Oh Michael Phelps....What Have You Done?

It's been in the news that images of Olympic swimmer and recent US hero of sorts, Michael Phelps, have surfaced showing Phelps taking a hit off of a bong. Oh dear. I feel like this could have been a fantastic case study in my "crisis communication" courses. There are a couple of points of view that I take with this issue: one from the perspective as someone who worked in public relations and understands the role of spokespersons and the second as someone who has chosen Kellogg for the brand archival project.

As a former public relations professional, I've spent some time working with company spokespersons. I know the amount of background research that goes into making sure the person doesn't have any potentially explosive skeletons in their closet, as well as making sure they are a safe bet for future behavior. Once the background is cleared, it's always necessary to make sure the potential spokesperson's values, attitudes, and behaviors are in line with the company's. I would be shocked if Kellogg did not conduct due diligence on the background of Phelps...sometimes these images seem to appear out of no where. The fact that Kellogg is a brand so closely related to children and families makes it understandable that Kellogg has announced that they will be letting Phelps' contract expire as of the end of this month. I think it's a rather unfortuante situation, though, since I believe Phelps and Kellogg make a nice connection (minus bong hits). It's also slightly ironic that Phelps is being pushed out of Kellogg, after he signed an exclusive cereal deal with them, which made it impossible for General Mills to scoop him up for inclusion on the front of Wheaties boxes.

In reading Gobe's book Brand Jam, I am classifying Kellogg as "trust" within Gobe's 5 Primary Emotional Drivers. Gobe states that trust companies "include age-old, established firms with a history and heritage that provide products and services you can trust..." In my opinion, this fits Kellogg nicely. With that said, a company that is seen as trust in the eyes of consumers has an obligation to uphold that image and "do the right thing." In this instance, releasing Phelps from the contract was the obvious way for the company to avoid backlash from consumers, mainly parents, who would wonder why on earth a pot smoking swimmer is being associated with children's cereal (and other products, of course).