The well-known Streisand effect happens when you try to hide something, and as people learn this, the thing you were trying to hide gets much more attention.
The lesser-known Streisand deflect is a deliberate hijacking of the keyword that’s currently bad for publicity. Instead of trying to stop people from searching for a keyword or topic – which could backfire – just drown out the previous, undesirable results with something neutral.
Examples:
- Beyoncé bodyguard: there were online rumors that Beyoncé had a relationship with her long-time bodyguard. So she released a song called “Bodyguard”, and now when you search for “Beyonce bodyguard”, the top results are about the song.
- Taylor Swift jet: news lashed Taylor for her private jet use. During this PR crisis, she showed up at a New York Jets match, which immediately shifted the search results when someone looked up “Taylor Swift jet” (though this effect was temporary).
- Dubai chocolate: look it up yourself…
- (All the truly working examples of the Streisand deflect are, by definition, undiscoverable. Any example one can find is failing to some extent, but might still be the better strategy from a macro PR perspective.)
The Streisand deflect is a natural consequence of the shift away from traditional media to new-age media, in which companies and celebrities often have larger reach and influence than traditional media do.
- In the old world, you'd be at the mercy of traditional media & reporters. You don't have as much of a say in the narrative, so you try to hide the sensitive information, hoping those in control don't find out and publicize it.
- In the new world, a celebrity is the media. They have very direct control over what gets shown in search engines. Hiding is an increasingly harder and less effective strategy while deflecting is constantly more feasible.
Trying to hide the truth is a fragile strategy. Creating another truth with the same keyword is robust if not antifragile. Instead of silence, you choose to shout. When one strategy doesn’t work, the opposite might.