It may be safe to say that there’s likely no other group on the planet that’s more self-aware than celebrities. As the interest in the behind-the-scenes aspects of peoples’ lives continues to be fodder for TV, radio, the front page of the newspaper and countless online gossip websites, more celebrities are relying on their public relations (PR) professionals to help them preserve their image, dispel rumors and manage any crisis before they balloon into full blown PR nightmares.
While magazines that focus on celebrities such as athletes and entertainers in the music and movie industry have been on the marketplace for several decades, it’s evident that the information about celebrities has only increased since the beginning of the twenty-first century thanks to the availability of the Internet, mobile phone devices with cameras and TV shows that are dedicated to gossiping about the latest news in the lives of the rich and famous.
And while PR professionals have long since been under the employ of celebrities, it’s likely that most of work these days involves reputation management as more media outlets are turning to more creative ways of capturing the details of what goes on behind seemingly closed doors for many of the world’s most famous stars. Still, there are a core set of duties that PR professionals have to focus on when they are managing the reputation of a celebrity client. These include building hype around the talents of the client and any projects they may be working on and making sure the information is publicized via local, national and global media outlets. Other profile raising initiatives include facilitating public appearances for their client and celebrity placements, which are events in which the celebrity is paid to attend and promote a product, service or a venue such as a bar, club or hotel.