Public Relations and Advertisement in a Digital Age

In a story that has been gripping the nation, we mourn with Gabby Petito’s friends and family as their worst fears have come to be. Earlier this summer, Petito left on a cross-country journey with then fiancé Brian Laundrie. What was supposed to be an exciting adventure, anticipated by both individuals, lead to an unimaginable ending when on the first of September Laundrie arrived home and Gabby was nowhere to be found. This case has had heavy media coverage, and heavier still is the amount of public scrutiny. With such a high-profile case, it is not difficult to see why Brian Laundries’ lawyer has faced such intense criticism by so many.

A lawyer’s overall purpose is to maintain a good reputation while advocating on behalf of his clients. It would seem, at least to the Petito family, that Steven Bertolino, legal counsel for the Laundrie family, crossed a line when using pictures of their deceased daughter, Gabby Petito, in an advertisement for his law firm. In this instance, we are able to see how public relations and advertisement oftentimes go hand-in-hand. Richard Stafford, speaking on behalf of Gabby’s family, had this to say, “The Petito and Schmidt family demand that you cease and desist posting pictures of Gabby Petito to any and all of your social media pages, web pages or advertisements in an effort to gain business” (Fonrouge & Fitz-Gibbon, 2021). Stafford also stated that if the images were not removed in the allotted amount of time, he would take further legal action on behalf of Gabby Petito’s family. 

It is evident that the law office of Steven Bertolino has found itself in the position where they need to utilize public relation tactics and appropriate advertisement strategies as well. It is important to note that Steven Bertolino claimed via text message that he had no control over the images posted as he was not the one who posted them, but that he agreed they should be removed (Fonrouge & Fitz-Gibbon, 2021). This is a great example of the fact that public relation channels may have to be taken whether or not the accused took part in the offensive actions in question. It is also an example of why “in the age of media, public relations have become so important” (St. John III, Martinelli, Pritchard, and Spaulding) as stated in the textbook, Cases in Public Relation Strategy. Once something is displayed on the internet, it can be very difficult to have it removed, making it so important to post responsibly, otherwise PR channel tactics may be necessary to smooth things over with the public and those directly affected by the information posted. 

Merriam-Webster defines public relations as “the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution” (Merriam-Webster). My thoughts are that after the incident in question, Steven Bertolino should have displayed an act of goodwill. A formal statement from the law office of Steven Bertolino apologizing to the family should have been given. A statement should have been made whether he posted the images or not, and yet none of these measures were taken. In the future, if Steven Bertolino does have interest in representing similar criminal cases, my recommendation would be to use advertisement mediums that appeal to logic or logos, rather than pathos which appeals to the audience’s emotions. This would be an appropriate preventative measure to take because the entire situation is already extremely emotional for everyone involved. 

As stated before, the need for public relations is rapidly increasing because we live in a digital age. Therefore, it is vital to understand that maintaining a good reputation while advocating on behalf of a client is necessary. The tragic events that took place during this cross-country trip have become a heavy presence in the media, making it important for everyone under public scrutiny, such as the lawyers and investigators, to be mindful of how information is presented. With Brian Laundrie still actively missing despite there being a federal warrant for his arrest, there are sure to be many eyes on Bertolino as the investigation progresses. There are too many unanswered questions, making it so important to handle the entire situation with care. How Steven Bertolino proceeds could easily make or break his career.

Works Cited:

Fonrouge, Gabrielle & Fitz-Gibbon, Jorge. “Gabby Petito’s family lawyer threatens to sue boyfriend’s attorney” New York Post, 22 Sept. 2021, https://nypost.com/2021/09/22/... Accessed 26 Sept. 2021

“Public relations.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20relations. Accessed 26 Sep. 2021.

St. John III, Martinelli, Pritchard, & Spaulding. “Cases in Public Relations Strategy” Thousand Oaks, SAGE Publications, 2019. https://www.gcumedia.com/digit... Accessed 26 Sept. 2021