pr and the oscars
It is the original PR stunt. The Oscars is the one night of the year that celebrities come together and celebrate the year’s best films. A night where audiences can root for their favorite actor, actress or movie to take home the golden statue. But this year, The Oscars were particularly important. Here are five (PR) things that happened on Sunday:
1. A platform for race equality in Hollywood - Celebrities and audiences were upset this year due to the lack of diversity in the nominees. Many celebrities, like Jada Pinkett-Smith, even attempted to boycott the award ceremony.
2. The Girl Scouts of America get major earned media - Chris Rock helped his daughters sell Girl Scout cookies at the ceremony, reaching a room full of hundreds of wallets and the eyes of 34 million viewers. As if people didn’t love Girl Scout cookies enough, there was continuous coverage the next day too. Here’s an extra plus, they raised a little bit over $65,000. Not too shabby.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio (kinda) breaks Twitter - Leo’s first Oscar win not only touched the hearts of people around the world, it also touched the Twittersphere. The win generated more than 440,000 tweets per minute. Even platforms like Buzzfeed, GQ magazine and The Onion jumped in. This just goes to show the power of the internet. Way to go Leo!
4. …and he uses his speech as a platform for climate change - But even in one of his greatest moments, Leonardo DiCaprio uses his on air time to talk about climate change. Another cause being advocated by a celebrity in the right moment where everyone is watching.
5. Spotlight wins best picture and shows the importance of investigative journalism - Real life journalists are overjoyed at the win of the movie based on the Boston Globe Spotlight piece exposing abuse in the Catholic Church in 2001-2002. The movie shows the importance of the tenacity of journalists to get to the bottom of issues and fight for human rights.
It was a pretty pivotal year for The Oscars, it is important to understand the reach a celebrity platform has. Whether raising $65,000 for the Girl Scouts, receiving 440,000 tweets a minute or advocating for causes, The Oscars are beginning to show that it is no longer a night filled with diamonds and dresses.
And in case you missed it:
Eleanor O’Hara is a senior at GVSU majoring in advertising and public relations and minoring in business. After graduation, she hopes to enter a Chicago PR agency and become an Account Executive. In her spare time, Eleanor loves to bake yummy treats, hangout with her friends and family, and watch reruns of One Tree Hill and Grey’s Anatomy.