• Ad Age, Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:46 AM

Despite Royal Caribbean's various dollar pledges to the Haiti relief effort and its role in supplying water, food and furniture to the stricken nation, media pundits and public relations executives say the company made a mistake in having its ship make a scheduled stop at a private resort in Labadee, Haiti.

"PR experts believe there could be lasting damage from the visuals of mostly white vacationers frolicking in the sun in the shadow of an obnoxiously large boat while only 60 miles away thousands of people are fighting over food and water and searching for loved ones," Michael Bush writes.

Quotes from the experts range from "this is a massive debacle" to "it's one of those narratives that tend to linger around a brand." Several offer advice, including using the ship as a floating hospital or for housing, or commissioning another ship to bring in supplies. Donations are well and good, says Gene Grabowski, senior vp-chair of crisis and litigation for Levick Strategic Communications, but they don't translate visually.

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