In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll mark the halfway point of 2025 with a look back at some of the most instructive communications moments of the year so far. From automakers navigating the chaos of shifting tariff policies to law firms facing political retribution, this highlight reel explores how corporate leaders have used — or misused — narrative to signal alignment, project confidence, and stake out their values in the Trump 2.0 era. It’s a holiday weekend rewind filled with lessons in visibility, proximity to power, and the risks of getting the volume wrong in today’s high-stakes media landscape.

Takeaways

• Ford’s CEO used “most American company” messaging as identity-forward alignment signaling.
• GM’s Mary Barra opted for a stakeholder-safe, restrained tone
• United Airlines used proactive transparency to build public trust during airport radar failures
• Law firms’ PR responses to Trump’s pressure campaign revealed a split between surrender and principle — with Jenner & Block emerging as a communications standout..

Topics Mentioned
alignment signaling, identity-based messaging, corporate reputation, political proximity, stakeholder trust, transparency, crisis communication, legal PR strategy, proactive media, rule of law, narrative control

Companies Mentioned
General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, United Airlines, Paul Weiss, Milbank, Jenner & Block

Episode Hashtags
#GeneralMotors #Ford #Stellantis #UnitedAirlines #PaulWeiss #Milbank #JennerAndBlock #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #CrisisComms #ReputationManagement #TariffPolicy #RuleOfLaw #PoliticalPressure #StakeholderTrust #AlignmentSignaling #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork

Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation.
Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling.
Produced by Shawn P Neal and the team at AdvoCast.

For questions, feedback, or episode suggestions, reach out at podcast@ocrnetwork.com