It’s not an understatement to say that the entertainment industry was taken by storm by the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation lawsuit, which ended in the jury finding both parties liable for defamation. Depp was awarded significantly more in damages than his ex-wife.
The veteran actor was one of the most prominent faces and sought-after actors in Hollywood until the couple’s public divorce case, where Heard accused Depp of sexual assault, effectively putting a halt in Depp’s career.
Baden Bower head journalist Adrian John Ignacio weighs in on the case. “What people don’t realise is that PR played a major role in the trial.”
He explains that Depp’s PR team may have employed a specialised PR strategy called litigation PR.
The power of litigation PR
People think a good lawyer in a courtroom is what all prominent figures need to win a case. While that’s true, a litigation PR team helps a plaintiff or a defendant win in a different arena – the court of public opinion, which could also help sway the jury's decision.
Experts in litigation PR believe that the court of public opinion is often more important than the court itself. When the trial is over, the reputation stays with the crowd for several years.
Litigation PR isn't fundamentally different from the typical PR role, except that the stakes are much higher.
How Depp won the PR game
The decision of whether Depp or Heard was liable for defamation technically belongs to the jury. But, in the court of public opinion, Depp started with a considerable advantage.
While Heard had already appeared in several films, Depp is much more known, easily one of the most bankable stars. This gave him certain advantages, such as the money to hire the best lawyers and PR pros and the support of legions of fans.
Baden Bower head journalist Adrian John Ignacio believes Depp’s fans were his real advantage. With millions of fans practically worldwide, he had tons of people ready to advocate for him. All his litigation PR team had to do was to reach out and employ classic PR tactics.
“Unsurprisingly, for the trial duration, the world saw an avalanche of social media posts supporting Depp and castigating Heard,” says Ignacio.
In an interview on a television show, Heard’s attorney said the presence of Depp fans outside the courthouse and the barrage of social media posts against Heard contributed to the jury’s verdict. “And she was probably right,” says Ignacio.
“Though the jurors were ordered to abstain from checking social media or discussing the trial, this was difficult to implement, especially since there was so much noise about the trial, which was cleverly planned by the litigation PR team,” Ignacio further states.