Of course, “lifetime” is a relative term. The lifetime of a sheep tick is about four months, for example.
Here’s the scoop, courtesy of D Magazine.
One of Kate’s Employers Is Screwing Up, Too
Swedish fashion giant H&M, specifically. As my friend Hans Kullin at Media Culpa , the Swedish PR blog, describes the situation:
I read in Expressen that H&M are investigating the possibilities to sue super model Kate Moss for damages. H&M are looking at recovering some costs that came as a result of the recent cocaine scandal. From a PR perspective this seems like a very very bad idea. Here’s why:
1. She’s sorry. She made a stupid mistake and admitted it. She apologized to everyone that might have suffered from her behaviour. Going after someone who is truthfully apologetic does not give your company a sympathetic image, even if you technically are entitled to do it.
2. You forgave her. H&M’s initial reaction to the story was to give Moss a second chance. By suing her, H&M make a 180 degree turn and does not come out as a company with a clear strategy on this matter.
3. Big vs small #1. H&M is a huge company, partially owned by one of Sweden’s richest men. It has all the resources one can wish for, whilst Moss is an individual, a small woman, albeit wealthy and big enough to snort cocaine. Nevertheless, readers are more likely to side with David than Goliath.
4. Big vs small #2. Does it not look somewhat greedy for a company that last year made a net profit of SEK 7.2 billion to sue an individual for damages? Um, yes it does.
5. Addiction is a disease, even if self inflicted. Moss is obviously sick. She needs help, not law suits. Sure, she caused the situation herself, but then what? Do H&M want to destroy her?
6. Enough already. The more H&M talk about the incident, the longer it will continue and they run the risk of being associated with a drug addict. Just drop it and focus on your new campaign. Use the massive attention to do something positive.
7. The story broke on 15 Sept. First they forgave her, then H&M didn’t communicate that they are dropping Moss until 20 Sept. I can understand that H&M feel they are in a business relation with Moss and that she broke the contract and cost H&M some serious money. But had the company had a clear strategy from the beginning it might even have gained credibility and brand recognition from the story. Now, it is more likely that the brand will suffer from whimsical public relations than from the cocaine scandal itself. (H&M now claim they decided to drop Moss on 17 Sept. Which is worse, having trouble deciding or not being able to communicate what they have decided?)
Kate Moss: Too Little, Too Late
Media Orchard sometimes wonders if any behavior is outrageous enough to create a PR scandal that actually hurts a celebrity’s career.
After all, we live at a time when a homemade porn tape launches the career of Paris Hilton … when Tara Reid lands a reality show on E! based on her curriculum vitae of late-night drunkenness … when publicist Lizzie Grubman gets a reality show on MTV based on her notoriety for calling people white trash and running them over with her car … and when both rap stars and Martha Stewart can enhance their cred through jail stints.
All of this makes it very difficult for celebrities to know, as they hurdle from indiscretion to indiscretion: “Am I just having harmless fun — or am I walking into a PR nightmare?”
Poor Kate Moss. You can’t blame her for being confused.
Here’s the back story.
London’s Daily Mirror last made headlines on this side of the pond in 2004, when it published fake pictures of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners of war. The paper said it was very, very sorry for publishing fake pictures, fired its editor, and vowed to do better in the future.
Media Orchard doesn’t know if this story qualifies as better — but at least the pictures are real. Too real for Kate Moss. The Daily Mirror published a front-page pic, with more inside, of the erstwhile “teen waif” apparently using cocaine.
As the always-understated Mirror put it:
THE Daily Mirror today reveals shocking pictures of supermodel Kate Moss snorting a fat line of cocaine during a debauched drugs and drink session with junkie lover Pete Doherty. As the white powder induces a sudden rush to her brain, she rocks back in her seat and laughs hysterically. The coke is kicking in.
Within seconds she leans forward and again sniffs into a tightly rolled-up five-pound note, hoovering up every last grain of the Class A drug.
It is clear from the extraordinary images, captured during a Mirror undercover investigation, that the 31-year-old catwalk queen is a practised user.
After the story broke, Kate came clean and admitted the drug use in private meetings with her employers. It couldn’t have been much of a shock; Kate’s been in rehab in the past. And so employers of Kate, including Swedish clothing giant H&M, initially came out in her support.
Initially.
Then the angry calls from customers started pouring in, and Kate’s employers wilted in the backlash. H&M, Chanel and Burberry all have dropped their contracts with the woman the London tabloids now brand the “cocaine shame model.”
An H&M spokeswoman told the New York Times : “After the feedback from customers and other papers, we decided we should distance ourselves. If someone is going to be the face of H&M, it is important they be healthy, wholesome and sound.”
At least it’s important now.
Kate’s mistake — besides the obvious one — is that she focused her damage-control efforts on her most immediate constituency, her employers, but not on the general public. She should have spoken to the media the day the story broke and followed with a major television interview two or three days later.
The old saw is that the fans build you up just to tear you down. While this may be true, fans can also be very forgiving when given the chance.
The Daily Mirror reported Sunday that Kate has finally agreed to a TV interview, with U.K. personality Michael Parkinson. This comes after Kate issued an apology through the media late last week. Let’s hope for Kate’s sake that it’s not too little, too late.
Of course, if nothing else, there’ll always be a role ready for her on MTV’s “Surreal Life.”
A Scary Time to Be a Newspaper Journalist
From MarketWatch: “Worrying about media industry layoffs.”
Coming Up on "Frontline:" Why We Didn’t Come from Monkeys
Actually, PBS hasn’t made a pro-creationism documentary yet … but at this point, it may be only a matter of time.