“It Ends with Us” Reputation scandal as an ORM case study

ORM stands for Online Reputation Management. It is a well-known strategy for brands to build their reputation over time to earn trust and likeliness from their audience. A strong online reputation can create new opportunities and help others notice and connect with you. Blending the PR world with digital marketing tools allows companies to build their clients’ public opinion, especially in a world where success or failure is measured by media appearance and public opinion.

In Hollywood, where money flows freely and every move can create severe headlines and easily damage a reputation, crisis management has become a true art form, increasing the demand for ORM understanding. A recent story from Hollywood happened this past December: The well-known actress Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against her “It Ends with Us” co-star Justin Baldoni amid claims of an ongoing smear campaign against her.

According to “People” magazine, the lawsuit focuses on how Baldoni designed a negative campaign to reduce the risk of Lively sharing her uncomfortable experience of working with him, which will damage the public perception of him and the movie.

Which methods of ORM were employed in this case, and what was their impact on their image?

The Use of Social Media Platforms and influencers to spread a message

Public opinions are primarily shaped by the content shared on social media platforms. While people consume these messages, they also have the power to influence them, creating a two-way dialogue. Brands and individuals actively participate in this exchange, using these platforms to promote positive content and remove negative messages.

When the movie premiered this summer, social media was flooded with videos discussing Lively’s problematic behavior on set. She was portrayed as a bully who was difficult to work with and insensitive. Fans criticized her for being tone-deaf and shallow in interviews while promoting the movie, pointing out that she focused more on the clothes the character was wearing instead of addressing domestic violence, the film’s main subject. In contrast, news about her co-star reported that during filming, he partnered with non-profit organizations that deal with domestic and sexual violence, while also raising public awareness about the real stories of survivors.

After experiencing significant reputational harm, she claims that Baldoni’s PR firm created this narrative about her and promoted videos that supported it to ruin her long-standing golden image. The lawsuit indicated an intentional social media campaign, as was discussed in incriminating text messages between Baldoni and his publicists, where they used terms such as “social manipulation” and “proactive fan posting” to boost more positive content on Mr. Baldoni as well as negative content about Lively.

The use of AI and Machine Learning for identifying harm in reputation

Amid the sea of information and the rapid pace of change, AI is the most powerful tool for analyzing information and drawing conclusions. AI-driven sentiment analysis recognizes positive or negative tunes in a text and is used to determine the public perception of a brand. These technologies can also anticipate potential reputation issues before they escalate, making them essential.

According to the New York Times, Lively’s brand marketing consultant, Terakeet, informed Ms. Lively that she was likely experiencing an “online attack.” Terakeet did not know exactly who was behind the campaign. However, after analyzing the entire Google search index, he discovered that 35 percent of the search results included Baldoni’s name, which he found quite unusual, especially considering that Lively has been in the industry for quite some time.

A Marketing fallout

Baldoni portrayed himself as a supporter of feminism by standing up for women when the Me-Too movement began, as more women shared stories of sexual assault in the industry. He also established a successful podcast named “Men Enough,” where he explored the topic of toxic masculinity. This positive theme surrounded his image until recently when he was accused of sexual harassment during the filming of the movie in Lively’s lawsuit. In the files, it was described that he improvised kissing scenes that were not in the script she sighed on, as well as sharing with her that he did not always receive consent in his past relationships. The ongoing lawsuit illustrated how fragile a reputation is as the internet is currently buzzing with comments about whether he truly is the person he claimed to be.

What was the result for Lively?

Significant financial damage. Blake Lively’s hair-care company, launched last August, estimates it lost up to 78 percent of its sales despite initially starting off well. A negative reputation can lead to financial harm, and although this case gained public attention due to severe consequences, many reputation issues can be effectively resolved early using these tools. The outcomes can’t be predicted with 100 percent certainty, but utilizing them can go a long way.

As more allegations of such campaigns started to emerge, the actress Amber Heard addressed this lawsuit by saying she experienced it firsthand by the same PR team Baldoni hired two years ago in the defamation trial with her ex-husband, the actor Johnny Depp. When commenting on the lawsuit, Mrs. Lively said, “I hope that my legal actions help pull back the curtain on these retaliatory tactics.” This story appears to have exposed some of Hollywood’s tactics, which have probably been used in this industry for quite some time (despite publicists’ denials).