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?

UNM Announces Additional Details for Nike N7 Game

Nike has launched the N7 Fund, which "provides grants to Native American and Aboroginal communities in support of sports and physical activity programs for youth." Seven years after Nike’s Native American division began, the Nike design team collaborated with various community experts and tribal leaders to create footwear specifically for the Native American community, called Nike Air Native N7.

In a recent university news story, the University of New Mexico (UNM) announced its partnership with Nike N7 as part of a celebration and recognition of American Indian Heritage Month this November. This is a strategic move on Nike's part to not only partner with UNM but to publicize this partnership during November right before Thanksgiving Day.

According to the article, "As part of its partnership with Nike N7, the Lobos will wear turquoise, the color of friendship and one of UNM’s official school colors from 1973-79; on November 30th and be the final N7 game of American Indian Heritage month. This game will feature special presentation of colors by the Laguna-Acoma High School Marine Corps JROTC; singing of the national anthem in Navajo by current UNM student Stacie Barney; a pregame recognition of tribal leaders; and halftime recognition of Notah Begay III, a native New Mexican and Nike N7 ambassador.

In addition, UNM American Indian Student Services and the Notah Begay III Foundation (NB3) will be auctioning off the 14 game-worn turquoise jerseys throughout the game with proceeds going to both organizations. The jersey auction will start when gates open and close with 10 minutes to go in the 2nd half."
Currently there are 19 Pueblos living in New Mexico. They include the Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zia and Zuni); Jicarilla Apache Nation, Mescalero Apache Tribe, and the Navajo Nation.

In reference to our class readings, we discussed diversity and multiculturalism in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Here, Nike is utilizing its CSR platform to exemplify its commitment to diversity and a particular community.

Despite Nike's goodwill, it sounds counter intuitive for the company to be pushing the N7 Fund when it has been accused of human rights violations in China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico (www.globalexchange.org).

According to Global Exchange,  an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world, they do praise Nike's efforts to raise the Indonesian wage and improve health conditions. However, Nike still has a long way to go to meet the anti-sweatshop movement's call for companies to pay a living wage, allow independent monitoring in all factories, and ensure that workers have the right to organize into independent unions."

Based on this article, what do you think of Nike's CSR strategy? Is it a world apart from addressing real issues, or is their strategy smart in regards to recovering from past human rights violations? 

Anderson Cooper Criticizes Philippine Government Reaction to Typhoon Haiyan

In the recent coverage of Typhoon Haiyan, Anderson Cooper criticized the Philippine government's response to the destruction. 

Talking to CNN's Jake Tapper, anchor of The Lead on Tuesday, Cooper said: “You would expect perhaps to see a feeding center that had been set up five days after the storm. We haven’t seen that, certainly not in this area."

Cooper continued: "Some food is being brought to people here at the airport, some water being distributed but it are very, very difficult conditions for the people here on the ground and it’s not clear how much longer it can continue like this. Something is got to give."

Cooper also compared the country's response to the 2011 disaster in Japan and said: “When I was in Japan, right after the tsunami there two years ago, within a day or two, you had Japanese defense forces going out, carving up cities into grids and going out on foot looking for people, walking through the wreckage. We have not seen that here in any kind of large scale operation.” 

According to the Forbes article, "Snowstorm Crisis Lessons: Eight Steps for Maintaining Trust During Natural Disasters," it is evident that Cooper is critical of the Philippine government for lack of attention to what the article suggests are instrumental to maintain trust during a natural disaster. Applying these snowstorm lessons to the typhoon disaster is no different. Below are the steps we discussed in class that could be applied to the PR response from the Philippine government. 

1. Identify the problem and your related responsibilities.  

2. Intervene early and often. 

3. Become the face and voice of leadership. 

4. Give people a feedback mechanism.

5. Mind your messages.

6. Show humanity.

7. Continuously evaluate and adjust your responses. 

8. Display post-trauma resilience.

Filipino TV anchor Karina Sanchez, who is also the wife of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas, replied to Cooper's accusations stating, "This Anderson Cooper said that there's no government presence in Tacloban. It seems that he doesn't know what he's saying.) 

From a crisis communications standpoint, do you think the Philippine government has responded with appropriate messaging and strategy to handle the typhoon crisis?

Links: http://www.medianewser.com/2013/11/korina-vs-anderson-whose-side-are-you-on.html#.Uof_ZcSVdT9

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/15/anderson-cooper-defends-philippines-coverage_n_4280683.html

A For-Profit Non-Profit?

            Nonprofit organizations have a certain stigma about them that automatically categorizes them as philanthropic.  We think of them as trustworthy because they are in it for the “good of their cause” rather than to become wealthy.  As I am sure most of you have found in working with your organization on your communication campaign plan, many small nonprofits are constantly caught in a vicious fund-raising cycle.  They must solicit donors for funds to carry out their plans and to pay their employees.  Once these funds run out, the cycle begins again.  The New York Times recently posted a case study on a nonprofit organization grappling with this issue. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/business/smallbusiness/a-social-entrepreneurs-dilemma-nonprofit-or-for-profit.html?pagewanted=1

            Saul Garlick founded ThinkImpact while in college, and has continued to work full time for the organization ever since.  His social enterprise works to encourage entrepreneurship in third world countries.  He has sent students to analyze day-to-day life in impoverished communities and to work with the residents to build social businesses.  For more about his organization: http://www.thinkimpact.com/

ThinkImpact is currently dealing with many of the monetary issues that face small nonprofit organizations.  Its fundraising consists of numerous small stakeholders, making it difficult to please them all.  The organization is expanding its research, but is not working on a sustainable business model.  After missing a few payrolls, Garlick decided to reevaluate.  He is debating closing the nonprofit and then buying out its assets with a new for-profit organization.  He would then ask universities to pay for student trips to Africa, and provide “hands-on training in social enterprise”.  This is where the majority of his funding would come from. 

How would this re-branding of his organization impact its image?

Is it possible for a for-profit company to have a non-profit mindset? 

            This issue seems incredibly relevant for many small nonprofit organizations.  Although the “nonprofit” title provides them credibility and exempts them from taxes, it is difficult to create a sustainable business model.  An example of a for-profit nonprofit that has been successful thus far is the Google Foundation.  This article describes their business model: https://www.experience.com/alumnus/article?channel_id=nonprofit&source_page=home&article_id=article_1159827498740

Would your nonprofit benefit from this type of organizational change?

How do you think the public will perceive for-profit nonprofits? 

Crisis Management - Ranjit Sinha

     Earlier this week CBI director Ranjit Sinha made a statement in regards to legalizing betting in sports that has outraged women across the country. He was sitting on a panel discussion on “Ethics and integrity in sports – need for a law and role of CBI” when he said, “If you cannot enforce the ban on betting, it is like saying if you can’t prevent rape, you enjoy it.”

   

  The National Commission for Women said, “Ranjit Sinha has made a controversial statement. We not only condemn it, but also protest against it. How can he make comparison with a heinous offence like rape when the rape laws are changing?” Many women are even demanding his resignation.

    

 On March 21, 2013, India passed a new law that stiffens punishments of sexual violence in the aftermath of the notorious gang rape last December that left a medical student dead. The law has made stalking and voyeurism punishable for the first time and has recognized insidious forms of sexual violence against women.

The CBI, which is similar to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, was set up to fight corruption by government employees, but also investigates other important cases including murder, rape and terrorism. Brinda Karat, leader of the Communist Party of India, said, “It is sickening that a man who is in charge of several rape investigations should use such an analogy.”

  

   Sinha has since issued an official apology saying, “I regret any hurt caused as the same was inadvertent and unintended. I reiterate my deep sense of regard and respect for women and commitment to gender issues.”  After reading about crisis management and discussing it in class, is this apology enough or does the CBI need to do more to save their reputation.  Is there anything Sinha can do to save his own?

    

 From the reading, I would say that the attribution of responsibility is moderate since the stakeholders claim Sinha is operating in an inappropriate manner. Sinha used the diminish posture by denying intent to do harm and trying to excuse and justify his mistake.

     I believe the CBI and Sinha will need to do more than a half-hearted apology to regain the trust of the women in India.  Rape has been a major problem there for years. Government statistics earlier indicated that a woman is raped every 20 minutes in India, although the country’s conviction rate for rape crimes is one of the lowest in the world. The recent media attention has led to new laws, but the overall attitude towards women and rape needs to change in order to really fix things. Top officials need to be the leaders in this attitude shift.

Here is a link to a parody video that satirizes the idea that women are to blame for rape.  It has gone viral in India and received over half a million hits in three days. The video is by a comedy group called All India Bakchods: http://youtu.be/8hC0Ng_ajpY

"Negative Emotions Motivate People More Than Positive Emotions"

Watching the Daily Show this morning as I sipped my ritual cup of Joe, an interesting segment came on regarding the Colorado recall elections back in September  in regards to the Gun Safety Laws and former State Senator John Morse. Correspondant Jason Jones came to Colorado in an effort to figure out what was behind the measures, and what was so drastic that it would result in a recall election.

In the segment, the topic of motivation comes up, particularly in regard to behavior change.  In it, Jones is perplexed that such level-headed gun laws, supported by the majority of Coloradans, would/could result in such dire consequences for the Senator who proposed the legislation.  Jones takes to the streets, and finds many people who supported the measure, but who failed to vote in the recall election.  The one's that voted in the recall election, it seemed, comprised of the roughly 20% who were against the measures in the first place.

This isn't the first instant something like this has happened.  In my home state of Arizona in 2008, we passed legislation with an overwhelming majority that stated it would be illegal to pass any form of anti-lgbt legislation, including making gay marriage illegal.  Although it did not make gay marriage legal, it was at least stated that you could not make it illegal.  Many right-wing groups rallied against this, and tried twice in future elections to reverse the measure, utilizing tactics such as confusing re-wording (which almost worked) and general rabbel-rousing.

And it's frustrating.  Most people after voting for a measure and seeing it pass, generally move on and consider the mission accomplished.  Most constituents don't realize that after passing a law or any other form of legislation requires follow-through to ensure the safety and protection of that measure.  Just because it was agreed upon and it passes doesn't make it immune to repeal or reversal.

This is the issue that Jones was trying to hit on.  His general question referred to why, if so many people supported the gun safety laws in the first place, was this recall successful.  The answer he got was simple.  The people weren't angry.  They weren't threatened.  After it passed, essentially, they forgot about it.

Coming back to messaging, then, what efforts could legislators, politicians or activist groups employ to ensure the success of campaigns, or debunking motions that are contrary to public opinion and will?  It seems like we are bombarded by messaging during election time, but when it comes to the laws and motions that actually affect our daily life and well-being, the majority of citizens are ignorant to what is going on.  You pretty much have to go out of your way to look up and research these issues independently, unless your willing to listen to a canvasser proselytize to you and ask for a signature for some petition.  It seems to me in this modern age of technology and advanced communication and media methods, there would and should be a system of regular reporting and bringing the information to the masses that is accessible.

Touching on motivation, a statement in the segment suggested that people are more motivated by negative emotion, such as anger and fear.  Do you agree with this?  Or is it mostly the flaw in our presentation and media that lend to the characteristic that people really only know what's going on and get behind issues when something is brought to their attention that threatens their ideology, status or existence?

I found this article titled "Irrational Emotions or Emotional Wisdom? The Evolutionary Psychology of Emotions and Behavior." by Martie G. Haselton of UCLA Center for Behavior Evolution and Culture and Timothy Ketelaar of New Mexico State University's Department of Psychology.  In it, they state that Anger as a motivating factor "is a response to experiencing a transgression... attempting to deter it through action against the source" (2005).  Disgust is another motivation factor identified, closely related to anger, but defined as "a response to a potential contaminant... motivat[ing] distancing from the source" (2005).  They therefor suggest that an Anger response increases Risk-taking while a Disgust response tends to decrease it. With that in mind, how could that affect campaigns and messages in terms of motivating a behavioral or attitude change?

Article link: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/comm/haselton/webdocs/HaseltonKetelaar.pdf

Lululemon Yoga Pants Aren’t For Everyone

Lululemon has found itself having some serious issues in terms of public relations these days, most recently divulging that maybe certain women shouldn’t be wearing the brand’s yoga pants. During an appearance on Bloomberg TV’s “Street Smart” the Lululemon co-founder and former CEO, Chip Wilson said, “Frankly, some women’s bodies actually don’t work for it…It’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over period of time, and how much they use it.”

The interview stemmed from a recall of thousands of pairs of yoga pants because they were too see-through. The topic went viral, as evidenced in a Jimmy Kimmel Live short on the possibility of a yoga pant shortage:

In an article in Ragan’s PR Daily it is mentioned that one customer posted this to the company’s Facebook page: “Really, your pants are not made for all women? Well, [the] average size of an American woman is 12, so good luck! I will never buy your product again.”

In response to the backlash following his comments, Chip Wilson posted a video on the company's Facebook page that showed what was meant to be a heartfelt apology for his comments and how his comments affected both customers of the brand and people within his company.

Lululemon is very active on its Facebook page, noticeably posting responses to every comment as far as I could tell, regardless of how negative that comment might be. But, how does a brand that is almost exclusively advertised to women recover from telling women that they must be a certain size in order to wear its clothing line?

It is my opinion that in order to combat this idea that Lululemon does not cater to certain women, the best possible course of action would be to introduce a new style of pants and a campaign connected to that new launch that would be specifically for women who are considered to be “plus-sized.” This would introduce a certain level of cognitive dissonance that would show that the company appreciates the business of all women, regardless of size, and hopefully steer people away from the idea that the brand caters to only petite women.

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/15558.aspx

Chipotle's Scarecrow Add

Here's the Chipotle add I mentioned way back at the beginning of the quarter.  It's a longer length video with a developing story around a scarecrow in his busy industrial life run by the crow overlords.  The score is a chilling rendition of "Pure Imagination" from the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory sung by Fiona Apple.

The interesting thing about the 3 and a half minute add is the fact that the chipotle brand is lightly suggested by the presence of the peppers in the clip, and  the burrito the scarecrow makes.  The Chipotle Logo doesn't even come up to the very end.  I think the primary purpose of this was to make the video seem more message driven rather than product advertisement.  Since we've been talking about messages in class, I thought this would be a good example to bring back up.

The message(s) is certainly meant to elicit an emotional response.  So what audiences do you see this being aimed towards, and why? Are there multiple messages being portrayed?  What publics would benefit?  And last, do you think an add like this is focused more on attitude or behavioral change?

It might help to know that this video is a companion film to an app-based game that can be downloaded free at www.scarcrowgame.com.  Knowing this, does the message, audience or attitude/behavior aspect change?


Source:
Zimmerman, Neetzan. "There's no getting around it: the new Chipotle add is amazing," Gawker.com 9/13/2013. http://gawker.com/theres-no-getting-around-it-the-new-chipotle-ad-is-am-1308234473 11/7/2013

Affordable Care Act Launch Snafu: Opportunity to Revise Strategic Messaging?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was officially rolled out via healthcare.gov on October 1, 2013. Its launch came with a bevy of technical issues, inviting criticism from many ACA opponents and healthcare consumers. The ACA, also known as Obamacare, has received its fair share of criticism from its inception, and the botched rollout of the online healthcare site did not help matters.

The technical issues users experienced were originally blamed on heavy traffic flow, but the causes ended up being much deeper. The administration has yet to directly assign cause to all of the actual technical issues that are making the site difficult for people to use, likely because they do not know what all of the problems are yet. The administration has launched a “tech surge” team to assess and address the technical issues, and it is now estimated that the site will be up and running successfully by mid-November.

For such an important initiative, many Americans are wondering why the site was never rigorously tested before going live. Further criticism reveals that the glitches users have been experiences breeds a low trust level when it comes to the security of the site. People are entering important personal information, it is crucial that the site be seen as safe and secure. The problems have also made the process confusing for users, the very thing that Obamacare was supposed to eradicate.

President Obama recently spoke to the public and apologized for the issues with the ACA’s official launch. During the speech, he gave the 1-800 number people could call if they were having problems while on the site. The idea seemed to be to vaguely address the issue, and provide contact information for people who need help until the site launched again. Still, many critics maintain that Obama does not seem to be doing enough to fix the problem.

A couple of PR expert s, Ben Boyd and Greg Jenkins, spoke to NPR on how they would recommend overhauling the Obamacare message as a result of recent events. Excellent suggestions included focusing on success stories from families who have benefitted already from the ACA, the President taking responsibility and showing himself as integrally involved in solving the problem, and embracing “hyper-transparency”. Given what we have learned in class thus far and the importance of this new initiative, what other advice would you offer to those steering the messaging for the ACA launch both now, and when it re-launches in mid-November?

Links:      http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/10/26/240831691/pr-experts-obamacare-message-not-just-the-site-needs-fix?ft=1&f=1014&utm_campaign=nprpolitics&utm_source=politics&utm_medium=twitter

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/healthcaregov-cost_n_4175131.html

UBER Cute: Car company and humane societies join forces for a PURR-fect campaign!

Call it Christmas for the cat-crazed among us (myself included), National Cat Day is a real thing. Started in 2005 by animal welfare activist Colleen Paige, the (not federal- but should be) holiday is held to revere our fabulous furry friends and raise awareness about the homeless pet epidemic.

This year, joining your crazy cat lady aunt, startup company Uber partook in the feline fiesta.

Uber is a fast growing, app-based alternative to taxi cabs. Users need only download the Uber app to their smartphones to request a car- which will be a sleek and stylish black sedan or SUV. For a few quick hours on National Cat Day, held October 29, however, Uber offered one more service- kitten delivery.

For only $20, Uber would come to your door with a kitten in tow. The kitten could be loved on for 15 minutes, because nothing makes a day better than kitten cuddles. Except for maybe kitten cuddles and cupcakes. The smart startup is one step ahead of the game, also including a couple of cupcakes in the kitten-kaboodle package.

Some critics of the kitten delivery service said the publicity stunt was cruel, as it might be frightening to haul a kitten around from house to house, person to person all day. However, Uber attempted to sooth the nay-sayers by announcing they will be donating all profits made from the service to three shelters in the cities the kitten delivery was offered- Seattle, San Francisco, and New York. More, the delivery kittens were not merely getting their 15 minutes of fame; the kittens were potentially getting new homes. All delivery service purr-ticipants were available for immediate adoption.

Although the total amounts donated to each shelter have yet to be released, Uber knows how to make money. Founded in 2009, the new company is already worth an estimated $3.4 billion.

Happy Cat Day!



Reference-
Pepitone, Julianne. "Uber Is Delivering Kittens for National Cat Day." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. <http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/29/technology/uber-kittens/>.

University of Denver Preventative Email: Be Careful with Your Halloween Costumes

Patricia S. Helton, the Associate Provost for Student Life, just sent an email to the University of Denver community about the Halloween season. Here’s the section I wanted to focus on:

So, if you are planning to dress up for Halloween, or will be attending any social gatherings planned for this weekend, we encourage you to think on these questions before deciding upon your costume choice:

· Are you wearing a funny costume? Is the humor based on “making fun” of real people, human traits or cultures?

· Are you wearing a historical costume? If this costume is meant to be historical, does it further misinformation or historical and cultural inaccuracies?

· Are you wearing a ‘cultural’ costume? Does this costume reduce cultural differences to jokes or stereotypes?

· Could someone take offense with your costume and why?

Why is it necessary for the University to send out an email like this one? Well, trending on social media is a wide array of tasteless, offensive Halloween costumes. For instance two guys decided dressing up like George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was a good choice. 

The Huffington Post wrote an article about the Halloween costume and included people’s tweets in response to the picture. The photo was originally posted on Facebook but once the photo went viral one of the guys deleted his page. As you can see, one is George Zimmerman and the other is dressed in black face as Travyon Martin. The two guys are from Florida too. Seeing how this issue is causing some outrage amongst social media sites, DU’s email is a preventative measure. Halloween is supposed to be fun, full of candy, dancing, candy, tricks, and more candy. Yet, when people’s costumes are offensive, in poor taste, and misunderstood it takes the fun out of the holiday. So my question to you is, is DU’s preventative measure necessary or a good idea by our communications department? I think it was a good call given the negative publicity surrounding these two guys. The last thing any organization would want is bad publicity, especially a university that just hosted the Presidential Debate and had George W. Bush on campus. Thoughts?

Links:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/trayvon-zimmerman-halloween-costume_n_4170528.html

Here's the email sent to the DU community if you didn't receive it:

Faux Corporate Social Responsibility: Are Our Retweets and Likes actually helping?

I found this picture on Tumblr. We’ve been talking about social media and the potential uses PR professionals can employ. However, a photo like this (photoshop, of course) criticizes how professionals use to mediums to gain support. We’re counting followers, subscribers, likes, repost, and retweets. But what are those likes and retweets actually doing? If you’re working for a non-profit focusing on hunger and disease in third world countries and you have implemented a successful campaign on Facebook, but someone posts this on your Facebook page. How would you respond?

This picture poses many questions and issues that as future communication professionals we need to consider in developing campaigns. Yes, we can create campaigns and use social media to reinforce our messages, but one of the criticisms of companies’ use of social media is what are they doing for the public. Are they actually bettering the public? Is it just a message? Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming more and more important in the minds of viewers and consumers, and corporations are responding adequately. We’re seeing this with the abundance in green marketing, environmentally friendly products, corporate philanthropy, and cause marketing. Companies are talking the talk of doing social good. But are they walking the walk?

The link below is an article about the top 10 cause marketing trends in 2011. The second link is to a Forbes article talking about the competition and alliances amongst companies in cause marketing. It’s interesting to think about corporate social responsibility as a competition. Corporate social responsibility for some companies is becoming a marketing campaign or PR campaign, where the message is good but the company isn’t extremely active in the public good. I’m thinking about for-profit companies but is this an issue with non-profits? Is this something we, as future professionals, need to incorporate into our messages? We can design messages for the public but should we design messages for internal involvement in our CSR campaigns as well?

Top 10 Cause Marketing in 2011

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/12/top-10-marketing-corporate-responsibility-trends-2011/

Causing Marketing Competition and Alliances

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhessekiel/2013/09/17/cause-marketing-coopetition-on-the-rise/

Picture link:
http://marketinggrad.tumblr.com/post/65069277635