The Business of Domestic Violence

It's sad to say, but domestic violence is very profitable these days. Every since news broke about a physical altercation between singers Chris Brown and Rihanna, many companies have taken advantage of the hype to add a few dollars to their pockets.

Believe it or not, but the media generates millions in revenue when such significant events occur. Newspapers and magazines sell more copies, television and radio stations get more viewers/listeners to tune in, and blogs get more visitors and subscribers.

I'm not exactly proud of it but my site, BlackNews.com, has published several online articles about the Chris Brown/Rihanna issue, and I'm thinking we've made at least $500 so far from our advertisers who's ads showed up on those pages. In addition, my BlackPR.com service has generated about $1,000 from clients who have submitted press releases and editorials about it.

But some are making much more than that. Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks, and Dr. Phil have all recently dedicated entire episodes to the subject of domestic violence - which no doubt brought in millions of viewers, and thus millions in ad revenue for them.

Others are writing new books, promoting their old books, or just somehow trying to link their books to the subject of domestic violence. For instance, Steve Harvey, who recently authored a book entitled Think Like a Man, Act Like a Lady has released a public statement to Rihanna saying "you are not to blame." This is a typical PR move to somehow make people think that his book addresses domestic violence, when it probably doesn't.

Even more, many are launching domestic violence workshops, seminars, and conferences - all of which come with a fee.

Major online retailers are in on it too. Amazon.com is promoting domestic violence prevention DVDs, and iTunes is selling related e-books and podcasts - available for immediate download.

I guess its true what they say: Money can be made off of just about anything.