What Just Happened? A Polpeo Podcast

In this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Aby Hawker, talk about the 2023 Bud Light controversy involving trans rights activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light sent a special edition can to Mulvaney to celebrate her transition, but this led to a massive backlash from conservative groups and right-wing media. Notably,...

In this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Mark Fritz, discuss the 2017 United Airlines crisis, where passenger Dr. David Dao was forcibly removed from a flight to make room for United employees. The incident was filmed and widely shared on social media, and United’s initial response blamed Dao, further fueling outrage. T...

In this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Jonathan Hemus, discuss the 1982 Tylenol murders in Chicago, where seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The crisis placed Johnson & Johnson at the centre of a murder investigation, severely impacting brand trust. CEO James Burke made the unprecedented d...

In What Just Happened? hosts and co-founders of Polpeo, Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley, delve into a different corporate crisis, what it meant for the brand, and how it shaped our thinking in crisis communications. Along the way, they have help and insight from some of the most prominent thinkers in the crisis communications industry, who share their expertise on why people behaved the way they...