I remember when he became leader of the opposition, thinking - this guy is unelectable. There was no positive public sentiment about him at all. But I’d been wrong about Trump (twice), wrong about Brexit, and wrong about The Voice, so my track record was shit. Glad to finally have a win 🤣 The libs simply don’t appeal to anyone apart from Boomers, and even my boomer parents didn’t vote for them!
This is so incredibly well-written. And as someone who wrote about crisis management in a past life, your example of the way the CEO of the scrap metal trucking company handle the crisis was spot on. Alas, while so many in government want to claim it should be run like a business, they don’t head the crisis management lessons you so eloquently illustrated. So very glad Australia didn’t follow the US down the authoritarian rabbit hold.
Crisis PR is a fascinating topic. I looked at the Nagi/Brooki situation through a crisis management lens. I see a missed opportunity that could still be leveraged. And if I were their PR teams, this is what I would recommend:
A joint appearance (perhaps on YouTube) with both creators to humanize the situation. They could discuss their shared passion for food, acknowledge the similarities that sparked the conflict, and even address mistakes made in handling the dispute. This would immediately elevate them above the fray of social media trolling. A win for everyone, except maybe the trolls.
The cookbook industry could announce a requirement for transparency in future publications—by acknowledging influences and similarities—which would demonstrate integrity and defuse future complaints. This isn't about admission of wrongdoing but recognizing that cooking evolves around a shared culinary conversation, rather than direct ownership.
This presents an opportunity to explore the fascinating question of recipe ownership. I regularly use Paul Prudhomme's jambalaya recipe but cut the spices by 2/3 (otherwise it burns your face off!). Does this adaptation make the recipe mine? Partially mine? These nuances of culinary creation could spark a thoughtful industry-wide conversation within the culinary community.
What impresses me about good crisis management is that if used effectively, it can transform potential disasters into defining moments for an industry or those at the core of the issue. Just as the trucking CEO demonstrated accountability, these Nagi and Brooks could show how influencers could handle conflict with grace. These types of thoughtful engagement would go a long way toward disarming the reactionary and hateful trolling environment that has fomented on social media.
The best crisis response doesn’t just contain damage, it reveals character. And sometimes, a thoughtful and nuanced response can forge important conversations we need to have.
Here is a thought experiment. Swap the CEO of the scrap metal company for any random LNP MP. The CEO would immediately be the brightest star they’d had in decades and the company would be broke in 5 years.
I’m not the most astute reader of body language, but it seemed to me that Senator McGrath visibly relaxed once the result became undeniable. The way he’d insisted Dutton would hold his seat and the party leadership, it was as though someone from party HQ had a pistol trained on him from backstage. Once it was clear Dutton was gone, there was no need to maintain the charade.
I’m glad you mentioned Dutton’s concession speech—it was surprisingly classy, especially in the post-January-6th era. Not enough to dampen my schadenfreude at his defeat, but probably the most not-a-monster I’ve ever seen him.
It’s nuts right. The other thing that strikes me generally about the whole situation is how completely faceless most of the 150 odd folks in the house of reps are. They aren’t visible in the constituency, the media or anywhere. Surely these are the people who need to be putting some pressure on their leaders to take some accountability. Sadly I think the lessson is not going to be this
The volume of faceless was overwhelming in the final throes. Complete lack of visibility that threw up surprises on every search when revealed they have been around for 10+ years. What have they been doing?
I remember when he became leader of the opposition, thinking - this guy is unelectable. There was no positive public sentiment about him at all. But I’d been wrong about Trump (twice), wrong about Brexit, and wrong about The Voice, so my track record was shit. Glad to finally have a win 🤣 The libs simply don’t appeal to anyone apart from Boomers, and even my boomer parents didn’t vote for them!
That's an interesting thing I've heard from a few people. Baked-on Liberal loyalists didn't vote for Dutton.
On Sunday morning Insiders played the clip from Simon Birmingham after the 2022 defeat. Nothing has changed.
What will it take to see some change?
This is so incredibly well-written. And as someone who wrote about crisis management in a past life, your example of the way the CEO of the scrap metal trucking company handle the crisis was spot on. Alas, while so many in government want to claim it should be run like a business, they don’t head the crisis management lessons you so eloquently illustrated. So very glad Australia didn’t follow the US down the authoritarian rabbit hold.
Agh, thank you Sandra. That means a lot.
I've been thinking about crisis PR a LOT recently, mostly in light of the Nagi/Brooki drama.
It seems like there's usually a pretty clear path out of these situations. I'm always staggered when people go in the opposite direction.
Crisis PR is a fascinating topic. I looked at the Nagi/Brooki situation through a crisis management lens. I see a missed opportunity that could still be leveraged. And if I were their PR teams, this is what I would recommend:
A joint appearance (perhaps on YouTube) with both creators to humanize the situation. They could discuss their shared passion for food, acknowledge the similarities that sparked the conflict, and even address mistakes made in handling the dispute. This would immediately elevate them above the fray of social media trolling. A win for everyone, except maybe the trolls.
The cookbook industry could announce a requirement for transparency in future publications—by acknowledging influences and similarities—which would demonstrate integrity and defuse future complaints. This isn't about admission of wrongdoing but recognizing that cooking evolves around a shared culinary conversation, rather than direct ownership.
This presents an opportunity to explore the fascinating question of recipe ownership. I regularly use Paul Prudhomme's jambalaya recipe but cut the spices by 2/3 (otherwise it burns your face off!). Does this adaptation make the recipe mine? Partially mine? These nuances of culinary creation could spark a thoughtful industry-wide conversation within the culinary community.
What impresses me about good crisis management is that if used effectively, it can transform potential disasters into defining moments for an industry or those at the core of the issue. Just as the trucking CEO demonstrated accountability, these Nagi and Brooks could show how influencers could handle conflict with grace. These types of thoughtful engagement would go a long way toward disarming the reactionary and hateful trolling environment that has fomented on social media.
The best crisis response doesn’t just contain damage, it reveals character. And sometimes, a thoughtful and nuanced response can forge important conversations we need to have.
Here is a thought experiment. Swap the CEO of the scrap metal company for any random LNP MP. The CEO would immediately be the brightest star they’d had in decades and the company would be broke in 5 years.
I mean, what else have they got to lose?
The Liberal Party, that is. The scrap metal guys are going fine.
I’m not the most astute reader of body language, but it seemed to me that Senator McGrath visibly relaxed once the result became undeniable. The way he’d insisted Dutton would hold his seat and the party leadership, it was as though someone from party HQ had a pistol trained on him from backstage. Once it was clear Dutton was gone, there was no need to maintain the charade.
I’m glad you mentioned Dutton’s concession speech—it was surprisingly classy, especially in the post-January-6th era. Not enough to dampen my schadenfreude at his defeat, but probably the most not-a-monster I’ve ever seen him.
Absolutely. It's honestly a relief when we see a bit of humanity and humility. We're not lost yet, by any measure.
It’s nuts right. The other thing that strikes me generally about the whole situation is how completely faceless most of the 150 odd folks in the house of reps are. They aren’t visible in the constituency, the media or anywhere. Surely these are the people who need to be putting some pressure on their leaders to take some accountability. Sadly I think the lessson is not going to be this
The volume of faceless was overwhelming in the final throes. Complete lack of visibility that threw up surprises on every search when revealed they have been around for 10+ years. What have they been doing?
That is such a good point. Who knows what the next three years will look like.
New reader/listener here. I enjoy the nuances and emphasis of the author (and a few off script add ins) Loved it. See (hear) you next week!
Ugh that means I should probably do it again.
Seriously though, appreciate the feedback. It does help to know it wasn't a wasted effort.
Maybe they, along wth right wing parties across the globe, should lay off the bullshit culture war nonsense that everyone is growing tired of.
No matter the depths of their soul-searching, they ain't gonna find what is non-existant.
See ya Kiffler close the door after you!!!
See ya Kiffler close the door after you!!!