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PR pros call fallout of Lively-Baldoni saga a 'black eye' for the industry
- Blake Lively has filed a complaint against director and co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign in the press.
- Lively's lawsuit accuses Baldoni's PR team of planned 'astroturfing', an unethical tactic used to create public consensus around a specific issue or narrative.
- When applied to public relations, astroturfing involves publishing sentiments on the internet to falsely create the illusion of a 'grassroots movement' in support of a campaign.
- The controversial practice of astroturfing does exist in a legal grey area, and recently became a household term as Lively's lawsuit highlighted its use by Baldoni's team in an attempt to discredit her harassment complaints.
- Experts in crisis management caution against going too far in using tough tactics, as it blurs the line between authentic and manufactured content and creates a negative perception of the industry.
- Despite the fallout from the Lively-Baldoni saga, it is still widely regarded as a cautionary tale rather than having a significant impact on the industry overall.
- The industry is scrambling to repair its image, with some prominent figures saying that if you're not aware of the limits, it's easy to 'dupe media'.
- Ultimately, the lawsuit introduced crisis PR and the practice of astroturfing to the general public, opening up discussions about where to draw the line in using tough tactics, ethics, and professionalism within the public relations industry.
- For many, the use of astroturfing in the Baldoni-Lively ordeal went beyond 'standard crisis PR', with the lawsuit's allegations of astroturfing offering a peek behind the curtain of crisis PR and damaging perception of the industry.
- One key mistake that Baldoni's team made, according to veterans in crisis management, was putting compromising and incriminating messages in texts.
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