subject: And Now, A Crisis Management Pr Lesson From Justin Bieber By Ronn Torossian [print this page] Justin Bieber has been all over the media with a young woman claiming that hes the father of her child. Justin Bieber has continued the great marketing and brand-building skills we have seen to date by doing the best marketing thing he can yet again - recognizing the seriousness of these allegations and hiring a leading crisis PR firm (Matt Hiltzik a great choice.) Just as one shouldnt speak to the police without an attorney, one shouldnt speak to the media without a PR agency standing by their side. A crisis company is needed to navigate todays scary media landscape where anyone can say anything and be heard by the world whether they are telling the truth or not.
Bieber did exactly what one should do when in the midst of a crisis PR situation he addressed all of the 5Ws - who what when where and why and did so quickly and affirmatively. Appearing on The Today Show earlier today, Bieber said: "I know I'm going to be a target, but I'm never going to be a victim. It's crazy, every night after the show I've gone right from the stage right to my car, so it's crazy some people want to make up such false allegations. But to set the record straight, none of it is true. And in response to Matt Lauer's pointed question if he knew Yeater, Bieber answered: "Never met the woman."
Hiring a crisis manager is the right thing to do in this, and the rapid response is exactly what needs to be done when one is facing something which can leave a permanent scar on their reputation. The court of public opinion doesnt wait and by responding once, forcefully in a national venue like The Today Show, Bieber is framing the issue very clearly and its a big enough issue that he personally handled it.
Maybe Justin Bieber can even assist Herman Cain as he still struggles to find a response to the crisis PR allegations hes facing. Assuming Biebers telling the truth about his encounters with this woman, hes scored an A+ in the school of crisis PR.
