Author: Taylor Kennedy

2023 Forward Festival Sees Increase in New Event Organizers

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

(MADISON, Wis.)—Entrepreneurs, students, creatives, small businesses, tech folks and difference-makers will have the opportunity to make connections, share advice and collaborate at the 14th annual Forward Festival, which will take place Aug. 21-25 at various locations. The event will continue its five-day format, which will feature approximately 40 events, with nearly a dozen new event organizers.

“As we celebrate another year of Forward Festival, it continues to evolve and expand,” Laura Strong, festival board member and vice president of strategy and healthcare at DataChat Inc., said. “We’re excited to have so many new local organizations be a part of this experience. Beyond tech and venture capital, we even span into food, music, sports and now gaming/e-sports.”

This year features new events and new locations, including the first Power Up Wisconsin Gaming & E-Sports Summit, happening Friday, Aug. 25 at The Red Zone. In addition, Stoughton, Wis., will see its first event, Cut the Confusion Out of Your Advertising Decision, on Tuesday, Aug. 22, hosted by Innovation Center Stoughton.

The festival still features its annual events such as the Badger Startup Summit on Aug. 21 at the Discovery Building and the Doyenne Group’s 5x5x5 pitch event on Aug. 23 at the Pyle Center (and online). New events this year include a food entrepreneur showcase at Garver Feed Mill, a panel surrounding Fem-Preneurs at High Noon Saloon and multiple job design workshops (virtually).

Participants have three different options for the Forward Pass—a Free Events Forward Pass; the Forward Pass without Swag, which gives access to all virtual and in-person events plus access to the Forward Fest app and web platform; and the Friend of the Fest Pass, which includes paid and free events and adds the 2023 merchandise. New this year is that once participants buy a Forward Pass, they can RSVP to events with one click, get events synced to their calendars and an agenda emailed to them in advance.

Forward Festival is sponsored by Associated Bank, Fetch, Fine Point Consulting, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, M3 Insurance, MG&E, Neider & Boucher, Swink, Urban Land Interests, WEDC and the Wisconsin Union. Public relations support is provided by Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media.

For a detailed listing of events taking place during the Forward Festival, please visit www.forwardfest.org.

Resulting Media Coverage:

How to Generate Earned Media for Your Podcast

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

INTRODUCTION

Earned media is just that, it’s earned. It is what third parties say about your brand not because they are paid to but because they find interest in it and want to. This can include traditional media outlets, influencers or others.

Here are a few tips on how to generate earned media for your podcast.

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What to do When the Media Publish Inaccurate Info

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

INTRODUCTION

Is it possible that the media can “do no wrong?” What if they publish inaccurate information about you or your organization, and it’s now in the public eye? If this happens, then your primary goal should be to protect and restore your reputation. This can be done by working with the media to correct the wrong information, being proactive in communicating with your stakeholders and being responsive in addressing further stories or online comments.

There have been two recent examples that have tested this thinking.

The first is the Fox-Dominion case where Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine company, sought $1.6 billion in damages from Fox News for spreading falsehoods about Dominion’s role in the 2020 elections. Eventually, Fox News settled for $787.5 million, which is among the largest payouts ever in a defamation lawsuit.

The second case is between Sarah Palin and the New York Times. Palin filed a lawsuit after The Times published an editorial that asserted a false link between her political rhetoric and a mass shooting in Arizona in 2011. A judge ruled that Palin had produced no evidence that established the culpability of the news organization or its opinion editor at the time.

Since the goal is to earn the attention of your stakeholders, current clients or prospective clients to publish the correct information, we recommend following the PESO communications model. PESO stands for paid, earned, shared and owned.

Here are things to keep in mind if the media does publish inaccurate information, using the PESO model.

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