1. EKA PR Agency
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Miley Cyrus—Breaking the Phase
Overview:
Background
Miley Cyrus is a 21-year-old pop star who grew up in the entertainment industry with
her father, Billy Ray Cyrus. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee, as Destiny Hope
Cyrus and preferred to be referred toas Miley, an offset of the nickname Smiley, at a
young age. Though her father wanted Miley to enjoy her childhood, she wanted nothing
more than to be in the spotlight, landing her on the television show Doc and a role in
Tim Burton’s Big Fish at a young age.
In 2005, Miley was largely introduced to the public as she took on the lead role of
Hannah Montana in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. By 2006, the show
was the most watched program for children, ages 6 to 14. Along with the show, the
soundtrack, in which Miley sang, hit number 1 on the Billboard Top 200. Following her
follow-up album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, which sold 1.1 million copies,
Miley began a 54-date tour.
Through her time with Disney, Miley was viewed as a very well-put-together young girl,
appearing on the covers of various magazines, such as Cosmo Girl and PEOPLE.
Through her articles, it is explained the image that Miley maintains and her parents’
influence and guidance on her career and how she is perceived by the public. In May of
2008, PEOPLE Magazine named Miley the “richest kid in the world,” earning an
estimated $1 million a week while on tour, selling 6.5 million albums, and selling a
projected $1 billion worth of Hannah Montana merchandise.
Miley continued to succeed in the entertainment industry, hitting more number one
spots on the Billboard Top 200, starring in a successful Hannah Montana movie, dating
stars, such as Nick Jonas, branching away from Disney Channel in a movie The Last
Song, and continuing to release new music. While working on The Last Song, Miley met

2. and began to date Liam Hemsworth. At the time, Miley even deleted her twitter account
in attempts tokeep her private life private (Wang).
2010-Present
In 2010, Cyrus’s parents publically announce they are having relationship troubles but
begin working things out. Miley is having troubles of her own, however. Weeks after
her 18th birthday, photos leaked of the star doing bong hits of the legal drug salvia.
Following the photo release, Miley begins to show off a more provocative image to the
public, branching away from the role model image she had worked so hard to convey
during her time with Disney.
In 2012, Cyrus and Hemsworth announced their engagement to the public. Soon after,
Miley shocked the public when she dyed her hair bleach blonde and got a short crop cut,
making her more edgy-as she stated on her Twitter account.
In 2013, Miley released her song We Can’t Stop, along with a provocative video,
throwing her image into a completely new direction. Following the video, Miley
performed on the 2013 VMAs where she got much backlash for her outfit, a leotard, and
“twerking” with Robin Thicke, among many other questionable actions. Following the
performance, Miley released information that her engagement to Liam Hemsworth was
off, as he did not like the person she had become.
In late 2013, Miley’s album Bangerz tops the Billboard charts, selling 270,000 in the
first week of release. From then, until now, Miley has kept her name in the headlines
through questionable behavior, creating a negative image to some audience (Wang).
Though Miley Cyrus is a controversial artist, she has talent, it has shown in her past and
is displayed if one can look past her crazy behavior now, in her music. She has an
estimated net worth of $160 million. She is involved in various charitable work, which is
not seen much by the public. Her most supported charity is My Friends Place, which is
supported by a link on her website. She also raised awareness for homeless youth on the
2014 VMAs as she had a young homeless man accept her award and make a statement
in front of the televised award show (Kalb). Miley has the tools for an overall successful
career, she just needs to highlight the positive factors and rid more of the negative.
Communication Audit:
Positive : During a two hour long special promo that was featured on Entertainment
Tonight, fans labeled Miley a leader. It became known as the movement to “be yourself,”
which was also featured in an MTV documentary self-titled Miley: The Movement

3. (Nessif). Miley Cyrus fans are a special case due to the fact that they grew up with her.
The Miley fanbase from the Hannah Montana days are also maturing, and many are
showing their support for Miley’s new image. An astronomical amount of fans say that
since her “rebel yell,” they love her even more. Her music video for the song “Wrecking
Ball,” holds the record for most views in record timing on Vevo’s YouTube channel.
There is even a college course that will be offered in the state of New York at The
Skidmore College called “The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and Media”
(Lee). Fans have been replying to a post on E! News Online regarding the image of the
star, and they participated in a survey. The survey read, “You can still be a role model
after making a few mistakes,” and 78% of fans voted “YES!”. “Miley Cyrus represents
how transient wealth can be, and shows how possible it is to change your image,” said
Carolyn Chernoff, the assistant professor who will be instructing the course. Fans are
calling Miley “a creative and inspirational genius” (Nessif).
Miley has a variety of unique qualities, one of those being that she controls her own
social media. There are some instances where this works exceptionally well for the star,
simply because she can directly interact with her fans. Her interested publics can
establish a personal connection with Miley, especially on Twitter, as it is a
microblogging website (Lisko). She has a care-free attitude regarding public opinion,
which can be a benefactor for her, in terms of contributing to her “rebel” image that the
majority of her fan base supports (Lisko).
The pop star possesses enthusiasm for contributing to the wellbeing of others, which
sets her apart from many of her colleagues in Hollywood. She is actively involved in a
variety of philanthropic organizations, but her recent efforts have generated a positive
wave of news coverage as of September of 2014. Miley is involved in “Musicians on Call,”
which is a charitable organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of
patients to promote the healing process. She teamed up with singers Jordin Sparks and
Gavin DeGraw at a concert benefiting this particular organization (Lisko).
Negative : During the 2013 VMA’s, Miley participated in a very controversial
performance, branding herself as a “twerker”. This was one of the first instances where
Miley publically began to step out of the shadow of her Hannah Montana persona. In
Mid-September of 2014, Miley performed in Mexico, but the aftermath was not good.
According to the Huffington Post, “a Mexican legislature has asked the country’s federal
government to fine the singer after after one of her dancers spanked the singer’s
backside with a Mexican flag as she twerked during an Independence Day performance”
(Huffington Post). Mexican authorities are known to be sensitive toward signs of
disrespect.

4. Over the past year, Miley has grabbed headlines for twerking and other sexually
suggestive choreography, drug use, and highly inappropriate music videos. CNN
recently asked users “Would you take kids to see Miley?” the answers were not in her
favor. Many outraged mothers made the comment that they were thankful that their
children were too young to experience Miley when she was “Hannah Montana,” because
they would forbid the purchase of concert tickets to her “Bangerz” Tour. This is alarming
because parents do have a say in what their children do, and the vast majority of parents
disapprove of Miley’s rebel phase (Wallace).
Miley was seen smoking a blunt at last year’s European Music Awards,EMA’s, which was
in the news for weeks. The problem with technology in this day in age is that the “shelf
life” that exists for newspapers and magazines, does not exist for online mediums.
Anyone that has the internet has access to stories, good or bad. Footage can be seen on
TMZ and on YouTube 24 hours a day. Therefore, Miley’s rebel phase is being talked
about on a variety of networks and there is very little that can be done to mediate the
conversations, especially comments (Huffington Post).
Although many fans are labeling her as an “inspirational genius,” others are labeling her
a “media machine,” and that is certainly has a negative connotation. During the 2014
VMA’s, Miley had a homeless man accept her award, and that man was arrested in the
following days. Many broadcast news outlets, such as E! News, Fox, and NBC Nightly
News with Brian Williams, labeled it a publicity stunt as an attempt for the star to
generate a positive wave of media attention (Wallace).
Under the “Positive Audit” subheading, the reader can find information regarding Miley
and the self-management of her social media accounts. Although it was stated that this
can create a more personable relationship, it can have a negative outcome as well. Miley
photoshopped a picture of her from her Hannah Montana days onto Nicki Minaj’s
inappropriate album cover for “Anaconda”. She then proceeded to make the
photoshopped image her profile picture on Twitter and Instagram (Lee). She also has
morally questionable tweets, and they occur often. Creating traffic is a good thing to
generate publicity, but creating too much traffic in a negative manner can pave a
dangerous and risky path for many entertainers.
Another problem area is her webpage. It is very cluttered and unorganized and has no
general layout that is easy for the viewer to follow. On this webpage, you can find
marijuana leaves, a pipe, inappropriate pictures, and text that is randomly placed all
over the web page. When you enter ‘Miley Cyrus’ into the Google search engine, her
website in the first result to appear. Viewers of all ages and demographics could be
viewing this site, and it portrays the singer in a very negative light. As a result of the
negative attention that the site creates, revisions definitely need to be made.

5. Breaking the Phase Campaign:
Theme
The overall theme of the “Breaking the Phase” campaign is to adjust Miley Cyrus’s image
to be viewed as a more mature, classy young adult. Though Miley is very concerned with
being herself, as she’s broken away from her previous image as a Disney Channel star,
she has gone a bit too far, allowing herself to be seen negatively, especially to her
younger fans and adults. Cyrus has been going through a phase to stem away of the
image that she previously held, but it has had its negative effects on her image and
career and it is now time to break that phase and allow her to represent herself as a
young adult.
Though Miley does not currently have a favorable image, being deemed as an over-the-
top party girl, her current fan base embraces the fact that she can so openly be herself.
Through “Breaking the Phase” Cyrus will still be able to be herself in a respectable, more
tasteful way. She will still be unique and flamboyant, however, she will be representing
herself as a respectful young adult. It is time for Miley to shy away from the crazy phase
she is in and begin to grow up and represent herself in a more positive manner.
“Breaking the Phase” will display this theme throughout the entire campaign. Miley’s
new image, along with her involvement in various charities, will be brought to attention
through a media tour, social media, a website makeover, and releases of new music,
explained below.
Objectives and Tactics
Informational
● Inform Miley Cyrus’s fanbase that though she may be breaking her phase, she is
still “Miley,” in a more tasteful, grown-up way.
○ Tactic: Publically admit on social media that she was in a down-hill spiral.
○ Media Relations Tactic:Interviews with E! News for her fanbase to get
important information and an inside look at the new changes she is
making.
● Inform the public of Miley’s talent rather than a majority of the focus being on a
negative image.
○ Tactic: Work with Miley’s producer and song writers in order to focus on
releasing new music that displays her talent, rather than provocative
videos and questionable content.
○ Media Relations Tactic: Miley will reappear on Saturday Night Live to
perform her new music. Though she has hosted the show in the past, she

6. will only be performing this time. That will be done again at a later date to
avoid her being made a joke of while her new image in under construction.
Behavioral
● Motivate parents to become more accepting and comfortable with Miley as a role
model and allowing their children to listen to her music.
○ Media Relations Tactic: Work with Miley, along with her producer and
song writers, to write a new song, accompanied by a video, that is a more
tasteful representation of Miley to be released on Jimmy Fallon to explain
“Breaking the Phase.” Along with the video release, Miley will sit down
with Fallon and discuss her new image, how her phase got out of hand,
and her hopes for her future career with the new image she is trying to
convey.
○ Tactic: Miley’s social media will be monitored, making sure she is posting
appropriate content.
● Create a larger fanbase, consisting of an audience of various ages, as Miley begins
to be seen more positively.
○ Tactic: Through the various techniques, such as Miley’s media tour, new
music, a website makeover, and more appropriate social media posting, it
is expected that Cyrus will increase her fanbase diversity.
Attitudinal
● Increase favorable opinion about Miley as a young celebrity in today’s world
through showing her concern for world issues.
○ Media Relations Tactic: Miley will appear on Brian William’s “Making a
Difference” to explain her charity work she is involved with and
encouraging donors and spreading awareness for those foundations.
○ Tactic: Show her charitable work and support of various charities more
clearly on her website with an inclusion of a “Get Involved” tab.
● Increase respect for Miley as a young women and have her image be viewed as
mature and tasteful.
○ Tactic: A complete remodel of her personal website to fit her new
appearance to the public. Miley’s website currently shows the negative
image that the public has of her clearly. It is important to make the website
a more professional outlook on her so that when someone looks through
the internet as a means to find more out about the celebrity, they can view
her in a positive manor.
○ Tactic: A video release party on January 10, 2015, following the official
release on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, to show the results of her

7. breaking the phase and showing that she is still Miley to her fanbase. At
the party, Miley will not act out in a provocative manner, as she has done
in the past.
○ Media Relations Tactic: Miley will appear on the cover of PEOPLE
Magazine’s January issue, she will have a feature profile story within the
issue, introducing her new image, along with an interview of the pop star,
so fans can hear first hand what she has to say.
○ Media Relations Tactic: Miley will appear on NBC Nightly News with
Brian Williams during the “Made a Difference” segment. The segment, on
average, is five minutes long and it will showcase her efforts to reach out to
those in need, showing the public that she does have a genuine care and
interest for the well-being of people. The viewers of this news broadcast
are generally middle-aged, so it will help parents see that she does have a
sensitive side.
Messages
“Breaking the Phase” - The campaign title will work as a message, itself. It will be the
most used message throughout the campaign. directing a variety of publics. It will show
a possible new fan base that Miley will begin to stray away from this crazy image that
she now has. Also, it will bring back former fans that have given up on Miley due to her
change of image. It will be used through interviews and discussion about Miley’s new
image, as well as on her social media accounts when she addresses her new image.
“New Year, New Me” - The message will be used in the beginning of Miley’s image
renewal. She will begin to show signs of her new image in January of 2015, stating that
with the new year, there is a new her. The message will be used in magazine, such as her
PEOPLE Magazine profile article addressing her new image.
“Still Miley” - No matter how wild she may get, one thing current Miley fans love about
her is that she loves to be herself. This message will address Miley’s current fanbase,
ensuring them that she will still be herself, just more grown-up, tasteful, and respectful.
Proven Maxims
Personal, face-to-face contact is the most effective means of communication.
Miley being a public figure makes it extremely hard for her to have face-to-face contact
with her fanbase. Through the “Breaking the Phase” campaign, she will have the
opportunity to have face-to-face contact during her video release party. Also, she will
conduct face-to-face interviews in which she will address the public and involve them, in
a way, with what she is saying in the interview.

8. Subsequent events that reinforce the original stimulus for opinion or behavior
change will tend to increase the degree and durability of the change.
Miley will not just be saying she is making a change, but showing it through events, such
as the releases of new music, public representations of her new image and support of
charitable causes.
An appeal to audience self-interest is most likely to be effective.
In today’s society, it is important how a young woman represents herself, especially
someone constantly in the public eye, like Miley Cyrus. Having her represent herself as a
respectful young woman, as people like to see, will help in increasing her image and
acceptance among a variety of publics.
Participation in, or awareness of, the decision process increases the likelihood of
acceptance.
Parents are being given the choice to let their children listen to Miley after they are
shown that she has made a positive change in her life. Parents like to know they still
have control of what their own children do, by giving them the opportunity to still make
their own decision for their children then television making that decision for them now
that Miley will present herself in a more grown up way tothe public.

9. Work Cited
Kalb, Ira. "Miley Cyrus And Justin Bieber Are Both Marketing Geniuses." Business
Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
Lang, Tina Molly. "Taylor Swift Defends Miley Cyrus, Says She Can Still Be a Role
Model."AXS.
30 Sept. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.axs.com/news/taylor-swift-defends-miley-cyrus-says-she-can-still-be-a-
rol-model-13034>.
Lee, Ashley. "Miley Cyrus College Course to Be Offered in New York." The Hollywood
Reporter. 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/miley-cyrus-college-course-new-york-
691876>.
Lisko, BJ. "Miley Cyrus Then and Now: What Her Fans Think." The State Journal.
Gatehouse Media, Inc., 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sj-
r.com/article/20140117/News/140119450>.
"Miley Cyrus Flag Twerking Incident Prompts Mexico ToSeek Penalty." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/17/miley-cyrus-flag-
twerking_n_5839938.html>.
Nessif, Bruna. "5 Things We Learned From Miley's Special." E! Online. 2 Oct. 2013.
Web. 6 Nov. 2014. <http://www.eonline.com/news/466181/miley-cyrus-mtv-special-5-
things-we-learned-from-the-movement>.
Wallace, Kelly. "Would You Take Kids to See Miley?" CNN. Cable News Network, 25
Feb. 2014. Web. 6 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/living/outraged-
parents-why-miley-cyrus-performance-sets-girls-and-women-back/>.
Wang, Julia. "Miley Cyrus." PEOPLE.com. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.people.com/people/miley_cyrus/biography/0,,20154291_20,00.html>.