My question here is this. Has the alleged unfaithful footballer at the centre of the latest round of super injunction stories been badly advised by his legal team?
From the outside looking in it would appear that, at the very least, legal advisors have underestimated the new hierarchy of online communication and of the powers of social networking.
I’m assuming legal advisors were briefed by the married footballer or his entourage with the challenge of concealing his alleged indiscretions? I’m assuming someone wanted to keep the story out of the public eye.
But by attempting to conceal the news they have in fact transformed another story in a long line of footballers’ hedonistic misdemeanours into THE BIG story.
A story that will now run for several weeks – perhaps months – longer than it would without their intervention.
The perception (which after all is what does the real harm) is of a man squirming to obliterate information about his alleged infidelity from public consciousness. The subsequent determined – and expensive – legal activity fans the flames and prolongs it’s relevance as a ‘public interest’ story.
Everyone now wants to know who the footballer is. And trust me, everyone does know who the footballer is.
So where now for our poor found-out multi millionaire sports hero?
Well, it appears as though the legal advisors will continue to press for more justice against those deemed to have spread the alleged news.
Judges are now calling for more shackling of information on Twitter and others; effectively censoring online conversations which are as natural to billions of people throughout the world as a chat over the garden fence or in the pub. Are we going to censor those too I wonder?
It is simply barmy to expect there is any chance, even the slimmest, of changing the online networking habits of billions of people. It may be a new phenomenon, but you can never underestimate how entrenched online social networking is, and will continue to be.
To think that this footballer is making it his battle to censor online conversations beggars belief. Who has told him this would be a good idea?
He will now invest more money in prosecutions across the world, prolonging the story as a test case. Achieving what? Apart from continually reminding us about his alleged affair.
The legal profession are rallying round to call for – guess what – legislation. Legislation which will pave the way for more expensive law suits no doubt, on behalf of other clients who we will perceive as weaselling their way out of accepting, and being accountable for, the truth.
The PR Solution is Simple
The PR solution could not be simpler; much much less expensive; and, significantly more effective.
If you’re in the public eye, enjoying the trappings that go along with superstar status, yet still allegedly cheating on your wife. And you are found out? This is what to do:
- Take it on the chin. Grasp the nettle.
- Publically, and without melodrama, demonstrate remorse and humility.
- Show you are accountable for your actions instead of weaselling your way out of it by displacing the blame onto the media (or billions of online social network users if you prefer)
- In one brief to-the-point press announcement you can become human. Just the same of billions of us on the planet. Initially interesting perhaps. But very soon, simply as fallible as the rest of us. Making mistakes and trying to make up for them can quickly become dull. Because we all do it. And this is good news for anyone wanting people to forget bad news as quickly as possible.
- If it’s your style, in 6-months OK magazine will run a reconciliation photo shoot of you on a beach somewhere nice with the missus as you work through your personal issues. (Not my recommendation – but whatever floats your boat)
Much cheaper, I think than a million pound law suit?
