Lead Balloon Episodes 2/3

Lead Balloon Ep. 34 - Murder in Boston Blamed on Sega's Virtua Cop Video Game, with Lee Caraher

Dusty Weis

Aug 2, 202236 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 34 - Murder in Boston Blamed on Sega's Virtua Cop Video Game, with Lee Caraher

Did a shooter train for his revenge rampage by playing a hands-on arcade game? A public relations true crime investigation. Also...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 33 - National Airlines' Saucy "Fly Me" Ad Campaign & the 1970s Stewardess Rebellion

Dusty Weis

Jul 6, 202226 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 33 - National Airlines' Saucy "Fly Me" Ad Campaign & the 1970s Stewardess Rebellion

With Nell McShane Wulfhart, Philippa Roberts and Jane Cunningham Sexist advertising that objectifies women reached its heyday in the late...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 32 - Tesla’s Elon Musk Fires the Entire Public Relations Team—What Could Go Wrong?

Larry Kilgore III

Jun 2, 202233 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 32 - Tesla’s Elon Musk Fires the Entire Public Relations Team—What Could Go Wrong?

How and why Tesla's approach to communication went from unconventional to nonexistent. As the world’s most valuable automotive...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 31 - Snapple: Pitching the Best Catchphrase On Earth

Dusty Weis

May 3, 202233 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 31 - Snapple: Pitching the Best Catchphrase On Earth

With Jane Cavalier and Richard Kirshenbaum - A world-class slogan crashes and burns, and then an iconic brand burns all its bridges. The...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 30 - Inside the PBR "Eating Ass" Tweetstorm, with Adweek Editor David Griner

Dusty Weis

Apr 5, 202234 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 30 - Inside the PBR "Eating Ass" Tweetstorm, with Adweek Editor David Griner

Plus Special Guest Kyle Brown -- In our first NSFW episode, we try to decide whether social media manager Corey Smale deserved to get...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 29 - Ukrainian Creatives Waging an Information War Against Russian Invasion

Dusty Weis

Mar 19, 202220 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 29 - Ukrainian Creatives Waging an Information War Against Russian Invasion

Ad agencies and freelancers across Ukraine have banded together to pierce the veil of Russian propaganda--and they need your help. For...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 28 - Wendy's Twitter Account Manager Recounts Battle with Social Media Burnout

Dusty Weis

Mar 1, 202238 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 28 - Wendy's Twitter Account Manager Recounts Battle with Social Media Burnout

With Amy Brown and Sallie Poggi -- How Can Social Media Managers "Take a Break From Social Media?" Wendy’s, the burger chain, is infamous...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 27 - Sherwin-Williams Paints Itself Into a Corner on TikTok, with Tony Piloseno

Dusty Weis

Feb 2, 202230 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 27 - Sherwin-Williams Paints Itself Into a Corner on TikTok, with Tony Piloseno

A Plucky TikTok Superstar Gets Fired for Finding Unexpected Brand Success on Social Media Tony Piloseno really likes paint. And as a...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 26 - Bigger Than Basketball: The Milwaukee Bucks and the NBA Social Justice Walkout

Dusty Weis

Nov 3, 202137 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 26 - Bigger Than Basketball: The Milwaukee Bucks and the NBA Social Justice Walkout

With Milwaukee Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry and CBS Sports Senior Editor Andrew Julian With a shot at an NBA title on the line,...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 24 - The Dreaded Grand Jury Subpoena, with Duct Tape Marketing Founder John Jantsch

Dusty Weis

Sep 9, 202123 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 24 - The Dreaded Grand Jury Subpoena, with Duct Tape Marketing Founder John Jantsch

Host of one of the web's longest-running marketing podcasts, John Jantsch shares a cautionary tale from early in his career. There's...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 23 - Bridgegate: Behind the Scenes at the Port Authority During the Scandal

Dusty Weis

Aug 7, 202129 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 23 - Bridgegate: Behind the Scenes at the Port Authority During the Scandal

With Anthony Hayes -- Known as the scandal that ended Governor Chris Christie's presidential ambitions, we look back at Bridgegate from a...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 22 - Scandal at Foresters Financial, with former VP of PR Henry DeVries

Dusty Weis

Jul 1, 202125 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 22 - Scandal at Foresters Financial, with former VP of PR Henry DeVries

As spokesman for the company, Henry DeVries's moral fiber is tested when he's dragged into a torrid affair between two Foresters...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 21 - Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons Hijacks the Mainstage at LinkedIn's Sales Summit

Dusty Weis

Jun 1, 202128 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 21 - Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons Hijacks the Mainstage at LinkedIn's Sales Summit

When the co-founder of Def Jam Records goes off in front of a live audience, LinkedIn emcee Justin Shriber tries to save face. When...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 20 - Plane Crash in Colombia: American Airlines Flight 965, with Jennifer R. Hudson

Dusty Weis

May 4, 202129 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 20 - Plane Crash in Colombia: American Airlines Flight 965, with Jennifer R. Hudson

Three weeks into her role as an American Airlines spokeswoman, Jennifer Hudson is called to Colombia following an air disaster that...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 19 - Coca-Cola and the Masters Tournament, with Ben Deutsch and Dr. Martha Burk

Dusty Weis

Apr 1, 202134 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 19 - Coca-Cola and the Masters Tournament, with Ben Deutsch and Dr. Martha Burk

When women's rights activists take aim at a last-bastion boy's club, Coke has to navigate a Public Relations lose-lose. Home to the...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 18 - Coca-Cola's Retired Comms VP on the '98 World Cup, Belgium Health Scare & More

Dusty Weis

Mar 2, 202128 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 18 - Coca-Cola's Retired Comms VP on the '98 World Cup, Belgium Health Scare & More

Former Communications Executive Ben Deutsch illustrates why overseeing communications for one of the world's largest corporations is not...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 17 - The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson: Insurrection, Business Comms & Politics

Dusty Weis

Feb 2, 202129 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 17 - The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson: Insurrection, Business Comms & Politics

January 6 was a dark day for America, with lasting ramifications for how businesses talk about politics and Trumpism. What constitutes...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 16 - Vaccine Messaging: How Comms Professionals Can Help Save the World from Covid

Dusty Weis

Jan 21, 202142 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 16 - Vaccine Messaging: How Comms Professionals Can Help Save the World from Covid

With former HHS Spokesman Bill Pierce and Dr. Maria Sundaram With Covid-19 vaccination efforts finally getting underway, communicating...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 15 - Going Rogue, Battling Bears, Government Shutdowns and National Parks

Dusty Weis

Jan 5, 202125 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 15 - Going Rogue, Battling Bears, Government Shutdowns and National Parks

With Julie Wright, Diane Lebow and Laura Kiniry In public relations, "going rogue" is a notion that sets teeth on edge for most PR...

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Lead Balloon Ep. 13 - The Squatty Potty Saga and the Science of Going Viral

Dusty Weis

Sep 23, 202031 min read

Lead Balloon Ep. 13 - The Squatty Potty Saga and the Science of Going Viral

With Harmon Brothers CEO Benton Crane: Promoting anti-poo-stink spray and constipation remedies may not be glamorous, but it is highly...

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