As content marketers, it is essential to maintain a positive reputation for your brand. Sometimes, however, things do not go according to plan and you suddenly receive a lot of negative attention. Such is the case for Piers Morgan, whose stance on gun control recently brought him and his show a lot of controversy.

The P.R. Problem

After the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school this past December, Piers Morgan began to express his concern over gun control in America on his CNN show, Piers Morgan Tonight. This ignited a wave of fierce criticism from gun advocates, claiming that his remarks were going against the second amendment. A ‘Deport Piers Morgan’ petition was even created on the White House’s website and garnered over 109,000 signatures, thus requiring the White House to provide an official response.

This left Morgan with a serious PR dilemma. He was treading on thin ice by using his national show to criticize one of the country’s constitutional rights, especially since he is not an American citizen. With all of this negative press, Morgan was putting his reputation, his show and even his residency in the United States at risk.

Addressing the Problem Head-On

Rather than ignore the issue, Morgan chose to invite the creator of his deportation petition – radio host Alex Jones – onto his show (see below). Jones was very passionate, high-tempered and loud, coming across unfavorably compared to Morgan’s calm and more rational demeanor. Jones only answered a few of Morgan’s questions and otherwise didn’t let him get any words in, and even resorted to mocking his accent. At the end of the interview, Morgan addresses the viewers and says, “this is the man who wants to deport me from the country,” as Jones continues to shout over him. By bringing attention to the man behind the petition, Morgan flipped the situation and presented the petition in a negative light.

The Takeaway

This incident teaches us the importance of directly addressing negative attention that your brand is receiving. At the very least, it will show that you are attentive to others’ concerns. As the Morgan/Jones confrontation demonstrated, it can actually help your brand by making a criticism seem inadequate. The important thing to remember is that you should never avoid negative press but instead think of ways to spin it in your favor.

What do you think of the way Piers Morgan handled this PR problem? Let us know in the comments below!