{"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":"He’s Back...","slug":"he-s-back","published_at":"2025-12-12T14:00:08+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/he-s-back","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-s-back--69001997","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69001997/ep_62_he_s_back.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine Elon Musk’s return to the podcast circuit amid reports of a possible SpaceX IPO. They question whether Musk’s more restrained media appearance signals a real reputational reset or simply another tactical pause without governance discipline. The conversation then turns to McDonald’s AI-generated holiday ad backlash in the Netherlands, using it as a case study in creative judgment, brand standards, and accountability when AI enters the production pipeline. The episode closes with insights from Craig’s 10th annual Senior Corporate Affairs Summit, where executives focused on AI as real headcount, narrative drift as enterprise risk, and the fragmentation of influence beyond traditional media. Takeaways Media moderation without behavioral change does not equal a reputation reset. Pre-IPO signaling requires cadence, discipline, and visible. AI failures in advertising are often judgment failures, not technology failures.. Narrative drift is an early warning signal of enterprise risk, not a messaging problem.. Topics Mentioned Elon Musk, reputation management, IPO signaling, CEO behavior, governance discipline, AI advertising, brand judgment, holiday advertising standards, narrative drift, enterprise risk, AI agents, communications workflows, influence fragmentation, Substack, corporate affairs leadership Companies Mentioned Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, Reuters, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Disney Episode Hashtags #ElonMusk #Tesla #SpaceX #Twitter #McDonalds #CocaCola #Disney #CorporateReputation #PublicRelations #CrisisCommunications #AIinMarketing #BrandGovernance #NarrativeRisk #Leadership #StrategicCommunications #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakdown is a production of the Obs…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine Elon Musk’s return to the podcast circuit amid reports of a poss…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1454,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/he-s-back/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/he-s-back.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}