Paying the Price
At one time or another, many of us have asked the question: Is there anything this person can’t get away with (referring to the latest scandal or social calamity involving a celebrity)?
Keeping a celebrity’s brand top-of-mind is important, but what cost does a musician pay for being cast in a negative light?
The DMB Case Study
What price do bands pay when they “crap” on the little people? Ask the Dave Mathews Band (DMB). According to the smokinggun.com, the Illinois attorney general sued DMB to the tune of $70,000 in 2004 for allegedly dumping “80 to 100 gallons of liquid human waste” on the Kinzie Street bridge. This attention in the media did little to sell albums and plenty to disenchant fans. The band ended up donating $50,000 to the Friends of the Chicago River and the Chicago Park District.
It may be less an issue of the price those in the spotlight pay, and more of what is being wasted when publicity centers around news that is better suited for the tabloids. Instead of unfocused (and therefore unproductive) media coverage, it is better to concentrate on putting main stream media channels to good use.
Tuning in, Tuning out
Millions of people tune in to watch all of the various turns in Jackson’s career. Some happenings are interesting, some bizarre. Whether the audience tunes in to learn the latest news about the custody battle over his children, the possibility of losing the Neverland Ranch, or his cosmetic surgery operations, it can be captivating coverage. Unfortunately, the publicity is wasted. It has nothing to do with the music and ultimately may not help Jackson sell records.
The bottom line is that if people are not buying the music (or whatever the product may be) it won’t matter if you are Michael Jackson – you will be out of a job.
Turning a Deaf Ear
As Kelly Koch, Kent State University student and fellow PR blogger puts it, “people stop listening and buying products after a reputation is tarnished.” To read Koch’s take on Brittany Spears, check out her blog on reputation management. She discusses the latest case study for Spears in her blog entry No such thing as bad publicity.
Although some celebrities are often in the negative light, I believe it helps them in a way. Even though they are in the “negative light” they are always in the media/public eye.
For instance, Britney Spear’s actions did not affect her album sales. According to billboard.com, her single “Gimme More” was #1 on the Pop 100. Also, when Spears’ album “Blackout” dropped, it was #2 on the Billboard 200.
I believe that if fans are loyal to their favorite celebrity they may be disappointed with their negative actions, but will continue to support their work.
Public relations practitioners deserve a break. Bad publicity or good publicity about a celebrity is not necessarily in the hands of practitioners. Celebrities have control over their own lives, and they have the ultimate power in deciding what they want displayed publicly. If you don’t want your drunk self stumbling down the street with cut-off shorts from ‘93 and a bald head, then don’t do it!
It seems as if all the same people are heard about. Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, etc. Even if the negative publicity raises sales, which is not true in every case, is a tarnished reputation worth it? A raise in record sales does not necessarily indicate a raise in credibility, and this can tarnish sales later down the road. There are other celebrities, in fact, a lot, who legitimately climb up the charts, and gain publicity in other more positive ways. As always, the media can pick and choose who to focus on and what spins to put on what situations, but these celebrities set themselves up for this in most cases. There would be no publicity without their actions.
In defense, does it really matter what kind of publicity say, Michael Jackson receives? He is extremely successful, and set for life. He was only a phenomenon with one of the biggest selling records of all time [Thriller]. And, no, the Eagles Greatest Hits doesn’t count, it was a double disc set. It counts as two. For all I care, Michael Jackson could have done all the things he has been accused of or not done any of them, it has no affect on my opinion of him as an artist, and that is where the sales depend upon the public as individuals. Do you buy based on the person as an artist, or do you buy based on the person as the things they do and the way they act in their own lives?
Unfortunately some of the others have more to lose than Michale Jackson, but in my opinion, the celebrities need to take control and be smarter about their actions. However, if negative publicity is how an individual wants to try and sell records, well then, live and let live.
Do celebrities really like the news media showing them in a positive or negative light? I believe that some celebrities will do just anything to get the attention of the public. For example, Britney Spears shaving her head. Does the news media really care if anyone else shaved their hear? No. Noone cares! It was just because it was Britney Spears. So therefore, it ended up in every tabloid, on every news channel, and on every radio station. The sad part is that Britney loved the attention that she was getting, even though it was portraying her to be crazy.
Some celebrities act like that it bothers them to be stalked by the paparazzi and photographed. But guess what, all celebrities knew that going into the entertainment business in Hollywood. They knew that their face would be plastered in every magazine possible, on billboards, on news shows, and have the paparazzi chase them down. So, why do they do things in public that they know is just asking for bad publicity? The fact is they don’t care whether they are going to jail, rehab, or getting a DUI, they just want to be noticed. Which is really sad. It doesn’t matter to celebrities what they have to do to get it (public attention), but whatever that is, they will do it. So, in conclusion, if you are a celebrity that doesn’t want to be portrayed by the news media as a pshyco, then don’t do something stupid in public. Chances are that the news media will broadcast the negative thing that the celebrity did, rather than the positive.
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