About
With Gen Z skills and a Gen X work ethic, I excel at creating strategies that help…
Articles by Kevin
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2020 & the Physics of Change 😷
2020 & the Physics of Change 😷
This note was supposed to mark my year anniversary at Aeroseal. That milestone seems trivial, what with the last four…
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Career Update & Thank You
Career Update & Thank You
After three months in transition, I'm excited to announce I've joined the Aeroseal team as their director of marketing…
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5 Content Marketing Tips from Your Favorite TV Series Finales
5 Content Marketing Tips from Your Favorite TV Series Finales
As "Game of Thrones" ended after eight seasons, I was reminded of this article. The original was published in 2014…
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3 Ways to Avoid a Layoff
3 Ways to Avoid a Layoff
Spoiler Alert: Two weeks ago, I was part of a layoff/job action/whatever you call it. So I'm looking for a new career…
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PETA Newsjacking: 3 Reasons Marketers Should Take Note
PETA Newsjacking: 3 Reasons Marketers Should Take Note
The holiday season heated up this year when a radio station declared it wouldn't play "Baby It's Cold Outside" due to…
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#trending: 3 Tips to Putting Out Industry Trend Dumpster Fires
#trending: 3 Tips to Putting Out Industry Trend Dumpster Fires
In preparation for a presentation I’m giving this week, I did a Google search on 2018 PR Trends. To be honest, my head…
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Online Brands Go Offline to Amplify Success
Online Brands Go Offline to Amplify Success
Online & Offline's story is about influencing, not fighting, each other The article* "From Hit Game to Arcade…
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4 News Apps You Should Have On Your Phone
4 News Apps You Should Have On Your Phone
Mobile is changing, amongst other things, the way news is delivered. It’s an opportunity and a challenge for news…
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Is Slack's TV Commercial the Beginning of the End?
Is Slack's TV Commercial the Beginning of the End?
If you're not familiar with Slack , it's a b-to-b software platform. More specifically, it's a lightweight…
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How Purina Gets You Beggin’ For Content
How Purina Gets You Beggin’ For Content
You may think it's nothing more than a (bacon and) cheese ball campaign. But Purina's push around its Beggin' Party…
2 Comments
Activity
6K followers
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Kevin Dugan shared thisTom Fishburne nails it again.Kevin Dugan shared this"Misalignment at Speed" - A friend sent me a William Blair research report this week that characterized enterprise AI adoption as "a mile wide and an inch deep." Just about every organization has started to use AI tools in some fashion. But there's little orchestration of how those tools are actually used. And very little alignment across the enterprise. A 2025 MIT report suggested that 95% of enterprise Generative AI pilots failed to deliver significant ROI or move beyond experimentation. The report flags not the quality of the tools, but to strategic misalignment as the primary driver. Of course, strategic misalignment is an age-old challenge for organizations. AI acceleration just further exposes the rift. Hugh Derrick at eatbigfish recently pointed to Harvard Business Review research that strategic alignment is up to 3X lower than leaders think. As he put it: "So when you layer AI-driven speed on top, you don't magically become more effective. You run the risk of getting faster at being inconsistent (and yes, you'll create a lot more 'stuff' along the way)... "And it matters most in big, complex organizations where silos already slow everything down. When 30% of senior leaders point to silos as a root cause of productivity stagnation, and two‑thirds say their organizations are overly complex, adding more speed to a fragmented system doesn’t fix the system. It just creates more noise." >>>>> To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter (24 years running), click here: https://lnkd.in/gyWRQBxu For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/gp2rbfAf #marketing #cartoon #marketoon
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Kevin Dugan shared thisCongrats to Smack Pet Food, a Pet Wants premier vendor!Kevin Dugan shared thisAfter a year and a half of planning and building, Smack Pet Food co-founders Michael & Jonathon Giller were proud to officially open our secondary manufacturing facility and become part of the incredible Aberdeen community. 🐾 We’re grateful to already be supporting local initiatives — including the Aberdeen Humane Society, where we donated 200 bags of food for their recent fundraiser. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Mayor Travis Schaunaman, State Senator Carl Perry, representatives from the Governor’s Office for Economic Development, the Chamber of Commerce, the Aberdeen Development Corp, and many other valued members of the community. A special thank you to Mike Bockorny and the Aberdeen Development Corp for helping bring this vision to life, and to the State of South Dakota for such a warm welcome. And of course, thank you to our customers, retailers, and partners for supporting us over the past 18 years — we couldn’t have done it without you. ❤️
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Kevin Dugan shared thisA great organization with an amazing team of people including Maria D. and Cassie Kelly (👋). Worth checking out.Kevin Dugan shared this📣Have you been curious about Marketing & Communication roles at Cincinnati Children's? Here's your chance! Our department is hiring, so if you or someone you know is wanting to join one of the best pediatric health systems in the nation, and an awesome award-winning M&C team, check out these opportunities (including hybrid work options): ✨Just added: Sr. Communications Specialist for Development: https://lnkd.in/eK8NBYGS ✨Specialist, Marketing & Communications: https://lnkd.in/epYrkYFW ✨Sr. Marketing Specialist: https://lnkd.in/eCnGDb-U ✨Sr. Marketing Specialist, CRM & Email Marketing: https://lnkd.in/e_FhKubn #NowHiring #WeAreCincyKids #Marketing #Communications
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Kevin Dugan shared thisCan Voyager 1 teach us about career longevity? Connecting unrelated topics like this is a formula LinkedIn haters mock easily and often. But enough things have lined up that I’m ignoring them. >> After almost a year at Pet Wants, I'm witnessing the job market punish experienced professionals for giving most of their careers to one company. >> NASA pushed the limits of how far humans can go with Artemis II, while stories like Project Hail Mary are finding an eager audience. Voyager launched in 1977 with 69 KB of memory stored on an 8-track tape recorder -- tech considered primitive today. It's now nearly 50 years old, 15 billion+ miles from Earth, and still transmitting data. So, are there parallels between Voyager and your career? >Built for 1 Mission, Capable of Many< Voyager was designed for a five-year mission. It’s adapted well beyond its design. People often assume older workers are throwbacks to the era that defined us. They assume our skills are irrelevant. But like Voyager, our ability to adapt is far more versatile. >Assumptions Define Limitations< Nobody imagined Voyager would still be useful today. That failure of imagination is entirely on people, not the tech. Ageism works the same way — the limits are in the assumptions, not the person. >More Valuable the More It Goes< Voyager is more valuable because of how long it’s traveled. No other human-made object has been where it is. An experienced professional’s knowledge, pattern recognition, and judgment can’t be copied. You can’t shortcut 30 years of navigating teams, organizations, and industries. >Operating Where No One Else Has Reached< Voyager is in interstellar space, where other probes haven't been. It’s the most distant, human-made object. Older professionals carry hard-earned lessons based on market cycles, personal failures, and witnessing change in a way that isn’t possible for younger professionals. Not yet. >Meanwhile, Back on Earth< Don Huesman and I have discussed the multiple jobs we’ve held compared to professionals with career-long jobs we were taught to seek. There are others in similar scenarios. But Don and I continue to learn and adapt. It's made us better prepared for today’s job market. And it’s why we have a mutual side hustle -- paying it forward. >Ageism is, Uh, Getting Old< Ageism is a failure to update assumptions in the face of change. Can you imagine the class of 2026 staying at one or two jobs for their entire career? Similarly, the “class of Gen-X” is rich with examples of continued, exceptional performance under similar circumstances. Be like Voyager 1. Keep exploring. Keep proving them wrong. And lean into your age. Ageism may be an easy way to thin the stack of candidates. But if we don’t start seeing our age as a benefit, how will anyone else? #ageism #career #jobsearch
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Kevin Dugan reposted this🎤 Cincy/NKY PR/Comms friends: This is going to be a great day of inspiration and networking. If you have not already registered, don’t miss it! Cincinnati PRSAKevin Dugan reposted thisLast chance to register for PRSA Media Day! Registration closes today. Join us April 21 for a day of candid conversations with journalists and communications leaders on what’s shaping today’s media landscape—and what it means for PR pros. Sessions include: • From Pitch to Publication • Crisis Communication & Mitigation • Influencers & the Modern Creator Ecosystem • The Future of Communications in an AI-Influenced World April 21, 8a-4p First Financial Convention Center Register now: https://lnkd.in/efmdYh6V
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Kevin Dugan shared thisHad to share proof of this long-overdue ad agency reunion held on Friday. If you know who HSR is (as well as any of its permutations) you probably know at least one of these talented individuals. Big thanks to Lori Johnson for pulling us all together. It's been 20+ years, but we didn't miss a beat catching up. We actually had more folks attend before taking this, and almost as many who had to send their regrets. Regardless, the people make the work. Stay in touch with the people!
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Kevin Dugan shared thisPer usual, insightful thoughts re: AI from Brad King re: how to determine if AI replaces, assists, or derails certain workflows.Kevin Dugan shared thisResearchers from MIT's Sloan School of Management just published a 120-page paper (https://lnkd.in/gHi3AHSH) outlining a framework to evaluate when and where to deploy AI in your workflows. It's a fascinating look at the types of tasks that occur in any workflow and at how to determine where (or if) AI can replace, assist, or derail them. For the TL; DR crowd, I created a summary page for each section—and included a little bit about its importance in my Comms/Project Management world: https://lnkd.in/g4TZzmTq I also vibe-coded an interactive template that uses that framework and turns it into a usable tool for building a workflow and evaluating the potential use of AI for any task within it. Here's a demo of what I built: https://lnkd.in/gkqaGNys If you're working towards understanding when, how, and why you can (or shouldn't) use AI in your workflows, this framework is pretty great. H/T to my friend and colleague Kathleen Kennedy for pointing me in this direction. She's legit always on the front lines of the smartest ideas. (Miss you, KDK). And to my CMU colleagues Larry C. Pickett and Taylor K. Zahairagunn, this feels like a potential addition to the Centers of Excellence workshops! #AI #ProjectManagement
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Kevin Dugan reposted thisYes 😌Kevin Dugan reposted thisHow do you show kindness in the workplace? (Graphic via Victoria Repa)
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Kevin Dugan reacted on thisKevin Dugan reacted on thisTRG was named 2025 Partner of the Year at Honeywell Productivity Solutions and Services's Elevate 2026 Conference — and we greatly appreciate the recognition. This one's for the team that shows up every day and turns enterprise tech into real outcomes for our customers. The TRG team works hard with the partners to create valuable solutions for our customers. It's for the partnership that keeps raising the bar. Special shout outs to Georgina Lamb, John Bonanno and Jared Posset. Also a shout out to my friend Luc Chartrand, who might look like my younger brother. And it's for the customers who trust us to deliver — because that trust is what this award is really measuring. Thanks, Honeywell. We're just getting started. #TeamTRG #HoneywellPartner #PartnerOfTheYear #BeyondEndpoints #PSSELEVATE2026
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Kevin Dugan reacted on thisKevin Dugan reacted on thisLead growth was up more than 40% in April—and that’s not something that happens overnight. It’s the result of sustained alignment across the entire system, with everyone focused on shared objectives and consistently “watering their tree.” We’re seeing Franchise Owners lean in more than ever, investing in grassroots efforts and building stronger local referral partner relationships. That local momentum will always be a key driver of our growth. At the same time, we’re addressing the foundational elements needed to increase visibility, continuing to advance our SEO strategy, AI optimization capabilities, and broader website enhancements to ensure we are easier to find and engage with online. Beyond that, the rest of our marketing mix continues to improve month over month. From digital optimization to campaign execution, each piece is becoming more refined, more effective, and more aligned with our growth goals.
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Kevin Dugan reacted on thisKevin Dugan reacted on thisJoin our team brand-side and work on a fabulously strategic and creative team! Reach out to me if you have any questions.
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Kevin Dugan reacted on thisKevin Dugan reacted on thisSharing my search for Director, VP, or Executive level opportunities across marketing, communications, branding, and growth leadership. Please check out the article below for additional perspective on my background and experience. I'd appreciate you sharing for additional reach. Look forward to hearing from you! With gratitude, Brian SiegelGE to PE | Marketing, Branding, Communications & Growth | Seeking Director to VP and Executive roles | Let's go!GE to PE | Marketing, Branding, Communications & Growth | Seeking Director to VP and Executive roles | Let's go!
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Kevin Dugan liked thisLove the Silos! Have you been yet? You should!Kevin Dugan liked thisThe Silos Food Hall & Bar brings together a dynamic mix of local and globally inspired vendors, creating a one-of-a-kind dining destination in Dayton. >>>>https://lnkd.in/eyyApFEF
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Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Member of Marketing Committee
United Way of Greater Cincinnati
- 8 years 1 month
Social Services
With a focus on education, income and health, United Way works to advance the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for everyone throughout the Greater Cincinnati region. Visit https://www.uwgc.org/ to learn more.
Publications
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Social Media's Changed Things: Reds Manager Bryan Price shouldn't be surprised by this
WCPO.com
See publicationThis Scripps Media property asked me to contribute an opinion piece to their site when a story leaked on social media and Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price subjected reporters to a five-minute, profanity infused rant. My take reflects on how much social media has changed our world. And while Price might be mad, he should not be surprised news leaked out in this fashion.
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The Bad Pitch Blog: How To Not Suck at PR & Get Great Media Coverage
Amazon Digital Services LLC
Since 2006, Richard Laermer and Kevin Dugan, two experienced PR pros with dozens of years of getting their clients covered in every form of media have shared their valuable experience via something called Bad Pitch Blog.
This eBook distills everything Laermer and Dugan have preached over the years in an energetic and irreverent way.
This book shows readers what not to do. And how to make sure your efforts generate news coverage instead of becoming a story that you’ll want to…Since 2006, Richard Laermer and Kevin Dugan, two experienced PR pros with dozens of years of getting their clients covered in every form of media have shared their valuable experience via something called Bad Pitch Blog.
This eBook distills everything Laermer and Dugan have preached over the years in an energetic and irreverent way.
This book shows readers what not to do. And how to make sure your efforts generate news coverage instead of becoming a story that you’ll want to forget and everyone else will want to share.Other authors -
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Four Tips to Help You Create Content in a tl;dr World
Spin Sucks Blog
See publicationWe live in a tl;dr world where our attention spans are only eight seconds. How you create content affects your success rate.
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The Plan is Dead…Long Live the Plan
Marketwired Blog
See publicationMarketwired asked me to guest post on their blog and I focused on how content is being used to engage consumers.
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What Media's Best (and worst) Can Teach You About Storytelling
iMedia Connection
See publicationIn this guest article for the iMedia marketing community, I walk through examples of media that are innovating in storytelling and what we can learn from them.
Projects
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Inspiration by Gorilla Glue
Gorilla Glue's Inspiration platform is a useful and informative tool, helping the brand connect novices with experts with original and curated content. This project was a finalist in the 2015 Content Marketing Awards in the Best Use of Content Curation category.
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Land O'Moms by Land O'Frost
Land O’Moms is a resource for moms that provides tips, recipes and stories from other Moms. It was created by Land O’Frost, the largest privately held and largest family-owned brand of packaged luncheon meat in the United States. Our team took over the platform, and redesigned it while creating a content strategy for the brand.
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Around the Table by Bush's Beans
Around the Table is designed for home cooks of all skill levels who want to bring family and friends together by sharing delicious meals and new culinary creations. Magnetic Content Studios developed content strategy for Bush's that informed the site development. We now manage day to day editorial operations, including headline syndication.
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See For Yourself
Created an independent publishing platform for LasikPlus to help the brand better connect with consumers through content they are actively seeking out. Guided by fast data, including search and social data, Magnetic Content Studios built See For Yourself to serve up this content and ultimately drive leads. It is delivering on both goals.
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Addiction Ultimatum: Jail, Death, Recovery
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Someone with a substance use disorder (SUD) has three options…jail, death, or recovery.
This documentary is told through four personal stories to show the stark realities of this disease and the hope for anyone with an SUD.
My role in production was project manager, supporting David McDonald's creative vision. I also owned the promotion of this film to ensure it positively impacted BrightView's business goals. It was a 12-month promotional window and the documentary became a great…Someone with a substance use disorder (SUD) has three options…jail, death, or recovery.
This documentary is told through four personal stories to show the stark realities of this disease and the hope for anyone with an SUD.
My role in production was project manager, supporting David McDonald's creative vision. I also owned the promotion of this film to ensure it positively impacted BrightView's business goals. It was a 12-month promotional window and the documentary became a great way to drive engagement with BrightView's community partners.Other creators -
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Explore more posts
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Donna St. Jean Conti
A great consumer feature article doesn’t start with writing. It starts with asking the right questions. From defining the context and editorial intent, to clarifying the single most important message, to gathering real-world examples, data, and quotes, the right questionnaire provides the raw material that turns abstract insights into relatable, human-centered stories. By answering key questions, content teams can give writers the clarity and structure they need to craft feature articles that resonate with consumer audiences—anchored in credibility, shaped by thought leadership, and elevated with authentic voices. 👉 Read the full post: How Questionnaires Shape Consumer Feature Articles https://lnkd.in/g2BBgpxh #FeatureArticles #ContentStrategy #PR #Marketing #Communications
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Yazan Radaideh
The most painful moment in PR. Stakeholder wants headlines. Budget is “we’ll see.” The brief is vague. The story is… not. “We need visibility.” “Top-tier media.” “Thought leadership.” What’s new? Silence. Then comes the line every PR professional knows by heart: “Just make it interesting.” 😬 PR isn’t magic. It’s strategy, timing, substance… and occasionally explaining that being alive isn’t news. Back to reframing reality.
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Colleen Lerro Gallagher
🖋️ Op-Eds in Advocacy 🖋️ This week’s Association Insights explores the role of op-eds in advocacy campaigns: ✅ Shape public opinion with compelling arguments. 🎯 Position your association as a thought leader. 📅 Tie op-eds to current events for relevance. 🤝 Collaborate with members to amplify your message. Op-eds drive influence and support advocacy goals. 💬 How do you use op-eds in your campaigns? Share below! #AssociationInsights #Advocacy #OpEds #OnWrdUpWrd
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Colleen Lerro Gallagher
🛠️ Navigating Sensitive Topics in PR 🛠️ This week’s Association Insights shares strategies for handling sensitive or divisive topics in your PR efforts: ✅ Understand your audience’s diverse perspectives. 📖 Stick to facts and maintain transparency. ❓ Prepare answers for tough questions. 🤝 Use neutral, inclusive language. 📊 Monitor feedback and adapt as needed. Thoughtful communication builds trust and protects your reputation. 💬 How do you approach sensitive topics in PR? Share your insights! #AssociationInsights #PRTips #CrisisCommunications #OnWrdUpWrd
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Jacob Holder
Before: Agencies struggled with manual processes, limited data insights, and generic campaigns. Now: AI revolutionizes the work. Agencies harness AI for personalized content, predictive analytics, and automated workflows, boosting creativity and efficiency. 2026 is the year for your agency to harness AI. #AITalent #MediaInnovation https://lnkd.in/eutfSNVY
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Nicole Tidei
Generative AI is rewriting the rules of brand communications. Organic news traffic is down nearly 60%—but for comms pros, this is also an opportunity to adapt and lead. I share how in my latest Forbes Communications Council op-ed: https://lnkd.in/eKc3FcKf #GenerativeAI #AIforComms #BrandCommunications #PRStrategy #MarketingStrategy
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Philip Tate, APR, Fellow PRSA
Must read from Gini Dietrich for Spin Sucks: How to Make Your Brand the Obvious Answer with Visibility Engineering. If you’re new-ish to the business world, this won’t shock you. But back in the day, the primary way someone learned about your brand was through your sales team. Today? We all have supercomputers in our pockets. By the time a buyer meets your sales rep—or an AI summarizes your category—their decision is mostly made. The shortlist is formed. The obvious answers are already in the room. That’s why so many companies are shrinking sales headcount and reinvesting those dollars in digital marketing. And it’s why the work you and I do now is so important. But there is a catch. If your brand isn’t respected in the pre-pipeline moments—the activities leading up to your sales team picking up the phone—you won’t get a response, let alone a demo. You get polite ghosting and a wide-open calendar. We used to treat this as a top-of-funnel problem: publish more, rank higher, pray harder. In an AI-shaped market, volume doesn’t win. Signals win. Corroboration wins. The brands that show up—consistently—are the ones with evidence people can lift, quotes analysts can reuse, and definitions machines can safely parrot without getting yelled at by the internet. This isn’t “content marketing” anymore. We’ve moved into visibility engineering. https://lnkd.in/emYi8tki
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Todd Barrish
Yesterday I posted about how different service providers, especially PR agencies and SEO firms, are defining and selling AEO/GEO services. I didn’t expect the flood of follow-up messages. Many of you asked for clarity, wanted to brainstorm positioning strategies, and shared your own experiences pitching this to executive teams. Here’s what stood out: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to AEO/GEO. What works for one tech brand can completely miss the mark for another. The latest Muck Rack report backs this up. It makes clear that success depends on how well your team executes, not just what tools or platforms they use. The bottom line: Your PR team is your storytelling engine. Storytelling powers content creation, which is both earned and owned. But creation is just the start. That content must be leveraged and implemented with precision across all digital touchpoints. There’s room for both to win if your strategy is smart, structured, and aligned. Let’s keep the conversation going.
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Vitor Bellote 🇧🇷🇮🇹
Cookies remaining on Chrome shouldn't affect marketers' move toward privacy-first strategies. 🔐 What truly matters is the growing privacy awareness among consumers and how brands choose to respond. Modern marketers are already embracing a context-first mindset. “The emphasis needs to shift toward respecting user preferences, establishing trust, and delivering genuinely relevant experiences without intrusive practices,” says Kartal Göksel, CTO at Seedtag Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dK_-UWpv #ContextualAdvertising #PrivacyFirst #AdTech #DigitalMarketing #Leadership #MarketingStrategy #DataEthics
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Pamela Wadler
High price isn’t a barrier, it’s a signal. Veblen goods sell because they communicate status, exclusivity, and meaning, not just functionality. Read Nancy Trent’s article in @WholeFoodsMag to learn how: Scarcity and story create desire Perceived quality drives demand PR gives context, without it, price feels arbitrary Even accessible luxury (think artisanal water or specialty foods) works the same way: it’s about permission to indulge and show taste. Lesson for brands: Don’t just justify cost, make price part of the experience. #luxury #food #pr #publicity #media #taste #water #healthandwellness
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