What we have learned from Binkygate
Howard Lake | 4 March 2015 | Blogs
It is highly unlikely that Binky Felstead will be keen to work with a charity again or being asked to work with one for that matter. The unfortunate unravelling story of a payment to a young celeb by a major charity was a perfect filler for a slow news day. The serious concern is the damage it did in making the public not want to support the valuable work Barnardo’s does for children.
We live in a celeb obsessed society, so why shouldn’t charities try to ride that particular cultural wave? No reason, except perhaps to go into relationships with their eyes wide open. So what do we learn from such an event? Obviously, working with famous third parties can be a minefield but there are charities who have set up professional arrangements in order to try and avoid these pitfalls. And those arrangements can be paid or unpaid, it depends on the circumstances.
Reputational risk
Reputational risk has always got to be a key consideration. We live in a more liberal society than previous years, so private celebrity scandals are not the career stoppers they used to be. In the 1980’s a well-respected TV presenter, Frank Bough supported an international children’s charity. Unfortunately he admitted to being addicted to cocaine and visiting prostitutes. Resulting in the end of his career and his relationship with the charity.
However, we do still get concerned about money being “inappropriately” gained, only this month we are faced with another MP scandal, this time “cash for access”.
.@TheSunNewspaper front pge incorrect. Our retail trading arm operates in commercial environment & is paying £3k for @BinkyFelstead campaign
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— Barnardo’s (@barnardos) February 15, 2015
The @BinkyFelstead campaign was 2 test the impact of a popular celeb 4 new audiences. Not a decision we took lightly:http://t.co/GVo1mAxkUg
— Barnardo’s (@barnardos) February 16, 2015
To pay or not to pay
Taking the pro bono route may appear to be the moral high ground but can be fraught with risk. Celebs have day jobs which means they might well get a better offer which they want or need to take. This uncertainty is not great if the charity is depending on them.
Pro bono does work where there is a genuine commitment by the celeb to the cause, they are prepared to find out more and genuinely care about the mission. The appearance of (paid) celeb teams at charities who professionally manage the relationship is a welcome and necessary development. Having said that it is not always a perfect arrangement as there is a temptation to put the celeb in cotton wool and other hired hands like us agencies find it a challenge to do our job professionally. Try being a TV director not allowed to direct the talent!
Taking the paid route does not have to end up like the Binky/Barnardo’s debacle. It would appear (and hindsight is a wonderful thing) that various steps were not considered.
Authenticity
Was she really right for the task in hand? Was she the best celeb to encourage a new audience to go to charity shops? Supermodels like Kate Moss have been known to recommend checking out charity shops. What were Binky’s credentials and is she well enough regarded? The relationship should have the air of authenticity to encourage the audience to respond and ensure success for the campaign.
Transparency
Clearly the main players were caught on the hop and were not prepared for the press reaction. Both parties should have had clear media briefings, after all the campaign was designed to get media attention.
Horrified at the total lies in the Sun both for me and Barnados, sick!
— Alexandra Felstead (@BinkyFelstead) February 15, 2015
I have just read Gone Girl and the quote from Gillian Flynn came to mind.
“My mother had always told her kids: if you’re about to do something, and you want to know if it’s a bad idea, imagine seeing it printed in the paper for all the world to see.”
Finally a word on behalf of the celeb. There are many who do great work for charities and their arrangements are many and varied. Some do take a nominal fee and then waive other fees, like repeats for voice over artists. That “small waiver” of fee can represent a significant donation to the charity if the campaign is frequently shown on TV or the internet.
Gail Cookson is Fundraising Director at WPN Chameleon, where a highly talented team of 55 people operates across all areas of digital, direct marketing and DRTV. We work with a wide range of charities and commercial organisations.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.