Turning Scandal Into Strategy

Brandon Lee, Co-founder, Pandan Social

05-Aug-25 11:00

Pause
Embed

When a viral kiss-cam moment sparked internet sleuthing and a full-blown PR storm, most companies would’ve gone quiet. Astronomer didn’t. They hired Gwyneth Paltrow, yes, that Gwyneth, as their temporary spokesperson and flipped the scandal into a spotlight.

Brandon Lee, Co-Founder of Pandan Social, joins us to break down how this moment of chaos became a masterclass in narrative hijacking. We talk about opportunistic storytelling, the fine line between cringe and clever, and how brands can ride the wave without getting wiped out.

Produced by: Carol Wong

Presented by: Richard Bradbury

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories: Corporates, controversies, culture

Tags: PR crisis management, trendjacking, narrative hijacking, viral marketing, brand storytelling,

Today’s Shows

6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Ada Li of Bloomberg Intelligence discusses the outlook for China’s manufacturing production and domestic consumption.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Dato' Dr Ilango Karuppannan, former Malaysian ambassador, gives us his thoughts on the ceasefire talks.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Satchit Joglekar, Managing Director of Snowflake ASEAN shares why they are excited about ASEAN, growth strategy and AI integration.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr Law Teik Hua of Universiti Putra Malaysia shares his take on whether the 13th Malaysia Plan will deliver real improvements to our transport system.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

(REPEAT) Dato' Dr Ilango Karuppannan, former Malaysian ambassador, gives us his thoughts on the ceasefire talks.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Ada Li of Bloomberg Intelligence discusses the outlook for China’s manufacturing production and domestic consumption.

9:35 AM

People, Planet, Profit

Suhailah Mohamed Abdullah, President of the Institute of Internal Auditors Malaysia, explains how auditors are helping ensure ESG reports are accurate and credible.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Silvia Teh, founder of Confetto, a digital marketing agency from Singapore aiming to drive social media and content creation for brands targeting Gen Zs joins us to discuss how they keep content culturally relevant and entertaining, their pivot from tech to content and how that led to their growth as well as what the future looks like for the business.

11:00 AM

Marketing Mojo

Brandon Lee, Co-Founder of Pandan Social discusses how moments of chaos can become opportunities for storytelling.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

Dr. Ismet Yusoff, CEO of Minority Shareholders Watch Group (MSWG), joins us to unpack the challenges minority shareholders face — from unfair takeover offers to evolving governance risks — and how to better protect their rights and strengthen board accountability.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Satchit Joglekar, Managing Director of Snowflake ASEAN shares why they are excited about ASEAN, growth strategy and AI integration.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

3:05 PM

Beyond the Ballot Box

Khalsa Aid on Responding to the Refugee Crisis

4:05 PM

Health & Living

What does a nutritionist actually do? Should I consider it as a career pathway? Tune in to find out.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Talkback Tuesday

How do you approach parking?

8:00 PM

BBC World Service

This episode of The Food Chain looks at how people with dementia eat and look at food.

PROGRAMMES