Kitty Litter
Sunday, July 10, 2005
A PR Nightmare Come True
Here's an article I did research on because I'm new in the PR business. It's a nightmare for all involved, and since I dunno who's to blame, here's a summary (with links)
A PR release for a singer, Omarion, who was in London during the recent terrorist attacks was accompanied by a strange request. His publicist asked people to pray for him, not for the victims.
Naturally nobody was pleased, and the story spread around the Net withon hours. Joal Ryan's article poses this question: "The widely circulated statement, published on PR Newswire within hours of Thursday's bombings, was turned into a full-blown story by the news agency Reuters, which raised the question: With at least 49 rail and bus commuters dead, and hundreds more injured in the worst attack on London since World War II, why should Omarion be singled out for prayers?"
Damage control was quick (if inconsistent--Joal Ryan's article discusses this); the singer's official site had this disclaimer up within hours: "OMARION STORY ON REUTERS UNFOUNDED ACCORDING TO ARTIST'S REPRESENTATIVES
According to representatives at the artist's record label, Sony Urban/Epic Records, statements and sentiments appearing in a Reuters-syndicated article (Thu Jul 7, 2005 9:22 PM BST) and attributed to the American R&B singer Omarion were never made by the performer. Contrary to statements made in the article, Omarion is in no way affiliated with the pr marketing firm mentioned in the piece. The "publicist" quoted in the article is not a legitimate representative of the artist, is not known to the artist, and is not acting on the artist's behalf. Omarion regrets any association with the article and hopes that fans will not be taken in by unfounded and unauthorized statements."
The publicist responded by blaming crossed wires in this article by Joal Ryan, and claimed she was quoted out of context.
"Gilmore, whom Omarion's camp said "is not known to the artist," works for AR PR Marketing. But to MTV.com, even she denied working with Omarion. She said Reuters misquoted and misidentified her. "This kind of sucks," Gilmore told MTV.com. "I didn't make those quotes. This is sad and it hurts."
Ryan's closing statement says it all: "Presumably, though, not as much as Londoners are hurting."
Regardless of who's responsible and who's the real culprit, people have been hurt. A tragedy has been turned into a macabre comedy, and undeservedly so. Any publicity, though, is good publicity, and Omarion has, in the end, (whether the episode was engineered or accidental) benefited, while Londoners have to take salt in their very fresh wounds.
That's a sobering lesson for anyone in PR. Is it worth promoting the client if you wind up hurting people?
A PR release for a singer, Omarion, who was in London during the recent terrorist attacks was accompanied by a strange request. His publicist asked people to pray for him, not for the victims.
Naturally nobody was pleased, and the story spread around the Net withon hours. Joal Ryan's article poses this question: "The widely circulated statement, published on PR Newswire within hours of Thursday's bombings, was turned into a full-blown story by the news agency Reuters, which raised the question: With at least 49 rail and bus commuters dead, and hundreds more injured in the worst attack on London since World War II, why should Omarion be singled out for prayers?"
Damage control was quick (if inconsistent--Joal Ryan's article discusses this); the singer's official site had this disclaimer up within hours: "OMARION STORY ON REUTERS UNFOUNDED ACCORDING TO ARTIST'S REPRESENTATIVES
According to representatives at the artist's record label, Sony Urban/Epic Records, statements and sentiments appearing in a Reuters-syndicated article (Thu Jul 7, 2005 9:22 PM BST) and attributed to the American R&B singer Omarion were never made by the performer. Contrary to statements made in the article, Omarion is in no way affiliated with the pr marketing firm mentioned in the piece. The "publicist" quoted in the article is not a legitimate representative of the artist, is not known to the artist, and is not acting on the artist's behalf. Omarion regrets any association with the article and hopes that fans will not be taken in by unfounded and unauthorized statements."
The publicist responded by blaming crossed wires in this article by Joal Ryan, and claimed she was quoted out of context.
"Gilmore, whom Omarion's camp said "is not known to the artist," works for AR PR Marketing. But to MTV.com, even she denied working with Omarion. She said Reuters misquoted and misidentified her. "This kind of sucks," Gilmore told MTV.com. "I didn't make those quotes. This is sad and it hurts."
Ryan's closing statement says it all: "Presumably, though, not as much as Londoners are hurting."
Regardless of who's responsible and who's the real culprit, people have been hurt. A tragedy has been turned into a macabre comedy, and undeservedly so. Any publicity, though, is good publicity, and Omarion has, in the end, (whether the episode was engineered or accidental) benefited, while Londoners have to take salt in their very fresh wounds.
That's a sobering lesson for anyone in PR. Is it worth promoting the client if you wind up hurting people?
posted by Kitty Litter at 1:17 AM
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