Did Claire’s Turn PR Debacle Response Over to Legal?
According to Ragan.com, affordable jewelry chain Claire’s is in some hot water over a pro-forma response to an explosive PR crisis. It stems from allegations that Claire’s pilfered an independent U.K. company’s designs:
The blog post came Wednesday. Tatty Devine, a handmade jewelry company in England, posted photos of its own designs next to designs sold at international affordable jewelry retailer Claire’s. The response was explosive. More than 200 people commented before Tatty Devine closed the comments, and more than 2,000 tweets linking the post went out.
It wasn’t until Friday that Claire’s said anything about the matter, when the company posted this to its Facebook page: “Claire’s Stores, Inc. is a responsible company that employs designers, product developers and buyers, and works with many suppliers to provide innovative collections that bring customers all the latest fashion trends. As such, we take any allegations of wrong doing seriously. We are looking into the matters raised.” A shortened version went up on Twitter as well.
The messages weren’t received well, and Jenni Maley, a blogger at The Social Penguin who has written about the Claire’s/Tatty Devine case, says she also wondered, “Is that it?”
“The response is a stiff corporate apology that appears to dismiss the concerns expressed by their consumers,” she says.
Other experts agreed that it probably won’t help Claire’s to salvage its bruised reputation.
Ragan continues citing several PR experts who believe that the Claire’s legal department is running the show on this one. We agree, and that’s a double-edged sword.
We’ve written often here at AlexanderG about the battle between PR and Legal departments when responding to a crisis.
Admittedly, it’s a tough call. Legal is trying to keep you out of court–or worse jail. P.R. is trying to save your credibility, and by extension your business. Based on my experience, I believe honesty is the best policy. Transparency is critical.
Of course, I also believe BP would have fired me on the spot, because I would’ve recommended we throw ourselves on the mercy of public opinion–ala Tylenol.
If there is no doubt mistakes were made–if you’re caught dead to rights–then your appeal to the Court of Public Opinion (not to be confused with The People’s Court, though a bailiff named Rusty is always cool) should go something like this:
Scenario: ABC Company has been accidentally dumping factory greywater into river tributaries that feed stock ponds. There’s no wiggle room–they’re busted on 60 Minutes.
Here’s the statement I would recommend:
“ABC Company admits and takes full responsibility for our mistake. We take our commitment to the environment very seriously. This event has not only been embarrassing but an inexcusable violation of the trust the public has bestowed upon us. Our usually reliable safeguards and policies were not followed and we are taking measures to discipline those who caused this failure. We will also work with the community to undertake reasonable measures to clean up the leaked water and make whole those damaged economically by this incident. It is my sincere hope that we can regain the trust of our community and strengthen that trust as we move forward. Thank you. My chief engineer and I will be happy to take questions about our next steps.”
I can hear some of you now: “Dude, that’s nuts! Never admit guilt!” True, you have to protect your company and its assets; this is a statement of last resort. However, plenty of people will disagree with our strategy of telling the truth even as a last resort.
To that we say this: if you’re caught by 60 Minutes, do you really want to be the guy sweating under the grueling geriatric grilling of Mike Wallace? You won’t win.
The situation with Claire’s is obviously not that black and white. Undoubtedly there are some legal issues that an earnest PR statement could damage. However, in the extremes of PR #fail, our advice is this:
Mistakes owned-up to quickly are a matter of forgiveness. Drag your feet, dissemble or lie and it becomes a matter of corruption, criminality or mistrust. Ducking or covering up and apologizing only after you have nowhere else to hide–or under court order–will effectively destroy your reputation and cost you in money, energy, time and brand equity.
It remains to be seen just what effect the Claire’s strategy will have on the brand. It probably won’t hurt them longterm, but perhaps it will be a wake-up call about how they handle PR crises.
Season’s Greetings & Best Wishes for 2012
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We do a somewhat irregularly-published e-newsletter (aka eblast)–but when we do it’s usually pretty cool. Info, tips and fun stuff galore.
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More Creative, More Fun
Dan Coyle
Yesterday I talked about how much I enjoy working with writers, artists and musicians to help promote their work and ideas. In particular I discussed author Melissa Studdard’s debut novel Six Weeks to Yehidah.
Today I’m excited to share that my friend singer-songwriter Dan Coyle will release a new album From Prague to Paris in September. I’ve had the privilege to work with Dan on his previous CD launch and some other promo work here and there. He makes the work collaborative and fun. That’s a gift.
Besides his creativity, work ethic and talent, Dan’s also one of the coolest guys you’ll ever meet–but don’t tell him I said that.
He’s been touring Europe for several months and it really has his creative juices flowing.
“I’ve really taken a lot of time to craft these songs and have no doubt that this will be my best work yet,” said the modern-day troubadour.
“Since we’ve been touring Europe with such success this year, I decided to write and record everything here,” he said. “Half the album will be stories inspired by our travels; the other half will consist of thoughtful songs similar to what you’ve heard from me previously–but with a keener focus on melodies and lyrics.”
We’ll hear more from Dan soon. In the meantime, you can preview the new release at Dan’s website. If so inclined you can pre-order it. Dan works very hard to give you your money’s worth. But don’t just take my word for it–ask Europe:
Working with Creative People
Melissa Studdard's Debut Novel
One of the great pleasures of working in the public relations field is interaction with a wide variety of clients. In particular I–as a writer and a wannabe musician–really enjoy working with professional writers and musicians. Whether it’s promoting a concert (or a food festival featuring great music) a new CD or book launch, it’s a blast to work with creative people.
Speaking of creative people…an exceptional writer is Melissa Studdard, author of Six Weeks to Yehidah, which just last week shot to #6 on the Amazon.com Hot New Releases in Children’s Science Fiction & Fantasy Chart upon release, ranking in the top one percent of all books on Amazon.
Studdard’s debut novel follows Annalise of the Verdant Hills and her two walking, talking wondersheep in their travels to ever more outlandish places, meeting outrageous and enlightening folk on their journey to discover interconnectedness in a seemingly disconnected world. Readers discover with them how just one person can be the start of the change we all strive for. A delightful and thought-provoking story for all ages, Six Weeks to Yehidah is more than an adventure story.
“Studdard intersperses elements of music, magic, myth, Native American iconography, and mystery that leave the reader yearning for a sequel. Although, like Harry Potter it is technically a children’s book, adults will be just as mesmerized by the trials and travails of the cheeky and courageous Annalise,” said Aparna Mukhedkar of the journal The Criterion.
“In many ways, Six Weeks to Yehidah is about tolerance and acceptance of ourselves and others,” said Studdard. “It was also important to me to share certain wisdom traditions with children, and I absolutely knew that the best way to do this was through narrative. I wanted to share philosophies and ideas in a way that would be fun and exciting for the kids who read the book. We all know how gruesome canonical fairy tales can be, and, of course, these tales are based on an older model of human thought and behavior,” Studdard said. “I feel like we need new stories that more accurately reflect who we are becoming, and which give us something to aspire to. The subconscious mind is a powerful thing, and the stories we tell our children are an important facet of who they will become.”
Check it out–it’s a fantastic book.
Tomorrow, news about another artist…the folk troubadour who’s currently making new fans across Europe and getting ready to “drop” a new CD: Dan Coyle.
Check out the New Look of PRCG’s Blog
I’m proud and very fortunate that AlexanderG PR is a active member of the respected national PR collaborative PRConsultants Group. Due to the hard work of several members (including noted writer and PR pro Amy Smith) PRCG has a spiffy new PR blog: PRCG Powerlines.
Check it out…it will be updated frequently with PR news you can use, info and more. You might even find a piece by yours truly.
Advertising Value Equivalency: Does It Truly Measure Value of Media Coverage?
Some people think that a cash value should be assigned to any earned publicity. Others realize it's not a legitimate comparison.
Recently Wall Street Journal columnist Carl Bialik, The Numbers Guy, addressed the subject of advertising value equivalency AVE. This is perhaps the first example of a mainstream media publication shining a light of the controversial practice of AVEs.
The primary reason advertising value equivalents exist are because they are perceived to be a way to attribute value to programs that would otherwise be difficult to value directly. They are a path of least resistance approach to return on investment calculations, but not a valid one.
via AVEs don’t measure the value of media coverage; they sensationalize it | Articles.
There are many reasons why this assertion by Don Bartholomew over at Ragan is right (Click on the link above to read the entire post--well worth it). But the main reason I see is a simple one:
Buying an ad doesn't render the same credibility as earning a positive story or mention in the media.
Some may say this is naive, as getting a story on the news doesn't necessarily mean it has merit, but it certainly is more likely to have greater weight with most consumers than a glossy ad.
Simple question: what impresses you more, an ad about a company during the local news or a positive story about that company on the local news? If you agree that a story is worth more than an ad, then a cash equivalency is a ridiculously useless concept.
