For Celebrity PR, The Grass is Sometimes Greener

Last month we brought you our annual list of the most over publicized celebrities of the year. These celebrities fell prey to all manner of misfortune in 2010, and found their faces all over the Internet and tabloids. Celebrity misfortune is nothing new; if it was, our list wouldn’t be an annual event! The scope of embarrassment has been amplified by social media to the point where fans are the new paparazzi. These celebrities really must be more careful!

It is the duty of celebrity publicists to help their clients navigate the tricky world of fame in the 21st century. In a world where image is everything, public relations cannot be taken lightly.

When we read some of the stories that come out regarding everyone’s favourite celebrities, the knee jerk reaction is to put it off as spoiled rich-kid zaniness. In reality, what these celebs suffer from is bad advice from those they trust, including their PR person. Very few people are equipped to deal with fame, which is why the famous rely on their various aides. Celebrities are good at what made them famous, which is likely not media relations. This is where the PR person comes in.

Celebrities are human, and will make mistakes. It is easier to move on from mistakes in the public eye with good crisis communication and PR coaching. The fact that the celebrities on our list were hit with a constant barrage of negative publicity shows that either
a) They need to hire a publicist; or
b) They need to hire a better publicist

While we doubt many celebrities in turmoil will read this post, we are going to offer up advice anyway.

Sometimes, the best fix is a change in scenery.

Obviously it is impossible for these superstars to leave Hollywood behind. When your work has a central hub, you don’t run to the edges. So how to change your scenery, then?

Through the help you hire. In a globalized world, no one needs to rely on a PR firm just because of location. It is not uncommon for an agency to have clients all across their country, or even the world.

So, if you’re a celebrity stuck getting bad advice from the local communicators, it might be time to look out of town. There are talented PR professionals all over with good advice and skills to ride out a crisis.

We may not be Hollywood, but Kathryn Kates PR strives to make all our clients superstars. We invite you to check out our website, or join the Kathryn Kates Public Relations Facebook Fan Page. We would love to hear from you.