Damage Control….A PR’s Perspective on the Kanye Factor
Is “shut the f*ck up” the right answer? With all of the hoopla surrounding Kanye’s Today Show interview and the alleged departure of his media trainer, I thought it best to get a PR perspective.
I checked in w/ DMV’s Candice Nicole of Candice Nicole Public Relations (CNPR) to hear her thoughts. CNPR specializes in Publicity, Marketing, Media Relations, Events, Client Relations, Branding, Writing, etc. Although she doesn’t suggest the STFU method, she had a few other thoughts….
Candice w/ Deangelo Redman & Rob of Day 26
The Jasmine Brand: You’ve been in the PR industry for quite some time. What fascinates you the most about doing PR in the entertainment industry?
Candice Nicole PR: I have fully been in the entertainment side since 2007 but I have seen a lot since then. What fascinates me is the “not knowing” what will happen with the talent in this industry. One day they are loved and the next they are hated. It really is an extreme to say the least. In addition, I like the life, even though it may have it’s ups and downs I enjoy being in the mix, in the circle and knowing what exactly goes on behind the scenes.
The Jasmine Brand: From a PR/Brand Control perspective, what are your thoughts on Ye’s interview (during & his twitter comments after)?
Candice Nicole PR: From a PR standpoint I commend him for wanting to go onto The Today Show and wanting to discusss Bush, as he was going through similar things and being called a “racist” as he had caled Bush 5 years ago. With his Twittercomments, yes he may not have said such specifics BUT we have to remember that he is human and he has feelings. Kanye was simply venting his thoughts on what he thought had happened to him. We have to also keep in mind that when he is honest, his fans enjoy that, I enjoy that as well. Yes, he is an artist, an internationally known artist but he is a PERSON first.
The Jasmine Brand: Is there a misconception about representing high-profile or somewhat well-know folks in the industry?
Candice Nicole PR: I think the misconception would be that they are hard to get a long with, that they may have all of these demands but not all are the same. Each person is different and you treat each client accordingly.
The Jasmine Brand: Obviously, a client, a well-known one at that, is ultimately going to conduct themselves however they choose. With that said, how would you (or have you) handled a similar situation?
Candice Nicole PR: Well I have never had a client as high profiled as Kanye but if I handle the damage control, I would make a statement to the public reminding them (as stated above) that Kanye West is a HUMAN and he has feelings and we all have said things that we wish we could take back, OR maybe spent more time thinking about what we woukd have said and made a different statement on the matter. However, as a Publicist you can train your client daily on what to say/what not to say to the media but at the end of the day they are their own person and they will be the one who have to deal with the backlash of not taking your advice. As the publicist you have to know and accept that and when/or if the client does that, be there for them, do more training, issue a statement and move on. I would like to add always doing some community service makes it smooth over a bit easier :)
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Great Interview Candice! You were absolutely right when you said celebrities are human first.
In my opinion, what we are viewing from Kanye at this time is indeed his teams damage control PR campaign to push the new album and the next tour. The message he is communicating to the press and to the public is “accept me and understand me. I’ve lost my mother, America hates me so buy my album on November 22nd.”
Unlike last year, his unpredictable persona is not jeopardizing a tour, but helping the My Dark Twisted Fantasy pre sales, which – at the end of the day – is what Def Jam cares about. Kanye has used every media opportunity to explicitly show how angry he is. With an artist acting out as Kanye has two weeks before an album drops, most labels and publicists would limit interviews, have prerecorded interviews, or request questions beforehand, yet Def Jam is organizing Ustreams and allowing Kanye to cancel major performances on NBC.
What Kanye and his team has done is successfully branded him as the “douchebag”, music genius, who unapologetically will continue to defend pop culture at all cost. He realizes that now he won’t lose anything, but can only gain from it… kind of like Double Jeopardy. His rant on the Today show caused his appearance to become a viral sensation and headline story and the canceling of his upcoming Today Show performance garnered more publicity than the actual performing would of. Think about it; How many viewers would’ve seen the NBC Kanye interview had everything went as planned? I really do believe that Kanye’s ultimate goal is to be herald as a dark misunderstood artist. He has took to social media to speak out and used “Runaway” to label himself before the media could do so again.
Kanye West is paving the way for a lot of celebrities to become unscripted and more “real”, something that traditional PR and damage control hasn’t allowed artist to do in recent years. He is controlling the media versus letting the media control him, sort of like a multi network, social media reality show.
What Kanye and his team has done is successfully branded him as the “douchebag”, music genius, who unapologetically will continue to defend pop culture at all cost. <==i couldn't agree more.