Working WITH Negative Media Attention

Michael Browne  //  October 5, 2012

Entertainment media love it when celebrities make a spectacle of themselves. How much attention has Lindsay Lohan received over the last few years due to her antics? When was the last time she received any sort of coverage as a result of her acting or singing? We’re all aware of the publicity Charlie Sheen received when he went off the deep end. Whenever the media refers to these people, there is almost always mention of their public embarrassments. The media will latch onto and exploit any flaw in a public figure.

A popular figure they’ve had a hard time pinning one on, however, is Lady GaGa.

Anything in the media regarding Lady GaGa is almost always the result of something she’s done intentionally – if Lady GaGa is in the news, it’s usually because she wants to be. But last week, photographs of her performing in Amsterdam emerged, revealing a curvier body than we’ve seen, for example, in her music videos.

The photos proliferated rapidly, and the media immediately obsessed over her supposed weight gain and whether or not the photos were real. (Needless to say, the media’s obsession with weight and its social implications is a whole other topic that I won’t get into here.)

Within days, Lady GaGa not-so-subtly acknowledged the media stories in true GaGa fashion – with an outlandish outfit:

With her usual panache, she took what was being said about her and used it to make an artistic statement, suggesting she isn’t controlled by what is said about her in the media. There’s a lesson to be learned here in how to work with negative publicity.

That wasn’t the end of it. On September 25, she tweeted “Body Revolution 2013” with a link to a photo of her wearing just her underwear and minimal makeup. The caption attached read: “Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15.” And so begins her new campaign: Body Revolution. Body Revolution is a subsection to her LittleMonsters.com social networking website where members submit photos of themselves emphasizing and celebrating their perceived flaws or imperfections. An accompanying Twitter account was set up, and links to some of the photos for the campaign were posted.

One of the lessons taught in first year PR is that if there’s a fire, put it out. When there’s a crisis, be the first to respond to it. Had Lady GaGa not responded to the speculation regarding her apparent weight gain, the attention she was already receiving would have increased and shadowed her other ongoing projects such as her current world tour and recently released perfume. She would no longer be in control of her own media presence. Instead, she killed the gossip immediately and now the news is focused on her response, her continuing battle with eating disorders and her acceptance of her own body.

This is an example of PR at work. GaGa’s response is pretty powerful stuff when you consider how in-control she is of the attention she receives, particularly when compared to many other celebrities. Using fashion and her considerable social media influence, Lady GaGa has turned something unnecessarily negative into something positively empowering.

Photo courtesy Huffington post

References of dates and locations from Jezebel

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Michael is a second year transfer student in the public relations program at Mount Saint Vincent University. He comes from Newfoundland but has lived in Halifax for ten years. When he’s not in class, he’s making coffee or blogging at www.themaxonline.net