Futurist services for PR

In addition to his work as a keynote speaker and strategy advisor, Ross Dawson has an extensive background working with PR firms and the marketing groups of major organizations to support their campaigns and objectives.

He works closely with PR firms and marketers around the themes of the future and innovation, in roles including:

Thought leadership content

Media spokesperson

B2B influencer

Interview host

Moderator

Keynote speaker

Creating the future of PR

Read below for details and client case studies and examples.

Thought leadership content

Ross has generated a wide range of high-value content for major brands that wish to demonstrate industry thought leadership and attract media attention. Content includes common formats such as reports and white papers, however Ross often suggests highly visual and engaging styles and content types, including video and interactive visualizations. His well-known visual strategy frameworks have attracted many millions of viewers.

Representative examples

Commonwealth Bank Visa Canada SAP
Ross Dawson authored and helped design a report for Commonwealth Bank to demonstrate the bank’s thought leadership in education and the work of the future and to support its employer branding. The report resulted in extensive media coverage including breakfast TV.
See report
Visa Canada commissioned Ross Dawson to create a brief, engaging report on ‘The Future of Back-to-School’ to drive popular media coverage and highlighting Visa’s focus on innovation, generating media coverage across TV, print, and online from the report and interviews with Ross.
See report
SAP’s Professional Services group wanted to highlight to major clients globally its understanding of the forces shaping the professional services industry. It engaged Ross Dawson to lead-author a very well-received white paper on Service Delivery Innovation, in addition to speaking at its Global Professional Services Advisory Council meeting.
See report
Commonwealth Bank
Ross Dawson authored and helped design a report for Commonwealth Bank to demonstrate the bank’s thought leadership in education and the work of the future and to support its employer branding. The report resulted in extensive media coverage including breakfast TV.
See report
Visa Canada
Visa Canada commissioned Ross Dawson to create a brief, engaging report on ‘The Future of Back-to-School’ to drive popular media coverage and highlighting Visa’s focus on innovation, generating media coverage across TV, print, and online from the report and interviews with Ross.
See report
SAP
SAP’s Professional Services group wanted to highlight to major clients globally its understanding of the forces shaping the professional services industry. It engaged Ross Dawson to lead-author a very well-received white paper on Service Delivery Innovation, in addition to speaking at its Global Professional Services Advisory Council meeting.
See report

Media spokesperson

Ross often plays media spokesperson roles for clients, usually associated with the development of thought leadership content. He is usually offered to media as a more attractive alternative for interviews than corporate executives, given his extensive media experience and engaging style.

Representative examples

ANZ Intel Security Arnotts Campbell
ANZ wanted to drive a market perception of innovation, so engaged Ross Dawson to help design consumer surveys and create talking points on the future of banking. ANZ’s CEO and Ross launched the report at a major press briefing and Ross did extensive media interviews to discuss his ideas on the future of banking, resulting in significant positive shifts in views of the bank.
See media release
Intel Security engaged Ross Dawson to write a report that was launched in Australia’s Parliament House with then Federal Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull saying, “Intel Security’s report makes a major contribution to our understanding of how to safeguard Australians online and into the future.” The report received over 400 media hits across TV, radio, print and online including numerous high-profile interviews of Ross Dawson.
See report
Arnotts Campbell, in launching a novel range of combined fruit and vegetable juices, asked Ross Dawson to create a report on the social forces driving the rise of ‘fregetables’ and act as media spokesperson, driving significant media attention for the new product line.
ANZ
ANZ wanted to drive a market perception of innovation, so engaged Ross Dawson to help design consumer surveys and create talking points on the future of banking. ANZ’s CEO and Ross launched the report at a major press briefing and Ross did extensive media interviews to discuss his ideas on the future of banking, resulting in significant positive shifts in views of the bank.
See media release
Intel Security
Intel Security engaged Ross Dawson to write a report that was launched in Australia’s Parliament House with then Federal Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull saying, “Intel Security’s report makes a major contribution to our understanding of how to safeguard Australians online and into the future.” The report received over 400 media hits across TV, radio, print and online including numerous high-profile interviews of Ross Dawson.
See report
Arnotts Campbell
Arnotts Campbell, in launching a novel range of combined fruit and vegetable juices, asked Ross Dawson to create a report on the social forces driving the rise of ‘fregetables’ and act as media spokesperson, driving significant media attention for the new product line.

B2B influencer

Ross Dawson has been actively engaged in social media since its first days. The New York Times credits his 2002 book Living Networks with anticipating the social networking revolution before any of today’s platforms existed. His blog, launched in 2002, has been ranked as one of the top business blogs in the world, and he has built a strong social media following across channels, including close to 150,000 highly engaged followers on Twitter.

Ross regularly appears on lists of the world’s top influencers, on topics including future of work, fintech, crowdfunding, and other domains.

His work as an influencer is always in conjunction with other roles such as thought leadership content creation or spokesperson activities.

Interview host

Ross helps create compelling content and events through insightful and engaging interviews with company executives, clients, or external talent.

Representative examples

BBC Storyworks Kochie’s Business Builders Oracle
BBC Storyworks, to meet the branding objectives of its client OFX, ran its first ever podcast series globally framed around the campaign’s theme of ‘Where the world is moving’. It invited Ross Dawson to host the podcast series. interviewing high-profile guests to powerfully engage the target audience.
See podcast site
Kochie’s Business Builders, a popular TV series targeted at entrepreneurs and business owners, invited Ross Dawson to guest host its episode on tech startups, interviewing three founders of major startups.
Watch episode
Oracle engaged Ross Dawson to interview leading CIOs on their innovation initiatives, as a key highlight of one of their events and to generate shareable content. Ross has also delivered keynotes at many Oracle events worldwide.
BBC Storyworks
BBC Storyworks, to meet the branding objectives of its client OFX, ran its first ever podcast series globally framed around the campaign’s theme of ‘Where the world is moving’. It invited Ross Dawson to host the podcast series. interviewing high-profile guests to powerfully engage the target audience.
See podcast site
Kochie’s Business Builders
Kochie’s Business Builders, a popular TV series targeted at entrepreneurs and business owners, invited Ross Dawson to guest host its episode on tech startups, interviewing three founders of major startups.
Watch episode
Oracle
Oracle engaged Ross Dawson to interview leading CIOs on their innovation initiatives, as a key highlight of one of their events and to generate shareable content. Ross has also delivered keynotes at many Oracle events worldwide.

Moderator

Ross Dawson acts as a moderator, roundtable chairperson, and MC at a wide range of events, including CXO Roundtables, media events, and analyst discussions.

Representative examples

IBM Telstra Factiva
On behalf of IBM Ross Dawson convened and hosted a forum for C-level executives to discuss the impacts and implications of social networks in the enterprise. A report distilled from the forum received substantial traffic and attention.
See event report
On launching a new product line, Telstra asked Ross Dawson to speak at and moderate a lunch media briefing in order to attract journalists to the event, generating both content and media attention. Factiva organized a media briefing by Clare Hart, at the time its global CEO. It asked Ross Dawson to host the event, interviewing Clare and moderating journalist questions.
IBM
On behalf of IBM Ross Dawson convened and hosted a forum for C-level executives to discuss the impacts and implications of social networks in the enterprise. A report distilled from the forum received substantial traffic and attention.
See event report
Telstra
On launching a new product line, Telstra asked Ross Dawson to speak at and moderate a lunch media briefing in order to attract journalists to the event, generating both content and media attention.
Factiva
Factiva organized a media briefing by Clare Hart, at the time its global CEO. It asked Ross Dawson to host the event, interviewing Clare and moderating journalist questions.

Keynote speaker

Ross Dawson works extensively as a keynote speaker, having delivered keynotes in 33 countries around the world. While he often speaks to boards, executive teams, and at company internal events, a large proportion of his work as a speaker has always been delivering compelling keynotes as drawcards for client events for major organizations, notably in the technology, media, financial, and professional services sectors.

Representative examples

Lenovo Schibsted Google Enterprise
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Thinkpad, Lenovo ran an invitation only event for senior executives and media, with a keynote by Ross Dawson to inspire the audience about the next 25 years.
See keynote excerpt
Award-winning global publisher Schibsted ran a landmark event for the advertising and media in Oslo, Norway, inviting Ross Dawson to share his insights on the future of media.
See full keynote
Ross Dawson gave the keynote at a series of Google Atmosphere events for enterprise clients, attracting registrations and framing the event’s messages.
Lenovo
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Thinkpad, Lenovo ran an invitation only event for senior executives and media, with a keynote by Ross Dawson to inspire the audience about the next 25 years.
See keynote excerpt
Schibsted
Award-winning global publisher Schibsted ran a landmark event for the advertising and media in Oslo, Norway, inviting Ross Dawson to share his insights on the future of media.
See full keynote
Google Enterprise
Ross Dawson gave the keynote at a series of Google Atmosphere events for enterprise clients, attracting registrations and framing the event’s messages.

Creating the future of PR

Ross Dawson has been actively engaged with leading PR firms for over 15 years in exploring the future of media and helping create a positive future for the PR industry. Also see Ross Dawson’s Creating the Future of PR Framework.

Representative examples

Ketchum Hill+Knowlton Burson Marsteller
Ross Dawson has done a wide range of work for Ketchum, including acting as an advisor on the future of media to its internal Global Media Network, and advising on early social media and mobile-first client campaigns. Ross has run a workshop on the future of PR at an Asia-Pacific senior management offsite, and spoken at an event for the firm’s clients to launch a new industry offering. Ross Dawson worked with Burson Marsteller on their sponsorship of his Future of Media summit to frame their future-oriented messaging.
Ketchum
Ross Dawson has done a wide range of work for Ketchum, including acting as an advisor on the future of media to its internal Global Media Network, and advising on early social media and mobile-first client campaigns.
Hill+Knowlton
Ross has run a workshop on the future of PR at an Asia-Pacific senior management offsite, and spoken at an event for the firm’s clients to launch a new industry offering.
Burson Marsteller
Ross Dawson worked with Burson Marsteller on their sponsorship of his Future of Media summit to frame their future-oriented messaging.