Media attention and publicity is fine for your business, as long as it has a positive tone. And although a managing editor in my days as an editorial journalist stressed, "Negative publicity is also publicity", Rubiales' mother with growling stomach during her hunger strike now in a Spanish church will surely long back to the moment before the kiss.
The riot around Rubiales' kissing divides Spain into machismo versus feminism, and the #metoo storm is generating much-needed buzz. And enlightening insights, about what people no longer accept and what they do. And that is exactly its purpose.
Because negative media attention can be a challenge and at the same time it also offers opportunities to grow, and clean up. It can be a catalyst for your organisation, like the Spanish Football Association is going through (hopefully).
Here are my 7 'take-aways' that you as an entrepreneur can learn from 'El Beso', the publicity row between 'camp Jenni Hermoso' and 'camp Luis Rubiales':
- Your response speed is crucial. As soon as negative publicity surfaces, responding quickly is crucial. The longer you wait, the more you give rumours or negative judgements room to spread further. So come up quickly with a thoughtful, respectful response that clarifies the matter.
- Transparency and honesty. Be honest and transparent about the situation. Don't beat around the bush. If you have shown wrong behaviour, done a wrong action, acknowledge it and show sincere regret. This can enhance your credibility and restore and rebuild trust, no matter how difficult the situation is. For instance, Rubiales did state to the press that he was sorry, but his facial expression did not match. Moreover, his apology was immediately followed by an explanation that he saw the team's 'chicas' (girls) as his daughters. And then followed another explanation from him that Hermoso himself had agreed to the kiss on the mouth.
- Listen to your audience. Understand how your target audience views the situation at hand. Listen and respond to their ideas, comments, concerns and questions. By showing that you take their feedback seriously, you can strengthen your relationship with your audience. Rubiales's weakness in one of his first statements was that he was supported by a very large section of 'friends', a section which did not speak up and remained silent, but was there.
- Keep emotions under control. It is easy to understand that negative publicity can evoke intense emotions. Rubiales immediately let it be known in his statement that he had no intention of resigning. Steam was just barely coming out of his ears... Personal emotions can take over. And pushing away emotions when your 'body language' really shows otherwise is not a good idea either. So stay professional, don't take hasty decisions, keep the balance between 'being compassionate' and knowing what you do and don't share.
- Focus on solutions. Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects, focus on possible solutions and steps you are going to take to rectify the situation. Demonstrate that you are proactively working on improvements. Whereas Rubiales stated that Hermoso had consented to the kiss, the midfielder, in a press statement via X (Twitter), made it clear what her position was - zero tolerance - and immediately handed over the debacle to lawyers supporting her (see image below).
- Stay consistent. Make sure your message is consistent across all communication channels. Avoid conflicting statements that can cause confusion and make the situation worse. Hermoso was relatively silent in the press after she gave a statement.
- Learn and grow. See negative media attention as an opportunity to learn and grow. Evaluate what went wrong and identify ways to avoid similar situations in the future. This can lead to a stronger and more resilient organisation/company. Share your insights, for example, what you learned from it. How did it affect you? What conclusions do you draw from it? Do you dare to be genuinely vulnerable in your response?
Not once have I heard Rubiales share a moment of self-insight. (FYI: I am fluent in Spanish, and I have followed some of his statements). Missed opportunity...
Negative media attention doesn't have to be the end of the world, of course. And with the right approach, you can turn the situation into an opportunity to improve your reputation, your company's name, and the atmosphere within your outfit, and leave a positive impression with your audience.
For Rubiales, still a long way to go.
For Hermoso, the job is done, as she tweeted with the hashtag #SeAcabo.
In other words: done with it!
On your publicity & visibility!
Linda Graanoogst,
PR and Media Trainer and owner of With ease in the news
P.S. Creating your own positive publicity is easier than you might suspect right now... Want to know if you can get your company in the media? Book a personal interview with me via this link. Take advantage of it!
P.P.S. below part of #press statementby Jenni Hermoso on 25 August 2023 via Twitter/X, source: X)
