EPISODE 7: Weapons of Mass Distraction - Royal Family Damage Control The Crisis Beat

In this Episode, Mark and Brady try to make sense of the relative indifference shown by the Royal Family to the allegations and hubbub caused by Prince Harry and Megan Markle's Oprah interview, Netflix special, and Harry's book 'Spare.' What can we garner in terms of best practices in general from what almost appears to be the Royal Family giving the silent treatment and letting the complainants spin their wheels. The gents also discuss the impact of the recent South Park Episode which has some Harry-and-Megan-esque figures who engage in a 'worldwide privacy tour.' Similar to the effect of appearing in a Saturday Night Live sketch, these culture moments can act as mind bombs, cementing negative impressions of their subject that endure.
Also under discussion in this Episode:
- Crisis communications for Balenciaga's scandal of ads featuring children with stuffed animals in sadomasochistic bondage outfits
- The Oscars hiring and prepping a comms team for another Will-Smith-slap-like event
- The Ohio train derailment and ensuing political maelstrom, including Pete Buttigieg, transportation secretary for the country, telling reporter he's on 'personal time'
- Biden's remarkable stagecraft in visiting the active warzone in Ukraine, making his way by train to Kiev
Here are some supporting links for further reading:


Martin Amis New Yorker article on Queen Elizabeth (2002)



https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/05/20/queen-elizabeth-iis-fine-tuned-feelings





Polling date on Prince Harry and Megan Markle



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11785559/Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markles-popularity-slumps-South-Park-episode.html





South Park Episode Highlights



https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/meghan-harry-south-park-episode-funniest-moments-legal-ramifications-b1061951.html





Ohio Train Derailment



https://nypost.com/2023/02/22/buttigieg-snaps-on-personal-time-when-asked-about-ohio/






Biden in Kiev - extraordinarily crafted comms message



https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/joe-bidens-showy-defiance-of-vladimir-putin



Oscars Crisis Comms Team



https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/feb/23/oscars-ceremony-academy-awards-crisis-team