The Innovator 25:

Manny Veiga

Podcast host

March PR and Hacks & Flacks

"Everyone in marketing wants to do something new or interesting, but we're also all heads-down on taking care of the next goal or objective."

Few PR agencies have taken to the podcast explosion, even though the medium's popularity shows no signs of slowing down. Yet Manny Veiga has somewhat quietly produced a podcast that — impressively — tackles the day-to-day stuff that PR people deal with — newsjacking without backlash, the implications around the fall of Gawker Media and the state of measurement — in a style that's actually fun to listen to. The cleverly named Hacks & Flacks podcast pushes the industry to take audio more seriously as a viable content avenue for clients and themselves.

Describe what you do.
We work with B2B tech companies, and my role is to help our clients develop content strategies for thought leadership, lead generation and communication campaigns.

Where are you from/hometown?
I grew up on Massachusetts' South Shore

Where are you based now?
Boston

In what area of marketing/PR do you see the most innovation?
Creative storytelling & content. It's cool to see publishers telling stories more creatively. Many are setting the standard for how you can create content for the web now and in years to come. I was really impressed with what the New York Times (and a few other publications) did this past Summer Olympics, when they offered interactive athlete profiles that mixed video, audio and written content. I can't do them justice in a short description, but it's worth watching yourself.

How would you describe the communications/PR industry's level of innovation?
About the same as other marketing disciplines. Everyone in marketing wants to do something new or interesting, but we're also all heads-down on taking care of the next goal or objective. Agency, in-house, marketing, PR - everyone wants to try to find a balance. I can't say one or the other is doing a particularly better job than the rest.

What is most important for the PR industry to do to foster more innovation?
New service offerings

How do you define innovation?
An original idea, or a unique twist on the familiar.

Most innovative PR/comms campaign you've seen in the last 12 months?
I'm currently enjoying the VR-based tours of the National Parks from Google and Oculus Rift

What brands and/or agencies are most innovative when it comes to marketing/PR?
Google

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider 'innovative.'
I've contributed to innovative projects, but I can't take credit for the original ideas. Interestingly, they were both campaigns that favored physical content over digital content (specifically, direct mail + printed books) as a way to stand out. As for a personal moment... probably the moment I realized that ideas aren't worth much without action, and that a good idea that delivered decent results is better than an amazing idea left on paper. Sounds like a pretty intuitive concept but, changing my thinking along those lines certainly "innovated" how I pitch and act on ideas.

Something — not PR/marketing related — that is innovative.
PlayStation Vue and dual-band routers

Please give our readers an idea of something that can inspire innovation — this can be a book/movie/podcast/activity/article.
Frustration.

Least favorite time of day?
Morning

Most innovative place in the world? This could be a city, a venue, a neighborhood, etc.
Garages, evidently.

#FirstSevenJobs
McDonalds Grocery store Newspaper intern/freelancer Marketing writing at an agency Marketing manager at another agency In-house marketing role Back to agency marketing here at March.