Marketing Muckraking

In today’s episode I am joined by the indestructible Molly McPherson, who you may know as the TikTok “PR Lady,” as her followers have affectionally dubbed her. I just know her as my first stop when a brand or celebrity is in the news for reasons they’d rather not be. Molly is hilarious, warm, and witty and I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted that she’s on the show today, talking about the #1 biggest mistake that brands make before, during, and after a public relations crisis and even dishing with me on my favorite topic — the online business family tree [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/online-business-family-tree-part-1-thomas-edison-tony-robbins/] and the curious case of the SEO-optimized friendship [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/rachel-jenna-amy-seo-optimized-friendship/] (featuring personal brand celebs Rachel Hollis, Jenna Kutcher, and Amy Porterfield [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/cult-online-marketing/]). But, more than anything, I appreciate how Molly always brings us back to our humanity and helps us see that public relations is just a fancy way of talking about human communication. On today's episode about cancel culture and personal brands in crisis, we discuss: * Molly's next gig as the star of "PR CSI" and how punctuation can catch a culprit * The biggest mistake brands make during a social media crisis * The real reason Bud Light still hasn't recovered from backlash * How to make a crisis go "poof!" and the 3 tenets of Molly's Indestructible PR framework * Why Rachel Hollis' brand still hasn't bounced back, 2.5 years after Toilet Gate * Molly's beef with Amy Porterfield and the online business family tree * Why Colleen Ballinger (or was it Miranda Sings?) mistakenly believed her ukulele would win the day * What do Molly's four Gen Z kids think about Mom being a TikTok sensation? * The difference between social media vigilantes, bullies, and investigative reporters * The problem with Reddit snark and parasocial relationships * The other side of the cancel culture coin and the pot of gold at the end of the snark rainbow About Molly McPherson Molly [https://mollymcpherson.com/] reports on crisis communications and breaking news stories with a perfect blend of snark and heart. She has over two decades of experience in public relations, emergency management, and media. As a crisis pro, Molly previously worked at FEMA and as the Director of Communications for the Cruise Line International Association, where she managed media responses during major crises. Today, Molly is a crisis communications consultant, keynote speaker, and TikTok sensation [https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson]. She hosts the Indestructible PR [https://mollymcpherson.com/podcast/] podcast and recently won the 2023 Adweek Creative Visionary Award for Careers Creator of the Year. Read the episode transcript, watch the YouTube video, and get the show notes on the Marketing Muckraking website here.  [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/cancel-culture-personal-brands-PR-crisis-molly-mcpherson/]

Welcome to Part 4, the final installment of the Online Business Family Tree series, where we traced back how we arrived at this moment in internet marketing and online business and who are the key leaders who brought us here. We also highlighted the 10 elements of the rotten tree. To review:  1. Prosperity gospel and the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" myth of meritocracy 2. Mastermind relationships and being "in the room" where it happens with powerful leaders 3. JV partnerships 4. Affiliate marketing 5. Tabloid / clickbait / pain point / shame-based marketing 6. Gaming the system 7. Propaganda, mind control, and hypnosis 8. Cross-pollinating audiences 9. Personal branding and “If I did it, you can, too” 10.  And finally, the idea that you don’t have to cite your sources, fuck your sources. So that the web becomes so tangled, no one knows where any of this came from. But now, hopefully, you do know. And our hope is that this series has helped you become a more informed consumer, a more ethical marketer, and that you feel seen and less alone in this jungle of the Online Business Industrial Complex. To understand marketing history is to understand ourselves and our culture — marketing is the fuel for the engine of capitalism. But now that we’ve taken this trip through time, it’s time to talk about what to do next and how do we build a better future… About Lisa Robbin Young Lisa Robbin Young [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/] has 30 years of business experience as a coach and creative entrepreneur: she is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, and accomplished musician with multiple albums to her credit. You may even recognize her from the Disney+ show “Encore.” She is also the host of the “Creative Freedom” [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/creative-freedom-show/] show — I highly recommend her music video parodies. Check out “There are worse things I could do” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6krMThfK6Q] for a Marie Forleo crossover with Awkward Marketing. She specializes in helping creative entrepreneurs build a business that works for how you’re wired to work. For the transcript and annotated guide to the online business family members we discuss in Part 4, check out MarketingMuckraking.com and the show notes here. [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/fix-it-or-burn-it-all-down-the-online-business-family-tree-part-4]

Welcome to Part 3 of this four-part series on The Online Business Family Tree, where we trace back how we arrived at this moment in internet marketing and online business and who are the key leaders who brought us here. In this installment, we’re time traveling from WWI and WWII all the way to today, where clickbait, ClickFunnels to hell, and faking it ’til you make it have spread across the branches of this rotten business tree, poisoning the fruits that fall to everyone clamoring for their taste of success. Remember, this stuff didn’t start on the Internet — it goes back hundreds of years. To understand marketing history is to understand ourselves and our culture — marketing is the fuel for the engine of capitalism. Let’s take a trip through time, so you can be a more informed consumer and, hopefully, a more ethical marketer. What you can expect in Part 3 of the Online Business Family Tree: * What ex-employees are saying about Brooke Castillo and The Life Coach School * How a bro marketer gamed the system to launch a chart-topping country music album (by tricking people into buying it) * The true story of the country's first famous "snake oil salesman" and how he culturally appropriated his way across the country * Why we can thank Frank Kern for the CAN-SPAM act and how he still brags about building his business illegally * That Tony Robbins scene in "Shallow Hal" and how he hypnotized his way to the top * The appalling truth of ClickFunnels and why Russell Brunson thinks Adolf Hilter is a business leader — while the industry co-signs this concept * What Nazi leaders learned about marketing from American propaganda * How Christian nationalist preachers built the advertising industry * What Jenna Kutcher, Amy Porterfield, and Mel Robbins really did on their Napa Valley mastermind and how they leverage parasocial bonds to sell to your sense of loneliness * Who monetized her friend's death to boost her clickthrough rate * Why no one can be Gary V, even Gary V, and the problem with corporations masquerading as people * How "more good millionaires" isn't the answer to systemic problems About Lisa Robbin Young Lisa Robbin Young [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/] has 30 years of business experience as a coach and creative entrepreneur: she is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, and accomplished musician with multiple albums to her credit. You may even recognize her from the Disney+ show “Encore.” She is also the host of the “Creative Freedom” [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/creative-freedom-show/] show — I highly recommend her music video parodies. Check out “There are worse things I could do” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6krMThfK6Q] for a Marie Forleo crossover with Awkward Marketing. She specializes in helping creative entrepreneurs build a business that works for how you’re wired to work. An annotated guide to the episode can be found at MarketingMuckraking.com in the show notes here. [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/online-business-family-tree-clickfunnels-russell-brunson-faking-it-moneyball]

Welcome to Part 2 of this four-part series on The Online Business Family Tree, where we trace back how we arrived at this moment in internet marketing and online business and who are the key leaders who brought us here. In this installment, we’re diving into six figure masterminds, Marie Forleo’s B-School, the Cult of the Syndicate, and how early Internet marketers like Mark Joyner, Dan Kennedy, Yanik Silver, and Russell Brunson brought mind control and manipulation online. If you don’t know — or care — about these names, never fear. We focus on what tactics these leaders popularized and how they’ve invaded nearly every celebrity online business course [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/cult-online-marketing/], including Matthew McConaughey’s. Remember, this stuff didn’t start on the Internet — it goes back hundreds of years. To understand marketing history is to understand ourselves and our culture — marketing is the fuel for the engine of capitalism. Let’s take a trip through time, so you can be a more informed consumer and, hopefully, a more ethical marketer. What you can expect in Part 2 of the Online Business Family Tree: * How 6 figure masterminds became a thing (someone please tell me why anyone would pay Amanda Frances $100K to "sit in her energy"?!) * The rise of joint venture partnerships and affiliate marketing * Why Marie Forleo's B-School is the bee in my bonnet * The concerning trend of "business" coaches who are really just teaching the marketing of the self and personal branding through proximity to power * How celebrity personal brands manipulate refund rates and quash negative reviews through stick strategies and boilerplate non-disparagement clauses * The boy bosses responsible for bringing junk mail into your inbox * Where clickbait came from (spoiler alert: Bat Boy!) * Why easy "ethical marketing" swaps are just more of the same * The nuance of shame-based or pain point marketing (and my unpopular opinion on speaking to pain — it might surprise you!) About Lisa Robbin Young Lisa Robbin Young [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/] has 30 years of business experience as a coach and creative entrepreneur: she is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, and accomplished musician with multiple albums to her credit. You may even recognize her from the Disney+ show “Encore.” She is also the host of the “Creative Freedom” [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/creative-freedom-show/] show — I highly recommend her music video parodies. Check out “There are worse things I could do” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6krMThfK6Q] for a Marie Forleo crossover with Awkward Marketing. She specializes in helping creative entrepreneurs build a business that works for how you’re wired to work. See MarketingMuckraking.com [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/marketing-muckraking/] for the full transcript and visual guide.

If you've ever wondered how the Online Business Industrial Complex was built, this is the 4-part series for you. I'm joined by Lisa Robbin Young as we trace back how we arrived at this moment in internet marketing and online business, and who are the key leaders who brought us here, starting with Ben Franklin, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison, all the way to Tony Robbins, Marie Forleo, Jenna Kutcher, Russell Brunson, Brooke Castillo, [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/cult-online-marketing/] and Matthew McConaughey? Yeah, he’s a life coach now. If you don’t know — or care — about these names, never fear. Lisa and I focus on what tactics these leaders popularized and how they’ve invaded nearly every corner of online business. This series is foundational in understanding the evolution, not only of online business and marketing, but American culture and many of the advertising principles we have come to take for granted as “how it’s done.” But, as we say on the show, this stuff didn’t start on the Internet — it goes back hundreds of years. To understand marketing history is to understand ourselves and our culture — marketing is the fuel for the engine of capitalism. Let’s take a trip through time, so you can be a more informed consumer and, hopefully, a more ethical marketer. What you can expect from Part 1 of the Online Business Family Tree: * Why we're "naming names" and the difference between solopreneurs and corporate entities in girlboss clothing * How the "American dream" became a sales pitch for individualism at the cost of systemic change * What muskrats taught Henry Ford and Thomas Edison about making millions * The surprising secret of how to "think and grow rich" * Behind the scenes of coaching coaches to coach coaches * How the Industrial Revolution turned into toxic wellness culture * Why hating yourself is good for business (online business, that is) About Lisa Robbin Young Lisa Robbin Young [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/] has 30 years of business experience as a coach and creative entrepreneur: she is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, and accomplished musician with multiple albums to her credit. You may even recognize her from the Disney+ show “Encore.” She is also the host of the “Creative Freedom” [https://www.lisarobbinyoung.com/creative-freedom-show/] show — I highly recommend her music video parodies. Check out “There are worse things I could do” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6krMThfK6Q] for a Marie Forleo crossover with Awkward Marketing. She specializes in helping creative entrepreneurs build a business that works for how you’re wired to work. See MarketingMuckraking.com [https://rachaelkayalbers.com/marketing-muckraking/] for the complete transcript and annotated visual guide.