The actor Jussie Smollett from Fox’s primetime drama series, Empire is in hot water. As of 2/21/2019, Smollett turned himself in to police custody for allegedly filing a false police report. On the police report, Smollett claims that he was attacked by two masked men who shouted ‘racial and homophobic slurs’ while pouring an unknown chemical substance on him. Check out the full timeline of events during the course of this saga here. It has become a huge story in the media and reports are saying that Jussie Smollett arranged the attack in order to raise his profile in hopes that his new media coverage would convince show producers to keep his character on the show and give him more screen time.
What parts of this story are true and what parts are fabricated, we don’t really know. However, the idea of orchestrating events in order to gain exposure is nothing new. Let’s say that Jussie Smollett did organize these events as some media outlets are reporting. That means he intentionally tapped into hot button social issues in order to get exposure for his public image. The ‘attack’ eventually led to his character getting cut from major episodes in the series finale. And now the actor faces felony charges. Where did he go wrong?
As independent artists, we are responsible for maintaining a public image and getting exposure for our music whether doing it ourselves or hiring a team. We painstakingly plan out our artistic persona and decide how we’re going to get the exposure we need to thrive. Many times that involves creating events to get exposure. At a very basic level, something as simple as coming out with a new album or something as complex as writing a song about the latest social injustice incident is all about getting exposure. It can be argued that practically everything you do for public consumption is about getting exposure. How far are you willing to go to get that exposure? Is doing a PR stunt to go viral a good move? If so, where do you draw the line?
If Jussie Smollett did in fact arrange his ‘attack’ as a hoax, he isn’t the first to use the media, law enforcement, or the legal system to help drive exposure. It’s been done many times before on many different levels. Celebrities announce breakups suspiciously right before a big movie is set to release. Authors have been know to reveal a big scandal right before their next book is set to publish. Mainstream musicians stage disagreements, fights, or even arrests to gain exposure right before a new album is about to drop. Just read through the latest celeb gossip headlines and connect the dots. The problem is that Jussie Smollett got caught on a massive scale. He got caught enough to land him in prison.
PR Stunt Lesson 1: Honor the law.
The first guideline to follow when trying to gain exposure is to stay within the confines of the law. If it’s illegal, it’s never a good idea. Don’t lose yourself or your freedom over trying to get exposure. It’s not worth it and any initial momentum you get will be fleeting. In the coming months, we probably won’t even remember Jussie Smollett’s name.
PR Stunt Lesson 2: Honor your fans.
The other guideline to follow is to honor your fans. Before you do anything ask yourself this…if your fans were to find out that you were anything but genuine would they disapprove? Would they unfollow you?
PR Stunt Lesson 3: Honor your values.
And last but not least, what are your own values? If you’re considering doing a PR stunt, remember to hold the idea accountable to your values. Does it honor your own values as a person? As a musician? Tip, if it makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, it’s probably not a good fit. On the other hand, if you do feel nervousness or fear about doing something, don’t automatically think it’s not a good idea. It could simply mean that you are about to step outside of your comfort zone and about to experience a breakthrough. That’s why it’s super important to know what your values are. If you haven’t taken the time to affirm your values as an artist, click here for help with identifying your values. In that article, there’s also an invitation to join a free challenge to find your musical purpose. In the challenge, you’ll not only be guided through a values exercise, but you’ll also learn how you can use your musical purpose to generate the exposure you need without having to do PR stunts in the first place.
What could Jussie Smollett have done differently?
If the reports are true and he did orchestrate this whole thing to get attention, there are definitely other things he could have done. Since he is an openly gay man, he could have offered to speak at some LGBTQ events and alerted the media to cover it. His role on Empire is high profile enough to garner media attention. He also could have spoken on racism or gotten involved with some social change initiatives dealing with racial disparities. He could have staged a peaceful protest on some of these issues. He also could have worked with some related charities to host a high-profile charity event. He could have written a salacious book about something. These are just a few alternatives. If he wanted to touch on the hot button issues, there are ways to do that without upsetting the very people affected by these issues. It’s better to use popular issues as a platform in a more organic manner.
Dawn Jones, a PR Consultant and Owner of Pressed PR, a PR firm specializing in public relations for musicians follows the principle that positive PR is always best.
“I think if he wanted to raise his profile he should have been focused on doing it in a positive light. Partnering with charities, participating in a random act of kindness, starting a program/organization, or even something as small as offering his support to a program or charity would have been sufficient to get people talking about him,” says Jones.
Whenever possible, always choose organic over orchestrated. Your goal as an artist is to manage your reputation by doing things in the most organic way possible. This will give you the most bang for your investment. Ultimately, if you have gone through a process of artist development complete with identifying your values and purpose, you won’t have a need for PR stunts. Everything you do to bring exposure to your music will be organic and well thought out to reach your intended audience.
What should be done for damage control?
Now that Smollett is facing felony charges, he has a lot more to worry about than losing his fanbase. He needs a good lawyer to beat these charges. If he somehow avoids getting locked up and he still wants to pursue a career in the limelight, he should probably start with an apology tour and go on any media platforms he can to apologize. He should also strategize with a public relations expert on what he can do to rehabilitate his image.
PR expert Dawn Jones doesn’t think it’s impossible, but it might take some time.
“Damage control for something like this will be extremely hard to handle. He took something that is happening in the world today (hatred attacks) and fabricated one for his personal gain. Now that the truth is out, people are going to judge that action harshly. In order to overcome it and gain the trust of fans again I would advise the client to participate in A LOT of positive things over the next year or two – really devote a lot of time to fighting the issues he wants to fight in a positive way – not fabricating stories and attacks to bring attention to it,” says Jones.
There are plenty of things Smollett can do to rehabilitate his public image, whether that’s appearing on a reality TV show like Big Brother or Dancing With the Stars, or hosting his own TV show on YouTube. He should also consider starting a non-profit organization, scholarship fund, or foundation to benefit the community interests he exploited while orchestrating this hoax, allegedly. The key is to be transparent and genuine!
It takes a lot of work and time to come back from negative press like this.
“You might hear the saying “all press is good press”….. not true. Bad press that tarnishes your character can take a lot of time to overcome in the public eye,” says Jones.
Managing your public reputation is not easy especially when we as a society seem to have an appetite for drama, controversy, and conflict. However, when you know your fans and you know exactly how to reach potential fans, you won’t have to orchestrate events or misrepresent yourself. You’ll know exactly who your tribe is and what kind of content they crave. There is an entire process dedicated to this. It’s called artist development. By mastering artist development for your music, you’ll reap tremendous results in all facets of a your career ranging from attracting a loyal fanbase, the ability to stand out from other musicians and get better gigs, as well as getting the attention of media representatives, booking agents, and other industry professionals.
As part of your artist development process, you’ll make a series of strategic decisions to create your artistic persona for the public and to generate significant exposure for that persona. With good artist development, everything you do to generate exposure for your music, will align with your artistic persona. You’ll gain traction and momentum naturally by following the guidelines you mapped out for yourself during the artist development phase of your career. That way, instead of orchestrating stunts with fleeting results, you’ll generate consistent momentum for your music organically with long lasting results by just being you, following your purpose, and carrying out your goals. If you haven’t had a chance to go through an artist development process, take my Artist Development Master Course. It is a full 7 weeks of workshops and training where you’ll learn how to create an artistic persona, define your artist branding, identify the the character traits of your ideal fans, and create a community of loyal supporters for the duration of your career. Click here to enroll in the course.
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