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PODCAST

Communication Breakdown

Communication Breakdown is a postgame show for PR pros. In each episode, hosts Craig Carroll (fmr. USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill) and Steve Dowling (fmr. OpenAI, Apple) discuss the strategies and tactics companies are using in high-visibility crises and PR initiatives, giving listeners unique insight into how key decisions are made.The podcast offers two unique perspectives on communications theory and practice, drawing on Craig’s teaching and research at top universities around the globe and

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All Episodes

28:40

Make Palantir Make Sense

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/11/13

In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine Alex Karp’s high-volume media tour and the communications strategy behind Palantir’s recent spotlight moment. They break down Karp’s contradictory messaging, his embrace of grievance politics, and the reputational risks of keeping a company’s core narrative intentionally opaque.The hosts also turn to Walmart’s downsized Thanksgiving basket, the political firestorm that followed, and how transparency and timing

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35:36

PR in the Age of Rage

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/11/06

In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll unpack the major themes from the 2025 PRovoke Global Summit in Chicago — from the rise of the “Richilante” to the paradoxes shaping corporate reputation today. Craig recaps the week’s standout panels, exploring how PR leaders are navigating cynicism, privilege, and fairness in what was called “the age of rage.” Together, the hosts examine why communicators must balance speed with restraint, clarity with coherence, and

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19:46

Toyota’s Truth-Telling, Shutdown Comms Playbook

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/10/30

When the President rewrites your press release, how fast do you fact-check him?In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll break down how Toyota calmly but firmly corrected Donald Trump after he exaggerated the company’s U.S. investment plans — live from an aircraft carrier in Tokyo Bay. With global reputations on the line, Toyota showed how to reclaim narrative ownership without picking a fight. It’s a masterclass in precision, tone, and institutional

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23:56

Salesforce Majeur

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/10/23

Last week’s misstep made headlines. This week’s silence made it worse.In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll revisit the unraveling of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s leadership narrative and why his five-day pause during Dreamforce may have done more reputational damage than the quote that started it all. When values-led leaders start hedging, audiences don’t just get confused, they recalibrate trust.Then, a sharp turn to Disney’s spin on subscriber loss. After

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32:06

Benioff's Unforced Error

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/10/16

When your CEO lands a New York Times profile to kick off your flagship conference, the headlines shouldn’t be about the National Guard.In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll analyze Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s stunning off-script moment — suggesting Trump send armed forces to San Francisco — just days before Dreamforce. What was meant to be a curtain-raiser turned into a narrative collapse. From mixed messaging to an awkward walk-back tweet, the team dissects

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28:51

Who Framed Bad Bunny

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/10/09

The headlines say outrage.The data says: not a thing.In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll break down two cases where reputation was on the line — and how silence, when strategic, can say more than any statement. 🏈 First, the NFL names global superstar Bad Bunny as its Super Bowl 60 halftime act. The political right lights up with criticism — but the league, its sponsors, and its broadcast partner NBC all stay quiet. No walk-backs. No clarifications. Just

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31:42

Signals and Noise

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/10/02

In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll dissect how companies are mistaking noise for signal—and paying the price. From the surprising data behind Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension fallout at Disney to the bot-fueled backlash against Cracker Barrel’s rebrand, the hosts explore how misreading public sentiment and failing to align values with action opens the door for reputational damage. They introduce the concept of “narrative arbitrage”—a new kind of reputational risk

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34:43

Kimmel’s back. Does Disney Have His Back?

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/09/25

In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll mark the podcast’s one-year anniversary with a deep dive into two high-stakes moments in corporate communications. First, they break down Disney’s handling of Jimmy Kimmel’s abrupt suspension and return to air—an event that raised profound questions about corporate neutrality, free speech, and leadership under political pressure. Then they contrast that with Starbucks’ swift, quiet containment of a viral misinformation

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28:11

The Sound of Silence

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/09/19

In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll unpack the reputational risks of corporate silence in a post-Kimmel suspension media landscape. With Jimmy Kimmel pulled off-air by ABC following political pressure and regulatory threats, Steve and Craig explore the convergence of communicative caution, alignment signaling, and narrative contradiction. The conversation spotlights the emerging corporate trend of “strategic silence” as identified in the Ipsos Reputation

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28:42

EP 49 Narrative Contradiction

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/09/11

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. Using Target’s recent PR challenges as a case study, they break down how corporate storytelling can drift into dangerous territory, triggering scrutiny not just from customers, but also from regulators, investors, and employees. Craig introduces the idea of “narrative governance” as the next frontier for

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35:02

The Pepsi Challenge

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/09/05

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’s strategy. The hosts analyze how activists weaponize contradictions, use timing to hijack the news cycle, and tell Pepsi’s story better than Pepsi itself. They also look at Harvard’s restraint in the face of a legal victory over the Trump administration, and the reputational

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31:29

Cracker Barrel’s Turn in the Barrel

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/08/29

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 a $700 million refresh—new interiors, a reworked brand identity, and a Manhattan pop-up event—quickly spiraled into a reputational crisis. Loyal customers complained the chain was stripping away its nostalgic charm, opportunistic critics amplified the outrage, and even President

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26:53

Risky Business: Apologies, Silence, and Spin

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/08/22

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 Depot’s silence as ICE raids unfold in its parking lots, to Swatch’s mishandled apology for a racist ad, to American Eagle’s choice to double down rather than apologize, the conversation dissects what corporate silence, contrition, or defiance really signals. They also debate the

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27:29

So I Wanted To Show You Something

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/08/15

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 product launch, Swift’s campaign blended multi-platform media activation, symbolic fan engagement, physical-world spectacle, and a strategically chosen podcast reveal to create a cultural moment with total narrative control. The hosts unpack how she turned authenticity at scale into a

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27:21

What Harvard Teaches Us (about dealing with Trump)

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/08/08

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 but calculated resistance to White House pressure, as the university rejects a rumored $500 million settlement and signals a shift away from capitulation. Then, the focus shifts to Intel, where a four-month silence about its new CEO’s investments gives Trump and allies room to frame

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31:47

Thank You For Your Interest In Transparency

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/08/01

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 when the dust seemed ready to settle, Gwyneth Paltrow dropped in with a cheeky, scripted spin crafted by Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort agency. Steve and Craig unpack what worked, what flopped, and what it means to let a “reset” moment breathe—or botch it by marketing the marketing. They

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29:05

L’Affaire Astronomer

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/07/24

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 started as a personal gaffe quickly escalated into a reputational crisis that put Astronomer—and its board—in the media spotlight. Steve and Craig examine how the company managed communications while its CEO and Chief People Officer were under scrutiny, and how discipline, not

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30:21

Elmo Hacked, Budgets Whacked, and Coke Sidetracked

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/07/18

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 gets pulled into a bizarre distraction campaign by the President of the United States. They break down the crisis comms response from Sesame Workshop after Elmo’s Twitter account was hijacked with violent and anti-Semitic content, just as federal funding for PBS and NPR came under

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31:19

EP 40 Paging “Some Comms Person”

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/07/11

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 what some comms person tells us is the right thing to do”—a comment that drew both defensiveness and reflection from PR pros. Steve and Craig examine whether Gates was attacking communications—or challenging the field to rise to its values. Then, the hosts turn to Twitter (now X),

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32:59

Welcome Back to Communication Breakdown

Communication Breakdown ·

2025/07/03

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

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59 results

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