Blog #5

Disney, Amazon, Apple Are Most 'Authentic' Brands (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/273403/disney-amazon-apple-are-most-authentic-brands.html)

            In the above article, Marketing Daily writer Tanya Gadzik (2016) claims that, on a global level, Disney, Amazon, and Apple come out on top as some of the most “authentic” brands. She states that companies were analyzed on the following: “[the brand] must be perceived as reliable, respectful and real” (Gazdik, 2016, para. 4). An organization that is open and honest will be perceived as more authentic. Gazdik quoted Andrew Escott, a global corporate practice leader, stating “[The top brands] have in common an ability to talk to consumers in a genuine honest and meaningful way but most importantly one that reflects a real consumer experience” (2016, para. 5). Corporate Social Responsibility was also a factor in the consumers’ rankings of the brands as “authentic.”

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), reputation, and authenticity all go hand-in-hand, especially when it comes to global practices. Aksak, Fergusen, and Duman state that “For consumers, CSR has become a tool to determine reputable companies and then to develop relationships with them” (2015, p. 1). In addition, Aksak et. al. state that “consumers make purchasing decisions based […] on social reason, such as how a company’s CSR efforts influence consumers as members of a community” (2015, p. 2). Therefore, it can be assumed that if a company is open and honest about its CSR practices, stakeholders will feel more engaged and loyal toward the brand.
            Also fitting into this idea is the theory of authenticity, as outlined in Molleda & Roberts’ (2008) article about the value of authenticity. The authors explain, “People want authentic stories about authentic people” (2008, p. 158). CSR leads to authenticity because it can show true care from the brand to the world surrounding the brand. For example, we can look at Disney, one of the authentic brands cited above. At Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the company has partnered with Give Kids the World, an organization that provides “the trip of a lifetime” to local children living with life-threatening illnesses. Disney provides a vacation to its theme parks, but also encourages its employees to volunteer with Give Kids the World in a variety of ways. This partnership shows Disney’s commitment to the local Central Florida community, and its commitment to helping children living with illnesses. This partnership fits in with Disney’s “brand image” of bringing magic to families.

So what makes a brand authentic? Good CSR and reputation are a great start.

Aksak, E. O., Ferguson, M. A., & Duman, S. A. (2015, in press). Corporate social responsibility and CSR fit as predictors of corporate reputation: A global perspective. Public Relations Review. 

Gazdik, T. (2016, April 14). Disney, Amazon, Apple Are Most 'Authentic' Brands. Retrieved from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/273403/disney-amazon-apple-are-most-authentic-brands.html 

Molleda, J-C., & Roberts, M. (2008). The value of “authenticity” in “glocal” strategic communication: The New Juan Valdez Campaign. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 2, 154-174.

 

Blog #4

North Korea officially blocks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

http://mashable.com/2016/04/01/north-korea-blocks-facebook-twitter/#4iTmo14EXiq2                 

            Earlier this month, North Korea made the decision to block Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and South Korean websites. According to an article on Mashable (2016), North Koreans in general cannot access these sites due to a lack of internet access; this decision was made to limit what visitors can post about North Korea while visiting the country (The Associated Press). Overall, this effort is an attempt to control what is said about North Korea over the internet.

            In North Korea, most citizens with internet access can only access a “sealed-off, government sanctioned intranet” (The Associated Press, 2016). Under this new restriction, foreigners visiting the country will no longer be able to browse the internet and access their own social media. This decision was made to limit the ability for people to post social media updates about visits to the country, but will also restrict North Koreans from seeing information posted about their country (The Associated Press, 2016).

            The internet is one of the largest globalized aspects of our world. Internet restrictions vary from country to country, but overall the internet is seen as an open, accessible space. However, in North Korea, those who can access the internet are very limited in what they can see and do on the internet, an issue that we in North America do not generally face.

            North Korea’s internet restriction is similar to China’s internet restriction, as outlined in Flew & Waisbord’s (2015) article about media systems. China, too, has promoted local internet sites instead of large, global social networks, such as Facebook (Flew & Waisbord, 2015, p. 629). While China is drastically different than North Korea is, internet access-wise, the intent between the two countries is similar – the country controls the content its citizens are able to access. Both countries also cite security concerns as a reason for restriction what sites can or cannot be accessed.

            Flew & Waisbord (2015) believe that looking at a country’s media system can provide insight to “political, economic, social, and cultural forces grounded in the local, the national, and the global” (p. 632). What I gain from researching North Korea’s internet layout, especially under these new rules, is that North Korea’s political forces are attempting to control their citizens’ access. While I understand national security concerns, I believe that restricting citizens’ and visitors’ access could be detrimental. It will be interesting to see how this new restriction plays out.

Flew, T., & Waisbord, S. (2015). The ongoing significance of national media systems in the          context of media globalization. Media, Culture & Society, 37, 620-636.

The Associated Press. (2016). North Korea officially blocks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.         Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2016/04/01/north-korea-blocks-facebook-            twitter/#4iTmo14EXiq2         

Case Facilitation - Public Relations Ethics & Social Media

Thanks to the speed, immediacy, and easy nature of the internet, social media has infiltrated many aspects of organizational practices. Companies and their employees are now accessible to publics through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. As a result, there is a greater need for research and guidelines for organizations on social media. Public relations practitioners have an obligation to follow ethical guidelines on social media, just as they follow ethical guidelines in other forms of communication with publics. In a crisis situation, ethical guidelines become increasingly important, especially when working with affected publics.

In the aftermath of the recent deadly terror attacks on Brussels, Belgium, public relations practitioner Matthew Doyle tweeted a recap of an interaction he had with a Muslim woman: he recounted, “I confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said ‘Nothing to do with me’. A mealy mouthed reply” (Lane, 2016, para. 4). The tweet received substantial criticism, especially when the public determined that Doyle is a public relations practitioner.

Instead of apologizing for his tweet, however, Doyle responded with a tweet that read, “Thanks all you tweeters for proving I can still do PR. I really was thinking about throwing the towel (head) in!” (Lane, 2016, para. 11). In addition, according to PR Daily, Doyle started to make it look like the whole thing was just a “PR stunt;” he also “boasted that his tweet had gone viral,” and was backed by his organization, Grant Doyle Associates, in a very inappropriate comment on Facebook (Lane, 2016, para. 16). Once the post went viral, Doyle was arrested for “inciting racial hatred,” but was released and not charged (James, 2016, para. 2).

In Bowen’s (2008) article, she cites Ryan and Martinson (1983), who stated “a public relations officer who is also a corporate conscience helps mold a corporation so that its goals and actions are consistent with the public good” (Bowen, 2008, p. 277). Though Doyle was not acting on behalf of any particular organization, he is affiliated with a public relations firm, Grant Doyle Associates, and as a result, has an obligation to follow ethical public relations practices. Because his tweets were insensitive toward Muslim individuals, and subsequently went viral, Doyle has now given himself a reputation as being insensitive and racist. In a globalized communication field, this act is incredibly detrimental. If Doyle were to go on to represent an organization, how could he be a corporate conscience for them having tweeted such racist things, thus alienating a Muslim audience?

This case brings into question the ethics that public relations practitioners need to follow on social media. Even on a personal page, a person’s reputation as a good public relations practitioner can be damaged by an insensitive, thoughtless post, such as Doyle’s. Bowen (2013) notes, “Immediacy, fragmentation, and permanency all contribute to the consequences of communicating in the digital realm,” (p. 121); she also notes that “Both the speed of the communication and the fragmentation of multiple receivers who may then re-communicate the message pose problems for media ethicists” (p. 121-122). Thanks to the ease of Twitter, Doyle’s message was re-tweeted many times and, though it was deleted, still managed to go viral.

Watson (2014) states that the IPRA Code of Athens, which includes guidelines for ethical public relations practices, states that public relations practitioners have an obligation to “have regard to the dignity of others” and “not take part in any activity affecting human dignity” (p. 711). Bowen’s (2013) Ethical Guidelines for Using Social Media also includes “maintain dignity and respect,” noting that the practitioner should “ensure that the communication maintains the dignity and respect of the involved publics” (p. 126). A quick scroll through Doyle’s Twitter page (@MatthewDoyle31) does not show what one would think when looking for an ethical public relations practitioner. The Twitter page is loaded with inappropriate language and insults, and does not follow any ethical public relations guidelines.

Overall, Doyle’s situation is an example of what public relations practitioners should not do. His blatant racism, inappropriate response, and overall demeanor on Twitter are not conducive to good public relations ethics. He does not maintain dignity, either for himself or for his publics, and just generally does not seem to care about his reputation, as a public relations practitioner or otherwise. His inappropriate tweets ended up having a global reach. This situation should open up a conversation among public relations practitioners worldwide as to how practitioners should conduct themselves on personal social media pages. Though speech laws are different in different countries, there needs to be a standard among public relations practitioners regarding social media ethics.

References

Bowen, S.A. (2008). A state of neglect: Public relations as 'corporate conscience' or ethics counsel. Journal of Public Relations Research, 20, 271-296.

Bowen, S.A. (2013). Using Classic Social Media Cases to Distill Ethical Guidelines for Digital Engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28, 119-133.

James, S.B. (2016). PR man Matthew Doyle will not sue Met after arrest for 'explain Brussels' tweet. Retrieved from http://www.prweek.com/article/1389420/pr-man-matthew-doyle-will-not-sue-met-arrest-explain-brussels-tweet

Lane, C. (2016). A personal branding no-no: How one exec’s ‘PR skills’ landed him in jail. Retrieved from http://www.prdaily.com/crisiscommunications/Articles/20422.aspx

Watson, T. (2014). IPRA Code of Athens – The first international code of public relations ethics: Its development and implementation since 1965. Public Relations Review, 40, 707-714.