The podcast that looks at the biggest brand crises of our time.
What Just Happened? A Polpeo Podcast
Claim This Podcastby Kate Hartley & Tamara Littleton
5.0(5 reviews)
31 episodes
Updated Bi-weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇬🇧
23
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality33
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement32
Podcast Overview
The podcast that looks at the biggest brand crises of our time.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
5/22/2024
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23
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality33
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement32
5
Excellent Areas
3
Good Performance
11
Growth Opportunities
excellent
Episode Length
20 minutes
Performing excellently!
good
Show Experience
15 episodes over 1.1 years
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needs improvement
Publishing Consistency
Every 28 days
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Recent Episodes
July 23, 2026
Evri Sues BBC
<p class="isSelectedEnd"><span>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?</span></p> <p class="isSelectedEnd"><span>In this episode of </span><span>What Just Happened?</span><span>, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton examine Evri’s reported £1.2 million legal action against the BBC following a </span>Panorama<span> documentary broadcast in December 2025. The programme raised concerns about delivery standards, customer dissatisfaction and working conditions, while Evri’s owners argue that the coverage caused serious financial damage.</span></p> <p class="isSelectedEnd"><span>We explore whether the case could draw renewed attention to claims that many people may previously have missed, and consider how the dispute could influence the information surfaced by search engines and generative AI, which can preserve associations between brands and controversies long after public attention has moved elsewhere.</span></p> <p><span>We also discuss the potential tension between legal, commercial and communications priorities and whether the outcome could influence Evri’s ability to win major retail contracts. The key question is whether securing a legal victory will outweigh the long-term reputational cost of bringing the original allegations back into public view.</span></p> <div class="text-base my-auto mx-auto [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)"> <div class="[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn"> <div class="flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow AIPRM__conversation__response sm:AIPRM__conversation__response AIPRM__relative"> <div class="min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+&]:mt-1" dir="auto" data-message-author-role="assistant" data-message-id="682492fe-d9e9-46dc-bcbd-61d3bf962ccc" data-message-model-slug="gpt-5-3"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden"> <div class="markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word light markdown-new-styling"> <p data-start="0" data-end="499">A full transcript of today’s show is <a href="https://polpeo.com/evri-transcript/" rel="noopener">available to read here</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>
July 16, 2026
The HelloFresh Pride Post
<p class="PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer" data-start="176" data-end="657">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?</p> <p data-start="176" data-end="657">In this episode of What Just Happened?, Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton <span>examine the reaction to HelloFresh’s cheeky Pride Month social media post and explore what the controversy reveals about corporate inclusion, brand values and crisis preparedness.</span></p> <p data-start="176" data-end="657">Along with <span>Structural DEI consultant Ashley Alleyne, t</span><span>hey discuss why the post attracted disproportionate international attention, why much of the outrage misunderstood the joke, and how HelloFresh responded without apologising or abandoning its position. The conversation also considers why </span><span>inclusion cannot simply be added to a campaign at the final stage. Instead, it must influence how organisations collect data, brief teams, approve ideas, choose partners and prepare for potential backlash.</span></p> <p><span>The episode also explores cultural differences, employee divisions and harm reduction, asking organisations to focus not merely on what their campaigns say, but on what their actions materially achieve.</span></p> <div class="text-base my-auto mx-auto [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)"> <div class="[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn"> <div class="flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow AIPRM__conversation__response sm:AIPRM__conversation__response AIPRM__relative"> <div class="min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+&]:mt-1" dir="auto" data-message-author-role="assistant" data-message-id="682492fe-d9e9-46dc-bcbd-61d3bf962ccc" data-message-model-slug="gpt-5-3"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden"> <div class="markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word light markdown-new-styling"> <p data-start="0" data-end="499">A full transcript of today’s show is <a href="https://polpeo.com/hellofresh-transcript/" rel="noopener">available to read here</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>
July 2, 2026
Starbucks Korea ‘Tank Day’ Backlash
<p class="PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer" data-start="176" data-end="657">How does a global brand make a mistake so culturally insensitive that it triggers boycotts, political condemnation, police scrutiny and store closures?</p> <p data-start="176" data-end="657">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 accountability travel when a franchise relationship sits between the incident and global headquarters?<span aria-hidden="true" class="PDq2pG_selectionAnchor"></span></p> <p data-start="1056" data-end="1506">The discussion covers the speed and severity of the response, including the firing of Starbucks Korea’s CEO, a reported 26% sales drop in the first week, public boycotts, government criticism and formal apologies from both Shinsegae Group and Starbucks in the US. Kate and Tamara also consider reports around AI-assisted slogan development, weak sign-off processes and the dangers of assuming that a campaign can be judged without historical context.</p> <p data-start="1508" data-end="1773">Starbucks Korea made a decision to close around 2,000 stores for mandatory history and social sensitivity training, raising important questions about accountability, trust rebuilding and whether brand recovery requires visible sacrifice.</p> <div class="text-base my-auto mx-auto [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)"> <div class="[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn"> <div class="flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow AIPRM__conversation__response sm:AIPRM__conversation__response AIPRM__relative"> <div class="min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+&]:mt-1" dir="auto" data-message-author-role="assistant" data-message-id="682492fe-d9e9-46dc-bcbd-61d3bf962ccc" data-message-model-slug="gpt-5-3"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden"> <div class="markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word light markdown-new-styling"> <p data-start="0" data-end="499">A full transcript of today’s show is <a href="https://polpeo.com/starbucks-korea-transcript/" rel="noopener">available to read here</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>
31 total episodes available
Deep-dive analytics for What Just Happened? A Polpeo Podcast
Frequently asked questions
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- What is What Just Happened? A Polpeo Podcast?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates bi-weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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