subject: The Challenges Of Celebrity Pr By Ronn Torossian [print this page] With Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan, and others headlining the news with their blunders, there arent many celebrity mistakes that go unseen even the smallest, most insignificant ones.
Ronn Torossian, CEO and President of 5W Public Relations whose client list includes the likes of Snoop Dogg, Pamela Anderson and Nick Cannon, knows a thing or two about the world of celebrity PR.
Ron shared with us the impact of 24-hour social outlets on celebrity image and the affects they have on youth and pop-culture. A great piece for both PR professionals and celebrity enthusiasts!
One of the most challenging parts of working in celebrity publicity is re-shaping an image which the world already thinks they know. Constant public scrutiny, the demand of hundreds of media outlets calling non-stop, and the immediacy of todays media make this even harder. The latest news from Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, Tiger Woods and other shining stars, makes one wonder about the differences between a celebrity and a normal human being.
After years of work with corporations and celebrities, I realize that the media often decides a story angle before they actually hear the facts. In Bias probably the centurys most significant media-criticism book Bernard Goldberg, ex-CBS producer, states that a lie in media terms is not really a lie, they would pass the polygraph test they honestly believe what theyre saying. And thats the biggest problem of all. Just last week, in an unprecedented rule in England, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt won their case over privacy against a gossip outlet that reported an upcoming divorce. The damages will be accounted for by the paper and offered to the intruded couple. And, all this because drama sells paper, whether its true, false or exaggerated. I mean consider how many headlines were written on Tiger Woods, but what do we really know other than that he cheated on his wife?
The media simply feels compelled to respond to massive public interest, and human fascination. Celebrity representatives often cant respond quick enough to damaging news and this lack of response, or failure to fix the issue, can often shape the story. In contrast to a company, brand or product, the celebrity brand stands alone. If something is perceived to go wrong you cant accuse production lines, industry trends or forces of nature, like BP has tried to do. Instead, the individual celebrity is the only one who can break, or fix, his or her brand.
In todays new media world, information is excessive. It has inflated the online market, and questionable stories and their sources are all around. The media and its key players reporters, producers and editors find themselves competing hard for your attention, click, and retweet. This struggle makes it more challenging to proof-check every single story as the cycle is a 24-hour news cycle where everything and anything can happen anytime. Unfortunately, this also allows some to promote their own goals and stockholders interests by bullying people along the way. Perhaps the cure will come with online, fee-based content, which will charge readers for access but in exchange make a commitment to value and quality for the reader. Its rumored that the New York Times and Apple will adapt such a model.
I have commented extensively in the media regarding Woods, Lohan and Gibson, and I believe in todays America, with strategic planning and a PR plan, all of these figures can make a return to some degree and repair their image. They too are human beings, and for them too life shall go on.
Recently we have seen a return of sorts of Rev. Ted Haggard, who was forced to resign nearly four years ago as president of the politically powerful National Association of Evangelicals and to step down from the mega church he founded, after admitting that he had bought methamphetamine from and had a sexual interaction with a male prostitute. Haggard confessed in a tortured letter, calling himself a deceiver and a liar who had long wrestled with desires he described as repulsive and dark. Now, in his comeback, the energetic and positive Haggard says he is back to doing what he was born to do. Tiger Woods needs to golf. Michael Vick needs to be playing football. Mr. Haggard needs to be leading a church.
Celebrities, too, are human beings, not lab rats. They make mistake, like human beings, but their image can be harder to manage. They possess a brand personality thats constantly up for scrutiny.
There is logic in a celebrity stating this is what I do best, let me do my job. Some can and will recover a blunder with the media, while others will not stand the test. Celebrities are individuals with red blood. Theyre individuals with a wide public awareness and they represent something bad or good. Working closely over the years with some of Americas most famous people, I wont allow my children to worship someone who can dunk a ball, golf the best, win an Oscar; look up to people you know, not people on TV or movies.
by: Ronn Torossian
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