Why Ashton and Mila’s non-apology broke every rule of crisis PR
The world has seen its fair share of poor apology videos from celebrities, but Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have officially set a new benchmark for what not to do in a PR crisis. Phoebe Netto, founder of Pure Public Relations, explains more.
Earlier this month it was revealed that the celebrity couple had written character statements for actor and friend, Danny Masterson, who was awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of two counts of forcible rape.
Unsurprisingly, this news did not go down well when it reached the public domain.
The backlash was swift and fierce, and Ashton and Mila were heavily criticised for their attempt to persuade the judge to give Masterson a more lenient sentence. In an effort to address the issue, the couple released a video that came across as defensive, inauthentic, and completely out of touch with the problem at hand. This initial response was so bad, in fact, that the couple were forced to do further damage control just a few days later by stepping down from their roles at Thorn, the anti-child sex abuse organisation Ashton and his ex-wife Demi Moore founded in 2009.
In the world of PR, Ashton and Mila’s initial response is everything you’re not supposed to do when it comes to issues management 101. So why exactly did it go so terribly wrong?
Mistake #1: Adding fuel to the fire
At the heart of issues management is one central objective: don’t behave in a way that will bring any more unnecessary attention to the issue. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Ashton and Mila did. With their attempt at damage control, they fanned the flames of their PR fire.
While news of the character statements was a major headline earlier in the week, the response video spread like wildfire and put far more eyes on the issue than before. The story instantly stopped being about whether they did the right or wrong thing and turned into a beast of its own, causing outrage and scrutiny on a massive scale.
A video statement was the first poor choice in a long line of missteps. When it comes to a PR crisis, a video is only a good idea if the subject is able to genuinely convey the response the audience is looking for.
In Ashton and Mila’s case, their apparent lack of true remorse was a perfect catalyst for articles, memes, soundbites, and even this brilliant parody of how their PR manager must have felt after the video went live. The internet was quickly flooded with deep-dive analyses on everything from their choice of clothing to their body language, and even which ‘normal’ looking part of their multi-million dollar mansion they chose to record in front of.
A video is easy to watch and even easier to share – a bad combination when you’re trying to contain a crisis. Unfortunately, it seems this lesson came too little, too late for Ashton and Mila. Even now that they have released a far more PR-savvy written statement, photos and soundbites from their initial response accompany every article and video reporting on the saga.
Mistake #2: Defending rather than apologising
In the midst of a PR crisis, most people feel the need to defend themselves and explain their actions. As tempting as this approach may be, it’s rarely the smartest move. The truth is that an audience who feels offended, disappointed, or upset doesn’t want to hear excuses, regardless of how good they may be. Rather, they want to feel validated and understood.
Ashton and Mila didn’t get this memo. At its core, their response video was a thinly veiled attempt to defend their questionable decisions. The word ‘sorry’ was thrown in but their tone was defensive, almost verging on hostile. By over-explaining and defending their actions, they centred themselves as the victims and showed little genuine empathy.
We can only assume the couple were trying to protect their reputations by defending and explaining themselves rather than genuinely apologising or, at a minimum, demonstrating empathy regarding the impact felt by many. While their follow-up written statement did a much better job at this, the damage had already been done by that point. Ironically, if they had resisted the urge to defend themselves in the first place, they would have been far more likely to emerge from the situation with their reputations intact.
Mistake #3: Coming off as inauthentic
One of the biggest rules in PR is if you’re going to say something, say it like you mean it. People can detect inauthenticity from a mile away and nothing hurts a cause more than someone who is saying sorry simply because they think they should or, even worse, because they’ve been told they should. They were sorry that they were being scrutinised, not sorry or even saddened for the impact of their actions.
Ashton and Mila gave the impression of two out-of-touch celebrities who didn’t care to truly understand the impact of their decisions. In under a week, the scandal has already cost the couple their highly respected positions at Thorn and severed the relationship they had with many fans and fellow members of the entertainment industry. For two people whose personal brands largely centre on being down to earth and relatable, this could prove very difficult for them to bounce back from.
Ashton and Mila should never have made a video statement. Unlike a typical written statement, it’s hard to hide your true feelings on camera – even for two successful actors. If they couldn’t authentically convey empathy, remorse, and a true understanding of the gravity of the situation, they should have never turned on the camera. Now they have an even bigger problem on their hands: winning back the trust of the people they let down.
Phoebe Netto is the founder of Pure Public Relations
