The "Big Idiot' takes on the "insufferable chimp" - what Marketing can learn from Elon Musk's hissy fit over being rejected by Ryanair's Michael O'Leary

Fox hunting was once pitched by Oscar Wilde as “the unspeakable in full pursuit of the inedible”.

For some reason, that quote sprung to mind this week as the spat between Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary and the biggest of the US tech bros, Elon Musk, exploded into the ‘Big Idiot Sale’, an offer from the airline only open to “Elon Musk and any other idiots”.

So, we’re talking a sophisticated intellectual debate between two leading business men, setting a splendid example of how to conduct themselves as heads of public companies, yes?

No, of course we’re not - we’re talking an outpouring of bruised ego on the one hand and opportunistic stirring of the proverbial on the other! Who comes out best? Well, we’ll come back to that later - and what lessons others might learn here.

But for now, a recap. New readers start here!

Fuel ...