Cruisin’ Through a Crisis: Xpertainment CEO Gordon Ho

Snap Decisions

All aboard for some harrowing tales from the early days of Covid. Gordon Ho, a marketing whiz and crisis communication pro, shares stories of critical decisions made during a time of utter crisis. When the Diamond Princess cruise ship was stuck in Yokohoma Japan during one of the earliest outbreaks of COVID 19, thousands of passengers and crew were quarantined and information changed hourly. We start the voyage with some air travel, covering Boeing recent door-busting crisis. But don’t worry, John and Brian keep things light, covering Gordon’s career highlights, like scouting out a chocolate program and getting a generation of kids hooked on disappearing Disney classics. Brian seeks an oracle for a future Hopelessly Unattainable Guest.

Key topics & chapter markers

00:27: Reviewing Boeing’s current crisis

03:12: Snap Decision: Did Boeing handle it OK…and how soon is too soon?

06:32: Lightning Round: which corporate PR crisis was a better nightmare scenario?

09:06: Meet Gordon Ho

16:44: Terror at sea: early Covid strikes the Diamond Princess cruise ship

39:42: Before Covid…the greatest job in the world

47:28: Growing a market through scarcity at Disney

51:49: Dear Hopelessly Unattainable Guest

Background content

What's going on with Boeing planes? - Mashable

Chronology of COVID-19 Cases on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship and Ethical Considerations: A Report From Japan - National Library of Medicine

27 Days in Tokyo Bay - Wired

Jan Swartz: Steering Princess Cruises Through the COVID-19 Crisis - Harvard Business Review (for purchase)

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/