Not a good few weeks for cyclist Lance Armstrong—a sentiment he admitted in a Sunday speech.

Facing allegations of doping throughout his career, the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor was booted recently from future competition by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA),which claims to have proof that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Previously staunch supporters such as Nike and Anheuser-Busch have dropped their sponsorships. Contributors to Armstrong’s cancer foundation want their money back, and he is no longer the foundation’s chairman. This week he will learn whether the International Cycling Federation will strip him of his past medals. (UPDATE: The union did indeed strip Armstrong of his Tour de France titles.)

Over lunch a few days ago, a friend remarked, “Be glad you aren’t Lance Armstrong’s PR guy.”

I don’t know who counsels Armstrong on public relations, or even if he has one. But since my friend also asked how I would advise Armstrong, I shared my perspective—and offer it here to the cycling legend if perchance he stops by this blog.

Dear Lance: I have no idea if you used performance-enhancing drugs. I have seen the USADA evidence, but as there are arguments either way, I won't make a judgment here. Rather, I’ll give my perspective under both scenarios.

If you’re guilty of doping: Come clean. Call a news conference, confess it, take full responsibility—no excuses, no blaming other factors and pressures. Accept the judgments of the cycling associations. Apologize sincerely to your fans and supporters. Admit that you made terrible decisions and lied to cover them. Then show that your remorse is more than mere words by setting a new course for your life. Take the same passion you showed on the bike and through your cancer foundation to declare war on drug use in competitive sports. Set up a new organization to educate athletes and equip them to resist or abandon doping. Be the visible, active spokesman for how doping may bring temporary success but lifelong disgrace. In better times, you set a powerful example of determination that inspired millions. You can do that again if you repent of your deception, accept the condemnation and use your experience to help others set a better course.

If you’re not guilty of doping: Continue to maintain your innocence but raise the dialogue to a new level. I’d suggest something similar to that noted above. Tell the world that while you’ve been unjustly accused, you have learned that you cannot turn a blind eye to the prevalence of doping and the risk it poses to future competitors and the sport itself. So instead of fighting the cycling associations and other accusers, you are going to invest that energy into efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing drug use. Establish the new organization and be as tireless in it as you have been with Livestrong. If the conversation is going to continue on this issue, you should embrace it, then direct it toward something constructive and meaningful. Granted, this approach will be greeted with skepticism. But if you are truly innocent and you pour every effort into making this campaign a successful, lifelong pursuit, the final judgment of the people will hinge upon your actions, not on the words of others.

In both scenarios, the driving forces are honesty, sincerity, commitment and integrity. It’s quite possible that the approach will have no positive influence on your reputation. But I encourage you to do it anyway—because it’s the right thing to do. And doing the right thing is how you’ve presented yourself, be it in truth or in falsehood.

Long ago, I wrote a fan letter to Willie Horton, famed left-fielder for the Detroit Tigers. He responded with a signed publicity photo, thrilling my nine-year-old soul.  I proudly informed my jealous playmates of my new, “personal” connection with the baseball great.

Today such bragging earns, at best, a polite smile.

That's because celebrities now connect directly to their fans through social media. A few words posted on Twitter instantly delights their hordes of followers.

"Hordes" is not hyperbole. Lady Gaga recently bested 20 million Twitter followers, making Ashton Kutcher’s 2009 push to reach a million seem quaint. (He’s well past 10 million now.) Zooey Deschanel shares her latest nail art on Facebook while Steve Martin responds to fans’ posts. Jessica Alba and Martha Stewart are all over Pinterest, and you’ll find Taylor Swift’s cat and Justin Bieber’s dog mugging for the camera on Instagram.

A few celebrities caught the wave of online fever early. The first I encountered was John Wetton, legendary bassist and vocalist for the bands King Crimson, UK and Asia. I’m an unabashed fan of his music—Wetton’s group and solo work are equally amazing—so when I discovered his guestbook in 2007, I eagerly signed up.

Wetton is an almost daily fixture there. He posts views and anecdotes, responds to queries, jokes with fans and raves about his favorite soccer team.

It’s not like Wetton has a lot of free time to surf the web. He has toured heavily with Asia since the original band reconvened in 2006, he recently completed a UK reunion, plus he records new music regularly for Asia, iCon (with Asia bandmate Geoff Downes) and for a variety of other projects. Naturally, I wondered how he finds the time to connect with his fan base.

A couple of years ago, I shared coffee with Kim Dancha, who was Wetton’s webmaster at the time. A delightful person, she authored Wetton’s biography, My Own Time, and served as an American contact for fans.

Dancha acknowledged that, when the guestbook was launched, personally connecting with fans was still out of the ordinary. Online tools make it easier for stalkers to lurk, and the occasional argument among guestbook users could make things awkward.

But Dancha was pleased by Wetton’s willingness to remain engaged with the guestbook.  His online presence, genuine and jovial, created personal connections that built awareness and excitement for his work. People on the guestbook feel as if they are his personal friends, and Wetton seems to value those connections sincerely.

Organizations, too, can build such a presence. The trick is to understand which medium connects with your audience, and then to stay personally involved.

Before jumping into social media, ask yourself some questions. Whom are you targeting? What is your message? Is the medium the right tool for what you're trying to accomplish? Are you willing to use it to engage in dialogue on an ongoing basis, not just post items now and then?

Social media opens many doors to create relationships, share directly with your audience, and listen and learn from them. How well it works—always as part of a robust, strategic communication plan—depends on your commitment to it.

As for the results ... John Wetton might say only time will tell.

If there were something I was going to endorse, it would probably be something like sneakers. – Justin Timberlake, singer/actor


Since the birth of celebrity—which, history tells us, goes back to the scandal-prone Roman gods—famous people have been used to endorse things. From Lily Lantry and Pear Soap more than a century ago, to Bill Cosby and Jell-O Pudding, to William Shatner and Priceline, marketers believe the public cares about what celebrities care about—and that translates into product sales.

What’s been interesting, and at times disturbing, to watch is the growing trend of celebrity endorsements for political candidates. Of course, American stars have as much right to support an office-seeker as anyone else. And their involvement certainly generates discussion.

Whether it’s constructive discussion, or whether celebrity endorsement has real meaning … well, those things are up for debate.

The latest—certain to sway undecided voters, um, never—comes from celebrity train wreck Lindsay Lohan, who has endorsed presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Perhaps slightly more helpful to Romney was a thumbs-up from actress Stacey Dash, who starred in the 1995 film Clueless. It wasn’t a good experience for Dash, though, as her GOP cheer earned her swift condemnation from Tinsel Town. (I wonder if Scott “Happy Days” Baio got as much grief when he supported Romney?)

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama is scoring more A-list endorsers, including the incredibly influential Oprah Winfrey, whose blessing is good for a million votes, according to one study. George Clooney’s fundraising dinner  last May generated $15 million for the President’s re-election war chest. And the geek vote was secured by none other than Mark “Luke Skywalker” Hamill, who compared Obama to Star Wars wise man Obi-Wan Kenobi.

From a public relations standpoint, celebrity endorsements are meaningful when the stars clearly articulate their reasoning. People want to feel connected to their favorite celebs, so they find value in hearing a star explain his or her thoughts in an honest and personal way.

Unfortunately, a lot of these endorsements are more about association, or even personal publicity, than about heartfelt support. We all know Michael Moore—who is an entertainer, not a journalist—will endorse a Republican candidate just as soon as the validity of porcine flight is scientifically proven. His blustering does little to generate real, thoughtful discussion, and a lot to get his mug on TV. Likewise, porn star Jenna Jameson revealing (sorry) she’s a Romney fan doesn’t engender civil discourse. The advent of social media has made it even easier for obscure “whatever-happened-to?” personalities to get a moment back in the spotlight.

Celebrity endorsements won’t be going away, so it rests with the general public to weigh such cheerleading with care. For political PR, a great many headaches can be avoided if celebrities who rally around a candidate or cause are prepared to be open, honest and specific about their support.

PR pundits are all over the cringe-worthy post that appeared last night on the Twitter feed for KitchenAid.  I have little wisdom (or punchlines) to add to the discourse, but I can’t help making an observation.

For those who haven’t paid heed to recent news around the presidential debate nor food-related appliances, an errant tweet from KitchenAid during Wednesday night’s political matchup had this to say in reference to the President’s late grandmother:

“Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! She died 3 days b4 he became president.”

The post was removed with all swiftness—but not before many of KitchenAid’s 24,000 Twitter followers saw and retweeted it. KitchenAid’s public relations team quickly posted multiple apologies on Twitter and reached out to key news media to explain the snafu: It turns out someone on the company’s social media team meant to post the sentiment on his or her personal Twitter account. (Hate to be that person today….)

In my view, KitchenAid took the right steps in the right way—responding swiftly with the facts, accepting responsibility and apologizing with sincerity and repetition. This will serve as a great case study on crisis communication and the utility—and perils—of social media.

I only add one suggestion for those who use social media in any form, be it personal or professional. It’s my rule of thumb whenever tweeting, posting or pinning:

Never post anything you wouldn’t want to see alongside your name and picture on a billboard on the interstate.