Oh, dear. America’s first family of “what the hell are they famous for?” — the Kardashians — might really be as clueless as they appear to be on TV. The Kardashian Kollection, the clothing (or should I say “klothing?”) line for Sears from the reality TV sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, is being criticized for the use and spelling of the word Klan in a highly-read (and widely-mocked) press release making the rounds this week.
As ghostbloggers and social media marketing mavens, we know sometimes a poorly-chosen word can sink an entire campaign. So when we read the following release from The Sisters Kardashian, courtesy of The New York Observer, we felt their pain.
“Kourtney, Kim and Khloe personally invite you to join them in celebrating the launch of the Kardashian Kollection. Join the stylish Kardashian klan on September 6th at the private studio of the legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz for an exclusive preview of their fabulous new fashion Kollection for Sears.”
Clan with a “k” usually denotes a fashion line heavy on the white hoods and fiery cross accessories — and the three K’s in the girls names aren’t helping matters any. Clearly nobody is worried that the sisters are actually involved with that “other” KKK, but the snafu does put the girls right in the line of fire. The media (and I believe the planet as a whole) enjoys watching folks like the Kardashians make mistakes and fall on their well-bronzed faces. So when the opportunity arises, laptops around the globe hop into action, ready to snicker at another person’s mistake. Is it fair? Nope but nobody ever said PR is fair.
In general, Los Kardashians seem to keep their noses clean and out of trouble, even though that may not make them any less annoying. As a brand, there’s no doubting how powerful they are. So the little people like you and I can learn that when it comes to word choice in our blogging for business or digital branding, one wrong “k” can kollapse a whole kampaign.
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