On Sunday, Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin, pledged $200,000 to the McCann family to help in the search for their missing daughter Madeleine. This is in addition to the money he has already contributed to the search fund, along with other celebrities such as David Beckham and J.K. Rowling.
The significance of the timing of this contribution cannot be ignored. After Madeleine's parents have recently been named suspects in the disappearance of their daughter by the Portuguese police, a lot of scrutiny is being placed on the search efforts that the family has been heading since the girl's disappearance in May. By stepping up and making another large monetary contribution, Branson is essentially reaffirming his faith in the family and his support for them both financially and emotionally. While many people may be reluctant to continue support of the family after the parents were officially named suspects in the case, Branson instead chose to divert attention back to the fact that the girl is still missing.
Branson's donation comes one day after the McCanns announced that they will plan an extensive advertising campaign also aiming to divert the attention the case has been getting away from the parents and back to Madeleine. The family hopes that by reminding the public that a child is missing they will perhaps have some luck in finding leads.
The public relations team that will be working on this case will certainly have its work cut out for it. All of the press lately regarding the case has centered on the parents suspicious behavior and the latest evidence against them. The parents have made themselves very prominent in the public eye since the beginning of this case, with endorsements from celebrities and seeking help from the Pope, and now they are experiencing some backlash from that media frenzy and in need of some damage control. It will be interesting to see how the McCann family approaches the advertising campaign blitz and the case itself in the coming months.
Source:http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/09/16/madeleine.mccann.ap/index.html
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