Communication Breakdown
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...
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Defenestration
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how Ryanair reduced a terrifying in-flight emergency to the language of a routine scheduling disruption. They compare the airline’s statement with the more human responses from Boeing and CFM International, exploring the difference between legal accuracy and narrative adequacy, and what executive presence signals during a crisis. Then, they turn to Meta’s short-lived Muse Image feature, which allowed users to generate AI content from public Instagram photos without affirmative consent or notification. The discussion reveals how passive language, product design, default permissions, and organized stakeholder power can...
I Do / Undo
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine two very different reputation plays: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s highly controlled wedding event in New York, and Ford’s media blitz around quality, American workers, and a course correction on AI. The conversation explores how controlled visibility can build cultural power when audiences trust the intent behind the control. Steve and Craig also break down Ford’s use of third-party validation, veteran engineers, and a strong American manufacturing message to turn a quality problem into a comeback narrative. For PR and communications professionals, this episode is a shar...
…and the home of the brave
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine why America’s 250th birthday feels smaller, flatter, and more complicated than a milestone this large should feel. They look at how companies are approaching the anniversary through nostalgia, patriotic packaging, official sponsorships, and, in a few stronger cases, civic contribution. The conversation explores why patriotic language now carries reputational risk, how the split between America 250 and Freedom 250 has muddled the national moment, and why companies need more than flags and slogans to show up credibly. For PR, communications, and corporate reputation leaders, this episode is a sharp ca...
Comms on Three Continents
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll move across three communication flashpoints on three continents: the evolving influence economy at Cannes Lions, Lululemon’s cultural misstep at the Great Wall of China, and the San Francisco Giants’ mishandling of Pride Night controversy. They examine how influence is no longer contained inside advertising, PR, marketing, or customer experience silos, especially as creators, algorithms, AI summaries, and political actors reshape reputation in real time. The conversation sharpens around two major lessons for communications leaders: cultural accuracy has to happen before spectacle, and values questions need institutional answers, not...
Beast Mode
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine MrBeast’s 500 million YouTube subscriber milestone and the reputation challenges that come with creator scale. They look at how Jimmy Donaldson managed a live-stream moment when fans playfully subscribed and unsubscribed to delay the milestone, and what that revealed about his relationship with his audience. The conversation also explores the tension between authenticity, institutional scrutiny, crisis management, and the growing communications function around one of the world’s most successful individual creators. For PR and communications leaders, the episode is a sharp case study in what happens when a pe...
Missives You Might’ve Missed
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll revisit recent essays from Craig and Steve on corporate communications, media scrutiny, and the strategic role of the comms function. Craig breaks down his argument that many communications teams are doing valuable work in the wrong order, adding tools, reports, and activity before clearing out low-value work and building repeatable strategic access. Steve then pushes into the risks of bypassing the press, the value of editorial scrutiny, and why Pope Leo’s communication style offers a timely lesson in speed, authenticity, and disciplined message control. For PR and co...
bp’s Big Problem
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll return to BP’s boardroom battle with former chairman Albert Manifold. After being dismissed over governance, oversight, and conduct concerns, Manifold fires back with a nearly 800-word statement accusing BP of mischaracterizing his behavior and framing himself as a disciplined reformer focused on shareholder value. Steve and Craig examine how Manifold is trying mto prevent BP’s version of events from becoming the only version, while BP’s restrained response risks leaving a narrative vacuum. The conversation also brings in Craig’s justice framework, including distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and info...
“Lower-Value Human Capital”
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll unpack two corporate reputation problems where leadership, governance, and messaging collided under pressure. First, they examine Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters’ “lower value human capital” comment and the three cleanup attempts that followed. Then they turn to BP, where chairman Albert Manifold was removed after less than a year, setting off a governance fight that threatens to prolong the company’s instability narrative. Across both stories, Steve and Craig show how communications teams lose ground when leaders treat high-stakes moments as messaging problems instead of trust, governance, and stakeholder problems...
The AI Commencement
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine a string of AI-related commencement speech misfires and what they reveal about executive communication, audience awareness, and the limits of pushing a message into the wrong moment. The conversation centers on former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s controversial University of Arizona address, contrasting it with stronger speeches from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at Carnegie Mellon and musician Jacob Collier at Berklee College of Music.<br />Jensen Huang at Carnegie Mellon: https://www.youtube.com/live/FZh_0uRgrg4Jacob Collier at Berklee College of Music: https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Of Maersk and Men
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine two high-stakes corporate communication moments with direct lessons for CEOs, communications executives, public affairs leaders, and reputation advisors. First, they analyze eBay’s sharp rejection of GameStop’s attempted takeover bid and how the company used disciplined messaging, board governance language, and business credibility to control the narrative. Then, they turn to Maersk’s response to rising fuel costs and operational risk tied to the Strait of Hormuz, showing how executive transparency, expectation management, and operational communication can protect stakeholder trust during uncertain<b>ty.</b><br /><b></b><br...
