When action movie director Michael Bay stepped onstage at this year’s CES, who knew he would divert the spotlight from the tech products being showcased – including the Samsung television he was supposed to plug – onto him. The publicity generated by his very brief appearance was not the type anyone would want.
Undoubtedly everyone has heard by now how it played out. Within moments of taking the stage, Bay appeared nervous and at a loss for words. After fumbling awkwardly and blaming faulty teleprompters, he apologized and quickly walked off. How ironic is it that technology failed him at CES of all places, and while he was promoting a new high tech product?
Looking at this through a PR lens, I’m fascinated by the fact that he relied solely on teleprompters in the first place. It’s interesting to me that a successful Hollywood director wouldn’t have prepared better beforehand.
My guess is that he didn’t take this too seriously. He was paid to make an appearance to promote a new product and probably told there would be teleprompters and a guy there to guide the presentation. While it’s easy to fault the PR people behind the scenes, it may be that he simply refused any prep or rehearsal. Realizing after the fact, as Bay did, that “live shows aren’t my thing” is too little, too late.
In helping our clients prepare for speaking opportunities and interviews, we emphasize having “islands of safety” – knowing your key messages cold no matter what is thrown at you. We frequently have executives tell us they don’t need any training because they know their business inside and out. But once we put them on the spot in a few mock interviews, they realize how much they need it.
The value of spokesperson prep is obvious to anyone who watched Bay flailing about at CES, desperately searching for islands of safety that just weren’t there.