Nothing is Gone Forever

The past few months our news and tabloids have been filled with celebrities and sports stars making racial comments or defending themselves from allegations of racial comments. Yesterday January Jones became the next victim to these allegations and quickly made a move to correct it.

January Jones participated in the highly popular hashtag on Instagram, Throwback Thursday, by posting a picture of one of her first modeling gigs. In the photo she was modeling a sweater and standing next to two young African Americans. Though the picture or title had no racial slurs or comments whatsoever, Jones received comments of criticism for the post being racial. Jones quickly removed the photo and replaced it with a solo shot of her modeling with this caption, "I had to swap my #tbt pics because I was receiving to many negative comments and assumptions. This forum should be a happy and fun place I had no patience for hate."

I thought that Jones handled this very well. It's clear that she never intended to make a racial statement but she didn't sit there and argue about that, instead she made a move to remove the photo and state her intentions. It was smart of her to quickly act on this and also make her intentions clear for all of her posts on Instagram.

When I read this, I was reminded of another lesson that we will learn again and again. Nothing is ever really deleted. Even though Jones acted quickly and removed the picture, we can still see that picture and it's out there. As a PR professional it's important to remember that because there maybe things that come back from the past that we will have to deal with for our client and that nothing is ever gone forever. We need to handle it well from the beginning and hopefully we won't have to worry about it again but if we do it will help the second time we have to deal with it.

Here's the article

Here comes Miss Indiana

This past weekend was the Miss USA pageant. I could not tell you who won the competition, but I do know who Miss Indiana is. Thanks to social media, especially Twitter, Mekayla Diehl, feels like she is Miss USA.

Mekayla Diehl, has been in the spotlight since the swim suit portion of the competition. She has been praised for her “normal body” and her healthy and fit figure. Ironically, she was eliminated for a low score in the swim suit competition, but that did not stop America from loving her. After an out pouring of support, Diehl released simple response that you could tell came from her and make us love her even more. Just as Diehl herself pointed out, the main reason that people love her is that she is relatable.  As I’ve been studying PR I feel like this is key factor is dealing with the public. They want to see the real you and be able to relate to you. Why do you think that tabloids have a “Stars are just like us” section where they show celebrities doing normal things just such as grocery shopping? 

I do know how the Miss America pageant handles their PR for each contestant, I’m sure there is some kind of help for Diehl, but she seems to be handling all of this attention very well. Each of her statements sound like herself and sincere; this is so important. She’s been interviewed for People magazine and said that she if becoming a role model for healthy body image is more important than winning the crown and she just hopes to inspire people. I really admire the way she has handled this and wish her the best of luck because the world need more “real life” role models. I’m sure that someone is looking to dig up some dirt of her, but I hope they don’t find any and that if they do she can handle it just as well.

Article 

The Power of Words

We all know Justin Bieber. As a celebrity he is constantly in the news. In the past few months it has not always been for positive reasons. Justin’s streak of bad publicity continued this past week when two old videos leaked to the public; both videos were of Justin telling jokes using the “n” word.  After the first video Justin Bieber came out with a written apology, which is what I would like to focus on.

I really liked this article written about how well Justin and his team handled this situation. I agree with what they said and it really made me think about what makes a good apology. There seems to have been a lot of racial comments made lately by public figures and they are now taking the heat. As these issues happen, whether a racial comment or other unpleasing comment is made, an apology is necessary for someone’s reputation. Just the lack of an apology will likely harm a reputation.

As I thought about how I would advise Justin on his apology I thought of some key points. The key to the apology is to own up to the mistake. Nobody wants to hear your excuses even if they are really good. Being accountable for your actions shows that you are human and people will be more likely to forgive you when you admit your own wrong doing. Next, is a sincere apology, saying you’re sorry and asking for forgiveness. You may explain a little of why you may have done something, but keep your apology the main point of your statement. Lastly, it is really important to show what you’ve learned from this experience and how you will change and move forward from it. You need to show the public that you will be different than before. This shows that you are proactive in improving your life and possibly helping others. Of course each apology will differ depending on the situation; these are the core parts of a good apology.

Just as we read about in our chapter for class today and in previous chapter, words are powerful and we need to use them carefully. Your word choice can make all of the difference. Though Justin was in the wrong, he and his team make a great statement that many will respect, even if they don’t quite think this 19 year old as “a man,” they can respect that he’s learning and growing. 

These are the two articles I read for this post. Time and Eonline

PR on the Daily for the Royals

As I have already said, I love the Royals. It’s very fascinating reading about them. They are always in the news; it comes with the title. However, I have been paying closer attention to what the specific stories have been and how they are represented.

A lot has been happening with them lately. Harry has broken up with his girlfriend, Princess Kate is pregnant with baby number two, she also had an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction and Prince George is the most stylish baby. Phew, they've been busy.

First of all, why do you think that we hear so much of them here in the United States when they are the Royal family for England? It seems that America is in love with them. I don’t have a problem with that but it’s just interesting. England has done a pretty good job representing them and making them relatable even to those of us who live in a different country. Even the embarrassing wardrobe malfunction with Princess Kate wasn't blown out of proportion. I did not see a huge statement about it but rather they just moved forward and let other news stand taller.

The article that I read most recently was about Prince Harry. I am sure that being the Royal family gives you a little control over what is published about you; though I’m sure there is mutual respect, that’s not the case with the first amendment here. I’ve seen a lot of positive press about Prince Harry lately including this article about him playing rugby with children. His duties are always placing him in position to help others and himself look good. This is what everyone wants to do. I am sure that it is challenging to be the PR representative for the Royal family, just as it would be to be the PR representative for our President. From what I am seeing here on this side of the pond they are doing a pretty good job on a day to day basis.

Here's the latest article with Prince Harry

Mark Cuban's Apology

No matter what career you choose, public relations and how you are perceived by the public plays a big role. This is especially true with sports celebrities. Right now in the world of sports racism is a hot topic because of the actions of Donald Sterling, the owner of the NBA team, the Clippers, and his racial comments. On Wednesday another NBA owner Mark Cuban interviewed with Inc. magazine. In his interview he talked about our personal and societal prejudices. Though I have read a lot about this, I have not listened to the full interview, nor do I know enough about Mark Cuban’s character to make a blatant statement about him. However, I do respect a lot of what he said. What I would like to focus on is how Mark Cuban handled the reaction of what people said about him commenting about a “black kid wearing a hoodie.”

Clearly, this comment or reference made many think of the death of Trayvon Martin. As a public figure and owner of a company Cuban really needs to be careful about what he says. Just as we talked about in class, he needs to know how people will perceive him in an interview especially with those comments. It was not smart of him to make that comment; though I do not believe that he was trying to be rude or call out Trayvon Martin, but he did and now he has to clean up what he said.

The next day Cuban made a statement on Twitter apologizing to Martin’s family and stating that the comment was not intentional. Then he restated the main point of his interview and stood by what he said regarding prejudices and bigotry.

As I read the article and watched the clips attached with it, I really like what Ryan Clark, a NFL player for the Redskins, said about this issue. I respect Cuban for addressing tough topics that are typically avoided.  I also appreciate that he immediately made a statement and apologized for what he said, he accepted what he said was wrong, but was still able to make his point.

After watching the parts of his interview and reading his statement, I believe that Cuban was sincere in his apology and did not intend to offend the Martin family. However, in the future Cuban needs to watch every word he says and be aware of how he can be perceived by anyone. 

This is the article from ESPN.com 

Beware of the Five Fingered Shoe

This article about Vibram Five Finger shoes instantly grabbed my attention because I think that they are heinously ugly and disgusting. I remember when they became popular, and I was just as sad as the day when Crocs became acceptable footwear. It’s just slightly creepy to see someone’s toes when they are wearing full on shoes. It’s like the toes are going to attack you. Needless to say when I saw an article about a law suit for Vibram’s Five Finger shoes, I leaped for joy in my fully toe covered running shoes! Does this mean we don’t have to see these horrible shoes anymore? Well, I was not quite right, but it was interesting to see the way Vibram handled this lawsuit.

In March 2012 a woman sued Vibram Five Finger shoes for making false health benefit claims in their promotion of Five Finger shoes. The claim was that running in these shoes was like running bare foot and that it would strengthen your feet and reduce injury. Well, these claims are false. There is no actual evidence to support these claims. Vibram settled in court for $3.75, granting anyone who bought these shoes after March 2009 to get a refund of up to $94. (The shoes are originally $100.)

According to surveys, many of the shoes owners will not be returning their shoes. Despite their misleading advertising, people seem to like them and will continue using them. I thought it was interesting that it took them so long to settle this case. I also found it interesting that Vibram never took fault or admitted to anything. There was not a public statement or apology. That is a big risk since it could really be taken the wrong way to their loyal customers. I just find it interesting that when faced with a big lawsuit that they chose to remain pretty much silent. However, it was also interesting that despite not taking fault they settled a $3.75 million dollar law suit. That’s a pretty penny, but maybe not for them. In the end, I appreciate that they seemingly took the high road and paid up although they did not take the fault. They may not think they were in the wrong but they were the “bigger man” and settled the case in order to move on. I feel like this showed the customers that they did care. It also gave the customers the option or returning the shoes or not. This will show Vibram what their customers really think of their product. It may even lead customers to be more loyal to this brand. So all in all, despite the silence, from a public relations stance, they handled it pretty well.

Unfortunately, our streets will still be filled with these awful shoes. At least the runners using them are fully aware that it’s not the shoe that makes them a good runner, but in fact, they are good runners. 

I read several articles but I liked this one the best. 

Monica Lewinsky's Comeback

This topic has been so intriguing to me, I’m not quite sure why, but it’s just been so interesting to read all of the articles about Monica Lewinsky’s new article that will appear the in the June issue of Vanity Fair. Here is what have to say about it up to this point.

First of all, what Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky did was wrong and very bad. Very, very, bad. Moving forward from that, the fact that Bill Clinton denied the affair initially was terrible. But how do you recover from that? Isn't it interesting that people still respect and honor Bill Clinton but they don’t exactly feel that way about Monica Lewinsky? Why is that? Everybody make mistakes in life and nobody wants them displayed for the world to see. However when you make that mistake with the President of the United States, you have pretty much lost that privilege; people will know. Though I was young, about elementary school age when this happened, I still remember it. It was the age that I started to become more aware of the things that happened in the world. I just remember hearing about it and asking my parents what was going on. They explained to me the wrong choices that were made and then I eventually remember President Clinton was impeached. Once that was explained to me, I still didn’t understand how he could be President after he was impeached, and the explanation of that went over my young head.

Now let’s fast forward to today. As I read this article my first thought was, “Wow, that’s very brave of Monica to put herself back into the mainstream.” Then I thought, “What is Hillary going to say about this! I’m sure she’s going to run for President, how will this affect her?”  Then I waited for the firing to begin. And so far it’s been interesting. There have been so many speculations about the motive behind Monica speaking up about this affair. I truly try to give people the benefit of the doubt. What does that really mean for me? Basically, I just want to hear what people have to say and hope that they are being honest, and until they prove me wrong I try to believe what they say. Once that trust is gone, it is a different story. However, no matter what, I try to find a way to respect people. I respect Monica for what she is trying to do in building her life back up and “writing her own ending” as she says. I am sure it’s been hard to live in the shadow of her mistake and always being looked down upon. This affair turned her into a celebrity and she is recognized everywhere. That is something I cannot imagine going through. There is the principle of consequences, every choice has them, and they often last longer than it takes to rebuild or repent. I sincerely hope that she is doing well, because despite peoples’ mistakes they need to be treated with respect. And I really, really hope that the reports that state she is doing this on her own are true, and that Hillary has nothing to do with this. I hope that these women can move on and that Hillary can applaud Monica for trying to channel her trials into a good cause. And honestly, I think that if this is the case, then Monica made a smart move from the public relations perspective because she can relate to the people that she is helping. She is recognized for her mistakes and humiliation, and there are people out there who are suffering from similar humiliation that need the support. However, if this comes back to Hillary and her election, I think it’s a mistake because everyone will see right through Hillary.

Let’s hope that after so much scum and dishonesty in her life that Monica Lewinsky has chosen to be honest.

These articles are super interesting, so please read if you are interested. I’ll be here waiting to hear from Hillary’s side. 

E News

CNN-6 Take Aways from Monica's Article

Vanity Fair

Washington Post