Describe Astroturfing. Experts dissect the PR strategy employed in the alleged Blake Lively smear campaign
The main focus of Lively’s accusations is astroturfing, a strategy that sways public opinion by fabricating opposition or support from the grassroots.
A court dispute involving Blake Lively has brought attention to the contentious public relations strategy known as «astroturfing.» The actress from It Ends with Us filed a lawsuit last Friday, accusing her director and
co-star Justin Baldoni of se xual harassment and alleging that his public relations team planned a deliberate, retaliatory smear campaign to harm her reputation and interfere with her commercial ventures.
Astroturfing, a tactic used to sway public opinion by fabricating a sense of grassroots support or opposition, is at the heart of Lively’s accusations.
According to the complaint, during the film’s development, Baldoni’s crisis PR company, The Agency Group (TAG PR), orchestrated social media campaigns to paint her as «controlling» and «difficult.»
Lawyer Bryan Freedman defended Baldoni’s crisis publicists at The Agency Group (TAG PR) in a statement released on Monday, Dec. 23. He said that the crisis publicists «operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources,» and that they were just carrying out their duties.
As previously revealed by PEOPLE in August, Baldoni hired crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan, who has defended Johnny Depp in high-profile court cases, and collaborated with publicist Jennifer Abel in the run-up to the premiere of his film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel.
