Today’s guest post is by Luis Salazar.
Celebrity bad behavior is so common nowadays that most people barely bat an eye when they hear about it.
Whether cheating on their significant others, brawling in clubs, shoplifting, or crashing into innocent pedestrians with their luxury cars, celebrities certainly are keeping their PR teams busy.
And as Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, and Lindsay Lohan can attest to, sometimes the rich and famous have a hard time kicking their bad behavior habits.
However, it can be done.
Many celebrities on the brink of oblivion have gone on to spectacularly rebuild their public personas, thanks in large part to some excellent PR teams.
As the following guidelines prove, sometimes all it takes is a little common sense to recover from a bad public image.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Fifteen years ago, Robert Downey Jr. could have easily served as the poster child for bad PR. The actor had so many run-ins with the law for alcohol, drugs, and gun possession that film studios would no longer insure him for their projects. Unemployable, riddled with addiction issues, and abandoned by his long-suffering wife, Downey finally decided to commit to rehabilitation.
Now clean and sober, remarried, and in the midst of a career renaissance, Downey is proof that even those who have hit rock bottom can work their way back to the top.
Surround Yourself With People Who Care
After a disastrous 2007 MTV Video Awards performance, paparazzi umbrella attack, notorious head shaving, and a multitude of other PR blunders, Britney Spears was all but written off by her once adoring public. Yet little more than five years later, she’s now gainfully employed, engaged to be married, and generally doing great. How did this happen, you ask?
Fortunately for Brit, she had family and friends who were willing to intervene for her own well-being. Once she started exhibiting bouts of bad behavior, her father took conservatorship of her affairs.
Since then, and with the help of a savvy PR team, Britney has gotten her personal – and public – life back on track. Whether a brand, business or burnt out superstar, creating a caring community of people who will help you if you need it is key.
Be Excellent
No matter how many PR faux pas a celebrity may have, as many have proven, you can right all wrongs when you have talent and charisma. Robert Downey Jr., Britney Spears, Alex Rodriguez, Alec Baldwin, Kobe Bryant, even former President Bill Clinton… all of these celebrities have endured their fair share of bad PR. However, they all have fought back from professional and personal collapse by reminding the public why we fell in love with them in the first place.
Post PR disasters, they have gone on to receive awards, win championships, and get back into our good graces. So when all is said and done, what’s the best way to combat bad PR? Quite simply, be really, really good at what you do best, and remind people of that fact as often as you can through positive PR.
Luis Salazar works for Day2Day Printing, an online printing company. With a passion for SEO, marketing, and design, his skills allow him to provide both creative and technological solutions to businesses. When not sitting down at his desk you can find him jogging or jamming on his guitar.