It is hard to imagine Hollywood, big business and professional sports managing a public relations crisis without using digital media. Out of control company image fires or celebrity meltdowns are now easily extinguished with a few strategic tweets. To see digital PR in action, look no further than the front page of your local newspaper.
As the NBA lockout looms and is poised to break the hearts of basketball fans, NBA commish David Stern and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver took to Twitter yesterday to clear the air. The duo staged the Twitterview to answer questions from members of the media as well as fans. Since there have been dozens of conflicting stories surrounding the lockout, the Twitterview was an ingenious solution. One side of the debate clearly took matters in their own hands and used a platform where they could speak directly to fans.
On the other end of the digital PR spectrum are Eddie Murphy and director Brett Ratner. The pair was set to take over this year’s Academy Awards with Murphy as Oscar’s host and Ratner as producer. Ratner was quickly removed from his post, however, after he dropped a homophobic slur in an interview promoting his and Murphy’s flop Tower Heist. Ratner could have saved his behind and perhaps his career had he hopped on Twitter and apologized. But the classy director, who once bragged about sleeping with Lindsay Lohan, chose to talk about his private parts on Howard Stern instead and Murphy’s much ballyhooed comeback was cancelled before it began.
And those are just a few of the recent examples of digital PR (or the lack there of) in action. From Penn State and Ashton to Kim Kardashian and the Occupy movement, we see daily examples of how Twitter management and social media marketing can turn the tides of negative publicity. So readers, have you ever taken to Twitter to clear up a misconception? Sound off below!
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