How has corporate America's approach to Washington changed between Trump's first and second administrations? In this episode of Campaign Trend, host Eric Wilson speaks with Alex Conant, partner and co-founder of Firehouse Strategies, about the evolution from companies hiding behind trade associations to direct CEO engagement with the White House. They discuss the shifting role of lobbyists versus public affairs professionals, how companies are building broader coalitions of allies rather than relying solely on traditional lobbying, and the impact of AI on advocacy campaigns. The conversation also covers the continued importance of mainstream media in setting agendas and essential skills for public affairs professionals in today's relationship-driven industry.

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Courtney Weaver, Executive VP at IMGE, cuts through the hype around influencer marketing in political campaigns. Discover why influencers aren't just celebrities with massive followings - they're trusted voices like teachers, veterans, and mom bloggers who've built authentic relationships with niche audiences.

In this conversation with host Eric Wilson, learn practical strategies for incorporating user-generated content into your paid media mix, why you can't skip traditional digital advertising, and how campaigns of all sizes can leverage this relationship-based approach. Wilson and Weaver explore everything from ballot initiatives to local races, delivering actionable insights on budgeting, platform selection, and the mindset shift required to work effectively with content creators.

Perfect for campaign managers, political consultants, and anyone looking to understand how authentic storytelling and digital targeting work together in modern political communications.

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Jordi Calvet-Bademunt, a senior research fellow at The Future of Free Speech and visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University, joins Eric Wilson to discuss AI regulations and their potential unintended consequences for free speech. In this eye-opening conversation, Calvet-Bademunt reveals how the anticipated wave of AI-generated deepfakes during the 2024 elections failed to materialize despite widespread panic from global institutions and media.

The episode explores why AI is being treated differently than previous communication technologies, examines the risks of overly broad regulations, and highlights how both government policies and corporate self-censorship could threaten political discourse. Calvet-Bademunt shares surprising research findings about the actual impact of deepfakes in recent elections worldwide and advocates for media literacy over restrictive policies while celebrating the positive potential of AI in political communication.

For campaign professionals and political strategists, this conversation offers valuable insight into navigating the evolving relationship between emerging technology and free speech in democratic systems.

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On today’s episode, we’re sharing a panel discussion I moderated early this month at the Leadership Institute’s ElectTech conference in San Francisco. It was an informative conversation about how technology can be used to provide scale alongside the more conversational tactics campaigns are embracing.

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• Caroline Strom, Client Partner for US Elections, X
• Bryan McPartlan, Sales Director, Prompt.io
• Scott Winn, COO, California Republican Party

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Lara Aulestia is founder and CEO of 1060 Advisors, a paid media strategy, planning and buying company serving the public affairs and political industry. She has an extensive background in political media buying with past roles at iHeartMedia, Resonate, Xandr, and Warner Media.

In this episode we dig into the need to layer media buys across platforms to achieve our desired reach and frequency objectives.

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Our guest today is David Tennent, founder of CNCT, a platform to centralize social and professional opportunities for political staffers.

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Our guest is Maya Hutchinson, the Founder & CEO of Battleground AI, an integrated advertising platform built for politics - effortlessly combining data, messaging, and ad creation in one place. Maya is a data-driven marketer with roots in Democratic politics.

In this episode we discuss the tangible ways campaigns are using AI and how they can more fully tap into this emerging technology.

• 3 Steps to Smarter Political Advertising
  
  

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Our guest today is Mark Harris, Managing Partner of ColdSpark, a boutique advertising and public affairs firm that specializes in political campaigns and issue advocacy.

In our conversation, we discuss lessons Mark and his team learned from the victorious 2024 Pennsylvania Senate campaign for Senator Dave McCormick.

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