When a Boeing airplane’s door blew off mid-flight, when CrowdStrike crashed millions of computers worldwide, when Mattel accidentally linked children’s toys to adult websites—do you think these companies celebrated that media coverage? The enduring myth that “any publicity is good publicity” has become one of the most dangerous lies in business, costing companies billions and destroying reputations that took decades to build. It’s time to put this misconception to rest once and for all.
The Public Relations Myth That Won’t Die
The commonly quoted phrase “any publicity is good publicity,” along with its cousins: “there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” “bad press is good press,” and “there’s no such thing as bad PR” are all just plain wrong.
A famous adage often attributed to P.T. Barnum, stating that “There’s no such thing as bad publicity,” is echoed in Oscar Wilde’s famous words: “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” This concept suggests that any publicity, even negative, can be beneficial by increasing awareness and sparking conversation.
Long before I even got into the PR game, I’d always heard people say “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” The theory is that as long as people are talking about you, it’s a good thing. Even if they’re saying awful things about you or your company, the publicity is supposed to be still good because your name is on the top of people’s minds, keeping you relevant.
I don’t buy that. At all! The idea that there’s no such thing as bad publicity is laughable. It’s totally insane.
The Real Cost of Bad Publicity
Bad publicity doesn’t just hurt feelings—it devastates bottom lines, destroys brand equity, and can take years or even decades to recover from. When negative publicity strikes, companies face immediate and long-term consequences that extend far beyond temporary embarrassment.
Financial Impact
The most immediate effect of bad publicity and poor PR is often financial. Stock prices can plummet overnight when negative news breaks. Consumer confidence erodes, leading to decreased sales and revenue. Companies frequently find themselves spending millions on damage control campaigns, legal fees, and compensation efforts—money that could have been invested in growth and innovation.
Brand Reputation Damage
A company’s reputation, built over years or decades, can be shattered in a matter of days by bad PR. Bad publicity creates negative associations in consumers’ minds that are incredibly difficult to reverse. Even when the initial crisis passes, the stigma can linger, affecting everything from customer acquisition to employee recruitment.
Customer Trust and Loyalty
Perhaps most damaging is the erosion of customer trust. In today’s connected world, negative experiences spread rapidly through social media and review platforms. Once customers lose faith in a brand, regaining their trust requires significant time, effort, and resources. Many customers who abandon a brand due to negative publicity never return, even after the company has addressed the underlying issues.
Real-World Examples of Bad Publicity and Poor PR Gone Wrong
BP Oil Spill
Just ask BP. Do you think they enjoyed being in the spotlight for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf? Do you think they enjoyed having people boycott their fueling stations? Do you think they thought it was cool that there was a BP oil spill Halloween costume?
Of course they didn’t. The company took a massive hit thanks to all of the negative publicity. They’ve already spent millions trying to rebuild their image through a PPC campaign, TV commercials, and community outreach programs. The environmental disaster didn’t just cost them cleanup expenses—it fundamentally altered how consumers view the brand.
Toyota’s Recall Crisis
What about Toyota? How do you think all of those recalls over faulty, dangerous vehicles worked out for them? The company’s reputation for reliability, built over decades, was severely damaged. Sales dropped nearly 10%, and their competitors made huge gains while Toyota struggled to regain consumer confidence. The crisis compelled the company to completely overhaul its quality control processes and invest billions in rebuilding trust.
Tiger Woods Scandal
Let’s not forget about Tiger Woods. The public hasn’t viewed the athlete the same ever since his personal scandal broke. Thanks to the negative publicity and bad PR crisis, Tiger Woods lost numerous sponsors, including Accenture and AT&T. His earning potential plummeted, and his brand never fully recovered to its pre-scandal levels. You think he enjoyed the negative media attention? You think Tiger feels there’s no such thing as bad publicity or bad PR?
Elon Musk and Twitter
What about Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter? While the jury’s still out on long-term effects, his controversial actions resulted in advertisers—Twitter’s main source of revenue—leaving in droves and customers abandoning the platform. The platform’s valuation has reportedly dropped significantly since the acquisition. Is it really true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity when your primary revenue source is fleeing?
CrowdStrike Global IT Outage (2024)
On July 19, 2024, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike distributed a faulty update that caused roughly 8.5 million Windows systems to crash in what has been called “the largest outage in the history of information technology.” The global disruption affected airlines, hospitals, banks, and government services worldwide, causing an estimated $10 billion in worldwide financial damage.
CrowdStrike’s PR response was widely criticized, particularly their decision to offer $10 UberEats vouchers to some employees at companies that help support its software, prompting ridicule given the costs associated with the outage. The company faced lawsuits, including one from Delta Air Lines claiming approximately $500 million in losses. While CrowdStrike’s stock price has since recovered, the incident highlighted how poor crisis communication and tone-deaf gestures can compound an already serious situation.
Boeing’s Continued Safety Crises (2024)
Boeing began 2024 with a door plug blowing off a 737 MAX flight mid-air, resulting in multiple passenger injuries. Just a month later, pilots reported flight control issues on another 737 MAX, and yet another flight lost a wheel during takeoff. The company’s lack of timely, transparent communication only made things worse.
Boeing’s response was anything but swift. Their lack of timely communication exacerbated the situation. In times of crisis, the public expects transparency; however, Boeing failed to provide clear explanations or reassurances. This poor PR handling ultimately led to the resignation of CEO Dave Calhoun, and the company’s stock price plummeted by nearly 30% year-to-date, illustrating the dire financial implications that inadequate responses can have.
Mattel’s “Wicked” Doll Packaging Disaster (2024)
In November 2024, toy manufacturer Mattel faced a massive PR crisis when it accidentally printed the URL of a pornographic website on the packaging of its “Wicked”-themed children’s dolls instead of the official movie website. The mistake was particularly damaging because the dolls were primarily marketed to children and families.
By Sunday afternoon, Target had pulled the entire Mattel-manufactured doll collection from its shelves, followed quickly by Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, and other major retailers. The products with misprinted websites quickly appeared on eBay for $100 to $800, far above their retail price of $24.99 to $39.99. While the company apologized and advised customers to discard the packaging, the incident became a costly embarrassment that overshadowed what should have been a lucrative partnership with the highly anticipated “Wicked” movie.
Ticketmaster’s Dynamic Pricing Controversy (2024)
When Britpop band Oasis announced their 2024 reunion tour, fans were dismayed by Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” policy, which saw ticket prices more than quadruple while fans waited in online queues. Standing tickets initially advertised for around £135 jumped to over £350 due to high demand, with some tickets reaching more than £460 before fees.
The controversy sparked government investigations in both the UK and Ireland, with the Competition and Markets Authority launching a probe into whether Ticketmaster breached consumer protection law. Frustrated fans took to social media expressing outrage, with many calling the practice “a greedy scam.” The backlash was so intense that Oasis announced they would abandon dynamic pricing for their North American tour dates. Neither Oasis nor Ticketmaster released initial statements, instead engaging in a blame game that only worsened public perception.
Bumble’s Anti-Celibacy Campaign Disaster (2024)
Dating app Bumble’s 2024 rebrand became known as the “Bumble Fumble” after launching a controversial advertising campaign that mocked celibacy with taglines like “You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer” and “Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun.” The ads featured a woman considering becoming a nun but being tempted back to dating by a shirtless gardener.
The campaign was particularly tone-deaf coming from Bumble, a brand that had built its reputation on women’s empowerment and safety. The backlash was swift and severe, with influencers like Julia Fox and Lauren Salaun publicly criticizing the ads on TikTok. Users called for boycotts and began deleting the app en masse. Bumble quickly apologized, removed the ads, and offered billboard space to advocacy groups; however, the damage was already done. The company’s brand perception scores declined steadily following the campaign, demonstrating how misunderstanding your core audience can destroy years of carefully built brand equity.
The Recovery Challenge
While some companies and individuals do eventually recover from bad publicity and poor PR crises, the process is neither quick nor guaranteed. Recovery typically requires:
- Significant financial investment in reputation management
- Fundamental changes to business practices or personal behavior
- Years of consistent positive actions to rebuild trust
- Strategic communication campaigns to shift public perception
- Often, complete rebranding or repositioning efforts
Even with these efforts, many brands never fully return to their pre-crisis status. The damage becomes part of their permanent history, affecting everything from partnership opportunities to employee morale.
The Rare Exception
In some rare cases, certain personalities thrive on controversy. Kanye West, for instance, appeared to benefit from negative attention early in his career, with controversy driving album sales. However, even his case demonstrates the limits of this theory—recent controversies have significantly damaged his wealth, career prospects, and business relationships. What initially seemed like beneficial “bad publicity” eventually crossed a line where the negative consequences outweighed any benefits, proving that even controversy-courting celebrities aren’t immune to genuinely bad PR.
The Bottom Line
The truth is, there is such a thing as bad publicity and bad PR—and both can be devastating. While all the brands mentioned can and likely will eventually recover to some degree, the bad publicity and poor PR they’ve received have done severe damage, at least in the short term and often for much longer.
Companies and individuals should never court negative publicity or bad PR in the hopes that it will benefit them. Instead, they should focus on building authentic, positive relationships with their audiences and having robust crisis management plans ready when negative situations inevitably arise.
The myth that “any publicity is good publicity” or that “bad PR doesn’t exist” isn’t just wrong—it’s dangerous. It encourages reckless behavior and poor decision-making that can destroy years of careful brand building in a matter of days.
What do you think? Do you believe that all publicity is good publicity? The evidence suggests otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s the difference between bad publicity and bad PR?
A: While often used interchangeably, “bad publicity” typically refers to negative media coverage or public attention, while “bad PR” encompasses poor public relations strategies, crisis mismanagement, or ineffective communication efforts. Bad PR can lead to negative publicity, and this often results from poor PR decisions.
Q: Isn’t any publicity better than being ignored completely?
A: While obscurity can be challenging for businesses, bad publicity is often worse than no publicity at all. Negative associations with your brand can drive customers away permanently and make it extremely difficult to attract new ones. It’s better to build awareness gradually through positive means than to risk destroying your reputation for short-term attention.
Q: How long does it typically take to recover from bad publicity or poor PR?
A: Recovery time varies dramatically depending on the severity of the issue and the company’s response. Minor incidents might be forgotten in a few months with proper crisis management, but major scandals or PR disasters can take years or even decades to overcome. Some brands never fully recover their pre-crisis reputation or market position.
Q: Can small businesses survive bad publicity and poor PR like large corporations can?
A: Small businesses are often more vulnerable to bad publicity and PR crises than large corporations. They typically have fewer resources for damage control, less brand equity to fall back on, and more limited customer bases. A single viral negative incident or PR misstep can be devastating, even deadly, for a small business, while larger companies may have the resources and diversification to weather the storm.
Q: What’s the difference between controversial marketing and bad publicity?
A: Controversial marketing is a calculated strategy designed to generate discussion while maintaining brand integrity. Bad publicity typically results from genuine mistakes, scandals, or poor judgment. The key difference lies in control and intent—controversial marketing is planned and managed, whereas bad publicity is often unexpected and damaging.
Q: Should companies ever use controversy as a marketing strategy?
A: Using controversy as a marketing strategy is extremely risky and generally not recommended. While it might generate short-term attention, it can easily backfire and cause lasting damage to your brand. Companies should focus on authentic, positive ways to engage their audience rather than risking their reputation for temporary buzz.
Q: How can companies prepare for potential bad publicity or PR crises?
A: Companies should develop comprehensive crisis communication plans before they need them. This includes identifying potential risk scenarios, establishing clear response protocols, training spokespersons, monitoring online mentions, and having legal and PR teams ready to respond quickly. The key is preparation and swift, honest communication when issues arise.
Q: Is it ever worth it to “ride out” bad publicity or a PR crisis without responding?
A: Ignoring bad publicity or a PR crisis is rarely the right strategy in today’s connected world. Silence can be interpreted as guilt or indifference, allowing negative narratives to grow unchecked. Companies should address issues head-on with transparency, accountability, and concrete steps to prevent future problems.
Q: Can bad publicity help some types of businesses or personalities?
A: In very rare cases, certain personalities in entertainment or politics might benefit from controversy that keeps them in the public eye. However, this is extremely risky and unpredictable. For most businesses and professionals, negative publicity is detrimental to their business, regardless of the industry.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release submission. Download your free copy of 7 Cheap PR Tactics for Success in Any Economy here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/cheap-pr-tactics/