What can brands learn from the real-life ‘scandal’ fixer? The Drum sits down with the American crisis manager at Cannes Lions.
Judy Smith
Judy Smith has spent her life helping people get out of trouble or, better yet, avoid it entirely. She’s been behind the scenes of some of the most infamous crises in American history, from the Monica Lewinsky scandal to the Sony cyberattack. And yes, she was the real-life inspiration for Olivia Pope in Scandal. But don’t expect TV-style melodrama from Smith. Her approach is cooler, sharper and much more useful for marketers navigating today’s volatile risk environment.
“I think companies have to have very strong awareness of the environment they operate in,” she tells The Drum. “Consumers have different expectations now and different reactions. Things move faster than they used to.”
Smith is now chairing The Intangibles, a new “tribrid” consultancy that helps CMOs turn brand, culture and reputation into measurable value. Launched in early 2025, the firm brings together veterans from Accenture Song, Ogilvy, Disney and Goodby Silverstein and already counts YouTube, Venmo and PayPal as clients. Her job is to steer reputation strategy and help leadership teams prepare for – and survive – the worst.
“If a crisis hits and you’re unprepared, it’s already too late,” she warns. “We sit down with companies and say: close your eyes – what are the five things that, if they happened, would be a nightmare for you? If you’re not ready for those five things, you’re in trouble.”
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Smith’s point is simple: the risk landscape has evolved. From employee misconduct to botched ad campaigns, IT meltdowns to social media pile-ons – what used to be tomorrow’s headline is now this afternoon’s trending topic.
Take Bud Light’s misfire. “It probably seemed like a great idea in the room,” she says. “But the backlash was swift. You’ve got to ask: does this really align with your consumer? And are you ready if it doesn’t?”
Tesla and Elon Musk, she adds, offer a cautionary tale of another kind. “Consumers started saying, ‘Focus on the cars.’ That’s the business. Give people what they want,” she says. “You can’t ignore that.”
When asked if Musk can bounce back, she doesn’t hesitate: “Yeah, I think so. Tesla’s a good brand. People like the product. But it’s about where you focus your energy and how well you listen.”
What’s changed since Smith first entered the White House press room under George HW Bush?
“Culture has shifted tremendously,” she says. “Consumers are more vocal. They have more tools to be heard. It used to be a letter to the CEO. Now it’s instant. Two minutes after you post something, you’ll know whether it landed.”
That doesn’t mean brands should respond to everything. “Sometimes the best strategy is to pause. You don’t have to jump every time social media comes for you,” she says. “The real question is: does it hurt your core brand? If not, maybe don’t say anything at all.”
But if you do speak, don’t dance around the truth. “If you screwed up, admit it. Say ‘I’m sorry.’ Tell people what you’re going to do. Then do it.”
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Smith’s own career is packed with lessons in narrative and consequence. Representing Monica Lewinsky was, in her words, “a nightmare.”
“We just wanted to make sure she didn’t face prosecution and to do that, she had to tell the truth,” Smith says. “Someone once told me, ‘The truth always comes out. It’s just a matter of when.’”
She also knows the power of perception. When Scandal hit prime time, complete with a fictionalized version of Smith sleeping with the president, she figured she should warn the real one.
“I called President Bush to give him a heads up,” she recalls. “He didn’t answer, so I left a message. Then he called back while I was on a conference call with 20 people. He left a message saying, ‘This is great! It’s going to boost my ratings. We’re having an affair – wonderful!’”
Bush, she says, was “gracious and supportive.” And yes, she threatened to call the First Lady if he got too cheeky. “He laughed. He said he was riding my coattails to stay relevant.”
More seriously, Scandal was a chance to break barriers. “There hadn’t been a Black female lead on primetime TV in 40 years,” she says. “Some networks didn’t think it would work. I knew I had to do it. And it opened the door for so many others.”
At The Intangibles, Smith is doubling down on the assets that matter most – but are often least understood. “Reputation, culture, brand – these are the levers of modern business,” she says. “We help CMOs and CEOs understand that, quantify it and build from it.”
She’s also blunt about what not to do: don’t hide, don’t waffle and don’t surround yourself with yes-people. “I ask CEOs, ‘What did your team say?’ And they’ll admit they didn’t get the truth, just what people thought was safe. That’s a problem.”
Her legacy? “I just want to help. Make a difference,” she says. “And maybe convince a few more companies to plan ahead.”
And with that, she’s off to her next panel – still fixing problems, still telling it straight.
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