Does ‘stand by your man’ PR really work?

After two months of silence, Camille Cosby issued a statement addressing the allegations piling up against her husband of 50 years, Bill Cosby.

Time to cue Tammy Wynette’s hit song “Stand by Your Man.” “There appears to be no vetting of my husband’s accusers before stories are published or aired,” Camille Cosby’s statement says. “An accusation is published, and immediately goes viral.”

This tried and true PR strategy, most often used by politicos trying to save face after being accused of cheating on their spouses, is now being implemented by the Cosby camp.

But is it too little, too late?

The “stand by your man” strategy is often deliberately and quickly orchestrated in the a press conference or carefully organized media interview where the man (usually it’s a man) facing allegations of inappropriate behavior profusely apologizes while the passive spouse stands by his side.