There’s No Such Thing As Bad Publicity

The headline for this week’s email comes from the master marketer P.T. Barnum. But is the phrase “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” true?

While traveling last week I tried to stay out of my email, but did manage to catch some very important news. I dropped by CNN.com and learned that a bear and her cub ransacked the back of a Krispy Kreme delivery van in Anchorage. It was probably good publicity for Krispy Kreme…at least for a few days. They turned “lemons into lemonade” so to speak and the story got national coverage.

On my social media feed I saw Dave Portnoy (of Barstool Sports fame) get into an argument with the owner of Dragon Pizza, in Sommerville, Mass. It went viral. Dave got some great publicity and apparently Dragon Pizza owner Charlie Redd was roasted online for his rant. Dragon Pizza’s online reviews tanked. It wasn’t exactly the best moment for either guy, and in this case, “bad publicity” was a benefit for Dragon Pizza as business is reportedly brisk. When Barstool’s “Frank The Tank” came to Lynchburg to do a hotdog review of Texas Inn (stay tuned), we rolled out the red carpet for him. I wouldn’t have ever dreamed of kicking him out, screaming obscenities at him and threatening to call the police. (Word of advice: if a national media personality wants to give you free publicity and review your restaurant, try to be nice — even if you don’t agree with his politics).

Then came news this week that actor, comedian, and podcaster Russell Brand is being investigated for sexual misconduct. His agent dumped him. YouTube demonetized him. Every media outlet is covering the story and this is “bad publicity” even for a celebrity who has gone to great lengths to cultivate a “bad boy” image. I cannot see any light on the horizon for Brand.

For brands and Brand — pun intended — bad publicity is not something you actively seek. I think P.T. Barnum may have had a point in his day, but in the modern world — where news travels at the speed of light — bad publicity can tank a company or an individual. 

A small-but-mighty part of our practice is crisis communications work, where we help clients respond and recover from bad publicity. It’s tough work sometimes, but we’re happy to do it. If you ever hear of a company that’s facing a crisis or getting some bad PR, tell them to give us a holler. We can (probably) help with that, too.