I really enjoy tuning into the Pivot podcast, hosted by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, twice weekly. The two have a great rapport, and cover tech, media and poltical news in a fun and entertaining way.
If the names are not familiar, Kara is a legend in tech reporting. She worked side-by-side with Walt Mossberg at WSJ for years. Mossberg is another name that should be familiar if you have labored in the tech PR and marketing trenches (he has retired, but Kara is going strong with her podcasts and CNN commentator gig among many other pursuits). I just finished reading Burn Book, Kara’s no-holds-barred account of her years covering the tech industry luminaries and innovators; a great read.
Scott is her sidekick and often irritates Kara with his adolescent humor. He is a serial entrepreneur, author, speaker and professor of marketing. Scott ran a branding agency and is pretty sharp on all issues about entrepreneurship, VC, governance, crisis management, Wall Street, and the tech industry in general.
Not that they care what I think, but I have two small complaints. Kara and Scott open the show with small talk, often yammering about all their fab appearances, big name celeb meetings, lush travels, important keynotes, and that can get tiresome and exhausting quickly. Yeah, we get it, you’re both living the life. Also, it would be great if they spent more time covering promising startups and up-and-coming business leaders (OK, you got me, our clients) vs. obsessing over big tech, Musk, Zuckerberg, Murdoch et al.
Apart from these quibbles, it is a great show. Sometimes the two get into it about PR, and I enjoy hearing their take on things. They’ve pretty much seen it all; Kara, in her role as a gumshoe tech journo who worked in Silicon Valley for decades, and Scott as a marketing practitioner and academic.
Last week they discussed Apple’s product launch and the Google antitrust lawsuits. It was interesting to hear Scott and Kara discuss PR related to these events, although it seems Scott has a jaded view of the field. I share excerpts from the transcript below.
Apple Launch, State of Big Reveals, In-person PR Events
Kara: I’m going to the Apple event today after this, going down to Cupertino…
Scott: Oh, another headset? [FYI the two often joust about Apple’s V/R headset – this is Scott’s sarcasm at play]
Kara: It’s a new phone,
Scott: How new is it?
Kara: We’ll see. I am very excited, actually. I used to go to Apple events all the time when Steve Jobs was around, and I haven’t been to one in a long, long time. They’re actually very fun to see what happens. There’s not too many in-person anything anymore. I’ll be visiting some of their executives, it should be fun.
Scott: My 14-year-old – next to football games, it’s the event he’s the most excited about.
They really have done an amazing job of turning it [into a spectacle]… Auto companies used to be really good at creating announcements… they pull a silk thing off it with some hot girl and an old white guy…. “Here’s the new Lebaron!”
Kara: Microsoft used to do it
Scott: Yeah. But they haven’t done a very good job of that anymore. I’m trying to think of another company that figures out a way….
Kara: Well, Tesla’s about to do one at a Hollywood studio with their Robo Taxi that doesn’t exist. You know, they’re trying to do like, “look at us” kind of stuff. Tesla does quite a few of them, but-
Scott: Actually, you know who does a really good job is the shoe industry with their drops; and fashion a little bit.
Kara: Oh, the drops.
Takeaways: It sounds like some longing for the spectacle of big product reveals. These and other kinds of in-person events were more popular before Covid hit. Of course, only the biggest brands, especially consumer-facing ones, can pull these off.
Scott Don’t Need no Stinkin’ PR Pitches
Scott and Kara brought up the latest anti-trust lawsuit against Google. They hosts discussed proper remedies, and Google’s impact on the publishing AKA news indutry. This gave Scott a chance to rant a bit:
Scott: But again, the meta news here is that people are, what has happened in the last 30 years? The number of journalists has been substantially reduced, and the number of PR comms execs who now come up to me and interrupt me all fucking day long at the Democratic National Convention to introduce me to some VP at a fascinating new technology company, or can get me a few minutes with the CEO of a ride hailing company.
Why the fuck would I want to meet with this person who brightens up a room by leaving it? The ratio of spin and bullshit and our impression that these companies are noble and really concerned about the world and proud of their progress and want to make the world a better place, the jig is up.
Kara: Yeah, I think the worm has certainly turned. We’ll see if it continues to turn.
Takeaways; Sounds like a hard no to PR pitches! We get it, Scott. Take it easy, I won’t harsh your mellow at the next fab event you’re gracing your presence with.
