Media Intelligence Insights - August 2024 | It Ends With Us, But the Headlines Continue: Blake Lively’s PR Crisis

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What can we learn from Blake Lively’s PR crisis and how can you implement some of these lessons to safeguard your brand?

In the media world, a single comment, photo, or video can ignite a wildfire of public scrutiny. Falling out of grace can happen instantly, as cancel culture takes hold and reputations get dismantled overnight.

This is exactly what American actress Blake Lively is going through right now.?

In less than a month, she went from being viewed as the American sweetheart with the perfect family life, to a mean, insensitive, and entitled celebrity figure who is out-of-touch with reality.

Before we analyse all the different narratives and conversation topics and draw lessons from them, let us rewind to the beginning for the readers who might be out of the loop on what is currently happening on social media.

??The Backstory??

The backlash that Lively is currently experiencing started due to her promotion of the film It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel about domestic abuse.?

Critics argue that Lively has been promoting the film in a way that downplays its serious themes, treating it more like a romance. Instead of speaking out about the gravity of domestic abuse, Lively has been talking about “fashion” and “florals” in her interviews, drawing criticism that she is trying to imitate Margot Robbie and have a Barbie moment.??

This has upset many, including domestic violence survivors, who feel that the promotional material and Lively’s comments are insensitive. This has led to a broader discussion about how to properly address and represent victims of domestic abuse in the media.

At the same time, both the media and online users quickly noticed a rift between Lively and her co-star/director Justin Baldoni, which added to the controversy.

Now let us look at the top conversation drivers on social media about the controversy and what we can learn from this PR crisis from a media intelligence perspective.

Lesson 1: Keep a close eye on your competitors. Keep an ever closer eye on your partners.?

When we hypothetically think about the causes of a PR crisis, the focus often shifts to competitors. But the truth is, partners can pose an equal, if not greater, risk. A partner's misstep can ripple through your brand, damaging your reputation just as much as a direct hit from a competitor.

In the case of Blake Lively, some X users suggested that the reason why her controversy kept growing was because it was stirred by her co-star Justin Baldoni’s PR team , which, as pointed out by many , was the same one used by Johnny Depp . It was also suggested that Baldoni acted inappropriately on set, as Lively said that their kissing scene lingered and the rest of the cast felt uncomfortable and unfollowed him on social media.?

Lesson 2: Monitor the media response to your statements or actions

When a PR crisis erupts, there is usually a golden window—those first crucial hours or days when it is expected from you to give a statement. But issuing a statement is only the beginning. You cannot just put it out there and walk away; it is essential to monitor how it is received.?

There were claims from Blake Lively's side that Justin Baldoni made her uncomfortable on set because of one scene where Baldoni had to lift Lively in the air. Due to his history of back problems, Baldoni went to his on-set trainer to ask how much Lively weighed and how he could protect his back from injury. Lively insisted that she felt fat-shamed, which most users dismissed as a perfectly valid concern for Baldoni’s well-being and a bad look for Lively.

Knowing what people say and how they react to your statements allows you to respond quickly, adjust your messaging if needed, and steer the conversation in the right direction. Without this vigilance, you risk losing control of the narrative.

Lesson 3: Expect social media users to dig up more dirt on you

The truth about the current state of our digital world is that once you get labelled as “the villain”, social media users will take it upon themselves to inform the world about your “evil deeds”.?

With media literacy at an all-time low and fact-checking often neglected, misinformation spreads rapidly, fueling the fire. Sometimes it is not even misinformation, but past behaviours that went unnoticed suddenly resurfacing and adding to the backlash.?

X users used the opportunity to bring up all of Lively's past questionable behaviour, including her defense of Harvey Weinstein and Woody Allen, even going as far as to say that she would leave her toddlers with him because she was promoting a movie with Allen.

The fact that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds got married on a plantation and that Lively had a blog, called “Preserve”, where she wrote a post titled “The Allure of Antebellum”, led to some suggesting she was secretly racist.

Lesson 4: Conduct a proper audience analysis

When you plan campaigns or promotions, you have to tailor your media messages and statements to your target audience. Understanding who you are speaking to ensures your message resonates and has the desired impact.?

This is where timely social listening comes into play—by monitoring conversations and trends in real time, you can refine your messaging to align with your audience’s current concerns, preferences, and expectations, making your campaign more effective and relevant.

In the case of Blake Lively, netizens expressed their general displeasure with the tone-deaf way she approached the topic of domestic violence. Outlets compared the way Justin Baldoni spoke about the movie and Lively’s character in his promotional interviews to Lively’s one-dimensional view of the movie’s themes, with users saying that she minimised the seriousness of domestic violence by promoting the movie as a “beautiful love story.”

Lesson 5: Your enemies will add fuel to the fire

Once you are down, anticipate your enemies or industry competitors to use that opportunity to take a shot at you. In Blake Lively’s case, there was an incident involving Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa during a 2016 interview for the film Café Society.?

Flaa posted the interview amid the ongoing controversy, generating even more criticism for Lively. In the interview, Flaa congratulated Lively on her pregnancy, to which Lively responded sharply, “Congrats on your little bump,” even though Flaa was not pregnant.?

This comment, along with Lively’s dismissive attitude throughout the interview, left Flaa feeling humiliated and anxious about future interviews. Flaa later revealed that the experience was particularly painful because she was unable to have children herself.

How can you safeguard your brand during a PR crisis??

One thing media intelligence does well during a PR crisis is uncover the root causes and follow the developments of the crisis in real time. By doing so, brands can shift from reactive to proactive communication strategies and manage the situation with clarity and precision.

Monitoring the developing narratives in real time allows you to adapt your strategy, address inaccuracies, and reinforce your key messages before the story takes on a life of its own.

A single narrative can spiral out of control, making it even more critical to manage your reputation and counter falsehoods before they solidify in the public mind. Conversely, if you or your brand are guilty as charged, media intelligence can help you assess the audience’s stances.??

You can use insights generated through timely media monitoring to craft the right messages that show audiences that you acknowledge your faults sincerely and are taking the right steps to address the issue. By doing so, you demonstrate accountability and commitment to making things right, which is crucial for rebuilding trust and repairing your brand’s image.

Check out A Data Pro’s Crisis Communication and Media Intelligence solutions, or speak to our experts today!

Social media insights provided by A Data Pro Subject Matter Expert Kiril Shishkov .

Written by A Data Pro Communication Specialist Dilek Asanoska .

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