Is there such a thing as bad publicity?

Anyone who has picked up a paper or watched the news in the past few months may have developed a morbid fascination with the tumultuous life of a certain Ms Britney Spears.
The ‘pop princess’s’ fall from grace has constantly been splashed across front pages and hoovered up by an increasingly celebrity-obsessed public. With two failed marriages, a plethora of paparazzi shots showing her falling drunk and indecent out of cars, and rumours of drug abuse behind her, the latest chapter of the Spears saga has seen her shave off all her hair.
Now, the owner of the salon where Spears lost her locks, Esther Tognozzi, has told a Los Angeles radio station that she believes the whole episode could be a massive publicity stunt. According to Tognozzi, window blinds at the shop were closed when the star came in to protect her privacy, but were re-opened by a member of her security team after her head had been shaved – following which crystal-clear images of Spears appeared in the international press.
Indeed, Spears has never really equalled the success of her first two albums, so maybe maximum exposure at all costs could be the way forward. There can be little doubt that interest in her has soared. Publicity is a strange beast.
Last year, when I interviewed Baker and McKenzie LLP’s director of marketing and business development, Beverly Landais, for the profile feature, we chatted about the ‘Ketchupgate’ story picked up by the UK press in 2005. When an e-mail conversation about ketchup-stained trousers, between two employees at the firm became public knowledge, it received a huge amount of coverage. Arguably, a quiet news day could have bought this about and, of course, the firm would not have sought to expose its staff in such a way. Still, according to Landais, one publication covering the story actually asked her if the whole thing was a publicity stunt. This, she said, was simply not the case. Not only would the firm never actively seek such exposure, it was an upsetting experience for the individuals involved. However, notwithstanding the unfortunate circumstances, newspapers referred to Baker & McKenzie as ‘the world’s largest’ or ‘leading’ firm and, as a business, it certainly didn’t suffer.
As consumers, we can be extremely fickle and, in a world where we’re faced with advertising in every aspect of our lives, it’s not necessarily the blemish-free organisations that we associate ourselves with.
Tesco may be seen by some as forcing local traders out of business and dangerously dominating the UK retail industry, but it’s still the single most-popular supermarket chain in its market.
We see brands; we remember names; if a huge organisation hits the news for whatever reason, it sticks in our minds. If the PR machine behind the public frontage is slick enough, the spin suddenly becomes positive. Either way, it’s safe to assume that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
As Oscar Wilde famously said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”
As always, I can be contacted at kclifton@ark-group.com. Enjoy the magazine.

Kate Clifton
Editor

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