Plus: Elizabeth Holmes documentary succeeded in silence; ’60 Minutes’ tries to reclaim the narrative.
Influencers made a splash at the U.S. Open. But not in a good way.
One used a ring light to film herself during a match. A group was so disruptive while recording themselves in a suite that the umpire had to ask them to sit down.
For a staid, traditional sport like tennis, which values rules and manners, it was a shock to the system.
“I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” star player Naomi Osaka said. “And I feel like it’s common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette.”
The U.S. Open credentialed 100 content creators, in addition to traditional journalists.
Across the pond in Wimbledon, the scene will be different. No influencers will be credentialed. Items like ring lights, which may disrupt gameplay, will be banned.
It was unclear whether this rule was made in direct response to the situation at the U.S. Open or if it was already in place.
Why it matters: Right now, it feels like every organization is aggressively courting influencers as a way to get their message out. Traditional media has lost much of its reach, but influencers are still going strong.
Wimbledon, however, is saying: no. This isn’t worth it for us. We value preserving tradition and decorum over even the potential to reach new audiences.
That’s a perfectly valid reaction. But there’s also a middle ground between the Open’s anything goes attitude and no influencers allowed.
When working with content creators, don’t just hand them a credential and hope for the best. Spend the time to educate and train. The more they understand what they’re experiencing, the more they can help you attract the right audience instead of just a big audience. Help them understand what behavior is and isn’t OK, and if people can’t follow those rules, don’t invite them back.
Influencers aren’t going away. But with a little extra work, it can be a more productive, beneficial relationship for everyone.
Why is ‘You Can See Everything’ so buzzy?
A new docudrama about fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, “You Can See Everything,” dominated headlines from the Telluride Film Festival. They pulled off an impressive PR coup: they stayed silent.
For three years, the documentary was filmed in secret. On the night of its premiere in Telluride, audiences didn’t even know what they were going to see until it began. There were no leaks, no steady drip of information, no teases. Just a stunning reveal that got audiences excited for the film, which premieres more broadly next month.
This is a bold, audacious PR strategy that required commitment over the course of years from hundreds of people. It’s incredibly tricky to pull off, but it does show the power of an abrupt reveal over a slow one when you have a remarkable product.
Is there an upcoming announcement you’re working on that would benefit from secrecy, silence and then a big surprise?
What is ’60 Minutes’ changing when it returns?
Fabled TV program “60 Minutes” will soon return to the airwaves after a tumultuous off-season that saw many correspondents depart, new leadership and plenty of controversy. To prepare for the new premiere, the program allowed the New York Times access to tease out what’s new about their season and try to reassert control of the narrative.
“Over the summer, we’ve made changes to every aspect of the broadcast to make it stronger,” Executive Producer Nick Bilton told the Times in an interview. “While each of those changes represents a slight departure from the way it’s been done in the past, it will make for a new approach to ‘60 Minutes’ in its totality.”
While the article does, of course, reference the many bumps in the road for the program, it also presents a picture of a newsroom where Bilton is in control, a far cry from the revolts that marked his early tenure. It manages to focus on some of the substantive changes to the show while also teasing its big upcoming interview with one of the pilots who was shot down over Iran.
The proof will be in the program, but this story represents a careful PR move designed to show a transformed newsroom that’s under new management but preserving the core of its trusted product.
What is Meta Muse?
Meta has released a new AI tool called Muse that focuses on agentic tasks for individuals rather than businesses. Muse wants to connect to every aspect of your life, from calendars and email to credit cards and smart homes, to control everything.
Giving all that information is an act of great trust from users, and at a time when trust in Meta is at a low. The company has faced (and frequently lost) lawsuits around the world over accusations of hooking kids on its services and reinforcing addictive behavior.
This incident shows the importance of trust overall. It permeates all aspects of a business. Even though Muse is fairly separate from much of the social media activity that has earned Meta so much negative attention recently, the same name is on the company. People must choose to trust Meta with all their data to make true use of the tool. Will they be willing to do that? Or will recent breaches of confidence stick out in their mind, making it more difficult for this tool to get off the ground?
Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.
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