What Just Happened? A Polpeo Podcast

Can two employees destroy trust in a global brand overnight? What makes people behave so recklessly at work, and what can organisations do to prevent an internal problem becoming a full-blown reputational crisis? When employees go rogue, the consequences can be devastating, but the warning signs may have been there long before the crisis hits. In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton revisit the infamous 2009 Domino’s Pizza crisis, when two employees filmed thems

What happens when one of the most anticipated entertainment launches in the world is compromised by a major leak? How should a brand respond when confidential content starts circulating online, misinformation makes it harder to distinguish fact from fiction, and those responsible attempt to profit from the chaos? And can staying relatively quiet actually be the smartest crisis communication strategy? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton examine the leak surro

When conventional protest appears powerless, what makes people turn to direct action against organisations? How should leaders respond when anger becomes disruption, criminal damage or violence? And could anxiety about artificial intelligence create the next flashpoint for public protest? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by crisis communications expert Rod Cartwright to examine why direct action is rising up risk registers and what organisatio

What happens when a company challenges damaging media coverage in court? Can legal action restore commercial confidence, or does it simply revive the allegations and expose them to a much wider audience? And in an age when AI systems continually resurface past controversies, can a brand ever truly move on from a reputational crisis? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton examine Evri’s reported £1.2 million legal action against the BBC following a Panorama docu

What happens when a brand makes a bold Pride statement and refuses to retreat when criticism follows? Can humour create genuine connection with LGBTQ+ audiences, or does it risk reducing a diverse community to a stereotype? And when opposition becomes loud and hostile, should organisations apologise, stand firm or reconsider how they demonstrate their values? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton examine the reaction to HelloFresh’s cheeky Pride Month social

How does a global brand make a mistake so culturally insensitive that it triggers boycotts, political condemnation, police scrutiny and store closures? In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton discuss Starbucks Korea’s ‘Tank Day’ promotion, launched on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when tanks were used to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations. They look at what happens when a local marketing campaign ignores historical trauma, and how far can acc