Don’t Look Over There!
This Week:
How to Avoid Falling Prey to the Streisand Effect
Case Study: Addressing the Issue Head On
The One Thing
Before We Go…
1. The Streisand Effect in Action: How Belichick’s Interview Dodge Became the Whole Story
There’s nothing like a bad interview to get public relations pros buzzing, and last week, the industry was aflutter after former Patriots Head Coach Bill Belicheck granted an interview to CBS Sunday Morning to promote his new book.
While there were several moments that would spike your average PR person’s blood pressure, one question stole the spotlight from the entire interview. When asked how he and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordan Hudson met, the camera pans to her shutting down the question with a terse, “We’re not talking about that.”
The coverage on the moment exploded. Memes were created. That single moment, paired with a little bit of commentary about Belichek’s tattered sweatshirt, dominated stories and public discourse.
Public relations professionals call this spinout the Streisand effect.
2. ICYMI: Comms Lessons from an On-Air Panic Attack
Here’s a past EO Report story that evaded becoming a victim of the Streisand effect.
Last August, Nate Byrne, a meteorologist for ABC News Australia, suffered an on-air panic attack.
Had the media outlet stayed quiet about the issue or attempted to sweep it under the rug, they could have opened themselves up to speculation and unwanted attention. Instead, they handled the situation head-on with an organized response.
3. The One Thing
Each week, we’ll share one task that takes about five minutes to complete and can make an impact on your communications strategy.
For a number of reasons, it’s a good week to take a look at your crisis plan!
Severe weather season is here. If you live in a region that often sees storms, it’s a good time to make sure you have a communications plan in place.
You also want to make sure you’re prepared for a different kind of storm – what’s your plan if you have a Belichick-esque situation on your hands?
Your Task This Week: Review your crisis plan, and make sure it’s updated. If you don’t have one, take a few moments to get started.
4. Before We Go…
From the New York Times: A law firm learned the hard way that having a logo befitting of your brand and industry truly matters when a judge ordered they remove the cartoon dragon dominating their documents.
From The Telegraph: Recovering from the fallout of the prank call the 21 year-old son of a Falcons coach made to Shedeur Sanders.
From Forbes: The secret, pay-to-play world of movie trailers and why studios are willing to pay millions to appear before a blockbuster.
DON’T YOU DARE forward this edition of The EO Report to all your communications, marketing, and PR friends. DON’T DO IT.