PR Campaigns Behind Celebrity Disputes

When walking past the checkout counter at my local grocery store, I always notice several magazines with similar headlines stating the latest celebrity dispute. Most recently, I spotted Jimmy Kimmel and Kanye West's Twitter feud. The latest celebrity trash talk involved a skit on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" where two children spoofed West's BBC 1 interview. West clearly did not find the skit amusing and began ranting multiple angry twitter posts about Kimmel taking his BBC 1 interview out of context. 

This Twitter quarrel is not a newsworthy story, but instead an example of how social media arguments have become a new form of publicity for the entertainment industry. Both Kimmel and West created a successful PR stunt that demonstrated the power of social media and its effects on ratings and what celebrities’ fans think of them. 

Kimmel and West had separate goals of this PR campaign. Kimmel used this Twitter argument to get more viewers, specifically any West or Kimmel fans, to tune into his talk show once West decided to make an appearance. After West came on Kimmel’s talk show it showed viewers and the media that both parties have "cleared the air.” West used this opportunity to rant and defend himself for when the media misinterpreted his actions or words in the past. 

Long before social media began, celebrities used other outlets for expressing their feelings about stars through interviews and press conferences. This allowed enough time for publicists to give their celebrity an approved diplomatic response regarding their opinion about a fellow star. Times have changed and now stars are able to comment on just about any topic whether their publicist is around or not.  

Now more than ever, social media sites like Twitter have created more crisis management problems for publicists. As public relations professionals adapt to new forms of social media, crisis management strategies for celebrities also need to acclimate. PR campaigns like Kimmel and West's Twitter feud is more than just about being noticed. It is about using any media outlet possible to hype up their name. It doesn't matter if either Kimmel or West was in the wrong, both of these celebrities were able to hype up their name by causing a stir in the media. This resulted in an "amicable" ending for Kimmel and West because they were able to achieve their PR goals by increasing ratings or defending their misconstrued behaviors. For any celebrity who plans on arguing with another star on Twitter, I'll pass along advice that P.T. Barnum famously once said, "There's no such thing as bad publicity."