The Heard v Depp defamation trial came to an end this morning with a unanimous verdict ruling in Depp’s favour. If the trial has shown us anything, it’s that the court of public opinion may present the biggest challenge to celebrities wanting to curate their own narratives.

In the age of cancel culture, out of context TikTok snippets, and Twitter tirades, public opinion is finicky at best. Comments made 5 or 10 years ago never disappear, incriminating photos cannot be erased, and your reputation can take an irreversible hit seemingly overnight. But against all odds, actor Johnny Depp, has seemingly been able to rise from the ashes of his cancellation and resume his place as America’s sweetheart.

In Depp’s case, it seems he’s been able to use his stoic adherence to a consistent story to win public favour, and more importantly, his case against Heard. In the face of Heard’s seemingly erratic campaign, it seems that Depp’s cool, calm, and collected media presence has elevated his narrative and contributed to his win. Depp’s consistently rational demeanour, an insurmountable #justiceforjohnny social media campaign, and the propensity for the media to cling to the irrational woman trope have all rocketed Depp back into popular favour. I suspect that behind the scenes, there exists a very proud PR team!

As public relations practitioners, at the end of the day it falls to us to do our best to control our clients’ narrative. But how do we instill a sense of control to a campaign when hashtags, headlines, and even bots seem to be vying for us to fail?

If you find yourself faced with a chaotic set of circumstances, in which your campaign narrative seems to be slipping further and further out of your control, you may need to implement some crisis tactics.

Initially, consider whether you have a clear message and to assess how your message is currently being communicated. Making sure your team is well briefed, so there is one clear line of communication, is of the highest importance. At MediaCast, we understand the significance of targeting your message to the right media outlets, and making sure you get the best coverage possible, to tip the scales of public opinion. If your narrative is already polarising, then you’ll need to do your research and find out which media outlets will be receptive to your side of the story. There’s no use spending your energy reaching out to outlets who are likely to misconstrue your words and add fuel to the fire.

Another important aspect of your strategy is the strength and appropriateness of your spokespeople. Are they media trained and are they likely to represent your narrative well? If your spokesperson is jittery and combative you may end up facing a storm of out of context TikTok clips and angry tweets. A well trained, carefully chosen, spokesperson, with a good handle on your narrative can do a lot to legitimise your campaign. For further media training tips and tricks see our previous blog, Media Training Q and A with Rebecca Archer.

While some people claim there is no such thing as bad press, in this case we tend to disagree, and we think Heard may also have some thoughts about the validity of this claim... So how do Heard and Depp move forward from this? There still seems to be a large group of fans who are keen to see Depp continue to star in Hollywood blockbusters. However, for Heard, who arguably had less of a fan base to begin with, there are many calling for her to be dropped from future productions. For brands and directors, public sentiment may be the deciding factor that guides future contracts. Even though the trial has ended, time will tell who the real winners and losers are in this case.