When a celebrity complaint becomes a small business PR opportunity.

Kelly Clarkson recently shared a frustrating experience at Art of Play, a small Brooklyn shop, after asking about a $15,000 mechanical singing bird. She felt the employees treated her like she couldn’t afford it and compared the experience to the shopping scene in Pretty Woman. The store responded that the bird wasn’t actually for sale, even though it had a price tag. Clarkson questioned that explanation publicly, and the disagreement quickly became national news.

^{Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play in Brooklyn, NY. Photos: Art Streiber/NBC; Google Maps.}

What caught my attention was how the store owner handled the publicity. Instead of letting the story fade, he seemed to have a little fun with the attention. The store explained that the $15,000 price was for a similar bird available through the artist. Then the owner announced that Molly, the original bird, was now available for $15 million. According to NBC News, he confirmed the new price after previously saying the bird wasn’t for sale.

^{Adam Rubin outside Art of Play in Brooklyn. Photo: Gregory P. Mango / New York Post.}

I think the owner saw a chance to have a little fun with the situation, especially with Clarkson’s millions of followers watching. As people became curious about him and his small Brooklyn shop, they also discovered he was Adam Rubin, the bestselling children’s book author behind Dragons Love Tacos. Neither side came out looking particularly good, but the attention certainly got people talking. His approach reminded me of press agentry, a public relations strategy focused on generating publicity, even when the attention isn’t necessarily positive. But public relations is also about building trust and maintaining good relationships. As Fortune reported, defending your business doesn’t always mean winning over customers. It seemed like the owner was willing to gamble with his reputation for another moment in the spotlight.

#PublicRelations #KellyClarkson #BrandReputation #MediaRelations #NoComment