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Hello, and welcome to this month’s Reputation Digest, where Fire on the Hill delivers a run-down of the latest stories making waves in the communications sector. This month, Brooklyn Beckham’s Instagram story reveals all, Elon Musk clashes with Ryanair on social media and Dr Pepper’s latest advertisement is a rip-roaring success.
Beckham feud goes public
For a family that has spent years mastering their public personas, the past fortnight has been unusually messy for the Beckhams. The first sign that something was amiss was Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz’s absence from David Beckham’s 50th birthday celebrations last year, an event that was heavily documented across social media and attended by the rest of the family.
The media immediately started to speculate.
Then came perhaps the most significant development via a multi-slide Instagram Story posted to Brooklyn’s account, in which he directly addressed his relationship with his parents for the first time. The message accused David and Victoria Beckham of controlling the family narrative, feeding selective stories to the press, and prioritising a polished public image over private reconciliation. Brooklyn also explained that Victoria had reneged on a promise to design Nicola’s wedding gown and danced inappropriately with him at the wedding. For these reasons, he has stated that he has no wish to reconcile with the family.
At first, the response was minimal from both David and Victoria, but not because they had nothing to say. Instead, it seems they were thinking carefully about crafting a measured response. During an appearance on CNBC last Tuesday, David spoke about the pros and cons of social media and seemed to insinuate that Brooklyn’s post was a mistake.
However, this hasn’t done anything to slow down the story. Since then, Brooklyn’s wedding DJ has given his account of what happened during what he describes as an “awkward” dance between the groom and his mother, Victoria, after singer Marc Antholony called Victoria up to the stage as “the most beautiful woman in the room”. Definitely not a good look for the Spice Girls star!
PR pros on social media have speculated on the volume of professional support the Beckhams will be paying for, and the story has become an interesting spotlight on the PR profession more generally. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that personal disputes become reputational ones when a family doubles as a brand.
Musk’s latest public spat
Public disagreements between corporate leaders are nothing new, but the recent back-and-forth between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is a reminder of how quickly things can escalate.
The conflict was triggered by Ryanair Chief Michael O’Leary’s rejection of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet for Ryanair’s fleet in an interview with Reuters, citing the additional fuel costs from the required antennas and a lack of passenger demand as key reasons. Musk responded publicly on his own social media platform by calling O’Leary “an utter idiot” and then went further, posting a poll asking if he should buy Ryanair and install someone named “Ryan” in charge.
Ryanair has always leaned into provocation on social media as a way of commanding attention, and picking a fight with one of the world’s most high-profile and controversial executives is undoubtedly an efficient way to dominate headlines. In some ways, the exchange has reinforced O’Leary’s image as an outspoken leader willing to say what others won’t, and their tongue-in-cheek “Big ‘Idiot’ Seat Sale” promotion tied to the feud has also generated buzz.
Importantly, the market has responded positively too. Ryanair’s shares have risen modestly since the feud began, drawing analyst attention. According to market reports, prices climbed about 3% in the days following Musk’s takeover suggestion – despite the fact that Musk legally cannot have a majority stake in a European airline as he is not resident in the region.
More broadly, the episode reflects a shift in how corporate leadership is perceived. Executives are no longer just internal figures in charge of strategy and operations; they are public figures in their own right. Personality and online behaviour can move markets and shape brands, so getting things right is more important than ever.
Dr Pepper jumps on a unique opportunity
In late December, TikTok creator Romeo Bingham posted a short jingle using the words “Dr Pepper, baby, it’s good and nice — doo doo doo” and amusingly captioned it by claiming that she had thought of it in a dream. The eleven-second video racked up 42 million views and five million likes within weeks.
Though it was far from polished, it didn’t take long before fans were calling for Romeo’s jingle to be used by the brand in some way. At first, it seemed like complete radio silence, and within a few days, the same creator turned around and made another jingle – this time for a completely different brand. Suddenly, people on TikTok began spreading the idea that Dr Pepper had missed its chance and that this wasn’t “their song” anymore.
Instead of re-recording the audio with a professional singer or layering on a slick instrumental, the brand more or less left it alone and dropped it straight into a national TV ad. It aired during the College Football Playoff National Championship, an event with a live audience of more than 30 million. In an interview with People Magazine, Romeo shared that the experience felt like a “real creative collaboration”.
The episode serves as a useful reminder that the best marketing often happens when a brand stops trying so hard to come up with something groundbreaking and truly engages with its audience. Dr Pepper’s response may not have been as quick as some social media commenters would have liked, but overall it was a great move for the brand.
