Ben Trounson

I help Fortune 500 organizations build unshakeable stakeholder trust through strategic communications that turn complexity into clarity. As a VP of Global Corporate Communications with 20+ years of experience, I specialize in guiding companies through the reputation opportunities and challenges that come with transformation, crisis, and growth.

My career spans leadership roles at technology, energy, and pharmaceutical giants including Tata Consultancy Services, National Grid, Verizon, and Bristol Myers Squibb. At TCS, I helped transform the company's reputation from a lesser-known IT services provider into a globally recognized digital transformation partner for Fortune 500 clients, contributing to brand value growth from $5B to $14B over my seven-year tenure. This transformation required rebuilding narratives, executive
positioning, and stakeholder relationships across multiple markets.

I've built and led global communications teams ranging from 20 to 50+ members across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regions. My approach focuses on three core elements: authentic narrative development that aligns with business strategy, internal capability building that empowers teams to execute consistently, and external relationship management that builds lasting credibility with key stakeholders including media, investors, regulators, and employees.

Whether navigating CEO transitions, major acquisitions, regulatory scrutiny, or market repositioning, I ensure corporate communications delivers measurable impact on reputation and business outcomes.

Vice President of Communications, Verizon Business

Over a month into my new role at Arizona Public Service - APS, and I'm embracing life as an Arizonan.

A few early impressions:
- A welcoming and thriving culture across the company.
- The CX & Communications team: incredible passion for serving customers across AZ .
- Climbing Piestewa Peak; what a view of Phoenix and the valley!
- Seeing firsthand the growth in AZ and the key enabling role of APS.

And I clearly need to work on my local look! Perhaps slowly work my way in with some cowboy boots. 😀

VP, Global Corporate Communications | Reputation & Stakeholder Trust Builder | 20+ Years Transforming Fortune 500 Narratives | Former Verizon, National Grid, TCS | $5B-$14B Brand Value Growth

Parry Headrick

Founder at Crackle PR ⚡️Text me if you need tech PR: 415.246.8486

I’m founder of Crackle PR, a b2b tech public relations agency that works with good companies only. With over 20 years of experience in the PR industry, I have led marketing, communications, and new business functions for award-winning PR firms, serving clients in the B2B sector. 

As a PR agency leader, I am transparent, picky, and fearless. I do the right thing for my clients, my team, and my community. I am a big idea guy, a stellar writer and content creator, and a media trainer and counsel to the C-Suite. Text me if you need tech PR: 415.246.8486.

Founder 

Crackle Communications is a tech public relations agency that works with good companies only. We know communications, social media, branding and creative services cold. We’re a remote-first PR agency built for now, with deep experience connecting stories to their audiences. Warning: we’re transparent, picky and fearless.

My LinkedIn feed is filled with copywriters desperate to find work. 

People say AI can’t replace human writing. 

Most folks say they use AI for ideation, feedback, etc, but not to actually *do the writing*. 

Maybe. 

But I’m seeing so much terribly boring, formulaic, insipid marketing copy and LinkedIn posts that I’m thinking the correlation is real:

Human writers are losing jobs to AI. 

We just aren’t admitting it yet because it feels icky to say. 

But I’ll die on this hill: 

Strong writing is now—and will always be—the number one trait I look for when hiring for my team. 

Because great writing is a massive differentiator in AI’s sea of sameness. 

Don’t sleep on the humans. 

This is the way ✊

Founder at Crackle PR 🎙️ Text me for tech PR: 415.246.8486

💥 We don’t know if the economy is about to tank. 

But we do know this: 

PR isn’t a “nice to have” that can be cut to save costs any more. 🔪

Not this time. 

As CEO Gregory Galant of Muck Rack  correctly notes, PR is no longer just “brand-building”: 

It’s a performance channel. 

Large Language Models like ChatGPT heavily favor *earned media* in their answers to your questions. 

👇







Helllloooo, PR 👋


Vroom vroom 

🏎️💨

This is the way ✊

👋 PR pros: Don’t sleep on earning niche/industry coverage for clients. 

And this part is important AF:

All LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude, *do not cite earned media equally*. 

To wit: According to a study by Muck Rack, ChatGPT tends to cite large, mainstream publications in its answers. 

Meanwhile, Claude favors: 

-smaller pubs
-niche trade outlets 
-specialized media sources  

That’s a HUGE distinction. 

Another key point, according to Muck Rack: Claude defines “recency” differently

“ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Claude all have a bias toward recent content.

But the way they define ‘recent’ differs:

Claude has a citation sweet spot in the past 10 weeks, whereas ChatGPT shows a sharp citation drop-off after about one week. 

If ChatGPT rewards immediate visibility, Claude rewards sustained relevance…

For PR teams, this suggests:

✔️Coverage doesn’t “expire” as quickly in Claude’s ecosystem

✔️Stories published 2-4 weeks ago still have a strong influence

✔️A consistent drumbeat of earned media over several weeks may have a different impact compared to one big moment,” Muck Rack says. 

One thing is clear: earned media is more important than ever as LLMs gain prominence over traditional SEO. 

Final thought: 

**It’s critical for marketing & PR partners to use actionable, fluid data to win the visibility game over the long haul. 

Hat tip to Muck Rack for keeping it real ✌️

This is the way ✊

🚨 DON’T: Hire a PR agency if you don’t have the time or resources to truly partner with them. 

DO: Hire a PR agency when you prioritize it as a key business driver. 

Because it is. 

Especially now, when LLMs heavily cite *earned media* in their answers to “which company has the best ______?”

But PR agencies can’t do it alone.

You’ve gotta put skin in the game. 

This is the way ✊

👇

That feeling when Gartner predicts budgets for PR and earned media will 2x by 2027 as LLMs replace tratitional search☺️ 

This is the way ✊

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The Battle

Ben Trounson

Parry Headrick

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ben Trounson's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreBen Trounson's LinkedIn Performance