WFA's Better Marketing Pod with David Wheldon · 2026-04-01 · 30 min
In this episode David Wheldon talks with Judy Smith, crisis management expert and former White House advisor, about what protects reputation when risk is everywhere and scrutiny is constant. We come back to one hard rule for leaders and brands: be who you say you are, even when the story is moving faster than your playbook. In this episode David and Judy cover: • Being who you say you are as the foundation of trust, values and reputation • Managing brand reputation as both technology and AI reshape what gets said about companies • Reducing silos so marketing, comms, legal and policy act as one team • Why crisis playbooks struggle when culture and reaction are unpredictable • Using the risk barometer to prepare, adjust plans and measure intangible assets • Making intangibles financially meaningful through protection and long-term value • What leaders do in the first 90 days of a turnaround, beyond story polishing • When to respond to volatility and when silence avoids a damaging slug fest • How to think about fake news based on real reputational impact • The unexpected story behind Scandal and a former president’s sense of humour About Judy Smith For more than 25 years, Ms.
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