Galina Espinoza

We often say that the term "brand" represents "a promise made and a promise kept." What we mean is, a great brand embodies the commitment it makes to its audiences—the expectations it sets, and most importantly, how it fulfills those expectations consistently over time. I know it sounds abstract! And I admit, when I first started working with clients after a decade and a half of being a journalist, it felt a little abstract to me too. That is until I started digging into this work, and seeing the challenges from the client's perspective. The more I could help them articulate their values to the world, the more I saw how that helps them connect with audiences and drive business success. What better way to make those connections than #storytelling! That's what I love about the work I get to do: together with brilliant people like my friend Karine Bailly, we help brands turn this abstract concept into everything from storytelling campaigns that pack a punch to editorial strategies that stand the test of time. As Karine writes in her latest essay for Long Dash, "When editorial content reflects a firm's brand and strategic goals—framed in a way that is useful for audiences—that very content becomes a powerful tool for informing, engaging, and credibly differentiating the firm." No brand can afford to be passive when it comes to shaping its own narrative. Why would you want to? Why not share your point of view, or your vision for the world you're trying to create? Why not stand out and be useful to your audience? You'll be setting yourself up for long-term success by building trust, credibility, and lasting relationships with the people who matter most to your brand. #BrandStorytelling #EditorialStrategy https://lnkd.in/gqYae2Rd

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As a CMO or marketing leader, your go-to strategy for reaching Gen Z may be to automatically look to social platforms like TikTok. But the highly-coveted demographic is also consuming plenty of more traditional TV, sports and entertainment content ,and there is an under-utilized opportunity to reach them in streaming. Join Ad Age during the TV & Streaming Summit to hear directly from Gen Z professionals and influencers about what draws them to content, keeps them engaged and what turns them off. Alice Bell-Black, Felipe M. and Cayley Stonehouse, will reveal what types of content they are streaming, where they are watching and how brands can more seamlessly integrate themselves into TV programming. Use code JP_TVSPECIAL for a friends and family discount. Register at link in comments.

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So many of my former peers and colleagues are heading to Cannes this week, and I hope that they will take the time to read this, and discuss it. As a former agency leader, this is an issue that has increasingly unnerved me for years. I avoided speaking up about it because, frankly, I was afraid of how much connective tissue (and revenue) my agencies had with social media platforms. I know I'm not alone in this. But as a parent, I can't keep how I feel about this to myself anymore. It is massively, massively important that we hold social media platforms accountable for the unparalleled influence they have over the fabric of our society and our mental health. The degree to which they operate unchecked in the face of all the things we know to be true is just completely irresponsible. The data is overwhelming- and overwhelmingly clear. For all the good these platforms make possible, there is a very unhealthy and corrosive underbelly that needs to be addressed and reined in. This is an issue where marketers, advertisers and media professionals should use their influence, experience and insight to help neutralize a very serious and tangible problem that is directly tied into what we do. Even requiring every platform to publicly publish their behavioral science data and insights would go an enormous way, as the Surgeon General suggests. People deserve the transparency of understanding the degree to which this tech is engineered to affect their behavior, and to play to and capitalize on their emotions. #socialmedia #cannes #creativity #tech #mentalhealth #advertising #marketing

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When the American Journalism Project launched five years ago, our mandate was to create the conditions for community-led nonprofit news organizations to sustainably provide the journalism our democracy requires. Today, I’m pleased to share our 2024 Impact Report, a look at the progress we’ve made since our inception. In the five years since our launch, we’ve raised $175 million from national and local philanthropy, and built a portfolio of 44 nonprofit local news organizations —  diverse in size, scope, reach and leadership. Some highlights from the report: -In the last year alone, our portfolio of 44 grantee organizations generated $86 million in revenue — a 36% increase over their 2022 revenue. -Year over year, the organizations in our portfolio are seeing a 58% median growth. -And this growth is leading to more journalism – last year, our portfolio of grantees employed 568 editorial and newsroom staff – an 18% increase over 2022. Organizations are growing, diversifying their revenue, adding journalists, and strengthening their communities. I’m proud of the progress the portfolio has made, and remain clear-eyed about the future. This report sheds light on how far we’ve come and sets the stage for what’s ahead. I hope you'll take a moment to read it. https://lnkd.in/eipwwhxN

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It’s a rough day in media. Axios is cutting 50 employees, about 10% of staff. Tampa Bay Times is offering buyouts to reduce payroll by 20%. Future is closing the print magazines and daily newsletters for Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV. If you’re hiring, please consider my colleagues who have been impacted. You’ll not only gain a hard worker but also someone who is a compassionate coworker. My favorite part about working at Axios remains the kindness and passion across the organization. These cuts were Axios’ first big round ever. But brutal layoffs have been commonplace this year. As my colleague Sara Fischer writes, the media industry is struggling to regain the advertising and subscription momentum lost in recent years. https://lnkd.in/eKZEFeXA Sweeping changes to the media industry aren’t new. But they seem to be coming faster and be more unpredictable. It’s not just online platforms like Google and Meta that are competing for ad dollars and consumer attention. There’s Amazon and TikTok. Every company seems to be launching an ad network. Just today, Uber announced its advertising business surpassed an annual revenue run rate of $1 billion in Q2 We need quality journalism — to stay informed about our communities, about our industries, about our culture. I love the fact that in today’s world breaking news is shared and discovered through celebrity news accounts like PopCrave and emoji chain texts. But I am confident in the value of news media. As Axios CEO Jim VandeHei shared today, succeeding is about being distinctive and indispensable to an audience.

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The Wall Street Journal layoffs are a disgrace. It’s one thing for a struggling publication to resort to laying off journalists. (Even though many struggle because they’ve been bought and gutted/mismanaged by private equity, but that’s another post.) For WSJ to lay off journalists after signing a 9-figure deal with OpenAI that profits off of the work of journalists and threatens their future job prospects — it’s unconscionable. Reporting about the layoffs, NPR highlights not just this deal for HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars, but the fact that WSJ has seen subscriptions surge and its parent company is enjoying record profits. The ostensible reason for the layoffs is that EIC Emma Tucker wants to reorg and focus on digital and subscriber growth (though staffers say a tangible vision has yet to emerge). Fine. Retrain the journalists you have on staff. Journalists are the most adaptable people you’ve ever met. Look at what has happened to our industry in just the past decade. Journalists can pivot. They can upskill and learn new beats and “focus on digital” (LOL to that because without a backbone of strong reporting it won’t matter). No wonder more prominent journalists are striking out on their own. The WSJ leadership should be ashamed of this move that undercuts the value of the people who have brought them their success.

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I've written thousands upon thousands of headlines in my #journalism and #media career, and helped brainstorm many more. One clear conclusion from the data and anecdotal evidence collected over the years: Clear, simple, straightforward headlines work best. New research, published today in the journal Science Advances, confirms this. Some 30,000 A/B tests by The Washington Post and by Upworthy, all analyzed by outside scientists, finds readers pay more attention to simple headlines that use common language, and they click on those more often than more complex headlines. Problem is, most #journalists and other #writers suck at headline writing, the research also revealed. Get the full story plus headline how-to advice in my latest Writer's Guide newsletter post: https://lnkd.in/gwaWGxgd

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If Larry Fink and Elon Musk got into an ideological fight over capitalism, who would win? The answer, it turns out, is shareholder democracy. My latest CEO Daily for Fortune. “We believe in stockholder democracy—your rights need to be protected,” Tesla wrote last month as it rallied support for its CEO’s enormous compensation. On Thursday, we will know whether that backing of shareholder democracy will pay off when Tesla investors vote to “ratify” or reject Musk’s pay package of $56 billion, which was negotiated and approved back in 2018, but struck down by a Delaware judge earlier this year. It would be easy to discard Tesla’s—a.k.a. Musk’s—sudden embrace of shareholder democracy as opportunistic. But that would miss the bigger point: shareholder democracy is emerging as the middle ground among those favoring shareholder primacy—like Musk—and those backing stakeholder capitalism—like Fink. For much of the past decade, the two CEOs held opposite views on capitalism. As of 2018 and until about 2022, Fink crusaded for stakeholder capitalism and the pursuit of environmental, social and corporate governance (hashtag #ESG). “A stakeholder capitalistic model creates greater profits [than shareholder capitalism], because when a company is better connected in society, society wants to do more with that company,” Fink told me back in 2020. Musk has always been in the opposite camp. Ever since Tesla got booted from the S&P ESG index in 2022, he has made stakeholder capitalism and ESG into his arch enemies. Last week, he wrote on X that “ESG is a corrupt lie. It needs to end.” In January, Musk also promoted a disparaging analysis of stakeholder capitalism by Grok, X’s AI chatbot. But with Musk’s campaign for shareholder democracy, the pro- and anti-ESG and stakeholder campaigners have now found a common ground. Fink had already made his U-turn towards shareholder democracy, earlier this year when BlackRock expanded its Voting Choice program, allowing retail investors to vote directly in shareholder meetings, rather than to have BlackRock do it for them. “These additional voices”…”can further strengthen shareholder democracy,” Fink wrote at the time. While they may find themselves to be strange bedfellows, Fink and Musk seem to have buried the ideological hatchet. Out with shareholder primacy. Out with stakeholder capitalism. Long live shareholder democracy, corporate America’s new unifying business paradigm. Thanks Claire Zillman for the edit. And cc Alan Murray - who has been following this saga for the past 10 years. hashtag #stakeholdercapitalism hashtag #shareholderprimacy hashtag #shareholderdemocracy https://lnkd.in/ee43MdJY

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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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After a few really rough years for independent film, executives are starting to see positive momentum. Longlegs delivered the biggest opening in Neon's history. Civil War is one of A24's highest-grossing movies ever. Late Night with the Devil is IFC Films' top film in a decade. Thelma is one of Magnolia's highest-grossing films ever. I spoke to executives across the film business about why these movies are working and how they've adapted their strategies to a time when fewer people are going to theaters. https://t.co/cHUSkJ7lkn

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Why do we do PR? Well, I would answer it's because trust and confidence among all audiences is at historic lows—an avg of 28%. With low/no trust, there is no commerce, there are no deals and business GRINDS to a halt. So, THAT is why we do PR. https://lnkd.in/g9M-_JQ4 #publicrelations, #pr, #trust, #credibility

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One of those who commented on this post, an X-er called The Random Recruiter, said: "People skills are becoming “niche” these days with how chronically online younger generations are today." The idea that 19% of Gen Z bring parents to interviews is a shocking headline and great for ramping up debate. Does it mean the parents gave the Gen Zer a lift to the recruitment centre? Probably. If so, I took my dad to three interviews in my late teens. What's more worrying is the inability to make eye contact. And this is where The Random Recruiter might have a point. A life lived behind the protective mask of a computer screen makes it harder to develop the skills needed for interpersonal interaction. Whose responsibility is this? Notice, I don't say who is to blame. The question is: Who is responsible for making a difference here? With these people skills, young people would find more purpose and contentment. How can we help them overcome their anxieties and fears and get out into the world? As someone nearing my 50th birthday, I don't negate my responsibility to support these young people struggling in a world I have been a part of creating. Part of our mission at Entelechy is to give young people the means to develop innate human qualities. It is these human qualities that have been stripped away by technology. We need to do this to help people thrive in the workplace - sure, that's true. We also need to do this to help young people find purpose and contentment, free from anxiety and fear. Let's drop the smug memes and get on with finding a solution. #entelechy #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #workreadyskills #peopleskills #genz https://lnkd.in/eCx83Qrp

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This article from Columbia Journalism Review is fascinating, and an argument for the importance of a reputation management communication plan. There are volumes authored by PR pros advising against ignoring reporters inquiries, yet this article documents how frequently it happens. Throughout my career, I can count on one hand the number of times I have made a calculated decision not to respond to a media request, and 99.9% of the time it was after multiple engagements with a reporter who repeatedly misrepresented or distorted information (even if not intentionally). I suspect, more often than not, reporters get ghosted because the brand is caught off guard. They haven't planned how they will respond in a reputation crisis. Or haven't socialized the planned response with stakeholders. If the PR team is haggling with executives and lawyers on what to say or how to say it when the reporters' questions start rolling in, the opportunity to frame the narrative is quickly lost. Thanks for sharing the article Jennifer Johnson Avril! https://lnkd.in/gYmTA9CW

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This. Is. Huge. Over the last three years, I have been deeply involved in the social media marketing space as a creator and consultant, while consistently drawing parallels to the array of vulnerabilities and risks associated with digital engagement for children. 👉 It is a powerful message that now, the US Surgeon General calls for 'tobacco law'-like warnings on social media platforms for children and young adults. ❗The critical need for balance and informed strategies has never been more evident.❗ With this in mind, I am excited to share news about the upcoming release of my online platform offering a new course: Risky Play in the Digital Age. This course will provide educators and parents with strategies and resources for implementing the principles of risky play in the lives of their children—a critical activity necessary for healthy growth and development. My observation is that the big people in children's lives are often more vigilant about restricting a child from climbing a tree while allowing the same child to 'doom-scroll' YouTube shorts with little-to-no awareness about the content. Stay tuned and follow my LinkedIn page for updates on the release of this new course! I'm compelled to share that the development of this course and the platform it will be offered from is made possible through the collaborative guidance and work of Chris Ryan, a strategic and systemic learning expert (and a good friend and past childcare colleague). In addition, I am excited to share that this August, The Early Years Professional Development Hub (built by Learnbase) will be launching Nurturing Play and Beyond: a comprehensive, holistic 9-module course designed for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) working with school-age children, as well as school-age educators. It aims to bridge the current gap in high-quality, accessible middle years training in British Columbia. After 35 years in the childcare sector (mostly middle years), this course is a culmination of key principles and practices I've pulled together from the extraordinary people I've had the joy of working, learning, and creating alongside. Read the article linked below, which I feel reinforces my decades-long advocacy for engaging and paying attention to children living in an increasingly digital world. My passion for promoting engagement is more relevant now than ever. The insights from the article are crucial for understanding how we can better support our children's development in this digital era. Let's continue to nurture our children's healthy physical, social and emotional development in this digital age. Connect with me on LinkedIn for more updates, discussions, and shared insights. Your support and engagement make all the difference! #EarlyChildhoodEducation #RiskyPlay #DigitalAge #theanxiousgeneration #ProfessionalDevelopment #ECE #NurturingPlayAndBeyond #ChildDevelopment #Education #BC #EngagementNotBanning

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With Pride Month around the corner, a lot of people are alarmed by the number of conservative groups using shareholder proposals to scrutinize corporate initiatives supporting LGBTQ people and causes, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. I am one of them. Already, several corporations have, under pressure, pulled their support from events related to NYC Pride, causing some events to be canceled. LGBTQ groups must carefully assess their partnerships with companies whose allegiances lean heavily toward shareholder interests versus social progress. When principles take a backseat to profits, it undermines the strides LGBTQ people have made toward inclusivity and equality. Target—which last year, along with brands like AB InBev's Bud Light, found itself in the bull's-eye of right-wing activists—is facing such shareholder actions, as are Mondelēz International and Dell Technologies. Meantime, Best Buy, as the Journal reports, convinced a conservative group to withdraw its shareholder proposal by saying it would "screen" donations it makes to LGBTQ organizations. (Whatever that means.) All this is leading many LGBTQ people and their allies to (correctly) scrutinize the authenticity and reliability of their corporate partnerships. Obviously, LGBTQ groups should commit to teaming with organizations that genuinely champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in all aspects of their operations—not companies that easily buckle to pressure from some very vocal, media-savvy and well-financed activists. By sticking to their own principles, LGBTQ people and their allies can ensure the organizations they turn to for support reflect a genuine dedication to social change. Holding corporations accountable for their beliefs and actions seems only logical. After all, a fair-weather friend is of precisely no use to anyone—particularly in these times where proud, rampaging bigotry has become so trendy. #equality #inclusion #lgbtqrights #lgbtqprogress #pride #pridemonth #deib #corporateresponsibility #allies #partners

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Tune in to our latest interview on WomensRadio, featuring the vibrant Christine Baumgartner, as she discusses how to make the most of your time and infuse fun into your life! 💡🎈 Christine Baumgarter is a “love” coach…not a love-match-maker, She has made an artform of working with singles who are frustrated with their dating life and are (finally) ready to tackle what keeps love away — so that they can attract and experience a loving partner “match!” Christine gained a reputation as one of the first and most excellent coaches working with John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women Are From Venus). She is found at www.ThePerfectCatch.com. Christine Baumgartner on LinkedIn, The Perfect Coach on Facebook, CoachChristineBaumgartner on Instagram, ThePerfectCoach on Twitter and on YouTube(@coachChristineBaumgartner/playlists). Also at https://lnkd.in/e3np44Gf. 🔊 To watch more interviews with Christine, click the Links below: 1. Christine Baumgartner Helps Singles Get Rid of Love Barriers https://lnkd.in/ePxUPngw 2. Getting Women to Speak Up https://lnkd.in/e-kSsebB 3. How to Create and Alter "Agreements" in a Close Working Relationship, Especially with Men and Women? https://lnkd.in/eKekWmHs 4. Personality Styles Key to Better Relationships https://lnkd.in/e2cR5n-8 5. How Women and Men can Co-Create? https://lnkd.in/ePSy4NXe 6. Male and Female Approaches in Business. What works? And, Why? https://lnkd.in/e7irwz5s 7. Women and Men: Learning to Communicate Effectively for a Happy Ending https://lnkd.in/euQhFNYW 8. Collaboration Can Lead to Partnership https://lnkd.in/e6eyyXsb 9. Trying to "Fix" Things? Don't Rush to "Confusions!" https://lnkd.in/e2gRXhs8 10. Don't Stop https://lnkd.in/exETbzPs 11. Working Too Hard? Give Yourself a Break. You might need to Alter! https://lnkd.in/edrzjHdb 12. Ask for Help! Yes, You Can. Yes, You Should. Here's How! https://lnkd.in/ePwQYbYJ 💬 Join the Conversation: Share your experiences with time management and finding joy in your life! How do you balance responsibilities and fun? Use #TimeForFun #JoyfulLiving to join the conversation and inspire others. Ask Christine your burning Questions! Email us at team@women-corp.com 🙏 Thank you, Christine Baumgartner, for your invaluable insights on making time for fun. Let's embrace the moments of joy and make the most of the time we've created! 🌟🎉 #TimeForFun #JoyfulLiving #LifeBalance 🌈 www.audioacrobat.com Unlock the power of your voice with AudioAcrobat! 🎙️ Dive into seamless audio recording, podcasting, and more. Sign up today and enjoy a FREE 30-day subscription. Start your journey to captivating content creation now! 🎧

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