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.
On Lead Balloon, professional communicators share tales of the do-or-die situations that defined their creative careers—how they planned for the unexpected, how they navigated high-profile crises, and what they learned in the process.
With immersive storytelling and a wry sense of humor, host Dusty Weis 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 for strategic communicators and content creators, named by Adweek as "Marketing Podcast of the Year," nominated for a Webby award and nominated for "Best Business Podcast" in the Podcast Academy awards.
Tune in monthly for new episodes. Visit podcampmedia.com/leadballoon to learn more.
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35. Post-Cold War PR Trip to Uzbekistan Boosts ...
Fundraising was a challenge in the wake of the iconic Rabin-Arafat handshake at the White House in 1993.
34 min
27
Trailer—The Lead Balloon Podcast—PR, Marketing ...
Re-creating old "war stories" with the biggest brands and the most compelling strategic communicators.
1 min
28
34. Murder in Boston Blamed on Sega's Virtua Co...
Did a shooter train for his revenge rampage by playing a hands-on arcade game? A public relations true crime investigation.
56 min
29
33. National Airlines' Saucy "Fly Me" Ad Campai...
The ads may have been cringe-y, but they led to heated protests that actually helped improve working conditions for stewardesses.
38 min
30
32. Tesla’s Elon Musk Fires the Entire Public R...
How and why Tesla's approach to communication went from unconventional to nonexistent.
50 min
31
31. Snapple: Pitching the Best Catchphrase On E...
A world-class slogan crashes and burns, and then an iconic brand burns all its bridges.
50 min
32
30. Inside the PBR "Eating Ass" Tweetstorm, wit...
In our first NSFW episode, we try to decide whether social media manager Corey Smale deserved to get fired over the faux pas.
45 min
33
29. Ukrainian Creatives Waging an Information W...
Ad agencies and freelancers across Ukraine have banded together to pierce the veil of Russian propaganda--and they need your help.
40 min
34
28. Wendy's Twitter Account Manager Recounts Ba...
How Can Social Media Managers "Take a Break From Social Media?"
50 min
35
27. Sherwin-Williams Paints Itself Into a Corne...
A Plucky TikTok Superstar Gets Fired for Finding Unexpected Brand Success on Social Media
45 min
36
BONUS: Milwaukee Bucks Senior VP Alex Lasry on ...
Alex had so much to say, it didn't all make it into Episode 26 of Lead Balloon.
16 min
37
26. Bigger Than Basketball: The Milwaukee Bucks...
With a title within reach, players refusing to take the court is a sports marketing nightmare... unless it's for a good cause.
55 min
38
24. The Dreaded Grand Jury Subpoena, with Duct ...
Host of one of the web's longest-running marketing podcasts, John Jantsch shares a cautionary tale from early in his career.
32 min
39
23. Bridgegate: Behind the Scenes at the Port A...
Known as the scandal that ended Governor Chris Christie's presidential ambitions, we look back at Bridgegate from a PR perspective.
43 min
40
BONUS: Bulletins From an NBA Title-Winning Terr...
Milwaukee's NBA title victory is about so much more than basketball. Come celebrate with us.
9 min
41
22. Scandal at Foresters Financial, with former...
As spokesman for the company, Henry DeVries's moral fiber is tested when he's dragged into a torrid affair between two Foresters executives.
41 min
42
21. Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons Hijacks the M...
When the co-founder of Def Jam Records goes off in front of a live audience, emcee Justin Shriber tries to save face.
43 min
43
20. Plane Crash in Colombia: American Airlines ...
Three weeks into her role as an American Airlines spokeswoman, Jennifer Hudson is called to Colombia following an air disaster that claimed 159 lives.
47 min
44
19. Coca-Cola and the Masters Tournament, with ...
When women's rights activists take aim at a last-bastion boy's club, Coke has to navigate a Public Relations lose-lose.
57 min
45
18. Coca-Cola's Retired Comms VP Ben Deutsch on...
Overseeing communications for one of the world's largest corporations is not a job for the faint of heart, as these tales illustrate.
44 min
46
17. The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson: Insurrec...
January 6 was a dark day for America, with lasting ramifications for how businesses talk about politics and Trumpism.
44 min
47
16. Vaccine Messaging: How Comms Professionals ...
There's a new front in the war on Covid, and comms professionals have a chance to fight on the front lines.
65 min
48
15. Going Rogue, Battling Bears, Government Shu...
When a government shutdown threatened to cancel her National Parks press junket, Julie Wright took a group of reporters and went rogue, creating a legendary story in the process.
42 min
49
BONUS: Adweek's "Marketing Podcast of the Year"...
Midwestern podcast host and small business owner seen jumping up and down with excitement for 48 hours straight.
7 min
50
13. The Squatty Potty Saga and the Science of G...
Promoting anti-poo-stink spray and constipation remedies may not be glamorous, but it is highly profitable for the viral video mavens at Harmon Brothers.
50 min