I’m sure by now that everyone
has heard that more than one woman has now come forward with claims that they
were molested by Bill Cosby. More than a dozen women reported being drugged and
sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby. This ordeal has had a massive impact on Mr.
Cosby’s endorsement deals and fundraising campaigns. For example, Bill was on
the board of trustees at Temple University and has recently resigned due to
allegations that he molested a woman that worked for the University’s
basketball team. “He had been the
school's public face, appearing in advertisements, fundraising campaigns and
delivering commencement speeches” (McCartney, 2014). According to PR guru and
crisis specialist, Howard Bragman, Cosby has little options to rectify the
situation and none of them are that great. Here’s what Bragman says Cosby’s
options are:
1. "You can not
talk."
2.
"You can go on
record and deny it, which he has done and
more people keep coming out of the woodwork."
3.
"Or you can say,
'Yes, I did it and I'm going to get help for it,' but that would open up all
sorts of litigation and I don't think that's something you can advise him to
do."
Maybe these sorts of options
actually make things easier for a PR professional. Rather than trying to fight
it Cosby’s best choice is to slide out of the spotlight and let people forget
this ever happened. I would think that keeping the public’s attention away from
Cosby would be easier than trying to restore his image.
According to an article from
Business Insider,” Netflix and NBC are indefinitely
postponing their projects with Cosby” (Weisman, 2014). Two of Cosby’s tour
dates have been postponed as well. Unfortunately along with his fall from grace
will come a great loss in regards to comedy tours, endorsements and
advertisements.
McCartney, Arthur. (2014). Woman
claims Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her when she was 15. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/02/woman-bill-cosby-sexual-assault_n_6258594.html
Weisman, Aly. (2014). PR
Guru's Advice To Bill Cosby: 'Shut Up And Disappear' Retrieved from: http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-cosby-response-2014-11
Celebrity sexual assault cases just seem to be one person makes a claim and then all of the sudden you have an avalanche of people either trying to get a piece of the financial pie that could come out of this ordeal or that just want their 15 seconds of fame no matter the reason, with some legitimate victims lost in between . Sure he could slide out of the spotlight but the truth of the matter is that as soon as another celebrity or public figure is accused of sexually assaulting someone it will come back around and comparisons will be made and who knows, maybe more people will come out and say they were sexually assaulted as well. I truly believe that people thrive on having something wrong with them that they can get attention for and I also understand the ability to make yourself believe so fully and wholeheartedly that something bad happened to you and the only explanation you can (force) into your mind is that it was someone else's fault. I recently read an article about what sexual assault does to the brain
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/10/how-the-trauma-of-sexual-_n_6294546.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063
it's pretty interesting but it explains why stories get fuzzy when told by the victim.
From a public opinion standpoint it is sad to see this happen and see how his image is being destroyed. He was thought to be a person you could look up to and respect but with the recent allegations we have seen a complete 360 degree change. As CNN.com states, it is like the other Bill Cosby never even existed all anyone can think about are these terrible allegations when they hear his name. I do see how the options Cosby was given could make it easier for the PR professional if he continues to deny the allegations. But if it does come out to be true, for legality he won’t be able hide behind denial. I know they are putting it off until there are facts but I think they need to take steps to restore his image now.
ReplyDeleteI think he is getting bad advice from his attorney, John P. Schmitt, who advising him to make no comment. The fact of the matter is, in PR often times saying nothing for long periods of time can bury you further. I know that shows have pulled his appearances from air to protect their images in hopes of not being associated with this negative situation. But after some cooling Cosby needs to get out in hopes to restore his image.
The issue in regards to Bill Cosby is certainly a PR Nightmare. According to this article it is a lose, lose, lose situation. If he stays quite than his public opinion we be exactly that just an opinion about him created by the public. You can deny it, but if you are lying than you have only made matters worse for yourself in the long-run and then you can admit what you have done, but by admitting you are offering yourself up to a whole world of issues far beyond public relations. When you are in the public eye as long as Cosby has been you have a faithful following who feel like they grew up with him and know him on a very personal level. So, for all of these allegations to come out about Cosby it will hurt some of his fans on a very personal level as well. He has already lost networks and they have begun canceling their dealings with Cosby, big companies like NBC, Netflix and TVLand all cutting ties even before the results of the case come out because he is already a tarnished image. In my opinion, maybe now would be a good time for Cosby to retire to a remote island.
ReplyDelete