I’ve been meaning to get this blog post out for a while I’ve just been super busy. In this PR puzzle, I want to talk about Opposition PR. This is a long drawn out tool, so I am sure I will come back and add to this in the future. In the wake of the #MeToo movement we have watched how former celebrities like Bill Cosby can, in the blink of an eye, become infamous for their publicly drawn out court battles. Be careful of what PR you are banking on. Had we known everything we know today I never would have met this person when I was a child. This encounter with the disgraced William Cosby does shed light on a few things I want you as my readers to know about PR.

• Celebrities are people. Don’t be fooled by the glam and glitz, money and fame. Half the time it doesn’t mean anything, and the other half it doesn’t really exist.

We all want to believe that the lifestyle of the rich and famous will some how transmit to us. Furthermore we like to fantasize that wouldn’t use our imaginary fortune for yacht trips but instead become be philanthropic and altruistic.  For all the high finance individuals I have met, the wealthiest live the most frugal lives, and I am guessing have a limited amount of things they take social responsibility for and make regular donations to. Starting out I imagine they make an investment into their PR puzzle in time or finance with the hopes of answering the question: “how do I stay blessed without everyone pretending to be my friend?”

Simple answer; buy differently (more on this later, as I develop a financial literacy blog).

• Celebrities are people, and people make mistakes. Some mistakes are bigger than others, but the main thing to watch out for is integrity. Find out who is principled and who is not.

People, who stand for something, generally work to feed that narrative into the public space. To them it isn’t really considered work, but most see it as a daunting task. If you’re an account manager in a marketing firm looking for talent, you’ll want to look for the talent with a consistent / frequent history of involvement in a community as oppose to the stars that flash a lot of “rich people stuff.”

• Think about it; celebrities are people. Sometimes the best public relation with a known individual is distance. So separate the good from the not so good. Affiliation is assimilation, to quote my mom. Which brings me to good ole’ Opposition PR (”O-PR”).

People are people, and no person is perfect. Let me first lay down some stones because I have had my share of bad decision-making; and, I am thankful that, (to the best of my knowledge), it’s never been directed at or caused harm to anybody. It’s important to clear your mind of the clutter that likely comes from bad influences.

What O-PR does, is it tries to focus the negative parts of one’s image into one category or class, and aim at a target away from bystanders (your target audience). What I mean is, be honest. From time to time you must make your public confession loud and clear in an effort to maintain or manage the public’s trust. People are not going to have confidence in you if your image lacks accountability measures.

That doesn’t mean take out an ad to cry over spilled milk. What it means, when you screw up, don’t duck and dodge. Take responsibility, apologize, and see if there is anything you can do to make amends. O-PR is all about getting ahead of the media narrative and being a part of the conversation instead of the target. It is NOT about controlling the conversation or trying to cover it up. If you manage this type of accountability structure, your supports may stay around for you. But try to understand; even the folks that exit your marketplace will recall how genuine you’ve endeavored to be. So take it seriously, and be true to yourself.