There's no press like bad press?

Or is it “No Press is Bad Press”? Or it is “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Press”? I’m not sure which it really is, but frankly after this week, I think at least one version of this saying is true. I refuse to get political or take sides on this blog. I am simply pointing out my thoughts on recent events. Two and a half in particular.

I will be covering the events/topics/thoughts in this order:

1. Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson & his opponent Rob Miller
2. Kanye West’s not-so-smooth-move at the MTV Video Music Awards
3. Lady GaGa at the MTV Video Music Awards

Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson & his opponent Rob Miller

Synopsis: By now, everyone and their great-grandmother has heard about SC Republican Congressman Joe Wilson’s “You Lie!” outburst last week during President Obama’s health care address to congress. About 10 minutes prior to Wilson’s outburst, I bet 90% of you reading this had never even heard of the quiet republican from South Carolina’s 2nd district. Whether or not you agree with what he said/did/did not do, you now know his name, what state he’s from, the political party he is affiliated with, and you might even know that he loves animals. The number of hits to his website quadrupled in 20 minutes after his little outburst, and that number is of course on the rise. He may not have liked the press that he got, getting called a “President Hater” and a “racist” – but nevertheless, people are learning more about him, his platform, and his background. He is probably going to get a few supporters out of the whole thing. On the flipside, his opponent Rob Miller received $130K in donations by 1AM the night of the debate. Donations even came in from as far as England (that has probably changed by now… but it’s happening). It’s incredible to think that this guy didn’t even do anything and Miller’s opponent making an outburst caused people to learn more about this SC political race.

Conclusion? Joe “You Lie!” Wilson and Rob Miller have both gotten a TON of publicity in the last week. One of them made a huge mistake, one of them did nothing. Yet, they are both in the news… a lot. In the end, is this good or bad press? I’m leaving that for You to decide.

Kanye West’s not-so-smooth-move at the MTV Video Music Awards

Synopsis: 19-year-old Taylor Swift won the MTV VMA award for Best Female Music Video. During her acceptance speech, rapper Kanye West got on stage, took the microphone out of Taylor’s hand and said, “Beyonce had the best video of all time. Of all time!” Kanye is now probably one of the most hated people in the music industry. Whether or not you like Swift’s music, the fact is, what Kanye did was completely uncalled for – she’s 19 and it was her first VMA… give her a break. BUT, nevertheless, Kanye West became the #1 trending topic on Twitter within 5 minutes and has maintained status as a trending topic all day today following the awards. If you’ve never heard of Kanye before (probably because you don’t listen to hip-hop/rap music) you probably know who he is now. And you might check out his songs. Even if he loses fans, he is bound to get a lot of publicity about this over the next few days/weeks/months/years. I know I, personally was appalled that he would do something like that, but truth be told, it got me talking about him. It got everyone talking about him.

Conclusion? This type of press/publicity stunt is NOT a good idea, but it will definitely get fans/folks/everyone a-buzz about your name and your product. Whether that’s good or not, is for You to decide.

Lady GaGa at the MTV Video Music Awards

Synopsis: Okay, I might be on a VMA kick because it was on last night, but it’s totally fine. At least this is illustrating my point. Oh, the many faces/outfits of Ms. Lady GaGa. If you missed her crazy outfits, you can check them out here. Whether or not you agree with Ms. GaGa’s fashion choices, she DEFINITELY got people talking last night. She became a trending topic on twitter for over 24 hours after the ceremony was over and her song “Paparazzi” jumped 3 spots to make it into the top 10 songs on iTunes. Her outfits we crazy, but people got to know who she is… a crazy, crazy lady.

Conclusion? Although GaGa’s outfits were rather hideous, her press has probably been the most POSITIVE out of the ones I have referenced. So, my thought on this one is, try something different today. Surprise those you work with, surprise your clients, customers, and friends. You don’t need to dress crazy to get attention. Stand out. Be different. Be awesome. Be a rockstar.

My overall conclusion? Any press can be good press. It just depends on how you deal with it.

That’s just my 2 cents.

All for now.

BTW: Here is a bonus “Kanye West, Joe Wilson, “You Lie!” REMIX Video”

I love it. Enjoy 🙂

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxKIcrDsJAs]