{"podcast":{"title":"Communication Breakdown","slug":"communication-breakdown-7019931","podcast_index_feed_id":7019931,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6301456/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://ocrnetwork.com/podcasts/communication-breakdown","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/bb1654c4c2ff3f77a3c1f292f51b3d52.jpg","author":"Observatory on Corporate Reputation LLC","episode_count":86,"summary":"Communication Breakdown is a postgame show for PR pros. In each episode, hosts Craig Carroll (Founder of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation, Editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation, Lecturer at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business) and Steve Dowling (former head of communications at OpenAI and 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 research and teaching on reputation at USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill, and universities worldwide, and Steve’s two decades of experience as a comms leader at some of the world’s most influential companies. Whether you’re a PR professional, marketing executive, or just curious about how companies make key communications decisions, you’ll find these discussions insightful and valuable.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-05T04:21:27.467075+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"Davos TACO, “Idiots” Feud","slug":"davos-taco-idiots-feud","published_at":"2026-01-23T14:00:10+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/davos-taco-idiots-feud","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/davos-taco-idiots-feud--69555228","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69555228/ep_67_davos_taco_idiots_feud.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine two very different European stages where reputation, power, and communication collide. First, they unpack Davos 2026 and what the World Economic Forum now reveals about the shifting burden placed on corporate affairs leaders, less about influence and more about absorbing ambiguity, political risk, and reputational spillover. Then they turn to a transatlantic spat between Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary and Elon Musk, using the clash to explore when public conflict reinforces a brand and when it backfires. Across both cases, the conversation probes a central question for communications leaders, what does visibility actually buy you when legitimacy, trust, and accountability are under strain. Takeaways Davos now functions less as a decision-making forum and more as a sensing mechanism for elite psychology and reputational risk. The rising profile of corporate affairs leaders reflects load-bearing responsibility, not a clean transfer of power or influence. Off-the-record spaces increasingly serve as containment zones, processing political and reputational risk away from CEOs and boards. Topics Mentioned World Economic Forum, Davos, corporate affairs, elite psychology, trust and legitimacy, political risk, off-the-record communications, reputational insulation, social media amplification, CEO behavior, brand alignment, outrage economics Companies Mentioned World Economic Forum, Ryanair, SpaceX, Starlink, X, BlackRock Episode Hashtags #WorldEconomicForum #Davos #Ryanair #SpaceX #Starlink #X #BlackRock #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #ReputationManagement #CrisisComms #Leadership #BrandStrategy #ElitePower #SocialMediaDynamics #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakd…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine two very different European stages where reputation, power, and…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1851,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/davos-taco-idiots-feud/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/davos-taco-idiots-feud.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}