Can This Reputation Be Saved?

Nike and Michael Jordan

The short answer:
Jordan probably won't pay for his foul,
and Nike is footing the bill.

When you Google "public relations nightmare," it's amazing to discover just how many nightmares PR folks seem to have these days. (271 in a recent search.) From banks in Canada to Nike in Taiwan to Diebold voting machines (and for that matter the entire election system in the US), there's no shortage of media disasters that mean employment security for good communicators. When will people realize its cheaper to pay PR people to give good counsel ahead of time, than to pay for the consequences afterwards? Nike is a great example...

Nike's Taiwan office conducted a well-publicized promotion that offered buyers of their footwear a chance to meet basketball great Michael Jordan. And so 700 excited Nike purchasers gathered for what they thought would be a chance to spend time with a legend. The problem was that, for whatever reason, Jordan had a different vision of the event and simply breezed in and breezed out, spending less than two minutes with the fans. A firestorm of controversy erupted that included a potential criminal investigation. (See here.)

Now, I know how difficult it can be to work with a celebrity, but that comes with the territory. If you're not comfortable with the potential pitfalls, then chose a different type of promotion. At the very least, if you're paying a celebrity to meet 700 fans, make it clear that the celebrity doesn't get paid for just two minutes worth of his or her time.

My heart bleeds for the poor PR person in Taiwan who had to deal with the trifecta of loss of face, the prima donna basketball player and disappointed customers. The reputation that should suffer is Michael Jordan's, not Nike's. Whatever we may think about the shoe company, it was Jordan whose behavior touched off this firestorm. Unfortunately, like most celebrities in situations like this, he'll probably feel no after affects whatsoever.

Nike, however, should be lauded for its efforts to make up for the rudeness of its guest. Talk about owning the problem: In one of the most amazing displays of corporate penitence we've come across, the company compensated the 700 disgruntled fans with a limited edition poster of Jordan, priority opportunities at future Nike Taiwan activities featuring NBA players, and a pair of exclusive Air Jordan 1 Retro Low shoes. But wait there's more… Anyone who bought Nike shoes just so they could get into the show could receive an unconditional refund. And Nike agreed to pay to renovate 30 community basketball courts in Taiwan.

What is astounding is that despite such abject and very public remorse, the local Nike official is still likely to be subpoenaed by prosecutors. Our question is: Why isn't anyone investigating Jordan?

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