PR practitioners will agree: it’s one thing to establish a positive public perception, but it’s another to win it back. Being in the limelight can be a slippery slope, especially if your reputation is tarnished—and in today’s world, the public isn’t always forgiving when they feel betrayed. This week’s wrap will examine a few individuals who are desperately trying to save their images.
The now infamous Subway spokesman, Jared Fogle has been in the news lately after being accused of harboring and distributing child pornography in early July. Fogle pled guilty to these allegations this week, and will serve 13 years in prison for his crimes. Soon after Fogle and his lawyers reached a plea bargain, Subway cut all ties with its once-beloved pitchman, claiming, “Jared’s actions are inexcusable.” According to Bulldog Reporter, Fogle’s best bet now is to wait for the story to fade, or until the next celeb scandal hits newsstands.
We no longer have a relationship with Jared and have no further comment.
— SUBWAY® (@SUBWAY) August 18, 2015
Reality TV star Josh Duggar is caught red-handed after being identified as one of more than 30 million people who used the popular affair site Ashley Madison. The site recently experienced a massive data breach, outing millions of cheating spouses who were signed up as members. Duggar, who was already on thin ice after a molestation scandal earlier this year, issued an apologetic statement about his escapades, but it wasn’t enough to save his tarnished image.
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is back in the news regarding her email behavior this week. At a recent Democratic fundraiser, Clinton made a comment about her new Snapchat account, claiming she loved how the messages disappear. The remark received a few laughs from the audience, but did not go over well with media personalities who felt she was taking the allegations against her too lightly. It looks like it will take more than a few jokes to silence the backlash against Clinton’s actions.
Do you have any tips for Jared, Josh or Hillary? We’d love to hear them. Give us a shout in the comments below.
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Erin O’Connor is an account executive at WordWrite Communications. She can be reached at erin.oconnor@wordwritepr.com or on Twitter, @eoc790
