Let's say you're in PR and your client makes a complete hee-haw out of himself or herself on the radio… what do you do? Let's add for sake of argument that 99.99% of the world thinks you're client said something asinine.

Here's a link below to some really, really good advice for anyone famous — even if you're only "corporate famous" — who does something really stupid and revealing in public, knows they did, and wants it all to go away quick and with the least amount of personal impact.

And never mind if you think the suggested approach is honorable, manly, womanly or whatever. The question is, what works? How do you minimize the story, curtail the damage, and get back on track? Set aside for the moment whether or not you think the client deserves a break. How do you accomplish the impossible whether you want to or not?

In this post at Enterprise Web 2.0 they say apologize in writing, say you're going to rehab yourself, shut-up, go away and stay dark for a while, call your friends and tell them to grant no interviews, and call your enemies and threaten them with wicked pay-back someday if they say anything bad. Is that manipulative, insincere, cowardly… maybe, but it takes all the oxygen out of the air for the mainstream media. With no air, no story on fire can sustain itself.

People get confused about this because in slightly different circumstances, it's important to talk non-stop and be available 24×7. You do that when bad things are happening that are not your fault. Some bizarro taints your drug… get out there and stay out there giving everyone everything you got as soon as you have it. Alternatively, you have a tainted mouth, shut it. Some consumer at your restaurant finds a finger in their chili, go on air and stay there… unless it's your finger.

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