WHY THE SMARTEST FOOD MARKETING BEGINS WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Corporate crisis instinct is to contain bad news and move the story on quickly. The brands that have generated the most earned media from operational setbacks did the opposite. KitKat's joke about a 12-tonne theft generated $224M in earned media and the 2026 Cannes PR Grand Prix. Calbee's decision to keep its supply-chain packaging monochrome issue visible triggered a consumer art movement. What each case had in common was early recognition that an opportunity existed rather than a problem to suppress and a response that invited participation rather than managed perception.