Episodes

In 2011 Wells Fargo bank was thrown into the centre of a scandal that resulted in it being fined $185 million for creating over 2 million fraudulent accounts without customers’ knowledge. Driven by aggressive sales targets, the bank saw a 43% drop in new account openings and a 55% drop in credit card applications. Over 5000 employees were fired. In today’s episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by corporate culture expert Jane Fordham to discuss how ...

In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 completely disappeared and became one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history. The Boeing 777, carrying 239 people, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur and, despite extensive search efforts, the plane was never found. In today’s episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Liitleton are joined by Rod Cartwright, who was directly involved in the crisis response. They discuss the many ...

This week’s show discusses the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, the largest marine oil spill in history. Hosts Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley, along with special guest Zaiba Malik, look at how the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 workers and caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, severely impacting the environment and local communities. BP faced financial collapse, paying $65 billion over eight years in compensation, fines, and cleanup costs. The disaster ex...

In this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest John Brown, explore the enduring relevance of the Nestlé versus Greenpeace controversy over palm oil and deforestation. We delve into how Greenpeace’s campaign against Nestlé in 2010 highlighted the broader issue of palm oil production’s impact on rainforests. Nestlé made several missteps in handling the crisis, including attempts to suppress Greenpeace’s video and failing to meet their sustain...

The horse meat scandal that erupted in 2013 had a huge impact on major UK food brands and supermarkets. And in this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Dr Mukta Das, discuss how horse meat came to be found in food products and what the impact was. ‘Horsegate’ began when the Food Safety Authority in Ireland discovered horse DNA in meat products sold as beef, leading to widespread recalls and public outrage. The scandal exposed the complex...

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, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting Bud Light cans in protest. Despite the severe online abuse Mulvaney...

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. This led to a significant backlash, including a drop in United’s stock price and calls for a boycott. CEO Oscar Munoz l...

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 decision to recall 31 million bottles of Tylenol, costing over $100 million. This action, guided by the company’s cre...

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 did during the crisis in question, how leaders responded and even how the market changed as a resu...