By Tamara Jones
If you have any social networking sites, then I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase cancel culture, and if by chance, you’ve managed to escape the term, I will gladly explain it’s intended meaning and origin. Mariam Webster defines cancel culture as “the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.” The first known use of the term arose in 2016 during the #MeToo movement and since its inception, it has largely held a negative connotation, specifically in the political landscape. Many adversaries of cancel culture feel as if the act perpetuates an erasure of the First Amendment, more specifically – freedom of speech. In fact, cancel culture has often been touted as a liberal tactic for a suppression of conservative ideals. However, freedom of speech is often confused with the freedom to say whatever you’d like--without consequence. That consequence, in recent years has been inaccurately described as cancel culture. In fact, the act of “canceling” is merely just holding public figures accountable for their words and actions. Moreover, the so-called victims of cancel culture haven’t faced any repercussions that have impeded their freedom, careers, or safety. They have simply been called to task for racist, xenophobic, or homophobic statements. A few notable names of public figures who were “canceled” in 2021 are Ellen DeGeneres, J.K. Rolling, Justin Timberlake--all of whom took to their social channels and issued statements apologizing for the behavior they were called out for. As Communications majors we all know the power that words have. Certain words and phrases shape a narrative. I believe that cancel culture is a misnomer since the individuals being “canceled” don’t face any type of expiry. A more accurate name would be consequence culture. Sources: Americans and ‘Cancel Culture’: Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/05/19/americans-and-cancel-culture-where-some-see-calls-for-accountability-others-see-censorship-punishment/
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By Tamara Jones
Do you know what Tesla is? I know, easy question. Did you know that Tesla Motors does not have a public relations (PR) department? Shocking right. The average company spends about 12% of their annual revenue on PR and communication, so for a Fortune 500 company to neglect this area of business altogether is a complete anomaly. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, dissolved his PR department in 2020. His rationale for such an aberrant action was “not believing in manipulating public opinion.” A public relations team is an integral part of any successful company or organization. They are tasked with the job of handling a company’s reputation through communication measures. Tesla is currently facing major scrutiny involving diversity issues and the company and CEO’s reputation is under fire. Tesla is party to over 1,200 lawsuits, nearly all of which center around the issue of discrimination. In October 2021, Tesla was ordered to pay $137 million to a former worker who accused the company of ignoring a years’ worth of harassment, discrimination, and racist abuse. Owen Diaz, an elevator operator at Tesla from 2015 to 2016 recalled treatment he detailed as “straight from the Jim Crow era.” Some of the instances include employees drawing swastikas and racist graffiti around the plant, using racist slurs (including the N-word), and an overall hostile work environment – all of which were ignored by supervisors. There is an ongoing lawsuit that has been filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. They are alleging that the Tesla factory in Freemont, California, is racially segregated and that black workers are subjected to racist slurs and drawings. Tesla has yet to issue a comment on these legal matters, which makes the company look complicit with fostering a hostile and racist working environment. It would be a prime time to reinstate a Public Relations department. Sources: Tesla hit by another lawsuit over racism by an ex worker https://www.reuters.com/business/tesla-hit-by-another-lawsuit-over-racism-by- ex-worker-2022-02-22/ Is it Smart for Tesla to Not Have a PR Department? https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/06/07/is-it-smart-for-tesla-to-not-have-a-pr-department/?sh=262edf1c396b By Janae McDowell Social Media is one of the most powerful tools is today’s society. News can travel faster, you can update your followers with every tiny detail of your life, and most importantly, you can educate people on various issues in life. In May 2021, a study was published after researching the impact of social media on skin cancer prevention. In 2021 when the study was conducted, there were 4.2 billion social media users around the world and there has been a significant increase in the use of healthcare workers and users utilizing social media to seek information. The study consisted of researchers summarizing literature and converting it into a format more fitting for social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok. This experiment was well-rounded in the fact that each social media site used varies in demographic, format, and overall strategies. Based on the results, they concluded that the use of social media showed promise in spreading awareness on cancer as well as cancer prevention. There was a time when most people suffered in silence or were not knowledgeable about cancer awareness or ways to prevent cancer. Social media has changed that. If you scroll down a timeline, you are likely to see someone you know or something reposted sharing a testimony of a health experience. Social media is powerful in that it can bring so many people together, while also educating them at the same time. This study was an amazing idea and I hope the results prove to be long lasting. Source: Impact of Social Media on Skin Cancer Prevention
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8125878/ By Keshane Hinckley
In premier leagues like the NFL and the NBA, public relations (PR) professionals are needed. In these leagues, you have players making an extreme amount of money with fan bases of the millions. Mixing fans and money can lead to a recipe for disaster, especially when fans buy tickets and are not able to see the players they want to see. When fans buy tickets, they expect to get a great show or performance from organizations and players. However, with the current climate of the NBA and their Covid-19 protocol, the fans might not be able to get those performances and shows that they intended for. In the world of PR professionals today they have their hands full with trying to keep the players, organizations, and leagues in the fans’ good graces. The NBA has recently started back up, but before the start-up, there were a lot of discrepancies about their Covid-19 policy. Players are not forced to get vaccinated, but if they don’t there are obstacles set in place that will hinder their play and bonding with their teammates. In Kelly Ekert’s NBC sports article, she explains a little more of the things unvaccinated players have to do just to play and practice “Unvaccinated players, on the other hand, will be required to undergo testing on all days involving practice or travel, and they could be tested multiple times on game days”. So, players like Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal who are top players on their teams are going to have to be really careful because one wrong move can lead them to quarantine, which will result in not being able to play. However, PR professionals can do a lot to help players, organizations, and leagues keep the same fan base while going through tough moments like this. First, they can utilize social media to engage fans and keep them updated on their favorite player's status. Next, finding a way to connect with the fans outside of social media is important. Since they are coming to games, it’s imperative to keep them active within the arena. Finally, training these athletes to speak to the media about their vaccine situation is big. With the right answers and media training, it will help keep players and organizations in good graces with the fans. Even though roughly around 90 percent of the NBA is vaccinated, those who aren’t vaccinated can cause problems. Players like Kyrie Irving, who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets are in a position, unlike any other player. The NBA is not forcing the vaccination, but the state of New York is. For Irving to practice or play in any home games, he must be vaccinated which hurts the team because he is a star player for the Nets. In the eyes of a PR professional, this can be tricky, but not all is lost. With unvaccinated players having options to participate with extreme restrictions it still gives a way for PR professionals to keep the fans happy with organizations and players. Source: Which NBA players are vaccinated, unvaccinated against COVID-19 https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/list-vaccinated-unvaccinated-nba-players-ahead-season By Lisa Kelly
Since the pandemic started, there has been a shift in how students and teachers communicate with virtual learning versus in-person learning. Some students find virtual learning more convenient than in-person learning. Some teachers may find in-person learning more effective than virtual learning. Each teacher and student has his or her own perspective when discussing virtual and in-person learning. Both virtual and in-person have pros and cons of communication between teacher and student. First, let us look at the student vs. teacher perspective of online vs. traditional learning. Online learning can be more flexible for students, while on the other hand, it can be a challenge for teachers. Online learning for students helps them to adjust their classes around their own schedule and not the other way around. Online learning allows the student to be more in control, while the teacher is less in control. Most instructors like to be in-person because they can monitor their students better. Secondly, although online learning provides more flexibility for students, there is sometimes a lack of communication between students and teachers. Teachers may feel like they are giving clear instructions, but some students may feel confused. What might sound simple to the teacher, may be viewed as difficult to the student. Sometimes students can communicate better with the teacher in person, even with access. Third, when teaching online, teachers might feel like their students are not really engaged in the course and just taking the course to get a passing grade. When class is in-person, teachers can see what the students are doing and whether they are paying attention in class. Teachers like having more control. They do not like feeling like they are teaching themselves and no one is listening to them. While students may be listening, they may feel that participating is not mandatory in an online class. In conclusion, in-person learning can provide more flexibility for students. On the other hand, traditional learning is more comfortable for teachers and can facilitate more communication between students and teachers. Certain teachers are better with traditional learning and individual students are better with online learning. Teachers and students have different perspectives about online and traditional learning, and each type of learning has its pros and cons. Source: Weighing the Pros and Cons of Online vs. In-Person Learning Pros & Cons of Online vs. In-Person Learning | National University (nu.edu) By Justin Dockery
The definition and ways of public relations have continuously changed over the years with new and advancing technology. However, what has not changed is the core meaning, which is to influence, and build a relationship with the publics of an organization by means of engagement. Not too long ago the main way to perform outreach was through newspapers and radio. Now, with the assistance of social media, it is more efficient and easier than ever to perform the duties of relating with publics. Social media aids in ways such as the following: 1. 24/7 Engagement- Social media can be used at all times of the day and people all around the world, even in different time zones, can be reached. This maximizes the opportunity in constant outreach for companies. 2. Two-Way Engagement- Unlike newspapers and most radio airways, social media allows the entire publics to give feedback and or respond to the online post. This gives companies an advantage in hearing the difference of opinions and feedback of the messages put out. 3. Finding Influencers- Social media influencers give brands a larger voice by tapping into the large number of followers they have. Brands utilize this route in order to promote products and services, as well as political stances in some cases. 4. Quicker Announcements- Brands no longer have to wait for their messages to be cleared, printed, and broadcasted. Social media platforms provide a channel for companies and brands a voice and passage to communicate any message. 5. Analytics of engagement- Analytics is super important in any type of engagement for brands. Analytics provide an evaluation of engagement which quantifies the success of each post. The insight on posts goes beyond likes and comments. It goes in-depth and shows the data of the number of people who scrolled upon the post, groups of people such as gender, age, ethnicity, and locations. This is very vital to brands, allowing precise tracking of target audience and audience reached. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/02/21/how-social-media-is-changing-the-face-of-pr/?sh=5a10642e724f By Gianni Glover
In society today, building a community rather than just promoting can be a beneficial way to retain customers and engage with new potential customers. You can build your business’s community and broaden its audience by telling a personal story. According to the Content Marketing Institute, “me content” can be defined as content centered around an individual or group telling a story that is relatable and aligns with the mission and messages the business wants to convey. “Me content” is not intended to be a selling tool; it’s a method of building strong relationships with your customers and a thriving community of loyalists over time. Your story identifies what your passions are and serves as the foundation for all your future content developments. The first step in communicating using “me content” is deciding which personal story you want to tell. Based on an article written by Dr. Nossel of Narativ, A Company Built To Perfect Business Story-Telling, “Personal storytelling is the most effective way of communicating messages as it taps into our brain’s hardwired capacity to integrate emotional and intellectual input, organizing it into temporal sequences with beginnings, middles, and ends.” Personal stories harness the universal ideas of the hero’s journey to communicate how one may overcome obstacles to achieve one’s goals. To begin telling the personal story, you first need to decide exactly what message you want to let your audience and potential customers know about you as it relates to the business. The story or “me content” can feature the company's CEO or founder talking about his or her humble beginnings that led to starting the business; Or, a story can feature the fulfilment specialist who enjoys making sure each package ships out with love and care. It is important to tailor the stories based on who your audience is, your current relationship with them, and what you want to achieve. The essence of this “me content” strategy is to take a few key ideas or messages that allow your community to grow through allowing them to learn more about you and your business. While they learn and understand who you are as an individual it also connects them in genuine ways to your brand and story. Sources: The Power of Personal Storytelling https://narativ.com/2017/10/30/power-personal-storytelling/ By Keshane Hinckley
In the field of public relations, there is an abundance of different fields that you can dive into. It is critical to understand your place in the space, so you are able to maximize your potential in the field. Nowadays, sports has become one of the most unique fields in public relations. Now more than ever during this Covid-19 era, the need for public relations representatives for players and organizations has increased. The talks of mandating the Covid-19 vaccine within the league has caused some concerns for players. This concern can ultimately turn into turmoil for organizations and fans who come to games planning to see star players. So, the use of public relation professionals is imperative to keep players and organizations in good graces of the fans. Players like Kyrie Irving has been seen in the eyes of the public as a good player who is problematic with a diva like personality. During the 2020 season, Kyrie sat for multiple games for unknown reasons in which he did not communicate with his coaches, teammates, or organization. With him being a star player under a big contract, this could cause turmoil between not only Kyrie and the fans, but also with the organization. This issue has lingered into the 2021 season with the Brooklyn Nets. With Kyrie opting out of getting the vaccination, it has put his name, reputation, and made his love for the game look questionable to fans and players around him. His personal decisions have put a strain on the organization both physically and socially. Recently, this story has been running across many sports platforms as a main headline, which has not only made Kyrie Irving look bad, but also the Brooklyn Nets. Trying to clear the air, Kyrie spoke out during media day stating, “Honestly, I’d like to keep that stuff private. I’m a human being first. Obviously living in this public sphere it’s just a lot of questions about what’s going on in the world of Kyrie.” He also said that he wants to deal with this matter in private and he has a plan moving forward. His plan moving forward accentuates that he still plans on playing in the 2021 season. Even though he does not reveal the plan, it’s clear that Kyrie has consulted with someone to help take the pressure off his back. By revealing there is a plan, he gives his fans high hopes of seeing the superb guard play this season. Source: Kyrie Irving misses in-person Media Day; calls vaccination status ‘private https://www.netsdaily.com/2021/9/27/22696850/kyrie-irving-misses-in-person-media-day-calls-vaccination-status-private By Deja Watts
In our world of Public Relations (PR), creating content is one of the most important aspects of connecting with your target audience. It is critical to know how and exactly what to say when speaking to a current or prospective client. This is a skill that grows with experience. David Sawyer, an international PR expert, based in the United Kingdom, has been in the industry for over 20 years. He specializes in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and digital marketing since creating his PR firm in 2014. David states that “It’s only by knowing the people who follow your stuff intimately that you’re able to help them.” Depending on what services, products, or expertise one offers to clients, the marketing strategy should always be tailored and customized to your target audience. No matter how big or small your following is from your audience, it is vital to study the insights and engagement reports to provide relevant content. David also said, “There is no substitute for knowing how to tell a story coupled with good old promotion when it comes to producing killer content and getting it out there.” In a nutshell, after you tailor your content to your specific target audience: PROMOTE! There’s no way around these steps, especially in today’s world of social media. A person can have the best idea globally, but it means nothing if no one knows about it. Share your content, pay for promotion, and invest in your growth. In the new world of social media influencers and the monetization of social media in general, many businesses and brands are using this to their advantage. Whether it’s entrepreneurship, building a brand, or managing someone else’s, remember two things in whatever you decide to pursue. First, create content that is strategically tailored to your target audience. Pay close attention to what they engage with and respond to so that you reach as many as you can. Second, share your content! Make sure you are seen and heard. Pay attention to social media algorithms so that your content is not lost. Do your research on your field, your audience, and your competitors. After these steps, enjoy your route to success! Source: Tips from 8 World- Leading PR Experts on Writing Influential Content https://www.prezly.com/academy/content-creation/how-to-write-content-that-influences-people-with-top-tips-from-7-world-leading-pr-experts By Deja Watts I had the pleasure of interviewing, via email, Laura Miller, Executive Vice-President at Greentarget, a business-to-business Public Relations (PR) agency that helps professional services firms build and communicate authority to guide more intelligent conversations. We discussed her intern experience as a college student, how she began her career at Greentarget, and how low-income students can effectively compete for high-quality internships. Ms. Miller shared some very insightful information and tips. Following is the interview. DW: Where did you attend college, and what was your major? LM: Tufts University and International Relations DW: What activities were you involved in while in college? LM: Sailing, Tufts Daily (newspaper) DW: Did you interview anywhere? If so, how was that experience? LM: I did not know during college. In the ‘90s, internships did not seem to be as common as they are today. Instead, I had summer jobs as a sailing coach and at a department store. Post-college, I interned for a United States senator, which ultimately led to a full-time role in his office. DW: How did you begin your career at Greentarget? LM: The senator I had been working for since college decided to retire from public service, and I had to decide on my next steps. My primary role in his office was as press secretary, so I found myself torn between some political opportunities and those in the communications space. Either way, it was imperative to pursue a career that impacted the world and allowed me to continue championing essential causes. Greentarget was opening its doors (technically the neighboring office’s door as the agency did not yet have one) and offered the opportunity to take the leap into professional services work while continuing to pursue my interest in public affairs working with political campaigns. Eventually, I shifted entirely into work with professional services organizations, where Greentarget is focused: we help sophisticated organizations articulate their unique value, build meaningful relationships and grow to their full potential. DW: What are the qualifications for applying to Greentarget’s intern program? LM: Greentarget interns are generally in their junior or senior year of college or have recently graduated. While we do not expect anybody – intern or otherwise – to join the firm with knowledge of the clients we represent (large law firms, consulting firms, financial services organizations, etc.), we do look for candidates interested in learning more about these sophisticated businesses. A solid written and oral communication background is a great benefit, as is the ability to work independently and within a group. Ultimately, we look for people who match our values: authenticity, hard work, intellectual curiosity, good teammates, and challenge-seekers. DW: Financial barriers, however, often prevent low-income students from accessing high-quality internships, many of which are unpaid. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds may need a summer income to pay for college, leaving the career-rich opportunities unpaid internships provide off the table. What advice do you offer low-income students competing for high-quality internships? LM: Personally, I am not a fan of unpaid internships in large part because of the systemic issues you just described. If an organization is unwilling to commit financially to investing in future practitioners and does not have some extremely compelling tradeoff in exchange, it is worth wondering whether they are an organization whose values match yours.
DW: What can those offering high-quality internships do to help support low-income students? LM: My experience has been that organizations that offer high-quality internships also tend to be the organizations that invest in people and see the value in a team with a wide range of backgrounds.
DW: Any other thoughts you would like to share? LM: I imagine the internship process can be intimidating for anyone, so seek out resources, including teachers, career offices, and other students who have worked for companies that interest you. Moreover, while you may not be in the driver’s seat for the application process, do not shy away from asking critical questions to help ensure a good fit and a positive experience:
Source: Green Target: About us https://greentarget.com/about-us/ |
AuthorBowie State University SPR Group Student Blog Archives
May 2022
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