Inside the Amanda Knox PR Machine

Editor's note: The story of Amanda Knox—her arrest in Italy on charges of killing a roommate, her four years in prison, and her emotional release following the October 3 overturn of her murder conviction—has captivated the nation. A big reason Knox's tale remained alive was because of the work of David Marriott and his public relations firm. The inside tale of how Marriott succeeded in getting Knox's family onto national news programs is the focus of a story out today in the Puget Sound Business Journal. What follows is an edited excerpt. To read the full account, click here.

When Amanda Knox and her family arrived the day after her conviction was overturned at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a huge crowd greeted her. Anne Bremner, counsel for Friends of Amanda Knox, marvels at the fact that many broke into applause when Amanda walked into the room.

“They were clapping for her, and they were all press,” Bremner said. “What a change from four years ago.”

The Knox story may remain the most consuming case of David Marriott’s career. It’s rare, Marriott said, to have this kind of public interest over such an extended period of time. As a result of the attention, Marriott has received inquiries from several other potential clients.

Marriott counts more than 6,700 Google News alerts for “Amanda Knox” that arrived over the four years. Most of those alerts contained links to three or more stories. And those are just the English language articles.

“There’s just so much hunger for information with this thing,” Marriott said.

Marriott has formulated a media plan for the days going forward, but he won’t discuss details. He plans to be ready if the prosecution appeals the acquittal. He also wants to help Amanda find the best vehicle to tell her story, and advise her on when to do so.

David Domke, who chairs the University of Washington communication department, said there’s every chance to make a positive impression when Amanda chooses to speak out.

“My sense is that they have the opportunity for a lot of goodwill toward Amanda,” Domke said. “The fact that that’s there after the incredibly negative coverage she initially received is just remarkable to me.”

And Kathleen Fearn-Banks, who teaches crisis communications at the UW, believes Knox could impart what she learned during her ordeal. For example, Marriott spoke to Fearn-Banks’ class about the risk of online postings that could be misconstrued. In Amanda Knox’s case, media people culled photos and writings from her MySpace account, including the “Foxy Knoxy” nickname.

“I’m hoping that the lessons our students learned may be taught by Amanda now in media appearances and perhaps writings she may do,” Fearn-Banks said.

And then there’s the curiosity factor.

“People around the world really want to know her story,” Bremner said.

To read the full story about David Marriott's PR campaign on behalf of Amanda Knox, click here.

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Heidi Dietrich writes for the Puget Sound Business Journal.