“I don’t think we’ve ever had anything quite like this,” said Andrew Blum, the founder of AJB Communications, a PR firm specialising in crisis management.

“Yes, women will have a say about whether these men will come back and what they can do, there’s no question,” Blum said. “But eventually some of these men may have something to add to society, and maybe PR has to help them.”

However, the likelihood of rehabilitating a reputation depends on the severity of the alleged offence, and whether there is a pattern to accusations.

“In some cases, the advice would be: ‘you need a reality check’ – there’s not going to be a comeback,” said Evan Nierman, founder of crisis PR firm Red Banyan, adding that he would advise some prospective clients to just go and enjoy their wealth on a beach somewhere.