Good morning. Today, Ryanair’s chief executive thinks mixing it up with Elon Musk is a boost for the brand; Brooklyn Beckham targets his parents’ Netflix-supplied halos; and Bell Media looks to build on “Heated Rivalry.”

While a lot of brand leaders reasonably live in fear of a run-in with powerful public figures, one just leaned in.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is giving a class in trolling Elon Musk and rolling with the punches that follow, The Wall Street Journal's Benjamin Katz reports.

Their spat started with the mildest of digs: Musk’s opinion on X that O’Leary was “misinformed” about the drag that Starlink antennas would create if added to Ryanair planes.

O’Leary took that as an invitation to dance, telling Irish radio that the SpaceX CEO was an “idiot” who doesn’t understand flight. Musk replied that O’Leary was an “utter idiot” who should be fired.

It goes on.

There are some big caveats, including the ocean separating Ryanair from many of Musk’s most fervent followers, but the back-and-forth is a reminder that marketers shouldn’t automatically take a defensive crouch.

“We want to thank him sincerely for the additional publicity,” O’Leary told reporters at a press event that Ryanair staged on Wednesday to discuss the exchange. It also introduced a new “idiot sale” with tickets for $20.

The risk with a family brand is….family.

Brooklyn Beckham’s accusations against his famous parents this week pose a new challenge to their carefully built and lucrative family image—a project not incidentally at the heart of his complaints.

“My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else,” the 26-year-old Brooklyn wrote on Instagram. “Brand Beckham comes first.”

It’s true that David and Victoria Beckham have polished their image over many years, most recently in the authorized docuseries on Netflix that cast David and Victoria Beckham as hardworking entrepreneurs and devoted parents, the Journal’s Sam Schube and Chavie Lieber write.

The reality, according to Brooklyn, is that his parents controlled him for years, lied about him to the press and tried to hurt his relationship with his wife, all in an effort to curate the image of a “perfect family.”

This is different than Musk vs. O’Leary’s dispute over air resistance.

Crisis-communications executive Andrew Friedman said he warns clients against taking on family issues in social media.

“Nuance is not welcome in social-media feeding frenzies,” Friedman said. “Sensational and unusual details will overshadow the central issue.”

The company behind “Heated Rivalry” hopes the cross-border hit has created an opening for Cancon—entertainment content made in Canada.

“Heated Rivalry” benefited from being moved up to hit the Thanksgiving-through-New Year’s window when people look for shows to fill vacation time, and word of mouth fueled by its production value, performances and concept, John Jurgensen notes. People on both sides of the border asked each other: Have you watched the gay hockey romance?

The talk helped turn “Heated Rivalry” into the most successful original series of the streaming era by far for Bell Media, a division of Bell Canada.

With a second season not expected until 2027, executives want to give other shows in the pipeline a better shot at international success.

They’re considering pricier music and other polishing for shows including beer-league softball comedy “Slo Pitch,” based on a web series and stocked with Canadian talent including executive producer Elliot Page.

“Heated Rivalry” didn’t try to pass as a show from somewhere else.

“Sometimes we talk about little-c Canadian or big-C Canadian,” said Sean Cohan, president at Bell Media. “This show is big-C Canadian.”

If you’re one of the people who watched episode five more than once: You might enjoy this video of Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug playing a solo version of “I’ll Believe in Anything.” [Sub Pop on TikTok]

The community where marketing leaders drop the corporate speak and share what’s actually happening. The WSJ CMO Council unites leaders from the world’s most influential brands including Adobe, Audi, Google, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Meta, Taco Bell, P&G and Verizon.

Tap into the connections and WSJ intelligence that move careers forward and separate the prepared from the scrambling.

Request Information

Procter & Gamble reported flat organic sales in its latest quarter as a decline in unit volume offset higher pricing. [WSJ] 

Nike and LeBron James are taking criticism over shoes designed as a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. that use a teal shade inspired by the motel where King was killed. [USA Today] 

How startups try not to miss when Costco gives them a shot. [Modern Retail]

Paramount extended its deadline for Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders to endorse its hostile bid to buy the company. [Reuters] 

Netflix greenlit a reality series about influencer Alix Earle and her friends and family. [Variety] 

Prue Leith is leaving “The Great British Bake Off” after nine years as a judge. [Deadline]

Former Applebee’s executive Shannon Scott was named chief marketing officer at the growing restaurant chain Hawaiian Bros. [Startland News] 

The FCC warned that it considers late-night and daytime talk shows subject to equal-time rules when they interview political candidates. [THR] 

Media news site Mediaite started a newsletter for headlines from other media news newsletters and sites. [NYT]