CSR in Real Life

Apple, Inc. is known around the world as a powerful and influential company in the computer and technology field. In the past decade, no other company has really been able to parallel its advancements and success. That being said, Apple had to take steps to engage in CSR in order to not be seen as a profitable, yet irresponsible company.

One of the ways Apple has participated in CSR for quite a few years now is through endorsing (PRODUCT) RED through selling Red iPods. When someone purchases the red iPod, the proceeds go directly to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa.

http://www.techgadgets.in/images/apple-product-red-special-edition-ipod-shuffle-nano.jpg

In addition, Apple has had to participate in CSR to help save its reputation. Apple has received criticism from Greenpeace because some its products have high levels of PVC and BFRs, both of which can have negative health effects. Apple has also scored low on Greenpeace’s “Guide to Greener Electronics,” which rates companies on chemical-disposal and waste-reduction practices. Initially scoring a 2.7/10, Apple has steadily increased its score year after year, now scoring a 4.1/10. One of the ways Apple combated its low scores and criticism was by revealing the MacBook Air, which reduced the use of PVC and BFRs.

The Role of PR in Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming more and more important to businesses in my opinion. With the rise of the “green” movement, companies are expected to do more than just make a profit and keep their publics satisfied. Now, they must show that they care for the community they are a part of, and that they use their power in a positive way. In his blog, Fabian Pattberg describes CSR as “a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations.”

Talking about CSR reminds me of a Economics class I took in high where the class was split up into groups and each group was in charge of a company that was represented in an economics simulation program. We had to manage our product, think about the role of supply and demand, and hopefully turn out a profit each quarter. There was one group in the class that was very successful throughout the semester and no other groups could figure out why their sales were so much higher. It wasn’t until the end of the class that it was revealed that the leading group had been distributing a significant portion of their profit into “community development” and giving money to charities. In the simulation program, this form of CSR made their sales skyrocket because the consumers wanted a company that cared about social responsibility.

PR practitioners must play a significant role in CSR for their company:

The PR people must make sure the publics are aware of the company engaging in CSR. While it’s the thought that counts, if the publics don’t know about what good is being done, then the company will not benefit from it as much.

A PR practitioner may need to come up with a crisis plan in case a company gets in trouble with lack of CSR.

A PR practitioner must research a company’s publics to learn what particular values are most important to them, thereby maximizing the impact of the CSR.

Reflections on Chapter 15

Since we have already discussed much of the contents of Chapter 15 in our assignment PR and the Law this week,  I decided I would focus on some of the ways the student organization I am in, CLEMSONLiVE, has had to obey certain laws during my time here. As a student-run organization, members and directors have to learn quickly how to avoid problems with the law. Because we plan entertainment events on campus, we must PR for events often to get the word out. Below, I’ve listed several instances when the law has affected our organization activity and protocols…

Often, we host sports tournaments for students to sign up and participate in, playing for a prize in many cases. Each time we host one of these events we must create, print out, and have students sign waivers stating that CLEMSONLiVE cannot be held responsible for any injury during the games.

We design and print out large posters to hang around campus to advertise for upcoming events. One recent snafu we’ve experienced occurred when a member spent a lot of time creating a great poster only to be denied access to hang it up in the student center because she forgot to write “CLEMSONLiVE” on the poster somewhere.

A couple times a year, our movies program (we show movies in the theater in the student center) will get the opportunity to show an advance screening of a movie that has yet to be released in theaters. One particular time at this event, we had to have a local policeman come to the screening to act as security during the entire process. He had to sit in the screening room throughout the set-up, duration, and after the movie to ensure that no students were making bootleg copies.

Finally, one more experience through CLEMSONLiVE pertains not so much to the law, but to cross-cultural communication, another topic we’ve been learning about. For our big wintertime event, we set-up a synthetic ice rink in the outdoor amphitheater for students to skate on. We had decorated the trees nearby and had fake snow falling down to add to the atmosphere. We also had a DJ playing music, but to my surprise, we were asked not to play any “holiday-specific” songs so that we would not offend anyone. For instance, we could play “Winter Wonderland,” but not “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

These are just some examples of the ways I’ve already encountered clashes between PR and the law while being a student here at Clemson.

In addition…

One more important thing about cross-cultural communication is to avoid stereotyping.

Now, I am a huge fan of the show FRIENDS, but in one particular episode, Joey films a commercial for a Japanese company and when the commercial is finally shown, you can see a lot of stereotypical imagery about Japanese culture. From the music, to the girl’s outfit, to the crazy graphics, a PR practitioner would not want to release such a commercial for fear of offending a culture:

Reflections on Chapter 14

This Chapter, the book discusses the ever-important issue of cross-cultural communication in PR. It’s imperative for PR practitioners to research other cultures before communicating with them in order to avoid offending them or destroying relationships with certain publics.

The word “culture” is difficult to define, just the the term “public relations,” because of the many meanings it can take on. One definition the book offers for “culture” is “a social group that is smaller than a civilization but larger than an industry,” – an “industry” meaning a small community. Therefore, the book explains that a public is usually smaller than a culture. However, the term “culture” can transcend people and be defined as set “behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.”

When discussing culture, you must discuss people’s values. Values grow out of demographics (nonattitudinal characteristics), psychographics (attitudinal characteristics), and geodemographics (characteristics based on where a person or group lives).

A PR practitioner must evaluate a culture or a public’s values before sending a message to them in order to avoid a crisis. One example of good PR in action through cross-cultural communication was a subtle difference in Aflac commercials in the U.S. and Japan. I’ve been a fan of the Aflac commercials since they came out because I think the duck is cute and funny. I also think it’s easy to remember the company’s name because of the distinct way the duck yells “AFLAC!” at the end of each ad. However, through research, Aflac decided to subtly change the way the duck speaks when airing a commercial in Japan, because the Japanese frown on yelling. By viewing both a Japanese Aflac commercial and an American Aflac commercial you can see the difference in our cultures.

 

More on Crisis Communication

A topic related to crisis communication that companies must consider is social media. As Jim Rettew states in his presentation, social media can be both a blessing and a nightmare for PR. While it enables innovative, quick, and efficient ways of delivering a message, it can also allow others to create a message of their own. For instance, Rettew mentions how Domino’s had to go into crisis control mode this year when a viral video on the internet showed two employees partaking in unsanitary acts with Domino’s ingredients that looked to be added to a customer’s meal (it turned out later that the meal was never sent out).

PRSA has uploaded a page mainly of quotes by Tim McIntyre, a vice president of communications at Domino’s, talking about the crisis and how they reacted. I’m especially interested in this case of crisis communication because not only did social media cause the crisis but it also became part of the relief. Domino’s issued a YouTube response within 48 hours of the original video going public. McIntyre talks about how posting a YouTube response was unprecedented, but it worked because it was relatively quick, it reached their target audience, and allowed the public to know that Domino’s was not going to tolerate the acts.

Reflections on Chapter 12 (Crisis Comm)

In Chapter 12, the very important topic of crises is talked about in the book. A defining moment for any PR practitioner may be how they can avert or react to a crisis.

It’s important to recognize the difference between a problem and a crisis. Problems are usually predictable, limited in frame, and commonplace. Crises, on the other hand, are less predictable, require a considerable amount of time and resources to resolve, and often bring a lot of public attention.

Crises contain four stages in the eye of a PR practitioner:

The Warning Stage: during this stage, there are advance signs of trouble. If a good crisis communication plan is already in place, a crisis on a large scale can be avoided during this time.

Point of No Return: at this moment, the crisis becomes unavoidable and the primary stakeholders to the success of the company become aware of the problem

Cleanup Phase: at this point, the public spotlight has been on the company experiencing the crisis and the length of time invested in the cleanup phase depends on how detailed the crisis plan the company had was

Things return to normal: during this time, the public wants to see how the company has reacted. Is new management installed? What changes have been made to avoid the next crisis?

This webpage names the Basic Principles of Crisis Communication, including the Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication:

• Accept and involve the public as a legitimate partner
• Plan carefully and evaluate your efforts
• Listen to the public’s specific concerns
• Be honest, frank and open
• Coordinate and collaborate with other credible sources
• Meet the needs of the media
• Speak clearly and with compassion

In addition, this similar page lists the Seven Must-Have Elements in Every Crisis Communication Kit.

It’s incredibly important that every company have a crisis communication plan ready for when a crisis occurs.

Reflections on Chapter 11

Chapter 11 is all about living in the digital age – the most prominent change to our society in a very long time. Over just the past few decades, the way people give and receive information has changed drastically. Public relations, just like any profession, has been impacted greatly by this change.

There are several key points from the chapter that relate to my life.  The first point is about Web 2.o and the inception of hypermedia. The term Web 2.0 was coined to describe a new generation of internet services that emphasize online collaboration and sharing. The dawn of Web 2.0 along with the creation of hypermedia (the incorporation of digital audio, visual, and text information) has greatly, greatly affected journalism as a whole. In some ways, it has hurt the industry. Online sites such as facebook, and blogs have allowed the ordinary person to become a journalist of sorts, therefore trivializing the profession. In other ways, it has helped journalism because news sites such as CNN.com have been able illustrate their stories more so than ever. Not only does a reporter need to give a textual story, but they can also link to a related video, and post many splashy and colorful pictures as well, all to provide readers with more information. All of this has raised an important issue to journalists – after providing free access to these websites for so long, newspapers sales have gone down significantly and journalism is struggling to keep its head above water. As we’ve discussed in our journalism classes here at school, the most likely solution is to charge for access to the sites, seeing as classic newspapers may soon see their downfall.

Another topic from the chapter that caught my eye was the idea of virtual public relations, or the networking of small, independent public relations consultants. Not only has the digital age affected public relations practitioners who must now participate in virtual public relations, but it has also affected the average person. For instance, LinkedIn is a website which promises to strengthen and extend your existing network of trusted contacts. For people hoping to find a job, trying to meet new business associates, or attempting to extend the reaches of their company, LinkedIn can be there to help them. Even the heading of the website itself sums up what public relations stands for – “Relationships Matter.”

Another part of the chapter that caught my attention was the insert on viral marketing. Defined in the book as information passed along from one person to another via the Internet, viral marketing is a very interesting and effective form of public relations. I keep up with movie news quite often, checking sites like Movies.com daily, because I like to know about upcoming films and exciting casting rumors. Because of this hobby of mine, I’ve heard a lot about viral marketing before. One example of viral marketing for a film was done by the creators behind The Dark Knight. Months, even years, before the movie was released, fans discovered websites where you could “vote” for mayor of Gotham City, and sites that informed fans of a “scavenger hunt” where they could eventually unlock a trailer for the film. WhySoSerious.com was a major component of the film’s viral marketing campaign.

It is clear that the digital age has affected the public relations industry, along with basically any other profession. Even my father, a man almost in his 60’s is now having to adjust to digital media after returning to teaching college students after 25 years away from the profession. I believe that we will continue to see improvement and changes to our profession, thanks to the digital world.

Reflections on Chapter 9

Reading Chapter 9, I learned a lot about the definitions of PR tactics and how each kind is used to communicate a message to a public. Tactics are defined in the book as the actions we devise and undertake to influence relationships with particular publics. Tactics can either be messages or channels, although most commonly they are channels. As examples, the book states that a presentation your company gives or a brochure you hand out are tactics – in this case, channels that deliver a message to influence a relationship.The book then lists different kinds of tactics used in PR – special events, controlled media, and uncontrolled media.

For my blog this week, I tried to think of an example of a time in my own life when I needed to use PR tactics for my own benefit. I thought, “Has there ever been a time when I’ve used a special event, controlled media, or uncontrolled media to influence how someone thinks of me or an organization I’m a part of?” The best example I came up with is from my days in high school.

My junior year, I decided I wanted to quit the volleyball team. Because my school required that we have at least 4 sports credits (at least 4 seasons playing or managing a school sport) to graduate, I had to find a new way to complete my credits after I quit volleyball.  So, I turned to the cheerleading squad. I had absolutely no experience cheerleading before, but I knew I liked football so I thought ‘why not?’ I knew I’d make the team because, put simply, the team was a joke. No one at school took the cheerleaders seriously. Very few girls ever joined the team so try-outs weren’t a necessity. If you showed up for that first meeting in August, you were officially on the team.

However, after joining the squad, I discovered I really enjoyed cheerleading. I liked cheering at all the games and trying to improve the school’s spirit. This new feeling, along with the new coach, motivated me to want to turn the team around. I, along with the other girls, had had enough lack of respect and wanted to impress the school and show that we really cared about what we did and that they should care too. So, in a way, I (along with some of my fellow teammates) became PR practitioners for the squad. We wanted to show the school that we were important, that we were good at what we did, and that we can earn their respect.

So, we employed several different tactics to do so. One of the ways we did this was through special events. For instance, we sold rally towels, school signs, and pom-poms at the games for money that we gave to charity. We also hosted a day at the school where students could dress down (we had a uniform) if they paid 1 dollar toward that charity.

We also sent messages through controlled media. In a way, our controlled media was our cheers and performances that we did in front of the students and fans. Improving on the previous years’ cheers and challenging ourselves with harder routines improved the school’s perception of us. In addition, putting up posters to increase school spirit was another form of controlled media.

These are just some of the ways we improved the reputation of the cheerleading squad. Because of the turn-around that we provoked that year, I’m happy to see that the team has quickly risen to a well-respected team of about 25 girls. If we hadn’t employed PR tactics during those couple of years, I doubt that it ever would have happened.

Reflections on Chapter 8

Chapter 8 deals with the issue of planning in PR. The Chapter opens up with a real-life scenario from a few year’s ago when insufficient planning caused the public relations people of a new business in London to suffer extreme losses. Built to host year 2000 celebrations, the Millenium Dome was slated to be London’s first Vegas-style casino. On opening night, the area’s best-known journalists were invited to cover the night and hopefully gain some good PR for the business. However, bad planning led to the journalists getting stuck in underground subway stations for most of the night, missing all the festivities and even worse, ruining they and their families’ New Year’s Eve 2000.

The repurcussions of the event were massive, even leading to public relations officials to leave PR as a whole. Bad planning, as it turns out, can significantly affect any amount of PR. The chapter then goes on to explain several different types of planinng, such as adhoc (temporary) plans, standing (long-term) plans, and contingency (what-if) plans. Also, the chapter explains why we plan – to coordinate our actions with our mission, to secure needed resources, to help us control our destiny, to help us better understand out research, to achieve consensus, and to allow effective management of resources.

To illustrate this type of planning, I’ve linked the Strategic Planning page of the PRSA. There, you can see that they’ve properly listed their vission and objectives for the next few years.