Not only is social media being used in public relations campaigns, but it is also being implemented into education as well.  From using Facebook to connect with students in class to using Twitter to start conversations with professionals and sharing articles with students on Delicious.  There are many possibilities to where this can go in the future.  However, what about the emergence of social games and implementing them into education?  Will these work for students to learn more about a subject if they participate in a game that is online?  Well, according to Mashable, there are many ways in which social media is improving education.  From presenting lessons virtually to having students be part of a virtual world in looking at a health related issue, and having students participate in virtual simulations.  These are all exciting opportunities for students to grow and learn from these experiences.  Social media is being implemented in not only science courses, but history, English, and chemistry classes as well.  Social games are not only a benefit in educating in the classroom, but outside as well.  The CDC has a great site that has several e-games for students to learn about various health issues, nutrition, stress, diseases, and games focused on safety issues.  This is a great channel for students and their parents to participate on and learn together on many issues that are relevant to them.

Overall, the benefit of having students online and actively participating on these games is that they are searching for new ideas and creating knowledge.  They are constantly learning and adapting their attitudes and opinions on various issues.  Plus, the Internet serves as a gateway for critical thinking.  Students today are exposed to many sources of information from multiple channels, and they have to look at what are the main themes that are emerging and make their decision based on all of these facts.  We are living in an exciting time where technology is constantly changing and evolving – and being a researcher and educator – I am looking forward to incorporating social media and new technology into my classes.

Hope you all are having a great day and good luck to both the Colts and Saints in the Super Bowl!

Best Wishes,

Karen

Pepsi is focusing on engaging and interacting with their customers and other key stakeholders beyond the Super Bowl with their campaign.  What is changing for these corporations is the focus on the long-term in terms of establishing a relationship beyond just one event.  These companies are also being proactive in supporting causes and issues that are reflective of their values and reputation that also give back to society.  These corporate socially responsible practices are becoming more popular in public relations campaigns, and it is good for PR professionals to be aware of these trends. However, there are still large and recognizable brand that are still investing in advertisements during the Super Bowl like Pepsi’s competitors Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper.

The question is – will donating and incorporating a cause into a PR and marketing campaign be as effective in the long run?  Is this a great opportunity for them to separate themselves from their competitors, or is this a risk?  We will have to wait and see – but it does appear that people today want to do business with corporations that they trust, respect, and feel invested in for not only in their business practices, but their contribution to the greater good.

Hope you all are having a great day.

Best Wishes,

Karen

One in particular that my students have been very interested in is the latest Toyota Recall Crisis. Even in this case, we as public relations professionals see that our work is still not done and the best practices that we preach and stress in our workplace and in the classroom are still not being implemented.  Toyota recently reported a recall on brakes from certain models of their car, and the recall cost is up to $1.1 billion.  Now, Toyota just announced that their Prius model, one of their most popular car models, also is having brake issues.  Not only that, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood made a statement in a congressional hearing not to buy Toyota cars.  Wow, it seems that Toyota can’t get a break in this crisis!

Gene Grabowski, chair of crisis and litigation practice at Levick Strategic Communications, recently made the comment to Newsweek that sums up the crisis that Toyota is facing right now by classifying this case as being “the worst-handled auto recall in history in terms of the consumer anxiety that persists and the mixed messages that were being sent at the outset.”

What are some of the crisis communication issues that is facing Toyota right now?  What have they done that is not proactive in addressing this crisis situation?  First, they were late in responding to this crisis.  They should have had their president of U.S. sales, Jim Lentz, immediately on the forefront of addressing any concerns and issues that were arising from customers, dealers, and the media.

Second, they have not been proactive in addressing the non-traditional media.  This includes bloggers, Twitter users, and other key social media influencers that are voicing their opinion and attitudes towards Toyota among their followers.  Instead, Toyota has taken the traditional media route and focused on primarily addressing their customers through newspaper ads, television appearances, and other outlets.  This is so 20th century – companies in crisis today have to be present and actively managing a crisis in all channels – traditional, non-traditional, and even the human channel.

Even though this case is evolving and not nearly finished, recent reports and studies have shown that the reputation damage is already impacting Toyota.  Customers are wary in purchasing products from Toyota, and they are losing confidence in the brand.

In summary, Toyota should have been proactive in their crisis communication strategies and messages and taken a lesson or two out of the Tylenol Recall case that happened in 1982.  Their leadership needed to be at the front of addressing any rumors, concerns, or issues being raised.  Toyota needed to also be focusing on addressing all types of media outlets, not just the traditional media.  Lastly, timing is everything – Toyota should have had a strategic crisis communication plan in place for an event that one of their products to be recalled.

These are simple steps in being proactive in crisis communications, and Toyota is learning the hard way and their brand and reputation is suffering for it.

Hope you all are having a good day!

Best Wishes,

Karen

It is interesting how one tweet, status update, or false statement is made by one person, and it spreads immediately all of the Internet.  This is what happened with American Airlines right after the Haiti Earthquake.  The airline company had to deal with a false statement, or rumor, about whether or not they were going to be offering free flights to Haiti for doctors and nurses for the relief effort.  This first appeared as a Tweet on Twitter, and immediately was picked up by the media and other key influencers and their followers.   Rumors are definitely a huge issue for businesses, individuals, and organizations to handle in crisis communication.  According to Coombs and Holladay (2006), a rumor is when an “untruthful statement about an organization is circulated” (p.146). AA spokesperson Tim Smith released a statement to CNN that stated:

“Last night’s hoax on Twitter about American and JetBlue flying doctors and nurses to Haiti for free was just that — a hoax. We don’t know who is responsible, but it’s a very low thing to do.”

The strategies that American Airlines implemented to address this situation was immediately went on their own Twitter account (AAirwaves) to state that this was not true and to provide their side of the story.  This case show several key lessons for public relations and crisis communicators to be aware of when operating on social media.  First, they have to be actively aware of what is being said about their company.  Whether it is monitoring Tweets on Twitter or having a platform dedicated to looking at all of the mentions associated with the brand name, companies have to be many steps ahead to address any issues that may come their way and evolve into a crisis.  Second, this case shows the power of a rumor and its potential damage to a reputation of a brand.  It only takes one influencer to start a false statement before it spreads virally.  Lastly, this does show that companies need to be actively on social media.  We have to not only make sure that we handle rumors in the traditional media, but in the non-traditional media as well.

In my opinion, American Airlines handled this situation professionally and definitely survived what could have been a huge reputation crisis for them.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen

Reference

Coombs, W.T. (2007).  Ongoing crisis communication:  planning, managing, and responding. Sage Publications.

Solis states “For marketers, Apple has reset the market by empowering brands and developers to mine an entirely new channel to reach existing and potential customers, advocates, and influencers. You can expect to see brands increasingly exploiting popular apps as well as creating branded experiences in the Apple, Android and eventually in the Microsoft, BlackBerry, and Palm platforms as well. VW’s launch of its new GTI exclusively on the iPhone and iPod Touch as an app was as groundbreaking as it was telling,” (Solis, February 3, 2010, para.4).  For public relations professionals – this is key to know and so we can be proactive in learning the new applications that are being used on the iPhone, Blackberry, and other Smartphones, how people are using these to get information and making new relationships with others and brands, and what types of applications people are looking for in their professional and daily activities.

Also, there are certain traits and characteristics that mark a successful public relations professional working with social media.  Mashable recently had a good post that discusses the essential traits that someone in 2010 needs to have to be successful in the digital realm.  From establishing mutually beneficial relationships to taking risks to being a digital trendsetter, these are all good things to know for a public relations professional today.  We need to be aware of what are the expectations of fellow professionals and businesses for the PR professional today.

So, in summary – to be successful in getting a job and establishing your reputation as a force to be reckoned with – you need to be a digital trendsetter, someone with strong social skills both online and offline, have confidence to take every opportunity to learn and grow as a professional, and be an active learner.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen