ABC’s Scandal: Based off the Ultimate PR Star

Turns out, although ABC’s Scandal has some pretty outrageous characters and plots, the show is actually based off a real woman! The main character of Scandal, Olivia Pope, a crisis management expert or “fixer” is actually based directly off Judy Smith.

Judy Smith graduated with a public relations degree from Boston University and founded her own strategic and crisis communication firm called Smith & Company where, like Olivia Pope, Smith represents many high-profile political, athletic and entertainment figures including Kobe Bryant and Paula Deen.

Smith has even been the public relations expert behind the scenes of many real-life scandals that have made national news. For example, one of Smith’s biggest cases was representing Monica Lewinsky after news broke of her relationship with President Clinton.

She was also the PR expert behind the scenes of a scandal that erupted in 2007 after professional football player Michael Vick was accused of operating a dog-fighting ring in Virginia.

As if that wasn’t enough, Smith even worked in the White House! During her time as Special Assistant and Deputy Press Secretary for the Bush Administration, she provided the president with communication advice regarding the Gulf War and US-Kuwaiti relations.

Obviously, Judy Smith has a very impressive resume that definitely warrants a hit-television show but a lot can also be learned from her successful career. For example, never talk about your clients: Obviously, the scandals Smith has been involved in were splashed across all media outlets. However, until recently most had never heard of Judy Smith. This is because she has a reputation of never speaking of her past clients, which is definitely a necessity in crisis PR.

Many have asked Smith the key to her success and her response is a lesson to be remembered for all aspiring PR professionals: “Constant work and focus,” she explains. In most careers in PR, professionals will be handling many different accounts and clients; therefore, it is necessary to work hard and stay focused to keep up with their demanding needs.

Do you think Judy Smith’s wide range of clients and success makes her the ultimate PR star? 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Emily Charles.

Sincere Apology or Publicity Stunt?

Last night, millions of Americans tuned in to watch the Grammy award show. Two of the most discussed artists of the night were rappers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Kendrick Lamar, who were nominated in several of the same categories. Many speculated who would win their categories. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis walked away with four Grammys while Kendrick Lamar, who was nominated for seven awards, received none.

Not long after the show ended, Macklemore posted a screenshot of a text message he sent to Kendrick on Instagram. The text, and caption, go on to commend Kendrick's album and the work he did this year saying, "It's weird and it sucks that I robbed you," and "he should have won...just giving [his album] its proper respect."

While on the surface this appears to be a genuine and graceful apology, the public relations skeptic in me can't help but wonder if this was sincere or a seized opportunity for good publicity. People's criticism of Macklemore winning the Best Rap Album category didn't go unnoticed. It's possible that while the text may have had good intentions, that he chose to make the conversation public in an effort to quell angered Kendrick fans. 

What do you think? Did Macklemore do the right thing by reaching out to Kendrick or was this simply a tactic to save face? Share your opinion below!

Entertainers In Need of A PR Representative

Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, or individual in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, and customers. Well, the entertainers I am going to name display little to no goodwill at all in the public eye anymore. Once seen as bright young stars, are now seen as problems in the entertainment industry. Can these entertainers rejuvenate their images? Only if they reach into their wallets and hire a public relations representative.

Chris Brown

Chris Brown seems to live in the news. It’s almost like he enjoys seeing his name in the headlines saying, "Breezy Strikes Again.” Brown, infamously known for the brutal beating of ex girlfriend and pop superstar Rihanna, has not yet learned his lesson. Seriously, everyone deserves a second chance, but not a million. From throwing bottles in the club with Drake, to decorating his LA mansion in flamboyant colors, to fighting Frank Ocean in the studio; the list goes on. People think he is spoiled, irresponsible, disrespectful and shows no remorse for his actions. Sorry Chris, I think its time to get a public relations representative.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Miley Miley. What happened? From innocent Hannah Montana to pop star badass, Miley Cyrus is on track to become one of the most talked about celebrities in the entertainment business. Cyrus took the world by storm at the VMA's last year with her "twerking" performance. She surprisingly topped this the following month by lighting a joint on stage at the EMA's. Most of the public thinks these acts are tasteless while only her fans think otherwise.  Miley Cyrus is foreshadowed to be the next one hit wonder if she does not clean up her act. Miley Cyrus, you need a public relations representative.

Kanye West

Kanye West is definitely one of a kind. From interrupting pop princess, Taylor Swift, to going on random rants, to stealing every guys dream girl, Kim Kardashian; it is no surprise that Yeezy isn't the most popular rapper in the world. While people still respect him lyrically, socially the public is very hesitant of Kanye West. Kanye, you need a public relations representative.

What other public figures do you think could use a little PR assistance? Let us know!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Ransford Whaumbush.

            

The End of New Music Promotion?

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, December 12th, Beyoncé dropped her fifth album, “Beyoncé,” completely unannounced. On iTunes, 14 songs and 17 videos suddenly appeared with no prior promotion. Earlier that same week, when asked about what’s to come in 2014, the Chairman of Columbia Records, Rob Stringer said, “Obviously, at some point, Beyoncé will put a record out.” Little did anyone know that “at some point” meant later that week.

As of Wednesday, December 18th, “Beyoncé” has reached #1 on the Billboard Charts, set a new iTunes record and sold 828,773 copies worldwide. In a press release published after the album went on sale, Beyoncé said, “I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it. I’m bored with that.”

Six months ago on Friday, June 14th,“Yeezus,” Kanye West’s sixth solo album leaked to the public without any singles being released prior. This is highly unusual for a rap artist in today’s day and age. Most rap artists, such as Drake, 2 Chainz and even Jay Z, always release radio singles before releasing the album. In regards to releasing a single, Kanye said, “We ain’t got no single to radio. We ain’t got no big NBA campaign or nothing like that….When I listen to the radio, that ain’t where I want to be no more.” Now, Kanye’s album “Yeezus” is still being discussed, as well making its rounds on many of the “Best Albums of 2013” lists.

With world-renowned musicians such as Beyoncé and Kanye releasing their albums with little promotion or no singles, this begins to beg the question: Once one attains a certain level of celebrity, is marketing and promotion no longer needed? Typically, recording artists carefully craft promotion plans that begin advertising the release of a new album months in advance. These plans are meant to hone in on the image that the artist is looking to promote with their new album, release singles, give interviews and even perform parts of the album.

Many artists would be unable to get their new music off the ground without the help of marketing and public relations and it seems that only the elite few are able to successfully release their music without doing this. As this trend seems to be continuing, it’s up to public relations professionals to keep an eye on this, especially as some of us may be working for celebrities one day.

What do you think about Beyoncé dropping her new album unannounced – is this an effective approach that could be applied to other celebrities, or does it only work for artists such as herself and Kanye?

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Rachel Draghi

99 Problem’s and Now Barney’s Is One

Well-known rapper, Jay-Z, has been put in the midst of controversy involving the high end department store Barney’s New York and the racial profiling of two of its customers. It’s now come out that the rapper was facing increasing pressure to back out of his collaboration with the department store after it accused two black customers of stealing expensive items, which they had in fact purchased. The original reason why Jay-Z and Barney’s teamed up was to benefit Jay-Z’s charity, The Shawn Carter Foundation. The foundation provides scholarship money to underprivileged students, allowing them the chance to attend college.

The rap mogul first came under attack for remaining silent and not immediately responding to the event at Barney’s. However, soon after Jay-Z responded to the controversy through his website, stating that he’s being unfairly “demonized” for not getting personally involved and waiting to hear for the full story. He later stated that, "making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project wouldn't hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter but all the people that stand a chance at higher education.”

This situation proved to be quite a tough one to solve in order to satisfy both his relationship with Barney’s and the public.  Although he did release a statement, it was quite delayed, and allowed for the public to take this story and turn it into a much bigger situation then it should have been. However, he was able to maintain a positive relationship with the department store, while also recognizing the discriminatory act, which showed sympathy to the falsely accused. 

In this case did Jay-Z make the right decision by not getting immediately involved, or should he have pulled the plug on his collaboration?

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Jenna Stern.

Lipstick Backlash

Recently, Sephora had to do a bit of crisis management. About a week ago, the cosmetics chain had to pull a lipstick off of its shelves after receiving backlash from customers. The lipstick shade, titled "Celebutard," was a part of the Painted Love Lipstick line by Kat Von D. While the nude hue flatters most consumers, ironically, it didn't set well with many. 

The majority of the negative response came from mothers of children with developmental issues who were not a fan of the use of the derogatory word. Kim Stagliano, managing editor of Age of Autism, wrote in a Huffington Post blog, "People with disabilities are the last to benefit from what some might call 'political correctness,' and what I would call basic human decency. 'Retard' is still bandied about - even by people I like a lot, like Howard Stern and his crew, who still have wack packers with the R word in their name."

Once realizing the mistake, Sephora issued this statement saying, "It has come to our attention that the name of one shade of a lipstick we carry has caused offense to some of our clients and others. We are deeply sorry for that, and we have ceased sale of that shade both in our stores and online."

Lipstick creator, Kat Von D, did not share the same sentiment. Although it has since been deleted, she reportedly tweeted, "At the end of the day, it's just a f**king lipstick." 

Do you believe it's "just a lipstick" or is it an offensive and insensitive term to a large group of the population? Do you think Sephora handled this crisis effectively? We would love for you to share your thoughts below!

For more information: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/celebutard-lipstick-sephora_n_4233966.html#slide=more240278

http://www.prdaily.com/crisiscommunications/Articles/15577.aspx

Ever Thought About Becoming A Celebrity Publicist?

Imagine a world where your clients are Kim Kardashian, Brad Pitt, or Chase Utley. The idea of becoming a celebrity publicist is off the beaten path of what we are used to as public relations students. Combining the aspects of advertising, marketing, and event planning, a celebrity publicist serves as a middleman between the client and the media by:

1. Working on image
Ideally, a publicist does everything in his or her power to ensure that the celebrity’s image is immaculate. But if you read or have seen any tabloids, you can probably guess that it all depends on the client. It’s a lot more work for a publicist with clients who are notorious for getting into trouble – whether it is with drugs, relationships, language, or generally inappropriate behavior.

2. Giving them a personal life
Celebrities are often desperate for a private life separate from magazines like U.S. Weekly. With paparazzi and journalists infesting their favorite cafes, it’s hard for any given celebrity to walk outside unnoticed. Publicists must strategize and implement solutions to keep the cameras far away when the client wants alone time.

3. Adjusting to the task
A celebrity’s schedule changes every single day; sometimes it changes in the middle of the day. A publicist must be able to adjust to the constant whirlwind of plans on the client’s itinerary. “I should probably run for Mayor, not that I'd ever be able to, but there is so much diplomacy involved in what you do as a publicist,” commented Liza Anderson, publicist of Eva Longoria. By successfully using public relations skills to handle whatever task is thrown a publicist’s way, he or she only becomes more experienced at their job!

Don’t forget that there doesn’t need to be a high-strung celebrity involved to be a publicist. Publicists have clients who are not on the red carpet, and still get to accomplish the same goals. Unfortunately, celebrity publicists are often targeted as jokes, but we understand that they stress for the sake of PR! Take the time to learn more about the potential careers you can pursue as a public relations student. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Alyssa Guckin.