Remember that, when used correctly, media coverage can be a powerful communications tool for yourself and your brand. So, before making any statement to the media, ask if yours is a message that will help or harm. Fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stephano Gabbana have recently offered personal opinions that did not reflect well on them or their brand to their customers.
In an interview with Italy’s Panorma Magazine, the two designers, both gay, came out against same-sex families and in vitro fertilization (IVF) . “I believe in a traditional family” Dolce said, “We oppose gay adoptions. The only family is the traditional one.” They went on to say that IVF children are “chemistry children and synthetic children.”
Gabbana (left) Dolce (right). Photo courtesy of instinctmagazine.com
This final quote made headlines when Singer Elton John, part of a same sex family with his partner and two children (both via IVF), took to social media posting on instagram, “How dare you refer to my beautiful children as “synthetic”. And shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfill their dream of having children. Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceandGabbana.”
Elton John (left) with his partner and children. Photo courtesy of babycenter.com
The call for boycotting the fashion company was answered by both celebrities and customers alike. The trending hash tag reached the top of USA’s Twitter trending list as well as ranking its popularity in between #boycottclippers and #boycottisraelapartheid. The unfortunate part of this growing boycott trend is how it came to be. Commenting on an issue such as same-sex families, which has no relation to a fashion brand, has caused a dramatic backlash. The two have since commented saying, “We love everything. It was just an expression of a private point of view.”
Mr. Dolce and Gabbana’s media mistake was being caught off guard without an answer to BRIDGE to. Media training allows famous and not so famous folks alike, to practice and edit their answers to tough questions BEFORE their words get into print. Keeping this in mind will help determine if you are using media coverage as a positive or negative communications tool.