This is me responding to pop-ups
Recently, I made a few contributions to things I have read online and thought I’d share them with you, they all range in emotion and opinion from humorous to maybe (hopefully?) profound? In some sort of sense at least. (meaning they’re not just drunk comments I made on articles that I’m reading at 3am while eating pizza in bed)
BY THE WAY…I cut and pasted the title of the article above the comment I wrote IF YOU’RE CURIOUS.
As your studies in PR come to a close, what aspect of Public Relations interested you the most? How do you think your career will be informed by your new knowledge of Public Relations?
Concluding our lovely school year, I would say that the aspect of public relations that interests me the most is ensuring reputation and brand. I will soon be working as the PR representative for two Canadian Authors, and I feel that after representing the Northern Ink Xposure Tattoo Convention as a whole – Representing individuals that aren’t associated with a particular organization or brand is going to be challenging yet offer some great learning experiences. The thing about organizations is that the people involved have something to hide behind – whereas with individual artists, their entire brand is exposed, and they will be judged on all aspects of their presentation. I think the lexicon and awareness that you build is one of the main appeals that Public Relations offers. Also, just the opportunity and flexibility you have being a Public Relations professional – you can literally work for anyone or any company you want because EVERYONE needs (good) public relations and marketing I feel that my career will be informed by my new knowledge of brand awareness and how to conduct yourself during a crisis situation. Also, the use of various cultural dimensions provided in this program offered great information on how to communicate to masses of specific ethnicities. I feel that before this course, I was unaware of the different factors you need to take into consideration when communicating to masses, but after knowledge gained – I understand that depending on the situation at hand and who your audience is; there are various strategies to take into consideration and implement. Overall, all I really want to be able to do is help spread awareness for people or organizations that actually make a difference in this world; especially people who may otherwise remain voiceless. And if I’m not working for an organization that’s making a difference or bringing any positivity into the world they better be paying me out some fat cash so I can buy a yacht and forget about the misery they will probably put me through. FIN.
From the cases we’ve discussed in class so far, which case has most captured your interest and why? From a PR perspective, what did you learn from this case?
The case that I found the most interesting was the case of the New York Marathon, just because of the amount of money that was involved and the unfortunate turn of events regarding the natural disaster of Hurricane Sandy. While Boris fell asleep at the precise moment I opened my laptop, I researched the situation further; and it baffled me that the organizers of the marathon were still adamant about keeping the marathon going despite the destruction of the hurricane and the terrible after effects; I just don’t understand how they could have possibly thought that the marathon could have continued through this disaster. Also, I don’t understand how they could have not offered more compensation to the stakeholders in the situation, but on top of all that decided to gift themselves instead of some sort of recovery charity. Overall I feel that they could have handled the situation better, managed the issue better before it affected so many of the stakeholders. The false hope that they gave the public in reassuring them that the marathon was still going to continue regardless of the disaster ended up in a PR disaster in the end when they cancelled the event at the last minute. What I learned from this whole situation from a PR standpoint is the importance of crisis planning ahead of time, keeping on top of world issues (the hurricane updates and how it could have affected them), and really strategically planning an effective crisis management outreach. I just feel that there could have better solutions and the NYC marathon organizers would have not come off as greedy.
Some of the key messages that our class had come up with was:
These would have resulted in probably less of a backlash and negative press from the public and their brand. Even though their marathon in 2013 resulted in 50,000 more people than before, the calculation of the traffic was not determined on whether it was resulting from people who had previously invested or if they actually gained a heightened image of their brand.
What has made you change your opinion of a public figure, organization or brand?
Factors that have changed my opinion of public figures, organizations or brands have mostly been based on whether or not they endorse things I do not agree with and whether or not they conduct themselves in appropriate manners. For example, when Chick Fil-A broadcasted it’s opinion on same sex marriages, it caused me to really look into some of the values that a company is based on before supporting their products. Another example is the Barney’s racial profiling scandal, if a company is openly discriminative or against a certain aspect of human rights – it causes me to stray away from supporting their brand due to the negative connotation associated with the organization. In terms of a public figure, I just don’t appreciate when certain public figures are idolized by youth – whilst conducting themselves in really, really outlandish or inappropriate manner just for fame or shock value. An example with this would be Miley Cyrus. This girl grew up as a child TV star and obviously grew a massive fan base of young girls who adored her on television. As soon as she became legal, she continued to further and further push the limits in her actions by doing drugs publicly, dressing and acting inappropriately, and just conducting herself in a manner that her young fans should not be exposed to. All of this also happened in such a short amount of time, so her fans weren’t really given a “buffer zone” to grow accustomed to her new chosen lifestyle. I’m not one to judge peoples lifestyle choices, however if you are seen as an influence on youth, you need to be more respectful and conscious of your actions when in the public eye.
What factors have influenced your decision to do or not do something?
One of the main deciding factors that affect my actions would be environment and appropriateness. I feel that I’ve always been the type of person to go by the beat of my own drum, however based on the environment and the appropriateness of my actions – I will always consider how I plan to conduct myself. For example, I clearly have tattoos and body mods – and I made the decision to adorn my body with them. But in certain settings such as a christening or around family members that may not agree with my art choice, I do cover up in full regardless of my comfort level. Some people may not agree with this, but in my mind – at a church where my photograph will probably be taken with a child, I choose for the focus to be on the celebration itself and not on my body art.
What has made you think differently about an issue?
After hearing the breakdown of both sides of an issue, is when I begin to base my actual opinion on the issue at hand. For example, in the Rob Ford case, where he is just portrayed as a drug addict monster, I decided to look into his work as a mayor because it confused me as to why he would get so many votes and so many people I knew from Toronto were on his side as a mayor. After much discussion from urbanites and people residing in Toronto – I found out more information about his conduct and work he put into the city, as well as his relationship with younger demographics which further influenced my opinion on him. In my HUMBLE opinion, I think he’s made some mistakes as mayor in his public conduct however he has also done a lot of work towards lowering taxes etc in the city of Toronto. I stand on neutral ground at the moment until I actually reside in the city (T- minus 8 months)
Generally I feel that the importance lies within truth. There are obviously two sides to every story, and companies need the chance and given platform to explain their views and reasons for conducting certain practices. There must be a level of respect given to the public, because as an organization you rely on the public for the success of the company. What there needs to be is a balance between the view of the organization and the acknowledgment of the public’s concerns. The company cannot take an abrasive, condescending approach when addressing their views to the public, and when an issue arises; it is their responsibility to take matters into their own hands immediately and educate the public in a clear, respectful manner.
In the ‘pink slime’ case –I believe the industry’s focus on education is indeed the correct focus however it was a situation of “too little too late”. When the product first came out in 2001 – there should have been a transparent approach upon deliverance of this product to the public. When the e-mail incident broke loose in 2002, it should have been acknowledged immediately and the public should have been educated on the product as to avoid any “media outrage”. If the product stands by the manufacturers word that it is indeed a safe, nutritious beef product, then there should not be an issue regarding having to change their product. If the manufacturing companies were to change their product, the only thing that they would really have to change is the look of the product so it is no longer associated with “pink slime”. I feel that consumers are mostly concerned due to the general unappealing look of the product and the fact that the ingredients are associated with things such as “scraps” and “dog food”. None the less, at this point in time is it far too late for the companies to make any change in consumers’ minds regarding pink slime, and if it is to make a comeback into the market it sure as hell better not resemble ‘pink slime’.
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