emily reynolds berg
“Celebrity is a construct.” You may have heard this phrase before, but what does it actually mean? You're probably referring to famous people seen in movies, on TV screens, at sporting events, or on stage. They look like ordinary people living extraordinary lives…right?
Yes and no. Celebrities go beyond mere personhood to become brands, carefully chosen personas designed to appeal to the widest possible audience. They are supported by a team of professional communicators, stylists and image makers who help them craft their aesthetic look and digital presence, decide which publications to speak in and which shows to appear in. Masu. And of course, when a crisis occurs, celebrities are “handled” by the team. Never underestimate the influence PR professionals have on celebrities.
Emily Reynolds Berg Founder R public relationswas kind enough to sit down with us and discuss all things celebrity PR. — especially crisis communication. Emily has worked with many criticized celebrities, including NBA players and hotel chain owners. A crisis that attracts attention.
Emily and her team are good at navigating complex situations crisis communication, from managing the delicate balance between empathy and apology, to the lightning-fast media response times required to skillfully handle serious situations. “Celebrity crises often involve personal problems.'' We need a more personalized approach than a corporate crisis,” says Emily. “That’s why I think celebrity crisis communication is the most difficult aspect of PR to master.”
There are two strategies that Emily applies to celebrity crisis communication. For one, every step of the process is personalized to the celebrity being monitored. Second, communication happens quickly. Timeliness is very important in this PR field. She closely follows her five guidelines to achieve excellent results for each client.
- Personalization and sensitivity: Celebrity crises are very personal in nature and require a more nuanced and nuanced approach than corporate crises or everyday lifestyle PR. Understanding the unique nature of celebrity brands and images is critical, so thorough research and social listening is essential. To achieve maximum results, the knowledge gathered in this step must be combined with the overall goals of the campaign.
- Close collaboration with celebrities: Unlike corporate and lifestyle public relations, which focus on businesses and their accomplishments, celebrity communication focuses on an individual's personal brand. Companies like R Public Relations work with a variety of company stakeholders, but when it comes to celebrities, one-on-one contact and collaboration is essential. Part of Emily's job is to get buy-in from the celebrities who hire her to ensure that all brand language and messaging is not only consistent and relevant, but also feels authentic to that person. . — to their voices and values. Therefore, knowing the celebrity's background, preferences, and communication style is essential to an effective crisis management process.
- Timeliness: Celebrity crises often require even faster response speeds Today's rapid spread of information on social media and the 24/7 news cycle enhances communication over other forms of PR. Quick decision making and a plan of action are essential to controlling the narrative and are paramount to maintaining a celebrity's reputation.
- All around and 24 hour touch points: Managing social media and digital coverage of a clickbait celebrity crisis requires a unique and sophisticated touch. This involves monitoring, responding and, where necessary, directly engaging with followers to mitigate negative comments and re-establish professionalism and tact. Maintaining a close relationship with a celebrity throughout the crisis cycle can help PR teams if they need to respond to anything in the moment.
- Uniqueness and creativity: A particular crisis communication strategy must be unique to the celebrity and consistent with the general public's views in order to resonate with the target audience and produce the intended results. The role of the PR team here is to creatively shape the intent of the campaign for the individual's brand in a way that is aimed at protecting the individual's name and maintaining their position in the industry.Truth and authenticity matter here — The public is quick to sniff out strategies that they perceive as fabricated or dishonest.
While these steps are the same from crisis to crisis, Emily emphasizes that the process varies from celebrity to celebrity. Approval procedures vary depending on the situation, the celebrity's opinion, and the team working with you. While some celebrities may prefer to be more hands-on, others delegate most of the decision-making to their communications teams.
Either way, speed of action remains key, which is why Emily ensures that approvals are streamlined and responsive at all times of the day.
Having worked on dozens of positive celebrity crisis campaigns, Emily believes that the key to good celebrity crisis communication is understanding the unique nature of the situation and the individuals involved, and adjusting your response accordingly. I argue that it is the right thing to do.
“Just because someone is famous doesn't necessarily mean it's meaningful.” They are not vulnerable people who are prone to mistakes,” says Emily. “This is a real-life situation they are dealing with, often driven by emotion. Take the appropriate steps, convey empathy, and move the process along. A sense of crisis and understanding almost always leads to success.” It leads to
inside digital age, managing crisis communications has become more difficult. Celebrities often have Instagram accounts, TikTok accounts, YouTube channels, newsletters, websites, etc., and it's much harder to pay attention to negative messages in all of these places compared to traditional or digital media. It's a big deal.
In some cases, Emily and her team have had direct access to celebrities' social media accounts, but only in the most serious situations. Typically, you'll work with the social media expert behind your account to suggest appropriate messaging and response tactics. Often the goal is to limit content or provide specific callout posts.In any case, owned channels such as
Social media is essential for managing celebrity reputations. Even if celebrities aren't normally active online, they should do so (albeit with restraint) during a crisis.
Although Emily has found a successful niche in the field of handling celebrity crisis communications, her company's work is not limited to this field. She represents clients in a variety of sectors, including food and beverage, hospitality, tourism, entertainment, retail, wellness, finance and real estate, and nonprofit organizations. She and her team provide active pitching, event management, brand promotion, social media content creation, and more to a rotating list of approximately 30 clients each day. Although her celebrity crisis communications are just one of her elements of her company's suite of services, Emily is also happy to apply her own wide-ranging skill set when a crisis campaign arises. say.
As more digital channels emerge and more people, from social media influencers to activists to up-and-coming artists, step into the spotlight, celebrity crisis communication will become more important than ever. There is no doubt about it.So R public relations will continue to do what we always do to stay at the cutting edge: grow, learn, evolve and apply a truly personalized approach to the very special field of crisis communications.
