FEBRUARY 2015
THIS MONTH IN PR/MARKETING HISTORY BY JEFF RODRIGUEZ
An irreverent look at the people and events that keep us up at night
I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This
How One Halftime Show Created a PR Disaster, Two Catchphrases, a Fashion Trend
and a World Record — and Revolutionized the Internet
What a great Super Bowl game that was. Two strong teams, a down-to-the-wire
finish, a colorful halftime show.
Speaking of halftime shows, the one from Super Bowl XXXVIII, 11 years ago this
month, was something, too. That’s when Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson performed a duet of Timberlake’s song “Rock Your Body.” At the end of the number, Timberlake sang, “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song” and, to emphasize the point, tore away part of Jackson’s costume. Her right breast was visible for less than a second — long enough, it seemed, for all 140 million viewers to go righteously,
indignantly crazy.
“Nipplegate,” it was called. You remember it. But not many people remember the aftermath — and the heartburn it caused PR pros.
First came the statements. MTV, the show’s producer, said the incident was “unplanned, completely unintentional and inconsistent with assurances we had
about the content of the performance.” The network, CBS, said it had no advance knowledge of the stunt, and the
president of Viacom, owner of CBS, proffered his regrets. Jackson's
representative said Timberlake “was supposed to pull away the rubber bustier to reveal a red lace bra; the
garment collapsed and her breast was accidentally revealed.”
Then came the complaints. FCC chairman Michael Powell wasted no time baring his thoughts, calling the incident "a new low for
prime-time television” and ordering an investigation. He would later fine CBS a record $550,000.
Conservatives (Phyllis Schlafly, the Parents Television Council), liberals (Spike Lee, salon.com) and the NFL commissioner also voiced outrage, proving that while
politics makes for strange bedfellows, so does, well, nudity.
Jackson issued a video apology, which CBS reportedly forced her to do. She
exonerated MTV, CBS and the NFL, claimed it was an accident and added, “I am really sorry if I offended anyone. That was truly not my intention.”
Next came the lawyers. Three days after the Super Bowl, a Tennessee man brought
a class action lawsuit against Jackson and Timberlake, and America Online
demanded a refund of its sponsorship money (the last time anyone ever noticed
what AOL did). Three months later, a Utah lawyer sued Viacom for falsely
implying that the show would be appropriate for his children; apparently, he
had no concerns about letting them watch 300-pound men inflict pain on each
other.
“Janet Jackson” became the most searched internet term in 2004 and 2005, and in 2007 her name
was added to Guinness’ world records as the most searched term in internet history. Tivo, meanwhile,
reported that the scene was replayed at a phenomenal rate. "The audience
measurement guys have never seen anything like it,” a spokesman said. “The audience reaction charts looked like an electrocardiogram.” Jewelry stores and piercing studios reported a surge in nipple shield sales.
Jackson’s PR headaches escalated. She was to be a presenter at the Grammy Awards the
next week, but the invitation was withdrawn. MTV canceled plans to make a
documentary on the making of the Super Bowl halftime show; Viacom, CBS, MTV and
other media conglomerates banned Jackson’s music and videos from many of their formats. Perhaps most painful, Jackson had
to withdraw from a film commitment to portray Lena Horne.
Even Walt Disney World removed a statue previously on display of Mickey Mouse
wearing one of Jackson’s Rhythm Nation-style outfits.
This tale is already longer than most halftimes, but stay with us because,
incredibly, the full PR story had yet to play out. In the weeks that followed,
a second backlash developed, with various writers suggesting that the first
backlash had been intentionally overblown. Conservatives, they said, sought to
distract Americans from such unpleasantries as the Iraq war. Jackson herself
floated this theory, noting, "It was just perfect timing to take people's focus
off of other things.”
Timberlake, you may have noticed, has been absent from this account, and for
good reason: He was absent from the backlash. Even though he was the one to rip
the clothing, Jackson took far more criticism. In fact, Timberlake initially
laughed off the controversy, telling one publication, “We love giving you all something to talk about.”
As further evidence of the double standard, Timberlake did not have to make a
video apology, he was not blacklisted, and he was permitted to both appear and perform at the Grammys, where he briefly apologized and said the situation was
unintentional. He also released a statement that included the term “wardrobe malfunction.” Today the phrase is part of the lexicon and found in many online dictionaries.
After all the fury, the story actually has a happy ending. Jackson’s CDs enjoyed strong sales and led to Grammy nominations, and an appeals court
threw out the fine on CBS. Timberlake went on to become a superstar, and he
eventually acknowledged that he could have done more to support Jackson,
saying, "I think that America's harsher on women.”
Even FCC chairman Powell said Jackson got a raw deal compared to Timberlake. He
also admitted that everything had been overblown, saying he had to present the “best version of outrage that I could put on.”
And finally, there is the story of Jawed Karim. Like so many others, Karim wanted to see the clip of the show but was
frustrated by how difficult it was to find on the internet. So he and a
colleague devised a better way to search for videos. Maybe you’ve heard of it — YouTube.
It’s easy now for us to feel good about how things worked out. But it’s worth considering what a stressful situation this must have been, and not only
for Jackson but for everyone involved. And it’s a good example of why it is important to have a great PR pro at your side;
someone who’s willing to give you the shirt off his back — and tell you to keep yours on.
