Kelly Clarkson’s recent headline-making feud has public relations experts saying the viral attention brings risks for the store, but could create an opportunity if it handles the backlash well.
Over the weekend, Clarkson called out Art of Play, a Brooklyn store known for its collection of toys, games, books, puzzles and other unique items, for allegedly denying her the ability to buy “Molly,” a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton.
“Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,” Clarkson wrote.
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” she continued.
KELLY CLARKSON SLAMS BROOKLYN STORE OVER ‘PRETTY WOMAN’ TREATMENT
Clarkson then compared the encounter to a memorable scene from the 1990 movie “Pretty Woman,” in which Julia Roberts’ character, Vivian Ward, is dismissed by a boutique saleswoman who assumes she cannot afford the store’s clothing.
“But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in ‘Pretty Woman.’ For sure, check it out,” Clarkson added.
The singer’s description of the incident echoed the famous “Pretty Woman” scene, in which Vivian returns to the boutique after being rejected and tells the saleswoman, “Big mistake. Big. Huge.”
A source told People: “She’s usually very private and public drama like this isn’t her.”
“She’s clearly so ticked off that she couldn’t keep quiet about it. Everyone is surprised by how much this whole thing has escalated,” the insider told the outlet.
Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital that this debacle speaks to three key points: “1. The power and presumptive veracity of celebrity statements and/or accusations; 2. The staggering pace and scale of social media as a tool of dissemination; 3. The critical need for a crisis communications plan, regardless of the size of your business.”
Art of Play posted a response to Clarkson’s original social media callout, claiming that they have had “8 million people” bombarding them with hateful messages after the singer’s accusations.
“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity. Thanks to all our friends for their support and welcome to all the curious folks who discovered us amidst the drama. We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’” the store posted to their Instagram page on Sunday afternoon.
Eldridge continued, “Irrespective of which side you believe, this has proven Winston Churchill’s famous quip: ‘A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth gets its pants on in the morning.'”
After the store’s Instagram post, Clarkson took to her X account and Instagram stories on Sunday afternoon to respond to their claims.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” Clarkson wrote, adding a thumbs up emoji.
The singer continued: “So the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone “yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.” That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” adding a checkmark emoji.
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Clarkson added: “And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.”
Jay Aldebert, chief growth officer at International Services Inc. and creator of the Profit by Design Methodology, told Fox News Digital that there are two ways Art of Play could view Clarkson bringing millions of people’s attention to their small business.
WATCH: Kelly Clarkson’s social media callout could have ‘devastating effect,’ expert says
“I think it can have two effects, right? The first effect is that you’ve seen people take up the banner in her name, and you see people posting bad reviews or, obviously, there’s a lot of comments. So, there is a negativity that can have an effect. She’s got a lot of social power. She has 40 million followers and her taking to social media and making a comment, I think you can have a devastating effect,” he began.
“But, if I were to make a counter, the counter is that all good press or all good heat or negative or positive heat, I guess is good and what the store does it with it right now I think can be quite eventful for them,” Aldebert continued.
Aldebert, who manages 1,000 people at his own firm, believes Clarkson should have taken her concerns about her treatment at the store to Art of Play’s owner before blasting the whole business on social media.
“If I’m Monday morning quarterback on this particular one, I’m going to say the first step you take is reach out to the owner, see if it can be resolved. If, obviously, it’s treated as something where they just blow it off or they’re rude, too, then I can kind of see, at least you wait out. You have a great weapon, which is your social media presence. And then take that step if necessary. But I would have liked to see that step taken in terms of the contact of the owner,” he said.
WATCH: Expert says Kelly Clarkson should have contacted store owner before posting
Aldebert believes the small store in Brooklyn could spin this press nightmare into a positive, lucrative move for their business.
“It could be as simple and again, I’m just you know kind of taking a couple guesses in terms of what I would do in this, but photos with the bird. Why not charge five dollars to do so? You know, make a bunch of T-shirts as it relates to the products that resemble it,” he began.
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“Let’s put those up front. If it’s this bird out there then now people are going to want to see because, ‘Hey, they wouldn’t sell it to Kelly Clarkson. Will they sell it me?’ I would increase the price. There’s a lot of different aspects that they could be using this to generate more revenue,” Aldebert said. “And I hope that they take action and maybe they get more of those birds. They’re kind of gonna be like a prized possession for a short period of time.”
On Sunday, Art of Play took to social media to “clarify one additional detail” about Clarkson’s visit.
“During the 5 minutes she spent in the store, she inquired about our mechanical bird puppet named Molly. We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle. He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson.”
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“We also offered to show her a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, that she could have taken home with her that day. It costs about $2,000. She did not stick around long enough to see it.”
“We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air,” the shop concluded. “We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”
A representative for Clarkson did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.
