Comms on Three Continents
About this episode
The episode discusses communication challenges across three continents, focusing on cultural accuracy and the evolving influence economy.
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll move across three communication flashpoints on three continents: the evolving influence economy at Cannes Lions, Lululemon’s cultural misstep at the Great Wall of China, and the San Francisco Giants’ mishandling of Pride Night controversy. They examine how influence is no longer contained inside advertising, PR, marketing, or customer experience silos, especially as creators, algorithms, AI summaries, and political actors reshape reputation in real time. The conversation sharpens around two major lessons for communications leaders: cultural accuracy has to happen before spectacle, and values questions need institutional answers, not evasive talking points. For PR, corporate affairs, and leadership teams, this episode is a reminder that operational clarity, cultural fluency, and prepared governance now determine whether a brand controls the story or gets corrected by the public. Takeaways Cannes Lions now reflects a broader shift from advertising as a discipline to influence as an operating system. Lululemon’s Great Wall mistake shows that brands cannot borrow cultural authority without first proving…
People in this episode
Hosts: Steve Dowling, Craig Carroll
Topics covered
- influence economy
- cultural accuracy
- Pride Night controversy
- advertising
- corporate communications
- media fragmentation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Lululemon, San Francisco Giants
Places: Great Wall of China
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