This might be the worst picture ever taken of me.
When your company winds up in the gossip rags…
If you know anything about me it’s that I am obsessed with all things celebrity. I’m the guy holding up the line at the grocery store, because he’s shamelessly flipping through the latest edition of US Magazine. The reason I love all things celebrity, is because I hope to one day be one, in some form or fashion. I’ll admit it, I’m a subscriber to both What Would Tyler Durden Do? and Perez Hilton. I’ve even had one of our videos on Perez Hilton. I just love gossip. But, many times I feel sorry for the celebs that are targeted in the many gossip rags. Too often does the press just take the worst photo of you and publish it. Anyone who has ever been the subject of a photoshoot knows that for every good picture there are, at least, ten bad ones. The picture of me above is one of the “bad ones.” So, what happens when your company ends up in the spotlight for something not so attractive? Do you run and hide and let the press have their way with you, do you lash out at the people making you look bad, or do you roll with the punches?
Right or Wrong, Talk to the People
People aren’t stupid and information spreads fast. So, if you’ve made a mistake or your company has some poor light being shed on it, the worst thing you can do is not comment. Too often, whether it be a scandal, a mistake, a random mishap or a bad photo of you on Sunset Blvd, I see companies and people brushing the media away and not owning up to the truth. In our media ripe world, your story is going to get out there no matter what you do. So, you might as well tell your side of the story, so that someone else doesn’t make it up for you. But, don’t backlash against those people calling you or your company dirty names. Instead, roll with the punches and make light of the situation. Admit you’re wrong or weren’t at your best for once and the public will have mercy on you. But, admit you’re right, when you’re obviously not; or choose not to comment, when you’re obviously at fault and the public will crucify you. Look at the A&P Supermarket Ganster Rap Parody Video lawsuit and you’ll see a PR nightmare because “Corporate America” is suing two kids for being kids and making a video. If A&P wanted this thing to go away quickly, they picked the wrong way to go about it. Had they just fired the kids and been done with it, I wouldn’t be writing this post right now.
How do you handle press, good or bad?
I’m a big fan of spinning anything negative into a positive, which is pretty easy to do. The public is surprisingly forgiving as long as you’re honest with them. It’s only when you try to hide the truth and then are outed that they go for your throat. So, how do you handle less than perfect media coverage? What ways are you spinning negative into positive? Is your company afraid of admitting that it isn’t perfect? Guess what…no one is.
