What Scandal?

As I am making my way through “Real Time Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott, I noticed an interesting section on how to deflate scandals. The section highlighted David Letterman’s scandal in 2009 when he was accused of extramarital affairs with coworkers. Due to Letterman’s quick response to the incident on his TV show, the story quickly deflated and his reputation was barely tarnished.

I didn’t even know that David Letterman ever had an affair, so this story taught me how important it is to act quickly and honestly to scandals. Meerman suggests that if a bad story is going to be released, it is better to tell the story on your own terms. Otherwise, the media will be releasing information about the event for weeks or months after the event occured. It is better to release all of the facts and data as soon as you can and move on quickly.

Meerman does give some good advice, but it is really no different than what my mom taught me when I was five. Hasn’t it always been known to report your mistake immediately instead of trying to cover it up? Every child knows that when you break something expensive, it's better to tell your parents immediately than to try and hide the mess.

The same theory can be applied to businesses and celebrities. Covering up mistakes is only going to hurt your reputation so be honest and do it fast, or your mother won’t be happy.