Blame the Media?
You may or may not have heard (and/or care), but this past weekend, pop-singer Britney Spears went to a hair salon and shaved off all of her hair. This obviously caught the attention of the media and of the millions of people that love Britney and have followed her career for years. It has left many wondering why such a public figure that seems to have it all would do such a thing, and is she on the verge of a nervous breakdown? She is going through a very public divorce, and her every move is scrutinized on celebrity blogs, newspapers, TV stations, etc… Did all of the media attention that she has been receiving over her career finally lead her to a breakdown?
We here at BLASTmedia work day in and day out to get spectacular media coverage for our clients. Media coverage for our clients equals success, and ultimately a boost in sales. We love what we do, and we enjoy establishing working relationships with editors, reporters, bloggers, etc… There is nothing more satisfying than when a story runs featuring one of our clients or their products, and you know that your hard work made that client happy.
What is the fascination with celebrities that make us want to follow their every move? I can understand big celebrity news – like an arrest, death, birth, etc., but a haircut or a new Sidekick? Really? It’s frustrating because we have clients that could actually HELP SOCIETY by receiving media coverage. For example, Hopscotch Technology has developed BOB, a media time-management device that is a tool for fighting childhood obesity. Britney shaves her head, and the Today Show is all over it. But what about the people, products, and companies that are truly trying to make a difference in the world? Clearly, a celeb’s stint in rehab or new baby is more exciting to the general pubic than a media time management device, but frustrating nonetheless. It is truly captivating how the media can help/hinder a person or company to such a great degree. What do you think our fascination is with these celebs?
Comments
Wow, that's a tricky question to ponder. It's easy to blame the media for what's wrong here, but that's like shooting the messenger whenever there's bad news. There's the list of usual suspects: people with short attention spans (MTV generation) that can't process long or in-depth news stories, the cult of celebrity (people who aren't wealthy or famous want to watch stories of people who are), and the increasing culture of "always on" news (look at what the cable TV channels did last week with 24-hour-nonstop coverage of Anna Nicole news). Add to this the blogosphere and sites like TMZ.com, as well as YouTube where people can see videos almost instantly after they occur, and you've got even more things going on where news like Britney shaving her head will always top other stories.
Is it sad? You betcha. Am I surprised? Nope.
Let's turn this around a bit. There are media outlets that do write about new devices that aim to help humanity or promote a new technology, but these columns and articles aren't as hyped as much whenever a big-time columnist (Walt Mossberg, etc.) or the Today Show does a writeup, and usually less in-depth. Is that fair?
Another question for the PR folks, related to the Britney head shaving. If you were representing Britney, what would you do to represent your client? What would you say to her?
Posted by: Keith Shaw | February 20, 2007 05:19 PM
Keith:
If I was representing Britney - I would quit the PR business! Really though, I would require her to have a lengthy stint in rehab (because she needs it and it is a good PR move) and then have her do an interview after she gets out. Unlike her last gum-chewing, bad eye makeup-earing, "we're country" interview with Matt Lauer, I would give her plenty of tips on what is appropriate to share with the media and what is not. Unfortunately, the celeb media world believes in perception equals reality, so I woud be sure she sounded healthy and looked even better. Then, I would make sure I acted as a friend and stress the importance of actions speaking louder than words (nix the late night partying 5 days a week, trashy clothes, etc.) She needs to understand how her destructive behavior is potentially detroying her relationship with her children. Does she really want K-Fed to get custody?
Posted by: Lindsey | February 21, 2007 02:13 PM
A lot of the news tonight regarding Britney (she left rehab again) suggests that in the state of California, they are very pro-mom, so all of her antics wouldn't really jeopardize her custody of the kids (since they have nannies and are also being looked after by family members). As a father, I feel bad for kids that don't have their mother around, but that seems to be the young Hollywood way anyway.
Lindsey, in terms of your comments, if Britney actually took this advice and did what you suggested, would it be construed by the media as meaning that this whole thing was a publicity stunt? Or was her shaving her head a stunt as well? I guess it's because we're so cynical now that a true cry for help is interpreted as not being one.
But of course, we love to praise our celebrities, knock them down, then build them back up when they admit that they've done wrong... Ah, the circle of life...
Posted by: Keith Shaw | February 21, 2007 10:20 PM
Everyone has choices in life. It is up to the person to decide on that choice. No matter who and what you are. You make your own choices.
Amanda
Posted by: Amanda | February 23, 2007 03:07 AM