Lead Balloon - Marketing, Public Relations and Strategic Communications Stories
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...
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Seth Rogen's Film, The Interview, Sparks a North Korean Hack Attack and a Hollywood PR Debacle for Sony Pictures' CEO
<p>In 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment sparked an international diplomatic crisis when it announced its latest comedy, which they called “The Interview.” </p> <p>Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Randall Park as a parodied version of North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-Un, the film features a slapstick plotline where a couple of bumbling journalists are recruited by the CIA to assassinate the reclusive dictator. </p> <p>But when the teaser for the flick hit the internet, the real life hostile foreign power was not amused. </p> <p>North Korea spent the ensuing months issuing threats of violence and terrorist attack...
Coca-Cola's Master's Tournament Sponsorship Triggers Boycott Talks, with Ben Deutsch and Dr. Martha Burk
<p>Home to the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Golf Club typically serves as a backdrop for sports drama.</p> <p>But in 2002, the club itself became the story, as its men-only membership policy came under the microscope in an unexpected and sensational showdown between women's rights activists and the club's defiant adherence to "tradition."</p> <p>The tale of how the conflict came to a head is an unlikely Public Relations parable in its own right, driven by two iconoclasts of their era: Augusta National chair Hootie Johnson and Dr. Martha Burk, the chair of the National Council of...
Cracks in the ICE: Legal Observers in Minneapolis Use the First Amendment to Swing Public Opinion About Immigration Crackdown
<p>Since the government shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, something has changed in the national conversation about the Trump Administration’s immigration policies. </p> <p>And the primary reason it’s happening is not a brilliant PR campaign, Pulitzer-winning journalism, or organized political strategy.</p> <p>It’s because of regular folks with camera phones documenting what’s actually happening on the streets of Minneapolis and other cities that have been occupied by ICE. </p> <p>By simply recording and sharing, they have publicly and irrefutably contradicted the Trump Administration’s blatant lies.</p> <p>And now, many...
Delicious Redemption: Getting Fired for an Infamous PBR Tweet Made Corey Smale the CCO at Garage Beer
<p>It was four years ago that the Twitter account for legendary beer brand Pabst Blue Ribbon tweeted out: </p> <p>"Not drinking this January? Try eating ass!"</p> <p>And we're FINALLY talking to the guy who did it. </p> <p>Because Corey Smale—who was promptly fired for the Tweet and owned it publicly—isn't just PBR's ex-social media manager.</p> <p>He's now been named Ad Age's "Marketer of the Year" for his current work as Chief Creative Officer at Garage Beer, one of the fastest-growing beer brands in the world. </p> <p>Look, we already covered the...
The Wikipedia Prank: Why the Internet Mistakenly Thought the Movie Good Luck Chuck was Based on Ben Kollenbroich
<p>15 years ago, if you had googled Ben Kollenbroich’s name, you would have discovered that his life story was the inspiration for “Good Luck Chuck,” a mid-budget, critically-panned romantic comedy starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba. </p> <p>That’s not REMOTELY true, however. </p> <p>In fact, Ben Kollenbroich was just a regular 25-year-old guy in 2010. There certainly weren't any movies based on his life. </p> <p>And it wasn't an accident, a mix up or a mistaken identity that caused dozens of websites… and even his own grandmother… to believe otherwise </p> <p>It was an intentional and painstak...
A.I. Podcast Host Invasion: Inception Point's Business Model & the Podcast Industry's Reaction
<p>Earlier this month, a new startup announced that they would be using artificial intelligence to churn out thousands of podcast episodes voiced by A.I. podcast hosts. Inception Point A.I. claims to be able to fashion 3,000 podcast episodes a week at a paltry cost of $1 per episode, and plans to flood the market with massive amounts of content in the hopes of generating revenue through programmatic advertising. But the reaction to their market entrance was anything but warm and welcoming. Podcast industry stalwarts and professional communicators expressed shock and outrage that the startup would resort to such a...
Modernizing the Way We Communicate About Road Closures (Especially During Emergencies), with Scott Oppman from ArcGIS
<p>Most people get travel information about road closures from Google Maps, Apple Maps or a similar smartphone-based application. </p> <p>But when a road is closed, most transportation agencies put out a press release. </p> <p>And this disconnect is not only annoying—it can be a public safety hazard. </p> <p>So after the recent catastrophic flooding in his Southeast Wisconsin community, Dusty wants to start a conversation about how public officials can modernize the way they communicate about road closures in 2025. </p> <p>Because, in order to maximize the impact of potentially life-saving information, municipalities and departments of...
Will Wikipedia survive Artificial Intelligence? (And Can A.I. Survive Without Wikipedia?)
<p>Wikipedia readers consume nearly one billion articles per day from the online encyclopedia. </p> <p>In its 25 years of operation, this compendium of human knowledge has become an integral tool for understanding the world in which we live. </p> <p>But artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT could threaten Wikipedia's viability over the next 25 years. </p> <p>And in fact, by diverting fundraising traffic, undermining traditional journalism, and thinning the ranks of Wikipedia editors, large language models (LLMs) could even imperil their own usefulness. </p> <p>So in this episode, we're talking to a Wikipedia expert about the implications—both fo...
Recession Lessons from Content Marketing Institute Founder Joe Pulizzi: Double Down, Dig In
<p>In the world of business, yet again, things looks grim. </p> <p>A brewing trade war, the uncharted fallout of artificial intelligence, and political upheaval around the world...</p> <p>All these factors have created an atmosphere of business uncertainty. Marketing jobs and budgets face the specter of the chopping block once again, and many are taking a "batten down the hatches" approach. </p> <p>But at a time like this, it's important to remember: when everyone else goes quiet, your voice carries that much further.</p> <p>And so in this episode, we're revisiting a pivotal conversation with...
Bot Farms Have Made Social Media Engagement Metrics Meaningless, with Eric Schwartzman
<p>What you see online is not real. </p> <p>This has long been a reliable axiom for information consumption on the internet. </p> <p>But social media and SEO marketers have long relied on their engagement metrics as an exception to that rule—critical quantitative data that can't be faked and can be leveraged to demonstrate the value of a campaign or piece of content. </p> <p>Except in 2025, it's just not reliable any more.</p> <p>That is because sophisticated operations called "bot farms" have built swarms of networked smart phones designed to mimic the organic engagement that dr...
