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First it was Balloon Boy’s dad. Now it’s the state dinner party crashers. Doing something outrageous and illegal to catapult from obscurity to over-saturation in an instant might be the latest technique that wannabe celebrities are using to lasso the limelight on a crowded stage, but it raises the age-old question: is any publicity good publicity? As a public relations consultant, I contend that it depends on your goals.

There seems to be a direct correlation between the velocity at which stars skyrocket to fame and the pace at which they flame out. If your goal is to get rich quick, to be forgotten fast and hated around the world, the more audacious and insidious your stunt is the better. Not many people can resist watching a car crash and corporations are allergic to passing on cash. So, now the most famous party crasher of all time, Michaele Salahi, will likely land a spot on the Real Housewives of Washington D.C. and Balloon Boy’s dad will probably end up on Dr. Drew’s not-yet-created anger management reality TV show. But, they will soon end up in the dustpan of history.

If you want to be etched in the history books and inspire greatness in others, the long haul of hard work and tremendous talent is what stands the test of time. In fact, many of the greatest artists who are still talked about hundreds of years later had to die after decades in the dark before they got noticed.

Like all public relations programs, the strategy and tactics should support the goal. If you want to live hard and die young on the world stage, pop balloons and crash parties.

What do you think? Is any publicity good publicity?

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