When I first saw this photograph on the Hello Magazine’s Web site I was a little confused and reading the caption underneath the photo didn’t help much either. It read, “The two best-selling authors were united at the Galaxy British Book Awards.” What the heck? The two best selling authors? Ok… J.K. Rowling, kind of a big deal but who is this women all glammed up beside her? Of course, how could I not have known, duh? It’s Jordan, a.k.a. Katie Price! She’s a former model, reality TV star and author of the children’s book “Katie Price’s Perfect Ponies, My Pony Care Book.”
Anyways, now that we have who the bombshell is cleared up, what’s the deal? Former model Jordan is now writing children’s book under her real name, Katie Price. This is only her second book and the first was her autobiography. There is some controversy behind “My Pony Care Book,” surprise surprise. Allegations as to whether Katie even wrote the book herself have risen. Many are saying that it was ghost-written and she really had nothing to do with it other than lending her name. Most critics have one of two opinions. The first, she shouldn’t have been awarded the W.H. Smith Children’s Book of the Year award. Others say ghost writing happens all the time and she, and her people, should be able to accept the award.
From a PR point of view there are two things that could have been taken to avoid this situation. Firstly, not having a ghost-writer at all. Writing the book herself would have solved many problems. Secondly, the situation could have been avoided by co-authoring the book. Having her name and the ghost-writer’s would have given both people the credit they deserve. Having these allegations against do not make her look very favorable and I think the chances of her winning another award in the future are slim. Someone should have been there to more adequately advise her on career change.
What’s the best way for a new artist to get seen and heard?
With the birth of Web 2.0 and the social networks that it has introduced, the Internet is playing a major role in discovery of new artists. Something as simple as publishing a MySpace page and keeping it up to date with new songs, albums and appearances, can make anyone’s career skyrocket.
So, do they really work? This morning on the way to school, I was listening to KISS 96.7. They had a segment called Rate the Music. The DJ played 3 songs, then he and his co-hosts ranked the new songs. One of these songs this morning was Kanye West featuring Estelle. At the end of the clip they mentioned Estelle’s (the new artist’s) MySpace account and gave listeners her link.
Having a personal website with videos and music published, gives the intended audience the opportunity to be exposed to the new artist. It’s great publicity before a song hits the radio big time, before an album is released or a tour is launched. MySpace pages are a simple and cheap way for a new artist to get their name out and to be heard.
Should celebrities endorse political campaigns? Currently, in the 2008 presidential campaign there are several celebrities from many different industries showing their support for presidential candidates.
A few of the endorsements are, or have been;
Clearly endorsing presidential candidates is common and celebrities generally like to attach their name to a politician. From a PR perspective this could be very positive to enhancing a celebrity’s image. It portrays a sense of political awareness and activism. It is a good way for a celebrity to demonstrate that they are more than a pretty face, body or voice. It shows that they really have a mind and want to share their opinion.
A celebrity that this could truly benefit would be someone like Jessica Simpson. Jess, tends to get a bad rap for being a ‘dumb blonde.’ If Jessica and her PR people found a political candidate that shared similar values, she could endorse them thus enhancing her image. She could speak publicly stating why she thinks they should be president and what makes them better than other candidates. If Jessica actually managed to not put her foot in her mouth, as she is known to do, this would positively change how her audience views her. People
In April 2007, while on tour with Gwen Stefani in Trinidad, R & B artist Akon was filmed dancing suggestively with a young girl that was later found to be only 15. The video was spread all over the Internet with thousands of hits on YouTube. Girl’s father, who happens to be a pastor, was enraged. Shortly after, Verizon Wireless pulled its sponsorship from the tour.
In the mainstream media articles that I reviewed, the view taken on Akon’s crisis was generally favorable to the singer. Most of the articles started with a brief description of the incident and then go on, in Akon’s defense, that the club was 18 and up as well as the girl came on stage willingly. The headlines of these articles always include words such as underage girl, dry humping, simulated rape and apology. The photos included in the MSM articles are all flattering of Akon. There is a mix of album covers, pictures of him singing during performances and an array of photos of him in a suit, presumably at different events. However, a few of the articles do have links to the video footage taken at the concert. The articles place heavy weight on the singer’s apology song “Sorry, Blame It On Me” and his statement that was released to The Associated Press. In these articles, there are many quotes taken from the release. The article on Reuters included the longest quote:
“First, and most important to me, I want to sincerely apologize for the embarrassment and any pain I’ve caused to the young woman who joined me on-stage, her family and the Trinidad community for the events at my concert in Port of Spain on April 12th,” Akon said in a statement.
“It was never my intention to embarrass or take advantage of my fans in any way, especially those under the age of 18. That is why we tried to make sure that the club did not admit anyone under 18 in the audience. Somehow, that standard was not met.”
The MSM articles frame Akon’s crisis as an honest mistake made by the singer. By quoting his statement and referring to his apologetic song, MSM portrays Akon as being deeply sorry for his mistake.
The coverage that this event had within the blogosphere was similar to that of the MSM. The postings regarding Akon’s encounter with the underage girl defend Akon and are favorable to him. They include photos of Akon in the act of dancing with the young girl as well as video footage from the concert. The photos included on the blog are much more explicit than those in the MSM. The headlines and photo captions include words such as child, kid and pastor’s daughter. The blog postings dwell on the fact that he shouldn’t be held responsible because the club was supposed to be 18 and up. Akon is generally portrayed as being innocent, it wasn’t his fault “her daddy…let her out too young.”
One difference between the MSM article and the blog postings is that the MSM focused on Akon’s apology while the blogs said it wasn’t really his fault in the first place. Although both types of media are favorable to Akon they take two very different angles of justification. Another difference is that the blogs included photos of Akon in that act, as well as video footage from the concert. The MSM to use more censored photos.
As a publicist I think that Akon’s crisis was handled well by him and his team. Firstly, by quickly releasing his apology statement to The Associated Press it was ready to be published with articles related to the event. If there had of been a longer lapse of time articles would have been published without any reference to his apology, making Akon look worse than he already did. Secondly, by producing the song, “Sorry, Blame It On Me,” Akon was strengthening his image though his message. If I were the publicist dealing with this crisis, I would have wanted Akon to include, in his statement, the reason why he would dance with a girl like that on stage in the first place. It was degrading to the young girl at the concert as well as all women.
TV spin offs have always been popular. One of the most famous was “Fraiser,” a spin off of “Cheers.” Writers and producers seem to love them. They figure, if we have something good, why not milk it for all it’s worth. Sometimes this doesn’t always pan out. For instance, a recent spin off failure was “Joey,” a sitcom adapted from the well known and loved “Friends.” Personally, I don’t think that “Joey” was a success because the audience just wanted the real thing. Airing “Joey,” after “Friends” was cancelled, made it seem like a replacement show that just wasn’t as good as the original.
Another, more successful recent spin off is “Private Practice,” a spin off of popular, “Grey’s Anatomy.” I think this show was a success for three main reasons:
It shares the same time slot as “Grey’s.” Knowing that viewers of “Grey’s” were free on Thursdays at 8 p.m. CST was an indicator that the same viewers would be free on Wednesdays at the same time.
Lead in effect. By airing “Private Practice” immediately after “Wife Swap,” a show that shares the same demographics, increases the likelihood that viewers will stay tuned to watch “Private Practice.” This is also increased when the network advertises for the following show during the lead in show.
Both “Private Practice” and “Grey’s” share the same premise. They are both dramas and are set in hospitals. They also share actress Kate Walsh.
Most importantly, “Private Practice” can be seen as more of a supplement to “Grey’s” as opposed to a replacement of it, like “Joey” replacing “Friends.”
Photo from MSNBC
With all this said, about to hit the air on Fox is “Cleveland.” This proposed television show is spin off of popular animated comedy “Family Guy.” If “Cleveland” follows the same techniques that “Private Practice” used, it has a much greater chance of being a successful TV spin off.
Lindsey Lohan’s new nude photos that were taken for “New York Magazine” have caused some serious controversy. Many people are wondering if this is the right time in Lindsey’s career, since she was recently released from rehab, for her to do something as edgie as this. Correspondent for “E!” gives his opinion in an interview with “CNN.” He says that with the right P.R. this could be a positive move for Lindsey’s career.
As I have mentioned in an early blog post, I think that Paris Hilton’s P.R. agents had it right. Upon Paris’ release from jail she had an editorial written in “People” about how she has changed. She had gone from wild and crazy to sophisticated and mature. Paris was not posing nude for magazines.
I do stick with my original opinion. I think the best way for a star to make a come back is to show the public that they have really changed and learned something from the whole experience. I don’t think that the best move for Lindsey is to be posing nude and taking trashy roles in movies. She would be better off stepping up into a role of sophistication and responsibility, acting as a positive role model for the young girls who look up to her.
Over the past decade the number of reality television shows have dramatically increased. At the beginning they were seeing high rating and were doing considerably well. Now, with modeling, fashion design, interior design, hair design, talent shows, survival of the fittest, weight loss, invention and many other competitions, the media is overwhelmed with this type of programming. In recent years ratings have gone down. This year’s premier “Survivor: China” was it’s lowest rated premier yet.
In an effort to revitalize some of these television shows, hosts and past competitors have been interviewed on talk shows. This could potentially be very beneficial for the ratings. In the following interview, with Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson on “Tony Danza,” they appropriately promote “American Idol.” Together, the two judges talk about the competition, answer Tony’s questions, laugh and have a good time.
However, interviews can go wrong. In a recent interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” former super model Janet Dickenson attempts to promote her reality TV show “The Janet Dickenson Modeling Agency.”
In this interview, Janet is out of control. She embarrasses herself and her show. It does not create a positive impression to the audience about what they will see if they were to tune into her program.
Essentially, interviews are good. They create good press and promotion for anything the actor/host is endorsing. However, P.R. agents should predict how the interview will go and potentially prep their client in advance so that everything goes well and the interview is executed in a professional manner that encourages the audience to tune in.
Over the past year Britney Spears has been smeared all over the media. Flashing photographers, sub par performances, alleged drug and alcohol abuse, police stand offs, randomly using fake accents and her lack of child rearing abilities are just the tip of the iceberg in what is the so called life of Britney Spears.
Despite a shotty performance at the MTV Video Awards, not all is bad for Brit. She has managed to release two super hits; “Give me More” and “Piece of Me”. Both songs are on the album “Blackout” that hit No. 2 on the Billboard Charts shortly after it’s release on Oct. 30, 2007.
With all the drama in her life is it possible for Britney to revive herself? Will she ever be the Teen Pop Star she once was? In my opinion, YES!
A parallel can be drawn between Britney and fellow ‘It’ girl, Paris Hilton. Hilton has had many similar incidents, which include, but are not limited to, D.U.I.’s, porno tapes, chronic partying and a jail sentence. Yet her reputation still maintains intact. How is this possible? Paris’ acts are very similar to those of Britney, but Brit needs to be committed? Upon Paris’ release she was back in the limelight just as before, thanks to excellent public relations. She did her time and when she came out she was a new woman. She got involved with The Playing for Good Foundation and plans to help in Rwanda. She had an editorial run in People magazine showing her new conservative side and she was consistently quoted as being a new woman with morals and values. Now, months later, she has loosened up a bit with what could be called a moderate or normal level of partying and it’s like nothing ever happened. Paris is who she is and America loves her for it. Earlier this week she was actually awarded The Harvard Lampoon’s ‘better than or equal to “Woman of the Year.”’ Although the mag is humorous publication, the award is considered an honor.
I think if Britney would get some serious help, over a longer period of time than 2 weeks, she could come out of this situation mentally and physically healthy, ready to ‘give us more’. Her fame could be rejuvenated by public appearances, magazine and newspaper articles, exclusives with “Entertainment Tonight” or “Access Hollywood,” giving to the needy, starting a charity and just showing the world the woman she has become. Britney could, once again, be a Pop Princess.
