Case Study 1) Just Ken
Ken’s PR problem?
He’s put his foot in his mouth more times than desirable.
Attributes we can work with:
He’s earnest, willing to learn, and ultimately easy to guide.
Solution:
Help Ken begin to tell his story with a vulnerable, ‘this is what I’m learning, this is how I’m changing’ arch.
Encourage Ken to talk openly about his perceptions of masculinity. And ultimately, don’t let him virtue signal by echo’ing the “right things.” Make him work for it…
Welcome to Pop Culture Public Relations, our brand-spanking new series where we discuss the PR problems afflicting your favourite pop culture characters (or at the very least our favourite pop culture characters) and figure out how best to remedy their public relations pitfalls (with a pinch of attitude thrown in for good measure).
First up, we have Ken. Yes, just Ken.
Some of you may know Ken as a popular doll produced by Mattel (one of the greatest content marketing/storytelling behemoths to exist, FYI). Others know Ken from The Barbie Movie (as portrayed by Ryan Gosling, the new poster child for toxic masculinity served in a thinly-veiled, queer-coded, six-foot package).
Of course, this is the time when you should think to yourself, “have I watched this movie? Will this section of the newsletter be filled with spoilers?” and to that we say yes, there most definitely will be spoilers.
In Greta Gerwig’s pink-hued project – a film which is the aesthetic equivalent of a drag queen throwing up a bottle of Pink Whitney – Ken has a bit of a, uh, rush of blood to the head as he begins to learn about the power of the patriarchy.
The 2SLGBTQIA+ team at Start Me Up PR had no idea about the patriarchy, so as you can imagine, we were pretty shocked!
While Ken claims he “lost interest” in the patriarchy when he found out it had nothing to do with horses – a complete 180 from Daniel Radcliffe’s character in Equus (Google it if you don’t get the reference).
The handy infographic above outlines the Start Me Up PR team’s strategy session on what we would do to right some of those public relations wrongs for our number-one professional ‘beach’.
[Disclaimer: Start Me Up PR is not responsible for your feelings pertaining to any references to patriarchal horses, the mojo dojo casa house or the unabridged sexual prowess of Ryan Gosling in this role.]
