10 of the Biggest PR Disasters of the 2000s

Companies all have good ideas and they have bad ideas. Sometimes something looks good on paper and then loses its luster when you see it actually play out. We see companies have a PR crisis that was either created by their own hands or by the hands of someone else; regardless, when a company has a PR crisis, it must be fixed.

In this post we will review ten of the worst public relations disasters of the last 13 years and take a walk down memory lane. These are not necessarily in a ranking of worst to less worst, etc. They are just a collection of unfortunate corporate moments; you get to decide which was the worst!

1. The Bridgestone Tire fiasco. Remember this one? In 2000, Bridgestone had numerous reports about having tires that they made blowout while being driven; one car that had trouble with these tires in particular was the Ford Explorer. The problem had apparently started before 2000 but it was not acknowledged until that year when there was an investigation. It was reported that the tires had caused 200 deaths. 
2. Smoking has positive effects remark. Back in the early 2000s, 2001 to be exact, Philip Morris made a remarks that took many people by surprise; Philip Morris said that smoking would actually be good for the world because of how it caused early deaths of smokers. What was their reasoning for this? They tried to say that the early deaths would save millions in healthcare costs. 
3. Poor child attire for Abercrombie & Fitch. Still, even after hearing of lash back from consumers against other clothing makers, A&F decided that making thongs and racist shirts for their clientele would be a wise idea. First, they released the shirts and thought that people would enjoy them. After the backlash, they decided to release the thongs. Yes, they tried to defend both decisions. 
4. The racist board game. Remember this one? Maybe or maybe not, this one gained awareness but not as much as the previous PR faux pas. In 2003, Urban Outfitters decided to sell their own version of Monopoly called "Ghettopoly." You would steal property, get your neighborhood addicted to crack, etc. 
5. Janet & JT wardrobe malfunction. In the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show, Timberlake was supposed to rip off part of Janet Jackson's jacket and reveal… something. Well, a little more came off than what was expected and her breast was briefly exposed; people quickly then dubbed this Nipplegate. 
6. Terrell Owens & Nicollette Sheridan ad. Soon after Janet & JT debacle, ABC aired a commercial that featured Terrell Owens and Nicollette Sheridan in the Eagles locker room; Sheridan was supposed to be seducing T.O. This might not have been a great idea at any time but so soon after the Super Bowl half-time show ordeal? It flopped real quick. 
7. Cartoon Network & bomb confusion. In 2007, Cartoon Network decided to do some guerrilla marketing for their show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" by placing little light-up signs around Boston in various spots. Unfortunately, they did not have enough context or explanation and so many residents confused the signs with bomb danger. 
8. JetBlue holds passengers on planes for 11 hours. In 2007, JetBlue flights at JFK were held up for a whopping 11 hours on the runway. Why? Well, for good reason, there was nasty weather and the flights could not take off. However, the problem was in their decision to not return to the gates to let passengers leave but rather keep them on the planes the whole 11 hours. 
9. Pleases & thank you's of bailout money. In 2008, the Great Recession was in full swing and many huge corporations were in financial trouble. Fortunately, the government had offered bailout money to the companies that needed it to stay in business. The problem was how some of them asked for it and how some of them showed their thank you's. 
1. How they asked for it: Automakers Chrysler, GM, and Ford flew to D.C. on private jets to ask for the bailout money. Yes, luxurious private jets. 
2. How they said thank you: AIG threw a company retreat at the renowned St. Regis in California that totaled $443,300. 
10. Dominoes started to fall. In 2009, two Domino's employees posted videos on the web of them doing rather distasteful things The videos went viral & it took Domino's two days to respond to the issue; by the time they did, the damage was already done and almost unfixable. 

The world of public relations is sometimes a tough one and with the world being more technological than ever, PR has gotten both easier and harder. The world of franchise PR is in the same boat. If you are looking for a franchise PR firm to help your company gain exposure and be prepared for a fiasco, then hire All Points PR - a Chicago franchise public relations agency. 

Want a Career in Franchise PR?

The idea of being a PRP in franchise PR sounds so cool. Think about it, you are doing public relations, closely related to marketing, and talking on your phone about how you will make sure that your client will be famous! Your client will not get bad press! Yeah, it sure sounds cool being the go-to guy for a corporation while the media gulps down the news about their recent purchase of a competitor or something. While the scenarios are certainly possible and do happen in franchise public relations or other forms of PR, it is not always the glitz and glamor that many people think it is.

A career in public relations, especially franchise PR, is a job that you have to be tough to succeed in. We're not talking physically tough but rather emotionally and professionally. There are a few characteristics that one must meet in order to be good or even great in PR.

• Patience. If you expect to be a successful PRP in franchise public relations, you have to be patient. Things take time, journalists have a lot of things to do and basically a few hours to get it all done. They operate under heavy deadlines and so sometimes a PRP is not their top priority. Another aspect of this is being patient in getting your story accepted by a journalist. 
• Persistence. This was hinted at in the first point but it is another necessary characteristic for a PRP. Sometimes you will have a great piece and need it to be accepted by a journalist. You will be turned down by journalists; it might take a couple days to get a story submitted to a journalist, you just have to be persistent. The key is to stay on their radar while not being overwhelming; if you are too overwhelming, they will just deny you all together. 
• Communication. If you want to be good in PR then you have to be able to communicate. Ask questions. Inform people of things going on. Email people. Call people. Whatever needs to be done to keep people in the know, get it done. If you leave people in the dark, you will soon find that you have nobody to inform because they have all left you for another franchise PR agency. 
• Writing. The ability to write is essential to PR. Specifically, the ability to write stories and compelling stuff is essential. If you can't write, you need to learn if you want to be in PR. 
• Ethical behavior. If you think you will be that sly wheelin' & dealin' PRP who can make himself rich while exploiting others, good luck getting hired by a PR agency. Any respectable and known PR agency has ethics and morals. The governing body of PR,  PRSA, has a set of rules set in place that PR agencies have to abide by. 

We are a full-service chicago franchise PR firm. We do social media PR, crisis communications, grassroots PR, business, and more.