A hot topic this week not only at gloss, but also online, was the Miss USA pageant. Specifically Miss California’s response when Perez Hilton asked her if other states should follow Vermont and legalize gay marriage. Her answer stirred up much discussion, see the video below:
I asked some of the gloss girls for their thoughts. Not on what Miss California’s beliefs were, but on how she communicated her message:
“I think Miss California suffered from a lack of active listening skills. Perez Hilton’s question was not “Do you believe in gay marriage?“ – it was about other states following suit in providing their citizens the choice of marriage.”
- Jessica
“Put simply, communications in about delivering your brand to your target audience. Miss California failed to embody the Miss USA brand in her answer – a brand that “unites” and “inspires”, according to Perez. As a result, she alienated her two target audiences: 1) the judging panel, which included Perez Hilton, a gay American. 2) An American public that supports “change” in their country (we know this because of the overwhelming success of the Obama brand).”
- Laura
The lesson to be learned is that when you’re addressing an audience, you need to make your message relevant to them or you’ll be doing yourself a disservice. I’d love to pose a question to you gloss-ettes out there: Are pageant contestants properly prepared to answer judges questions? (Remember Miss Teen USA contestant Miss South Carolina’s answer about maps in classrooms?) Or to maintain the relevance of pageants, is it to the organizations benefit to have a controversial contestant each year?
Veritas’ Senior Vice President, Bill Walker, wrote about this on the Touchdowns & Fumbles blog, check out his stance here.
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