Breaches at the Bolshoi

The Bolshoi Ballet, one of the world’s oldest and most respected ballet companies and academies, has been the victim of much drama and scrutiny in the last year. On January 17, the chief of the Bolshoi Ballet, Sergei Filin, was the victim of an acid attack that took place outside his home. The acid, which was thrown on his face, left severe burns and has impaired his vision. Many suspected the attack was executed by a criminal who was working with a male dancer inside the ballet company.

This situation was one of the first inclinations that given to the world about the deep discord among dancers at Bolshoi. A new report brings to question more ethical concerns that ballet must face.

Joy Womack, a Texas-born ballerina, was the first American to ever be admitted to the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, a school that trains the best ballerinas in the world. She not only was asked to attend the Academy, but upon graduation, she was asked to join the ballet company. Again, this is the first time an American has ever been asked to dance professionally with the Bolshoi.

Eager to make history and dance with one of the best companies in the world, Womack accepted. Since then, she has met a series of disparaging events that have led her to quit. She was concerned that she was not getting roles that fit her ability. She was ready to take on solo roles, but was told that since she was an American, she’d have to pay $10,000 to get a soloist role. Deeply saddened by this development along with the infighting that already existed within the Bolshoi, she quit and decided to tell her story.

If you were the PR practitioner at the Bolshoi, how would you handle the scandals that have taken place in the past year? What specifically would you communicate to address the bribery situation Womack described? Do you feel that the Bolshoi has been transparent enough through these crises?

Links:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/world/europe/american-dancer-complains-of-bribery-at-bolshoi.html?_r=0

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/03/18/130318fa_fact_remnick

Big Data in Academia

            Our discussion of “big data” earlier this quarter intrigued me, and the uses for this technology seem endless.  I searched some news sites to see how big data has been applied most recently, and I found that many universities are beginning to explore its possibilities.  For example, Arizona State University has started data collection to predict the success of their students.  Based on how well they are predicted to do in a class, the program makes suggestions on future courses.  The program also carefully monitors if a student is on track with their major.  Students receive messages in their inbox notifying them of the risk and sometimes even prompting them to switch majors.  ASU does not just monitor the academic data of their students, but also their social networking as well.  ASU’s software assesses their students facebooks and suggests friends. 

            In the context of ethics and big data, is this crossing the line?  Should universities feel entitled to ask their students to change majors if the data collected implies they will not succeed?  I have trouble wrapping my head around the concept of a computer program predicting my success and determining my future.  I felt like one of the most important parts of college was organically exploring the options and working with my advisor to decide on a major.  This new type of data collection and application may streamline this process, but it also limits the freedom to make choices about your education.  What do you guys think?  Is this an “ethical” way to apply big data?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/education/edlife/colleges-awakening-to-the-opportunities-of-data-mining.html?pagewanted=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/science/11predict.html?pagewanted=all

Narrative in New Holiday Advertising Campaigns

 

Target has recently come up with an innovative way to make their advertisements stand out amongst the multitude of holiday ads.  They have taken steps to combat the difficulty the advertising industry is having with tv shows streaming online with few ads.  This year, Target has teamed up with ABC to create their own narrative.  They have borrowed the characters from “The Middle”, “Back in the Game”, and “Modern Family” and created a “gift it forward” plotline.  The characters in the commercials surprise each other with gifts while also promoting Target’s slogan this year “My kind of holiday”.  The creators hope to provide content similar to what their viewers already enjoy watching on Wednesday nights.  The commercials will only appear on tv this Wednesday, and then will be promoted via social media. 

We have discussed in class the importance of target publics when constructing goals and objectives, and Target has done an excellent job of this in their holiday campaign.  They have used the characters that their audience members already love as well as a narrative framework to allow for further elaboration.  Target hopes that the commercials will “make people smile” and get them thinking about Target and holiday shopping.  It is strategic of them to only show the commercials once before solely promoting them on social media.  This allows for the public to actively seek out the advertisements and also to share them with their friends. 

How effective do you think this campaign will be?

Should other companies consider using such elaborate advertising measures (like teaming up with ABC) in future campaigns?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/business/media/commercial-breaks-that-keep-a-story-going.html?ref=business

http://adage.com/article/news/retail-reversal-target-unwraps-holiday-ads-early/237769/

Barilla Pasta

Earlier this month the Italy-based pasta maker Barilla has come under fire for the remarks the company’s CEO made regarding gay actors not being a part of the company’s ad campaigns. Barilla CEO Guido Barilla’s remarks have trigger worldwide outrage and boycotts of the company’s products.

Barilla has since met with LGBT organizations in Europe and the United States to appease anger and frustration, but many fear the damage is done. Italy’s economy has been in shambles recently as the global economy continues to struggle. Losing the American market would prove to be devastating to Barilla.

This a common issue that has reared its ugly head recently (Chick-fil-A, 2012). As average people, we are not the only one’s who are allowed to share their opinions. Leaders of organizations are also allotted the same privilege, but why risk the company’s success by publicizing controversial stances on hot-button social issues?

It is difficult for the PR counsel for these organizations because they are forced into a reactive, brand management role. It is, however, difficult to be proactive in these situations. You can’t exactly tell the CEO of a company not to voice his/her opinion. The issue quickly becomes a crisis management task. If sales begin to plummet and boycotts are evident, it is necessary to enact a plan to “stop the bleeding.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/barilla-fix-anti-gay-scandal-article-1.1506397

What can Barilla, and other organizations in similar tumultuous situations do to revive their image in cases like these?

The NFL's Bullying Problem

When you hear "NFL," you think over-paid prima donnas, right? The last thing that comes to mind is the NFL's bullying culture. Think about; how can you bully a guy who can squash you like a bug? In the case of Miami Dolphin offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin, bullying has taken center stage. According to ESPN’s Adam Scheffter and numerous other journalists, Richie Incognito bullied and harassed rookie Jonathan Martin so badly that Martin left the team to seek counseling. Incognito is alleged to have sent threatening and racially charged text messages to Martin. Numerous current and former players have come forward, both in defense of and vilifying Martin. Players say that this kind of behavior is a part of all NFL locker rooms.

This being a part of all locker rooms is the real problem. Has the NFL, its coaches, players and personnel fostered a culture accepting of racism, harassment and bullying? The NFL is conducting its own investigation into the matter, but it raises the other question; why are coaches allowing this behavior? Some have argued that the NFL does not have a PR problem, but a reality problem. I believe that it has problems with both. Not that this problem has been brought to light, how will players be able to trust one another going forward? Aside from overseeing all locker room activity, there is no way to stop the bullying.

That can the NFL do to clean up what goes on in the locker room and make it more of a professional setting?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/richie-incognito-bullying-allegations-are-the-latest-in-long-list-of-nfl-problems/2013/11/06/a29f48a0-46fe-11e3-b6f8-3782ff6cb769_story.html

The Obamacare PR Blunder

“If you like your health plan, you can keep it.” Sound too good to be true? As it turns out, most things that sound appealing come with a catch. In regards to Obamacare, that is exactly the case. In 2012, President Obama told Americans that if they didn’t like a similar plan offered by Obamacare then they could keep their current health plan. In early October 2013, that promise began to unravel as more people came forward alleging that their insurance plans were cancelled in order for insurance companies to be in compliance with new federal regulations.

President Obama’s second term had been filled with lack of Republican cooperation, 23-hour-long filibusters and the government shutdown. It was easy for the Democrats (and the rest of the nation) to point fingers at the Conservatives, as they seemingly made every effort to block any piece of legislation brought forth by the Democrats. Then, the tables turned. After thousands of people came forth claiming that their insurance policies were cancelled due to Obamacare, the real story began to take shape. The President had continuously skirted the issue when asked why people were forced to get different health plans until it became universally known that the promise President Obama made was not true. It is no secret that politicians are severely struggling trying to regain the trust and respect of the American people in the wake of the government shutdown, but the recent developments on the Obamacare front does not help those trust-building efforts.

President Obama has since come forth and apologized for promising gold and delivering lead, but the damage has been done. Senate and House Congressional leaders who voted to make Obamacare into law did so on the notion that Americans would have the right to keep their health plan if they liked it. The White House has lost significant influence on Capitol Hill and the political system in the United States seems like it is in more disrepair than ever.

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2013/11/13/obamacares-pr-free-fall-challenges-both-sides/

What can President Obama do to repair his reputation, and that of the healthcare law that he has worked so hard to implement?

Syrian Refugees Suffer Cuts To Food Aid And U.N. Bureaucracy

In the "Conflict in Syria, Refugees and the World Food Programme" (WFP) blog post, our group discussed the factors shaping the context of the WFP's efforts in Syria.

Some of those factors included many political, economic, social and cultural factors. Specifically, these factors involved domestic disputes between the Syrian opposition and Assad and his Ba’athist regime, bridging partnerships with local communities, and figuring out how to feed an influx of refugees with little economic support, among other issues.

One of the strong points identified in our group's assessment was that of local partnerships. But according to a recent Huffington Post article, it appears the WFP is having an issue with current partnerships in Lebanon. "A couple of months ago, then facing more than 700,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP) quietly started cutting off select beneficiaries from meal assistance and other programs. Refugees who felt they were wrongly cut off were told they could fill out an appeal form describing their situation and deposit it in a box like the one at this clinic."

Subsequently refugees who have been cut off cry out in frustrated defeat.

"'I don't know!" a young woman named Bara'a exclaimed, when asked why she thought she'd lost her benefits.'"

The article continues, "But she was also curious about appealing the loss of her food aid. Last month, when Bara'a picked up her family's allotment of food vouchers -- three of them, worth about $27 each -- she said she was also handed a small piece of paper. It told her that she no longer qualified for assistance. She had no idea why."

In relation to class lectures and reading, we have discussed the importance of transparency. Without it, a legitimacy gap can come into play in which the public, or refugees in this case, will not expect legitimacy from your organization.

In addition, we also discussed the need for transparency during a crisis in which it is more crucial. The fact that Bara'a is uninformed about why her aid has been cut off could explain a lack of transparency from the WFP.

Accordingly, how do you think the WFP could respond to the claims of Bara'a's ignorance as to why she no longer qualifies for assistance? How important or unimportant is cross cultural communication in this situation?