How Kate Middleton's Cancer Crisis Redefined the Rules of Modern PR
As we approach the end of 2024, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the year’s defining moments in the communications industry. From navigating unexpected crises to managing high-stakes public narratives, this year has underscored the critical role of crisis communications. Annmarie Pisano, Partner at Pisano Slater Enterprises and a seasoned consultant for major brands, shared her thoughts on 2024’s most impactful crisis communication case and the lessons the industry should carry forward into 2025.
When asked to identify the top crisis of 2024, Pisano pointed to Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, noting, “To me, the #1 crisis comm case of this year was Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis. I don't think any other case captured the press and the public imagination or had quite as many lessons for communicators as this one. Her team ran a perfect crisis playbook — for the 1980s.”
Pisano highlighted how this case illuminated the evolving landscape of crisis communications. “If you're famous enough, you can't hide in plain sight,” she explained. “Citizens with phones and TikTok accounts will find you and expose what you want to hide. Beyond that, the surveillance state is now weaponized against people who want to keep things private. Drones, airplane trackers, business documents — all of these are readily available online. If you give the public just a little bit of information, they’ll invent more to fill in the blanks.”
Pisano emphasized that being upfront and transparent is more critical than ever in today’s digital age. “Obfuscating only makes it worse. This has always been true, but it’s much more damaging now, when the public has all these tools to uncover the truth themselves.”
Lessons for Public Figures
According to Pisano, public figures and their teams must adapt to the changing expectations of transparency. “Public figures need to recognize what's publicly available about them online, kill what they can, and learn to coexist with the rest. Their teams need to be aware and monitoring, because the public certainly is.” She added, “People expect to know what's going on with public figures because they’ve let their fans into their house via the internet. Smart celebrities and public figures will learn to work with that, not against it. My second lesson is: learn to work with your fandom, not against them.”
Pisano also hinted at another major crisis of 2024: the implosion of the Miss Universe brand. While unable to speak on the record due to conflicts of interest, she noted that it’s “a fascinating look at a troubled-but-famous brand’s downfall.”
Looking Ahead to 2025
As the industry heads into 2025, Pisano predicts the growing impact of generative AI and deepfakes on crisis communications. “They’re already out there, but my prediction is that people will start falling for them, and they’ll begin to play a larger role in crises. Perhaps even from the comms teams themselves!”
Pisano’s reflections serve as a collective playbook for communicators navigating today’s fast-moving and hyper-connected world. Transparency, proactive engagement, and the ability to adapt to technological and cultural shifts are essential. As Pisano aptly put it, “The rules have changed, and so must we.”
