2025 First Half: Visibility, Values, and the Volume Dial

2025 First Half: Visibility, Values, and the Volume Dial

Author: OCR July 3, 2025 Duration: 32:59
Communication Breakdown
Business NewsNewsBusinessManagementMarketing
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

Communication Breakdown is a sharp, fast-moving podcast for PR and communications pros who want to understand what really happens when reputations are on the line. Hosted by OCRs Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling, each postgame-style episode breaks down how organizations navigate high-visibility crises, product launches, policy debates, and other make-or-break moments in the public eye. Drawing on experience from institutions like USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill, OpenAI, and Apple, the hosts dissect real-world cases, exploring what worked, what failed, and why. Listeners can expect candid analysis of messaging, leadership, media strategy, stakeholder management, and internal alignment, all grounded in current events across news and business. Whether youre in marketing, management, or corporate communications, listen episodes of Communication Breakdown to sharpen your judgment, stress-test your own strategies, and better anticipate how communications decisions play out when it matters most.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 79

Official website RSS
linkedinspotify
Communication Breakdown
Podcast Episodes
Narrative Contradiction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:42
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll dig deep into the growing risk of narrative contradiction—when a company’s claims, perceptions, and reality stop aligning. Craig introduces the…
The Pepsi Challenge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:02
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll dissect activist investor Elliott Management’s $4 billion stake in PepsiCo — and the rival business plan they rolled out to reframe the company’…
Cracker Barrel’s Turn in the Barrel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:29
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine Cracker Barrel’s ill-fated modernization campaign and the backlash that forced the company to abandon its new logo. What began as…
Risky Business: Apologies, Silence, and Spin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:53
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how companies are navigating the volatile communications landscape under Donald Trump’s renewed political influence. From Home Dep…
So I Wanted To Show You Something [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:29
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll break down Taylor Swift’s meticulously orchestrated rollout of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. Far more than a standard pro…
What Harvard Teaches Us (about dealing with Trump) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:21
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll explore two high-stakes showdowns—one rooted in strategic restraint, the other in narrative failure. First, they unpack Harvard's quiet bu…
Thank You For Your Interest In Transparency [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:47
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll return to the ongoing saga at Astronomer—the data pipeline company whose PR tailspin took a surprising detour into celebrity marketing. Just whe…
L’Affaire Astronomer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:05
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll unpack the viral scandal that cost Astronomer CEO Andy Byron his job after a kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert set the internet ablaze. What…
Elmo Hacked, Budgets Whacked, and Coke Sidetracked [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:21
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll unpack one of the strangest PR weeks in recent memory—where Elmo becomes collateral damage in a public broadcasting funding fight, and Coca-Cola…
Paging “Some Comms Person” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:19
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll unpack three reputational firestorms that reveal deeper cracks in the comms industry. First up: Melinda French Gates’ jab at CEOs “pivoting to w…

«12345678»