Communication Tools

We love them. We hate them. We resent them. We want to be like them. We demand that they be punished for their crimes. We refuse to believe that they could ever commit a crime.

When celebrities go on trial – either in courts of law or the Court of Public Opinion, or both – the communications platform reaches a dizzying height by virtue of both their fame and the public ambivalence. The fame guarantees front-page headlines. The ambivalence guarantees unpredictable impact on the celebrity’s brand.

We can nonetheless anticipate certain sub-texts amid the media frenzy. The purported sins of Major League Baseball stars are exacerbated because they make so much money. With National Basketball Association players, we’re reminded that these are often Inner City kids with Hip-Hop values. Often, the public recalls its hidden misgivings: Michael Jackson’s eccentricities are suddenly threatening, and Martha Stewart’s strength now seems menacing. 

Effective communications when celebrities are on trial begins with an understanding of why the world loves these people – and why the world also hates them. To salvage the celebrity’s brand, the message from the courtroom must be simple enough and powerful enough to cut through the clutter in the collective psyche.     

The job of the communications counselor doesn’t end with an acquittal or celebrity time served. It is as much about rehabilitation as it is exculpation. The same public that may take pleasure in the downfall of the mighty rejoices at the spectacle of the phoenix reborn. Once again, crisis spells opportunity as a persistent and multifaceted media campaign creates a hero, and the prodigal child returns home.