The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - PR Baddies Throughout History
Daniel J Boorstin once said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.”
Throughout the years, a few people have been able to achieve greatness through PR, either by being public relations officers for themselves or by having a superstar PR professional with them behind the scenes. Regardless, it’s clear that an awesome PR rep can do wonders for a person’s brand, likewise a bad PR practitioner can “sink” your brand.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures across pop culture that have marketed themselves or their enterprise to the point of worldwide recognition. Whether they were their own PR officer or hired someone behind the scenes to guide their communications, PR is the common thread that made them stand out!
Today we’re going to explore some of these PR aficionados, or as we at Bubblegum like to call them “PR Baddies,” and explore how they successfully or unsuccessfully spun themselves into the pages of pop culture notoriety.
Kris Jenner
Starting off strong, we’re looking at the “mom-ager” herself, Kris Jenner. Married to former lawyer Rob Kardashian, she had her first set of kids – Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Robert, followed by a marriage to Caitlyn Jenner (born Bruce Jenner), baring two more daughters, Kendal and Kylie. This is where Jenner’s PR prowess starts. She came up with the idea to launch her daughters to stardom, pitching Keeping up with the Kardashians to Ryan Seacrest, turning her “ordinary” family into a drama-filled television show that millions around the world tuned into and generated a cult following.
Starting with KUWTK, Kris Jenner was able to turn her family into the biggest media moguls in the world, building the Kardashian “brand” to become recognizable instantly anywhere. Whether you love them or hate them, the entertainment industry has been forever changed by the likes of the Kardashians, propelled into stardom by their mother’s public relations and marketing know-how. Now, if/how the Kardashian clan is able to stay in the spotlight on their own is another question. They’ve all had their share of PR scandals and crises, but there’s no denying that Jenner is a master of her craft, catapulting her daughters into stardom and solidifying them as “the family” everyone wants to be, watch or talk about.
Oprah Winfrey
Best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran nationally for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011, becoming the highest-rated television program of its kind, Oprah Winfrey is a talk show legend. She built her media empire, which now includes a dedicated broadcast channel, magazine and more, through the success of her talk show which centred around her brand of relatability. She was able to stay clear of the tabloid-like format of other talk shows at the time, and re-focus all conversations, including those around her weight and personal life, by giving people something bigger and better to “talk about.” Her generosity and candour spoke volumes and quickly became the focus of any stories about her.
Appropriately dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, Winfrey’s brand and talk-show format popularized and revolutionized the talk show genre. In a time where talk shows seemed to focus on bringing scandalous guests and outing people’s deepest darkest secrets, Winfrey’s more intimate and personal approach was a fresh change, inspiring many of the talk shows we see today.
The Royal Family
Taking a slight turn from those who successfully used PR, let’s now take a look at the Royal Family. Specifically, the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. While the House of Windsor has a deep and long history (of colonization (YIKES)), the late 19th century to the early 20th century saw the abolishment of the traditional monarchy, moving towards a Commonwealth of Nations, rendering the monarch of the United Kingdom to no more than a figure head, with their roles becoming symbolic vs essential. Despite all of this, they continue to have adoring fans all over the world, who clamour to attend or view their lavish events, family milestones and much more.
However popular they continue to be, the Royal Family has failed terribly to save their reputations from a variety of royal scandals. Constantly choosing to sweep a large portion of their crises under the rug, it is clear that no amount of status or money can prevent things from being revealed in the media. Enough scandals have come to light and shown the Royal Family’s poor PR skills, and constant “no comment” policy, which has not helped their reputation in the least. While they continue to have fans all over the world, they have just as many critics, if not more. From Princess Diana to Nazism to the treatment of Meghan Markle, you’d think a family who’s been in the spotlight for centuries would know how to avoid a scandal or at least how to appropriately respond to one.
Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum
One entry seen across many lists of “Fathers of Public Relations” is P.T. Barnum. An American showman, he is best known for Barnum’s American Museum which featured an array of hoaxes and oddities. He would later join the circus circuit, creating Barnum and Bailey’s travelling circus “The Greatest Show on Earth”. Barnum understood the power of a newsworthy story and utilized tactics that we continue to use today in public relations. From media tours to publicity stunts to leveraging press agents, Barnum understood the power of raising awareness and generating publicity to excite, reach audiences and drive bums in seats.
Personal note: I’d like to acknowledge the fact that despite all he contributed to modern public relations, Barnum should also be remembered for his terrible exploitation and treatment of his oddities, based in racism and xenophobia, and his abhorrent treatment of animals in his circus. Just because someone is a PR baddie, doesn’t excuse their bad behaviour.
Kevin Feige
The current president of Marvel Studios and primary producer of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, Kevin Feige started the MCU back in 2008 with Iron Man as just a twinkle in the eye of the movie industry, not realizing that he was kicking off one of the greatest movie franchises in cinematic history. Starting off with stand-alone superhero films like Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, Feige took lesser-known heroes to non-comic book readers in a time where superhero cinema was dominated by Batman, Superman and Spiderman, building up to the biggest movie crossover events of all time.
Feige has continued to build the MCU brand, launching Marvel into arguably greater fame than its largest competitor, DC Comics, who had been dominating the genre. The MCU has grown so big that it spans 30 movies, over ten television series, comic books and amusement parks featuring characters beloved all over the world. By continuously building and marketing on the brand’s success, Feige was able to shape Marvel’s brand to become the forefront of not only comic book or superhero movies, but movies as a whole, with many of his movies topping the list of highest grossing films of all time.
Beyoncé
The “Queen Bey” herself – Beyoncé. She started off her success in the girl group Destiny’s Child before breaking out in a solo career and overtime becoming one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. While Beyoncé has had an incredibly successful music career, she has also managed to build herself into a household name and an equally successful brand, with her career spanning music, movies, commercials and more. She has created and marketed her empire to become one the biggest icons and divas of all time, with diehard fans all over the world (affectionately known as The Beyhive).
Her subtle use of public relations and relatively low celebrity profile in the media has given her a god-like persona, from Sasha Fierce to Queen Bey. She has consistently shaped her brand, kept up with pop culture and the times, all while continuously remaining herself. Even when propelled to the spotlight with negative stories involving family members, she always handled her affairs with transparency, dignity and grace, something that I think helps her continue to build a very loyal fanbase.
There are many more PR baddies throughout history - these are just a select few that showcase the good and bad sides of PR. From Alexander Hamilton’s forgotten American legacy to Cher’s ability to remain relevant and enjoy continuing success SIX DECADES later, from Richard Williams and Oracene Price launching their daughters Serena and Venus’ tennis careers to Kathy Griffith’s “heads will roll” publicity stunt, the list is endless. Who knows, maybe one day even the likes of Team Bubblegum will top the lists of notable PR professionals who positively impacted history. One can only hope.