Reliable Brands, Profitable Companies and Reality TV Don't Mix

Once upon a time, Reality TV was seen as the best way for undiscovered people with talent to become famous. Now it's the surest way to destroy families and careers.

What happened? Actually, nothing. Reality TV was always a dumpster fire waiting to happen, and once the novelty wore off, the unstable, psychotic nature of its "contestants" were easily recognized by the naked eye.

While sensible, intelligent, rational people tend to either ignore or shut down the psycho-stalker girlfriend or boyfriend, Reality TV gives them new, high-profile forums to satisfy their endless appetite for attention. But we all know the stalker is consumed with the short-term, and that does little to help the long-term success of your brand.

Isn't it funny you never see a well-run company using Reality TV stars as pitch people? In theory, it would make perfect sense for a bulk retailer like Costco to feature Jon and Kate Gosselin (with 8 kids to feed) in their marketing. But to their credit, Costco knew better.

In fact, you don't have to be in business with a Reality TV star to feel the negative effects. Dating one is frought with danger as well. Just ask Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers who almost had his entire career blown up when Tila Tequila leveled a fake assault charge over the summer.

First thing I uttered when I read about Merriman's arrest - "That's what happens when you get mixed up with a Reality Star".

So I don't think it really mattered whether the Balloon Family's incident was a proven hoax or not. I'll bet most of us already thought something was fishy the minute we heard about "Wife Swap".

Always remember - Reality Stars have limited shelf lives...and with each fiasco, their relevancy grows shorter and shorter.

No wonder perception is the "Reality" that counts most.

Anger Management: Your Best Move in Crisis PR

David Letterman is taking a continued public relations beating over his flings with interns and it didn’t have to be that way.

Most PR firms will tell their clients to manage a crisis by being the first out of the gate with bad news – but it won’t help if they fail to recognize the larger dynamic behind the problem. David Letterman is no dummy and at first glance, his clever mix of self-deprecating humor and attempts at humble honesty could be considered textbook crisis PR.

But unfortunately, the other side of this story was rooted in deep anger far more than financial opportunity. Whether it involves a celebrity, politician or your business, an enemy scorned is acting on emotion and that is a PR nightmare. Your crisis plan needs to expect the worst – in fact, because you are rational and your opponent is not, think out of the box and expect beyond the worst.

Letterman and his PR team were kidding themselves thinking that being the first to spin a tale of extortion would temper public opinion on the actual acts committed and thus, shut the enemy down.

If anything, it fired up Letterman’s opponent even more.

Let’s start with some obvious advice – “say it out loud first”. If it doesn’t sound good, it probably isn’t a good idea. Case in point – Taking the intern you are flinging with along on a family vacation sounds less than brilliant, doesn’t it? Letterman of all people should know that combining non-marital sex and public figures is risky business. Just ask Louisville Basketball Coach Rick Pitino – nothing good ever comes out of romping in the back parking lot of an Applebees. Add a steamy diary and a jealous boyfriend to the mix and maybe the “victim” approach isn’t always best option to mitigate a crisis.