Joy Youell
The McDonald's CEO taking a tiny, awkward bite of a Big Arch sandwich and going viral for all the wrong reasons? Yeah, that happened. But he's not the only food exec putting himself out there lately—and the results are a mixed bag of brilliant strategy and cringe-worthy missteps.
We're seeing a surge of CEOs stepping into the spotlight, especially when their companies are struggling. It's like the corporate equivalent of a Hail Mary pass—sometimes it works, sometimes you get sacked.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE VIRAL
Take Burger King's Tom Curtis, who basically admitted in a Super Bowl ad that his chain had become a disaster. Old restaurants, slow service, mediocre food—he owned it all. Curtis even gave out his phone number and spent hours listening to customer complaints. "I said, OK, but I'm not an actor," Curtis told The New York Times. "If you're going to force me to talk to a camera and if it comes off poorly, if it's not authentic, if it's not the right level of humility, then you better not put it out there."
The gamble paid off. "A lot of Whoppers are getting sold, and I'm walking around with a smile on my face," he said.
Then there's Red Lobster's Damola Adamolekun, who's become something of a social media darling with his candid approach. Great PR buzz, sure, but the company still lost money in four of its last five quarters. Turns out charisma doesn't automatically fix fundamental business problems—who knew?
And McDonald's Chris Kempczinski? Well, let's just say that viral sandwich moment wasn't exactly the kind of attention they were going for.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR PR STRATEGY
Here's the thing about deploying your CEO as your brand's human face: it's high-risk, high-reward territory. When your company is in crisis mode, a CEO who can authentically own the problems and articulate a path forward can be pure gold. They become the accountability figure, the one steering the ship through rough waters.
But—and this is crucial—your CEO better have the chops for it. If they're not naturally charismatic or comfortable on camera, you're setting them up to become a meme for all the wrong reasons. And if your business fundamentals are still broken, all the CEO charm in the world won't save you from continued bad press.
The sweet spot? Use your CEO strategically, not constantly. Make their appearances meaningful moments tied to real business changes, not just PR theater. And for the love of all that's holy, media-train them properly before putting them in front of a camera with a sandwich.
Think of CEO deployment like a good hot sauce—a little goes a long way, but dump too much and you'll ruin everything.
Ready to develop a CEO communications strategy that actually works? Let's talk about how to position your leadership for success without the viral disasters. Reach out to Winsome Marketing and let's make sure your CEO becomes famous for the right reasons.
This post was originally inspired by The Scoop: When to call in the CEO via prdaily. We encourage you to read the original piece for full context.