Brendan Hodgson
@brendanhodgson.bsky.social
The message matters. I talk about PR, communications, media n' stuff, digital and AI based on nearly 3 decades in the trenches.
I'm waiting for a 3 AM flight, so what else to do but wrap up this week's Miscellany and hit send (also hoping I can pull off at least 4 hours sleep on this 6 hour flight).
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
November 27, 2025
In this week's early AM edition (#167): the future of discovery, when companies lose their way, the best guide to spotting AI writing, why content strategies fail, post-social media, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM
I'm waiting for a 3 AM flight, so what else to do but wrap up this week's Miscellany and hit send (also hoping I can pull off at least 4 hours sleep on this 6 hour flight).
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
A day early due to travel - but let's see how it performs on a Wednesday vs a Thursday.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
November 20, 2026
In this week's edition (#166) coming to you a day early due to travel: why comms is misunderstood, RIP brand social, where AI is taking the newsroom, why personality beats precision, & much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:20 AM
A day early due to travel - but let's see how it performs on a Wednesday vs a Thursday.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/november-2...
A five-day breather with the family (crammed between two overnight flights... urgh) was still a necessary respite from a mad rush to the finish of 2025. So forgive the rushed effort, but there's still a few goodies in this week's 164th Miscellany. Enjoy! brendanhodgson.substack.com/publish/post...
November 6, 2025
In this week's edition (#164): The state of creator journalism, Google & trust, the atrophying of expertise, why CEO's don't call the shots, countries with the best reputations, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:09 AM
A five-day breather with the family (crammed between two overnight flights... urgh) was still a necessary respite from a mad rush to the finish of 2025. So forgive the rushed effort, but there's still a few goodies in this week's 164th Miscellany. Enjoy! brendanhodgson.substack.com/publish/post...
This week I'm participating in a fiction writing contest with a colleague who I'm sure is going to kick my @ss. But I'm glad to be doing more than doomscrolling. Of course, if you must use your screen, you could do worse than peruse this week's Miscellany. brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-30...
October 30, 2025
In this week's edition (#163): the 2026 Relevance Report, everyone is a strategist, Sora and trust, marketing's next chapter, the Q3 Crisis Review, AI Assistants & news errors, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:51 AM
This week I'm participating in a fiction writing contest with a colleague who I'm sure is going to kick my @ss. But I'm glad to be doing more than doomscrolling. Of course, if you must use your screen, you could do worse than peruse this week's Miscellany. brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-30...
A little bit of humiliation to go with is week's 162nd edition of the Miscellany. I won't go into detail, but let's just say I need to spend a bit more time getting to know colleagues in the office. So with that lesson learned, let's crack on, shall we?
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-23...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-23...
October 23, 2025
In this week's episode (#162): the post-naive internet era, brands & Reddit, the challenge of AI influencers, the best Insta content format, the next generation of AI news sites, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:53 AM
A little bit of humiliation to go with is week's 162nd edition of the Miscellany. I won't go into detail, but let's just say I need to spend a bit more time getting to know colleagues in the office. So with that lesson learned, let's crack on, shall we?
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-23...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-23...
This is a particularly good week for comms content, if I do say so myself. So much so that I've actually had to save some articles for the next edition. So do yourself a favour and carve out an hour or two and explore the 161st edition of the Miscellany.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-16...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-16...
October 16, 2025
In this week's jumbo edition (#161): AI's role in journalism, 2026 PR outlook, Antifragile comms strategies, the future of PR leadership, AI & the CCO, the era of compounding crisis, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:04 AM
This is a particularly good week for comms content, if I do say so myself. So much so that I've actually had to save some articles for the next edition. So do yourself a favour and carve out an hour or two and explore the 161st edition of the Miscellany.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-16...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-16...
Well, this has been one helluva week. Hoping now I can relax, catch up with other things, and perhaps even think more about this week's Miscellany which explores a smarter way to disagree, why context comes first, the creative cheatsheet, and much more.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-9-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-9-...
October 9, 2025
In this week's edition: a smarter way to disagree, passing peak social media, how TikTok keeps scrollers scrolling, why context comes first, the creative cheatsheet, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Well, this has been one helluva week. Hoping now I can relax, catch up with other things, and perhaps even think more about this week's Miscellany which explores a smarter way to disagree, why context comes first, the creative cheatsheet, and much more.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-9-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-9-...
The 159th edition of your trusted Miscellany wants to apologize for leaning heavily into crisis this week, but it seems there was a lot of it about. But we do also take a few detours, so not entirely bleak. I promise.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-2-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-2-...
October 2, 2025
In this week's edition: Embarrassing yourself is the new big trend, the poisoning of trust, the Invisible Expert, how to be a Supercommunicator, the hard lesson for Disney, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 2:42 AM
The 159th edition of your trusted Miscellany wants to apologize for leaning heavily into crisis this week, but it seems there was a lot of it about. But we do also take a few detours, so not entirely bleak. I promise.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-2-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/october-2-...
If you're finding this week's sporting rivalries all a bit too much (Go Europe!), a few hours with your faithful Miscellany where you can dig into everything new in communications might be the tonic you're looking for.
open.substack.com/pub/brendanh...
open.substack.com/pub/brendanh...
September 25, 2025
In this week's edition: AI and corporate affairs, how people get misled, rise of the CEO voice, return to real and more marketing trends, why trust dies when headlines lie, and much more...
open.substack.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:06 AM
If you're finding this week's sporting rivalries all a bit too much (Go Europe!), a few hours with your faithful Miscellany where you can dig into everything new in communications might be the tonic you're looking for.
open.substack.com/pub/brendanh...
open.substack.com/pub/brendanh...
This week I discovered that using full stops in texts was deemed highly aggressive to Gen-Z's (who knew?). My response: I might start adding slammers (!!) just to annoy them. In that vein, I hope you find a few revelations in this week's Miscellany. Enjoy! brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
September 18, 2025
In this week's edition: the last days of social, the shift to "strategic silence", Trump the teacher, the best brands on social, dubious PR agencies, purpose & whether people care, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:43 AM
This week I discovered that using full stops in texts was deemed highly aggressive to Gen-Z's (who knew?). My response: I might start adding slammers (!!) just to annoy them. In that vein, I hope you find a few revelations in this week's Miscellany. Enjoy! brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
In this week's Miscellany, advice from Wimbledon, the curious case of Margaux Blanchard, structures for content teams, managing personality-driven newsletters, and much more... Go on, and get yer read on!
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
September 11, 2025
In this week's edition: advice from Wimbledon, the curious case of Margaux Blanchard, structures for content teams, managing personality-driven newsletters, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 4:55 AM
In this week's Miscellany, advice from Wimbledon, the curious case of Margaux Blanchard, structures for content teams, managing personality-driven newsletters, and much more... Go on, and get yer read on!
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
Words have impact:
September 7, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Words have impact:
I recently watched the second Happy Gilmour movie. It won't win awards, but it was comfort food of the highest order (with the bonus of Scotty Scheffler demonstrating some impressive acting chops). Very much needed, much like your weekly Miscellany.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
September 4, 2025
In this week's edition: why measurement matters, how Trump's death rumour went viral, embargoes vs exclusives, rise of the MAHA mom-fluencers, say this not that, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
September 4, 2025 at 2:56 AM
I recently watched the second Happy Gilmour movie. It won't win awards, but it was comfort food of the highest order (with the bonus of Scotty Scheffler demonstrating some impressive acting chops). Very much needed, much like your weekly Miscellany.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/september-...
This week's edition of the Miscellany is celebrating becoming a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium member. He's not yet sure what that means but at least he knows he'll get a fruit plate and maybe a bucket of beer.
Enjoy: brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-28-...
Enjoy: brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-28-...
August 28, 2025
In this week's edition: READINESS & crisis management, the "Yes Advantage", AI slop & disinformation, the best AI tools for journalism, the end of the apology era, ChatGPT & shaming, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:18 AM
This week's edition of the Miscellany is celebrating becoming a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium member. He's not yet sure what that means but at least he knows he'll get a fruit plate and maybe a bucket of beer.
Enjoy: brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-28-...
Enjoy: brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-28-...
Writing to you this week from Dubai, your faithful curator of all things communications, PR and media is beginning to think he needs an assistant or at least guidance on how to better manage time. It's all getting a little spicy. Enjoy.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-21-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-21-...
August 21, 2025
In this week's edition: A public speaking masterclass, crisis in the age of infinite content; the money behind bite-sized social media posts; the rationale for newsletters; and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
August 21, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Writing to you this week from Dubai, your faithful curator of all things communications, PR and media is beginning to think he needs an assistant or at least guidance on how to better manage time. It's all getting a little spicy. Enjoy.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-21-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-21-...
Oasis was this week's brainworm and I'm not even a fan (personally, I prefer the Stone Roses). But hey, that's culture for you. And it's one of the things we talk about in this week's edition of your trusted Miscellany. Enjoy!
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-14-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-14-...
August 14, 2025
In this week's edition: the role of newsletters in PR, a fan-building masterclass, why workplace loyalty is dead, what hiring an OnlyFans star means for L'Oreal, the news from TikTok, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Oasis was this week's brainworm and I'm not even a fan (personally, I prefer the Stone Roses). But hey, that's culture for you. And it's one of the things we talk about in this week's edition of your trusted Miscellany. Enjoy!
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-14-...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-14-...
Cornwall was a welcome respite from endless sun but now we're focused on catching up with the latest communications trends, best practices, mishaps and misdemeanors and all other communications miscellany. In this 151st edition...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-7-2...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-7-2...
August 7, 2025
In this week's edition: owning the room in the age of AI, clarity by substraction, genes, memes and manufactured dissent, the authority gap, when a company should speak out, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Cornwall was a welcome respite from endless sun but now we're focused on catching up with the latest communications trends, best practices, mishaps and misdemeanors and all other communications miscellany. In this 151st edition...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-7-2...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/august-7-2...
Well, that's the last time I hit publish from my phone. I only hope the quality of content masks the minor stylistic errors on this the 150th edition of your faithful Miscellany. Enjoy, and we'll see you in a few weeks. I clearly need a break!
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-17-2025
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-17-2025
July 17, 2025
In this week's edition: bridging the trust gap, corporate character, why no one is reading your press release, why spin is (obvs) the enemy of truth, why CEO's are turning to AI, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
July 17, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Well, that's the last time I hit publish from my phone. I only hope the quality of content masks the minor stylistic errors on this the 150th edition of your faithful Miscellany. Enjoy, and we'll see you in a few weeks. I clearly need a break!
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-17-2025
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-17-2025
Coming to you from the Eastern Province, today's edition of your trusted Miscellany explores why companies are leaving reputation value on the table, how to plan a survey that makes news, the most effective way to reach employees, and much more. Enjoy.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-10-2025
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-10-2025
July 10, 2025
In this week's edition: Leaving reputation value on the table, planning a survey that makes news, the most effective way to reach employees, where people get their news, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Coming to you from the Eastern Province, today's edition of your trusted Miscellany explores why companies are leaving reputation value on the table, how to plan a survey that makes news, the most effective way to reach employees, and much more. Enjoy.
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-10-2025
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-10-2025
In this week's "Diddy goes to jail" edition of your trusted Miscellany: faceless creators, Reddit's vow of 'humanity', Tesla's robotaxis and the media, the creativity dividend, Chanel's new magazine, AI-personalized news, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-3-2025
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-3-2025
July 3, 2025
In this week's edition: faceless creators, Reddit's vow of 'humanity', Tesla's robotaxis and the media, the creativity dividend, Chanel's new magazine, AI-personalized news, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
July 3, 2025 at 2:51 AM
In this week's "Diddy goes to jail" edition of your trusted Miscellany: faceless creators, Reddit's vow of 'humanity', Tesla's robotaxis and the media, the creativity dividend, Chanel's new magazine, AI-personalized news, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-3-2025
brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/july-3-2025
Deep breath, everyone. We've (almost) survived another week. Let's celebrate with today's ceasefire edition which explores how to spot "brand mission" BS, the death of the age of storytelling, Air India's CEO message backlash, AI pollution, & much more... brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-26-2025
June 26, 2025
In this week's edition: how to spot "brand mission" BS, the death of the age of storytelling, Air India's CEO message backlash, more ads or better infrastructure? AI pollution, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
June 26, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Deep breath, everyone. We've (almost) survived another week. Let's celebrate with today's ceasefire edition which explores how to spot "brand mission" BS, the death of the age of storytelling, Air India's CEO message backlash, AI pollution, & much more... brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-26-2025
Yes, it's all gone a bit pear-shaped this past week, and hopefully cooler heads will prevail (despite temperatures well above 40C). So in the spirit of optimism - and distraction - I give you this week's Miscellany chock full of communications-y goodness... brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-19-2025
June 19, 2025
In this week's edition: 2025 digital news report, AI hallucinations & crisis, discovering earned attention, what execs don't want in a presentation, masters of outrage, AI browser wars, & much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
June 19, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Yes, it's all gone a bit pear-shaped this past week, and hopefully cooler heads will prevail (despite temperatures well above 40C). So in the spirit of optimism - and distraction - I give you this week's Miscellany chock full of communications-y goodness... brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-19-2025
My wife dropped by Riyadh this past week so I'll beg forgiveness for the rush job that is today's Miscellany. In today's edition: the state of the consumer in 2025, Pew's news media tracker, the reputation equation, and much more. I'll do better next week. brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-12-2025
June 12, 2025
In this week's edition: the state of the consumer, Pew's news media tracker, the reputation equation, how AI slop is warping metrics, zero-click searches, the UAE's new media law, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
June 12, 2025 at 2:50 AM
My wife dropped by Riyadh this past week so I'll beg forgiveness for the rush job that is today's Miscellany. In today's edition: the state of the consumer in 2025, Pew's news media tracker, the reputation equation, and much more. I'll do better next week. brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-12-2025
Eid is upon us, so let's not waste any time. In this week's Miscellany, we explore reputation, risk & resilience in 2025, "insidious fear", the news platforms targeting young audiences, rebranding diversity, the biggest threat to reputation, and much more... brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-5-2025
June 5, 2025
In this week's edition: reputation, risk & resilience in 2025, "insidious fear", the news platforms targeting young audiences, rebranding diversity, the biggest threat to reputation, and much more...
brendanhodgson.substack.com
June 5, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Eid is upon us, so let's not waste any time. In this week's Miscellany, we explore reputation, risk & resilience in 2025, "insidious fear", the news platforms targeting young audiences, rebranding diversity, the biggest threat to reputation, and much more... brendanhodgson.substack.com/p/june-5-2025