Michael Phelps is probably having one of the worst weeks ever. After becoming America’s pride and joy this summer at the Olympic Games, Phelps has had a blast from his past come back and bite him in the “you know what”. Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and is one of the world’s most acclaimed athletes, has experienced major fallout from a photo that showed him smoking from a bong.
The photo of Phelps has been one of the most-seen headlines in the news lately and I can only imagine what his PR team has been doing to shield him from the controversy. Phelps has dealt with major consequences and could still face criminal charges in the state of Colorado. According to FOX Sports, Phelps has been suspended from competition for three months and has had all of his financial support withdrawn for the same three-month period by USA Swimming. In addition to all of the professional repercussions, he has also put his endorsements in jeopardy. In fact, Kellogg Co. has announced that it would not be renewing its sponsorship contract with Phelps, stating that “his behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg.”
So what has his PR team done in the way of damage control? Well, as I learned in my PR Campaigns class last semester, there is an entire typology of public relations responses that one can use to deal with situations that could be problematic. There are seven types of PR responses and they are as follows:
1. Pre-emptive Action Strategies (e.g. prebuttal)
2. Offensive Response Strategies (e.g. attack)
3. Defensive Response Strategies (e.g. denial)
4. Diversionary Response Strategies (e.g. disassociation)
5. Vocal Commiseration Strategies (e.g. apology)
6. Rectifying Behavior Strategies (e.g. repentance)
7. Strategic Inaction (e.g. silence)
All of these responses can be used to handle situations that have gotten out of control. From my personal observations, I have noticed that the main response that has been used by Phelps has been vocal commiseration in the form of regret and apology. I believe that this is the best way for him to regain control of a situation that has been very damaging to his reputation. By offering an admittance of remorse and issuing an apology, publicly accepting full responsibility for his actions and asking forgiveness, Phelps can regain the support of his public. People like honesty and they respond well to it. So, I ask you, as future PR professionals, if you worked for Michael Phelps, which strategy would you employ to put out this fire?
"USA Swimming Suspends Phelps for 3 Months"
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/9186634/USA-Swimming-suspends-Phelps-for-3-months?MSNHPHCP>1=39002
-Porsche Haynes
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Well his PR team has already struck out, the magazine where the photo was published in revealed that Phelps' PR company, Octagon, actually tried trade the photo with Phelps' writing three years worth of columns for the magazine.
ReplyDeleteWhat should be done, is have Phelps apologize and then work with a drug free program to educate young Americans about the dangers of drugs.