I don’t know if this is the right sub for this convo. I tried posting this before in the katseye sub but was removed so I am bringing the conversation here.
I know this topic has been discussed to death, and some of you are tired of hearing about it, but I have been seeing a lot of comments that HxG has handled this situation terribly. At first, I was like ” 100%” but then I started asking myself: what would I actually have done differently if I were their PR team?
So I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one, I want to start from the beginning. At least what little we know.
On Feb 20, HxG released a statement saying that Manon was going on hiatus due to health reasons. Shortly afterward, Manon took to weverse and essentially said that she was healthy and that things had unfolded in a way people did not expect.
This is where I can understand why HxG may have chosen the health issue excuse. It was something the fans were used to. So, I can see why they might have thought it was a safe explanation that nobody would question. What I genuinely don’t think they anticipated was Manon publicly contradicting that narrative. I would bet my whole salary on this.**
Once that happened, the story blew up. News outlets started reporting on it, fans were demanding answers, and everyone wanted a statement.
From that point, I feel like they had three options:
- Admit they were wrong and say Manon was not actually on hiatus for health reasons. The problem with this is that they would immediately be labeled dishonest and unprofessional.
- Double down and insist the original statement was true. I don’t think many people would have believed that, especially when we’re talking about Manon’s own health. Most people would trust her account over the company’s.
- Stay silent and let people draw their own conclusions.
Honestly, I think option three was probably the least damaging option available to them at that point.
At this point, Would you have done something different?
Now moving on to everything that happened afterward. We know that at one point Manon liked a video that suggested there may have been racism or mistreatment involved. Beyond that, we haven’t really gotten any direct clarification.
We then saw Manon attend a solo Tommy Hilfiger event, with no visible staff or group-related promotion attached to it.
This next part is purely my own speculation.
Personally, I believe Manon has likely left the group, or is in the process of leaving. However, I also think there may be contractual reasons why neither side can openly say that right now.
One possibility is endorsement contracts like many mentioned. For example, Matrix is still using all six members in its promotional materials and product campaigns. If contracts like that are still active, an official announcement that Manon has left the group could potentially create legal or financial complications. Again, I have absolutely no evidence for this. It’s just a theory.
But if something along those lines is true, it could explain why we’ve seen so much silence and ambiguity. It might also explain why neither side has been able to make a definitive statement yet.
So my question remains: Given everything that has happened, how would you have handled this situation if you were HxG’s PR team? What would your strategy have been?
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