backlash to that.” Some of the 2020 commitments agencies and brands made now feel empty and many people who Ad Age spoke to for this story expressed frustration over what they see as the industry moving backwards on DE&I. Read the full story here:

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