Lead Balloon - Public Relations, Mark...

Compelling tales from the world of public relations, marketing and branding, told by the well-meaning communications professionals who lived them.

Lead Balloon is like Freakonomics for communicators and media consumers.

It's a show where we tell stories from communications industry leaders, brands that everyone knows and loves (or hates), and spectacular PR disasters.

With immersive storytelling and a wry sense of humor, host Dusty Weis (nominated for "Best Indie Podcast Host" at the 2026 Podcast Academy awards) revisits epic PR disasters, intense communications scenarios, professional inflection points and notable campaigns we all remember, and usually finds a reason to chuckle.

Because sometimes, there are important lessons to be learned from someone else's worst day.

And sometimes, it's just more convenient than group therapy.

Lead Balloon is an award-winning program, named by Adweek as "Marketing Podcast of the Year," nominated for a Webby award and nominated twice for "Best Business Podcast" in the Podcast Academy awards.

Tune in monthly for new episodes. Visit podcampmedia.com/leadballoon to learn more.

Marketing
Business News
Documentary
1
65. Delicious Redemption: Getting Fired for an ...
And now he's Ad Age's "Marketer of the Year"
42 min
2
64. The Wikipedia Prank: Why the Internet Mista...
In a world where people still believed what they read on the Internet...
34 min
3
63. A.I. Podcast Host Invasion: Inception Point...
Can you take the HUMAN out of "human communication?"
49 min
4
62. Modernizing the Way We Communicate About Ro...
Local municipalities and transportation agencies need to get with the times.
27 min
5
61. Will Wikipedia survive Artificial Intellige...
Is ChatGPT killing its own Golden Goose?
44 min
6
60. Recession Lessons from Content Marketing In...
When everyone else goes quiet, your voice carries that much further.
33 min
7
59. Bot Farms Have Made Social Media Engagement...
If anyone can spoof the algorithm, does that mean everyone has to?
31 min
8
58. The Mystery of the I-94 Sales & Marketing T...
We're going to SOLVE A MARKETING MYSTERY in this episode, folks!
32 min
9
57. Why Have Streaming Services Put So Many Ads...
It's not you imagination. They really are worse.
33 min
10
56. What Happens at American Airlines After a P...
A PR rep's on-site experience with the Flight 965 disaster in Colombia 30 years ago.
36 min
11
55. Liquid Death Spoofs the Pepsi Harrier Jet G...
Pepsi's blunder is an all-timer, but Liquid Death stuck the landing.
38 min
12
54. The Election of the Podcast? 2024 President...
With Colab founders Ashley Mann and Lizzy Harris
32 min
13
53. Alex Jones’s Infowars Being Purchased by th...
A corporate takeover, karmic justice, and comedy art—all at once.
28 min
14
52. FEMA Public Affairs Team Still Carries Scar...
A FEMA public affairs unit puts itself in harm's way after a deadly storm, and the experience leaves a lasting impact on both of our guests.
43 min
15
51. The Legend of Dukakis in a Tank: White Hous...
Exploring the most disastrous photo op in history with a staffer from Team Dukakis '88 and his Republican counterpart.
46 min
16
BONUS: Literally, the Grammar-Nerdiest Conversa...
Dusty is still *figuratively* fuming about this word's evolving definition.
15 min
17
50. Grumpy Cat, the Sound of Freedom, Watergate...
Some eye-opening updates on old episodes with two old pals who dropped in for our 50th episode.
49 min
18
49. How I Almost Got Fired in My 1st Week in PR...
As a young PR hot shot, Dusty stupidly insults his new boss. Seven years later, they revisit the faux pas.
45 min
19
48. A UAP PR Campaign: Mainstreaming the Conver...
He's not asking you to believe in little green men. But he is insisting we take this national security threat seriously.
44 min
20
47. Sliding into DMs on the Dating App Hinge, w...
Get-out-the-vote organizers mix dating with politics in an innovative, eyebrow-raising new tactic.
29 min
21
46. Why Are Wireless Emergency Alerts on Your P...
A ballistic missile false alarm in Hawaii prompts us to take a closer look at a perennially misused public safety tool.
40 min
22
45. Replaced by Chat GPT: Are Creative and Copy...
We meet one of the "first wave" of workers laid off in the A.I. revolution, and look ahead to the future of creative industries.
34 min
23
44. How a Real Life Ad Agency Inspired the Robi...
Life at Leo Burnett served as a constant source of comedic inspiration for John R. Montgomery and Rob Davis.
47 min
24
43. Brands Don't Have the Rizz: Appropriating G...
We prove conclusively, WITH SCIENCE, that brands are only hurting themselves when they co-opt youth slang.
39 min
25
BONUS: Covid is—Air Quotes—Over. What That Mean...
The Coronavirus public health emergency is over in the U.S. But that doesn't mean we're done talking about Covid.
28 min