With years of declining ratings, the things that have generated true Oscars buzz in recent years have been debacles: John Travolta’s failed pronunciation of ‘Idina Menzel’; La La Land’s erroneous announcement as best picture; and now the already-infamous Will Smith moment. Assuming these moments were unplanned, what lessons do they hold for PRs? How can marketers harness the power of true watercooler moments (despite the death of the watercooler itself) without courting backlash? We asked five experts from The Drum Network.
Aggie Holland, account manager, Porter Novelli London: first, look in the mirror
Among the many acerbic memes stemming from the 94th Academy Awards, one that stood out was ‘spare a thought today for Will Smith’s publicist.’ The real theater of the Oscars rarely surrounds the films themselves. In the golden age of meme culture, we look for these diversions as references for the rest of internet eternity.
There are no winners in a situation where toxic masculinity, ableism and violence take the stage, so there can be no valuable benefit to brand commentary or seeking to build on a watercooler moment – unless you’re a charity with genuine intent and a watertight connection, to do so is in as bad taste as the GI Jane joke itself. As with anything, your brand proposition, purpose and personality should dictate any course of conduct. As we see crisis comms roll out in real-time, the most long-lasting (versus harmful) damage of those 45 seconds lands on the famously inoffensive Will Smith brand itself.
Christian Perrins, head of strategy, Waste Creative: curating the extraordinary
The majority of PR pitches default to brand + celebrity (or brand + influencer). They generate middling results, unless something unexpected and interesting happens. But that’s what people are desperate to share – something to break through the soul-wrenchingly anodyne churn that modern brands are inflicting on them. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock across…