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Celebrities, social media influencers, and athletes now have the option to purchase insurance to protect themselves against the repercussions of ‘cancel culture.’ However, individuals with tarnished reputations like Prince Andrew are deemed uninsurable, according to MailOnline.
A new policy is available for purchase by public figures, offering round-the-clock access to an emergency hotline, security guidance, and specialized crisis public relations support in the event that they become entangled in a national or global controversy.
Just yesterday Selena Gomez deleted a video of herself crying over Donald Trump’s ICE deportations after a social media pile-on.
An example of such a situation involves Justin Baldoni, who is currently embroiled in a dispute over his alleged conduct while working on the film “It Ends with Us,” which was brought to light by Blake Lively’s legal action, a situation he vehemently opposes.
And earlier this month Gregg Wallace was forced to step down as host of MasterChef in the UK over allegations of inappropriate behaviour on set – made worse by his own response: an Instagram video of him blaming middle class women of a certain age.
The landmark policy, which is also being offered to businesses, is underwritten by Samphire Risk, a Lloyd’s of London backed independent agency that specialises in products for high-value clients in danger of extortion, kidnap, hostage-crises, terrorism and travel to dangerous countries.
Mark Borkowski, arguably the UK’s leading publicist, will head up the communications operation via his his team at Borkowski PR in London. Merrill Herzog will manage any security solutions in the middle of a cancel culture storm.
The premium will be calculated based on their wealth, annual earnings and analysis of their risk based on their past and social media use.
Mr Borkowski told MailOnline today: ‘If Justin Baldoni and Gregg Wallace had this policy and found themselves in the situation they are in that they would have proper, comprehensive and fully professional care overnight’, Mr Borkowski said. ‘Instead you have case of Mr Wallace and end up doing it all yourself, with disastrous consequences’.
Selena Gomez deleted a video of herself crying over Donald Trump ‘s ICE deportations after a social media pile-on
Prince Andrew’s decision to do Newsnight and explode his own reputation would make him uninsurable
A rift between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over the filming of It Ends With Us has led to a PR battle and litigation
Gregg Wallace’s decision to manage his own crisis is being cited as a reason why ‘cancel culture’ insurance is now on the market
But the Duke of York’s disastrous Newsnight interview and the fallout that followed means that the royal is now ‘uninsurable’ – as is Kevin Spacey despite him being cleared of a series of sex offences, Mr Borkowski said.
‘It might have helped Prince Andrew with heavyweight advice at a critical time. But he is now uninsurable. Celebrities and even royals sometimes take the DIY approach that leads to the gates of Hades’, the PR guru said.
‘Sharing or liking a tweet can bring the whole world down on you. The cancel button is the new guillotine [and] one mistake is your epitaph.
‘Social media turbo charges any reaction and spreads it around the world in seconds. In an age where a single tweet can erase a lifetime of credibility. Think of Chrissy Teigen’s cancellation over resurfaced messages – this is the insurance against digital volatility.
‘This includes “cancel culture” and “culture war” fallout, areas where corporations may not, or will not, provide personal cover’.
The policy is also geared to Boomers who are lost to the dark arts of social media and help Gen-Z celebrities who don’t take enough care on the various platforms and unintentionally slip up.
The cost of the premium will vary.
‘Your potential earnings are key. If you’re earning £5million or £100,000 – the price you pay is different. It is based on the value of your celebrity status’, Borkowski said.
PR guru Mark Borkowski says that the policy, known as Preempt, will suit the majority of stars and public figures, but some like Kevin Spacey are ‘uninsurable’
The policy, known as Preempt, also includes research, analysis, monitoring and training to prevent potential reputational issues – or predict them in advance.
There will be analysis of social media posts pumped out by so-called ‘bot farms’, many of them run by hostile states such as Russia.
There are some existing reputational crisis insurance products, but this one will ‘bridge the gap’ and offer fuller cover for businesses as well as stars, business executives and the very wealthy.
The cost includes two months of personal and corporate PR support in the wake of a scandal.
