Are We Becoming Too Mobile?

My husband playing a game on his mobile device.

Imagine yourself in New York City walking the streets. What do you see? You probably see people walking all around the city talking on their mobile devices or texting on their smartphones. The world as we know it is becoming more dependent on mobile technology. Why is the new advancement in technology so important to strategic communicators and the media? Mobile technology has changed the way the public views the news. More people are going online and using their smartphones to find out what is going on in the world. However, statistics have shown that people still use traditional platforms such as listening to the radio or watching television news. (Blodget, 2012) As mobile users increase, companies are adopting a “mobile first” approach; however, the company should make sure that such a strategic plan is right for their company. The problem with the “mobile first” approach is that companies need to be aware of the digital divide. “The “Digital Divide” is defined as the gap between those with regular, effective access and ability to use digital technologies and those without.” (Boyera, 2004) Some less than fortunate consumers cannot afford cellphones that have all the fancy bells and whistles. Therefore, companies are going to miss those consumers. If companies use both traditional and mobile platforms to market their products then they will reach and meet the needs of all the population. There is no denying that mobile devices have changed our daily lives. We are more connected and accessible than ever before. There is also no denying the impact that mobile devices have had on media and marketing. In fact, mobile devices have become a huge market of their own. I would estimate that atleast one out of four TV ads are an advertisement for a mobile device or mobile service provider. Once you have connected online through your mobile device, you instantly begin to be bombarded with well-placed strategic advertisements. Even if you are not trying to surf the web, but you are simply playing a game you will see ads for other games or an upgraded version of the game that you are playing at the moment. Then you have to decide if you want to try the new latest game or upgrade the game you have. This is the mobile version of free samples much like the free samples you see at the stores and flyers and coupons in your mailbox. Unlike mass advertising through the postal service, mobile marketing can be better targeted at specific consumer groups. When you open your mailbox to find it full of “junk mail,” the inclination is to sift through it for bills and letters then throw the rest away without looking at the rest of it. However, when you open a frequently used app and are prompted to see all the features you can get by upgrading from the free version to the paid version you are more likely to engage in this form of marketing, because it is directed specifically at you. John McDermott states, “Despite having a decidedly negative view of mobile advertising, a significant portion of mobile users were open to mobile ad targeting based upon their personal interests (49%) and current location (43%).” (2012) This means that about half of mobile users are okay with receiving advertisements via their phone as long as it is geared to their personal interest and location.  For example, if you were a restaurant company that was only located in San Diego, California you would not want to send your coupons via mobile to people outside of the San Diego area. That would be a bad marketing strategy. Instead, you would want to send the coupons to San Diego residents that use mobile devices.

            However, there is a downside to all of this mobile usage. Rich Ling states, “The ringing of the device, the perception that one talks too loudly, and the sense that one coerces others to eavesdrop on their conversations are all seen as intrusions on the public sphere. (2004)” All too often we find ourselves in the uncomfortable situation of hearing a total stranger’s conversation, because they either do not realize it or just do not care that everyone around them can hear every word they speak. Even worse, in my opinion, are the people who carelessly use hands-free devices like Bluetooth headsets. These people walk around talking to themselves, and you sometimes mistakenly think they are talking to you. Another aspect of mobile dependency is the tendency to never put the thing away when socializing with friends or family. All too often when I get together with my family there comes a point when we all realize we are sitting in a room with every one of us looking at our phones playing games or even texting one another from across the room. Attachment to our mobile devices can be a social handicap if we allow the use of these devices to replace face-to-face interactions. I have noticed another side effect of the constantly connected world we live in. When getting together with family or friends you have not seen in a while, there is nothing to talk about, because everyone already knows everything that everyone has been doing; therefore, with a lack of conversational material, we revert back to playing with our phones. The same concept exists in the media. There is no need to wait for the six o’clock news when you can get the news in real time by going to any number of news or social media sites. Take the weather channel app for example, instead of waiting to hear it from the meteorologist on your local news cast, you can simply pull out your phone and get everything from a seven day outlook to hour-by-hour forecast with live streaming radar. I guess the key to it all is finding a balance between the real world and the digital world. Mobile technology has made our lives more convenient, but like anything else there can be too much of a good thing.          

References:

http://adage.com/article/digital/mobile-ads-disruptive-television-spots/238730/

http://www.businessinsider.com/survey-mobile-first-bad-strategy-2012-12

http://www.richardling.com/papers/2004_disturbance_of_social_sphere.pdf

http://www.w3.org/2006/12/digital_divide/IST-africa-final.pdf

Media Convergence: From Television to Netflix

What is media convergence? Encyclopedia Britannica states the following definition of media convergence, “phenomenon involving the interconnection of information and communication technologies, computer networks, and media content. It brings together the “three C’s” – computing, communication, and content – and is a direct consequence of the digitization of media content and the popularization of the internet.” (2013) What does this mean exactly? Well, when you use your smartphone or tablet to view or read the news, you are switching from old traditional media platforms to the new media platforms. Therefore, you are still reading the news; however, news companies are merging with the online world to better serve you. This allows you to watch videos and read the news online without having to buy a newspaper or be at home for the 5 o’clock or 10 o’clock news. People from all over the world have access to news 24/7 as long as they have an internet connection. Why is it a big deal? Anyone anywhere can post the news online; therefore, creating a very thin line between ordinary people and journalist. Regular citizens can post the news on their websites, blogs, and social networking sites. For example, say you are riding down the road and you see a car crash into the side of a building. You stop and record the accident with your phone and post it to your Facebook or Twitter account. You have now become what some people call a “citizen journalist.” Citizen journalists completely change how real journalists do their job. Anyone can now create and share content online. Before the digital age, people would buy a newspaper, watch TV, or listen to the radio to know what was going on around them in the world. Today, the audience members have now become the contributors of news. Differences between citizens and skilled journalist have become indistinct because of this media convergence. The problem with this is that regular citizens might be able to show a picture of a car wreck scene and give a brief description about the accident; however, a journalist finds out why this accident occurred in the first place. Therefore, are these “citizen journalist” real reporters? Are they considered credible? Do they ask the following questions like the experts: Was this person drunk? Did this person have a heart attack while driving the car? Or did the driver just lose control of the car? These are the type of things that an expert journalist would research. Media convergence is changing the way people hear and see the news, and media convergence is changing who is delivering the news. Journalist and communication specialist have to adapt to this new change. Communication specialist and journalist can use what regular citizens post online and research the story more to find out additional details and then reiterate the story for general public knowledge. They can contribute to a citizen’s post by giving more facts about an incident or story. Media convergence is also changing the way Nielsen measures television consumption. Traditionally, Nielson would measure what people would watch on television by sending out surveys to every American household; however, now these surveys will include people who watch television programming on their Xbox consoles and through internet websites like Hulu and Netflix. Nielson realized that more and more people were not using traditional media such as television to watch TV shows. More and more people are using the internet from their tablets or smartphones to watch their favorite TV shows. Also, as video gamers are becoming more popular, people are using their Xbox consoles to view television shows. Therefore, the Nielson has to adapt to the new digital platforms. Joe Flint states the following about Nielson’s new evolution: Nielsen's decision to change its measurement of television came as it noticed an increase in the number of homes not using traditional television systems consume television over the last couple of years. People are cutting the cord to their TV providers, younger consumers never sign up for these services. Instead they choose to get content through newer platforms such as Hulu or Netflix. (2013) Young consumers are deciding not to even purchase satellite TV or Dish Network, because they can see the shows online for free or for a cheaper price. If Nielson can get these numbers from the consumers this would change the overall data that will be collected in 2014. However, since people can view movies and television shows online, but they do not have to watch commercials. Yes, websites still have advertisement ads posted; however, the consumer does not have to click on them. Media convergence is also changing the way consumers listen to music. More people are going online to music sites such as YouTube, Project Playlist, and also downloading music aps on their smartphones to hear their favorite songs. Purchasing CDs are becoming the thing of the past, because we can go online for music. Websites like YouTube is a free service that lets users watch music videos or other types of videos from anywhere in the world. Consumers no longer have to go to local music stores to buy albums. Media convergence has completely revolutionized the way consumers handle business. Ever since the digital world became the norm, people can watch TV, download and listen to music, read and share the news, and buy and sell products online with instant gratification. Even sites like EBay and Amazon have changed the way we all do business. Everyday people can go to those websites and sell their belongings to other everyday people. Online communications is basically cutting out the middle man of purchasing products. For example, if my friend is looking for a school textbook, my friend can go online to Amazon and search for the textbook. Chances are my friend will find that textbook for a cheaper price than Barnes and Nobles or Books-A-Million. Another example is my husband is planning to purchase a good work truck. He visits Craigslist every day to find a good, decent work truck for a reasonable price. Before the internet, the only way to search for a nice, used truck was to buy a newspaper or wait until you see a truck for sale in someone’s yard. There is no doubt that media convergence is changing the world of business and communication.

 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1425043/media-convergence

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-nielsen-20130221,0,7681633.story

 

Where Have the Newspapers Gone?

Where Have All the Newspapers Gone?

Do you find yourself reading the news more and more online? That is because print media is possibly on its way out the door. More and more newspaper companies and magazines are going online. Mubashir Hassan states, “Daily newspapers in the US have lost 40% of their readership in the last 20 years. In 1991, 70% of people would watch TV for news, but now a 50% drop has been witnessed in their viewership.” (2013) Why such the decrease? Because the younger generation is going to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Vine to get their daily news. However, there is still the older generation that still prefers to hold their news information in their bare hands. They want to turn the pages and get the ink on their fingers. They probably think it is silly to read the news on something that they see as nothing more than a video game. The average age for newspaper readers in the US was 54. (Hassan, 2013) That means there is a huge gap in the population that read print newspapers as opposed to those that do not read print media. Some say it is because young teens and young adults do not want to carry around a newspaper or have it laying around in their homes. Others say that it is easier for them to check the news on their phones or tablets. One study suggests, “Millennials are more likely to own smartphones and to use them for news, and far less likely to use print newspapers, radio or TV for news.” (Sonderman, 2012) The Millennials and Generation X have grown up playing with computers, smartphones, and tablets unlike the older generation. They are more likely to embrace social media sites compared to the older generation. So what is going to happen to print media? Traditional media will have to reinvent themselves to appeal to the new trend of online social networking sites. They will need to have Facebook and Twitter pages for the younger generation, but also stay true to their older, loyal readers. If the newspaper companies can appeal to both the younger more technology advanced user and still be able to print some newspapers for the older generation, the companies should be able to survive. However, Bill Mitchell states the following about newspaper jobs lost, “In its look at established media, the study found 5, 900 newspaper jobs lost in 2009 (in addition to a similar number in 2008), reducing newsroom employment at newspapers since 2001 by a third.” (2010) That means more and more people in the journalism and communication field are having a hard time keeping their jobs. This is why there is such a huge debate on whether or not print media is dying out. However, there is no denying that print media is declining and will continue to decline while consumers become a custom to using the internet and adjusting to social media sites like Facebook. Print media does not have to completely die out as some would say. Print media just needs to adjust to publishing their news stories online so they are still appealing to all types of personalities in people. There is no doubt that we are a nation of change; however, you will always have the laggards that will grit their teeth and stand their ground when it comes to not using technology. J Ford Huffman, an independent news-media consultant, suggests, “You can read the news on your iPad, but you can't quite snuggle up with your iPad like you can a good magazine. And you can't replace your iPad, in the same ways you can replace a lost newspaper.” (Social Driver, 2012) Huffman has a point. Newspaper prices range from $1.50 -$2.00 a paper, and iPads range from $400 to $1, 100. That is quite a big difference in prices. For example, if you were an iPad user and you lost your iPad, it is a lot more difficult to replace a $400-$1000 iPad in comparison to replacing a $2.00 newspaper. However, it is easier for some users to bookmark their favorite stories with their digital devices instead of relying on a print copy, because the hard copy could be destroyed or misplaced. The bookmark feature on computers or tablets allow users to save and revisit their favorite news sites. Also, digital media such as tablets and computers allow the consumers to make the font size bigger for better visualization. Also, digital platforms allows users to watch videos online and you are able to see the news as it unfolds. Not to mention, people who use online news sources can share the stories faster by copying and pasting the stories to their social media websites or linking the stories to their website. Also, they can e-mail the stories to family and friends. More and more people are going online to stay connected with others; therefore, they have the information at their finger tips at all times if they have a smartphone or tablet. They do not have to leave the comfort of their own homes or work stations to buy a newspaper at the local market. The downside to the digital aspect of newspapers is that it is limited in article material. For example, if a parent has a child that is on the honor roll, this article may be omitted in the digital platform. This is a huge disadvantage to the parents that wish to collect those articles for keepsake or scrap-booking. Another aspect of digital media is the immediate availability of information. As soon as news worthy events happen, they are almost immediately made available to the public. This can be a double-edged sword. It allows news media to get the edge on their competitors, being the first to post; however, this rapid turn around of information does not allow for in depth investigation of what is being reported. Whether or not you prefer print media or new emerging media, there is no denying that media is forever changing to the new world of digital technology.
References:
http://socialdriver.com/2012/12/is-print-media-dead-dying-or-drifting/
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/16-May-2013/is-print-media-dying-in-the-us
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/business-news/newspay/101368/state-of-news-media-documents-decline-spots-6-trends-for-reinvention/
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/190586/new-data-show-shifting-patterns-as-people-seek-news-across-platforms/

I am back to discuss Strategic Communication!!!

Hello Readers,

I am back and for those who are new to my page, my name is Jenny Nelson. I am currently working towards my Master's degree in Strategic Communication. I received a Bachelor's degree in English in 2010. I am currently taking my 6th class in my Master's program. I have four more to go before I graduate. I am hoping to graduate in July 2014. My blog will consist of topics such as the following: the latest on traditional media, social networking and strategic communication, media convergence, blogging, global impact of emerging media, and the future of emerging media. I will be blogging every week for the next nine weeks. I hope to use my blog as reference and teaching tool for when I start teaching Communication courses. I hope my readers will get a better understanding about strategic communication and emerging media and why it is changing and how it is evolving over the next few years. Please feel free to comment on anything I write. I would love to hear some feedback and would love to start communicating about strategic communications.

You can find my blog my going to my url:http://letstalkaboutstrategiccommunication.blogspot.com/

Reflections and Goodbye for Now

Thank you all for reading my weekly blogs. I have learned a lot about leadership and media in strategic communications these past nine weeks. However, I will not be writing in my blog for the next few weeks. I am hoping to continue with my blog, but I probably will not be posting on a weekly basis. I would like to take a look back at some of the things that my readers and I have learned from my blogs. I started out talking about the diffusion of innovation theory and why it is so important. I learned that the diffusion of innovation theory is a technique used to get people to buy specific products. I learned what early adopters and laggards are and why they are important. Also, the Word-of Mouth Marketing is still the best way to get people to buy products. Social media sites have made WOMM spread more rapidly than ever before. Social media is a great way to advertise products and push sales. I have learned the best ways to become an effective leader in the workplace. Communication can make or break a company’s reputation. Having an open-door policy allows organizations to be efficient and to be better prepared for emergency situations. I learned that vision is the key element of leadership. Without a vision and without the ability to communicate to other about your vision, change cannot take place within the organization. A leader is someone who can look beyond today and tomorrow and see a company in the future. A manager is someone who runs the organization and makes sure that the job gets done. There is a huge difference between leaders and managers. I have also learned about product placement and the best ways to handle a crisis situation. Last but not least, I learned ways to evaluate communication campaigns. I hope that you, the readers, have learned a lot from my blogs. Even though I will not be posting my blogs on a weekly basis, I hope you will still visit my site from time to time to reflect on what we have learned. Thank you. =)

Ways to Evaluate Communication Campaigns

In this week’s blog, I will be discussing how to evaluate and measure strategic communication campaigns. The study of strategic communications is still a relatively new field; therefore, there is no steadfast means of evaluating a communication strategy. There are a few techniques that companies have implemented to try and measure and evaluate strategic communication campaigns. The formative method of evaluation examines the strengths and weaknesses of the material within a campaign before or during the campaign’s implementation. This method asks such questions as: who is the best messenger and what message works best with the target audience. The process method measures effort and output of a campaign. Implementation of the campaign and how well the involved activities worked are examined. How much material was put out there and how far reaching was these campaigns are some of the questions asked by this method. The outcome method measures the effects of a campaign. It examines changes in the target group resulting from the campaign. Also, it measures change to policy. It asks if any change to social norms, beliefs, or attitudes has occurred as a direct result of the campaign. The impact method measures change at the community level. It asks if any wide spread fundamental changes to society have occurred as a result of the campaign. This approach seeks to find long term change to broad behaviors within society such as violence or cancer causing habits. There are other methods of evaluating communication such as the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) method, which I will explain in more detail soon. Strategic communication leaders have a hard time measuring and evaluating a company’s communication strategy. There is a lack of sustainable methods which tends to be part of the problem with measure strategic communication outcomes. (Zarfass, 2005) If companies do not have the sufficient resources and tools, then how will they be able to effectively measure their progress in strategic communication campaigns? Ansgar Zarfass states, “ultimate goals, objectivities, and accomplishments of the company or organization as a whole have been achieved cannot be proved. (2005)” If we cannot prove the achievement of a company, then it would be quite difficult for strategic communication professionals to measure strategic communication campaigns. However, as I have mentioned before, there are some methods that have been successful. There is still no standardized universal method as of today.

Some corporations have used the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to measure and evaluate business communication strategies. However, the BSC can be restricted by improper application and its format is not presented in great enough detail for some corporate communications. The BSC can be a very versatile tool for evaluating communications; however, if not efficiently applied its versatility can be its draw back. Some corporations that have been using the BSC have narrowed the scope of its application to only one level of their company. Such is the case with the Scorecard used by Fleisher/Mahaffy (1997) which is focused mainly on the company’s operational assets. In contrast, the consultant group of Hering/Schuppener/Sommerhalder uses their scorecard to pay special attention to corporate strategy while failing to direct any concern toward their operational level. (Zarfass, 2005) Companies that have implemented the BSC have seen positive results, such as decrease in cost and an overall improvement in the communication within their company. In order for this tool to work to its full potential, the company must incorporate it into all aspects of the organization. The companies have to look at several different facets such as finance, customer satisfaction, internal business and corporate growth. Specific goals need to be set and coincide with both the business and communication departments. Technicians need to make sure they respond to customer calls in a timely manner. This increases the chances of customer satisfaction and repeat sales. All employees need to concentrate on increase sales and productivity. If an employee is in engaging non-productive task such as texting or game play; this task should be dismissed. It is essential that corporate and communication departments have the same communication goals. This helps with the measuring and evaluation process of strategic communications. Zarfass states this about using scorecards, “setting methods like this into practice strengthens the role of the communications function because it displays how communication contributes to the company’s profitability and helps to optimize relevant processes. (2005)” However, there are three potential problems with the use of scorecards.

·         The increasing use of scorecards can lead to the misuse of them.

·         The improper design of a scorecard causes it not to link with the overall business strategy.

·         The tendency to stick with perceived tried and true methods that are familiar rather than newer more creative methods that could provide a competitive edge.

The use of the Balanced Scorecard is a promising new approach to evaluating strategic communications. Like any new process it has its potential issues and room for improvement, but overall it gives companies a concise means of measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of their communication structure.     

                                                An Adapted Approach

The reason for communication campaigns is to change behavior and attitudes. Also, communication campaigns are used to push the public or decision makers into action. Most of the time the Adapted Approach is used to change or create new laws and policies. Activities, output, outcomes, and impact are all important in evaluating communication campaigns. An example of this is the following chart:

Activities	Output	Outcomes	Impact
Media	Media Coverage	Awareness	Behavior Change
Web	Events	Opinions	Policy Changes
		Attitudes
		Behavior

 

The most effective way to measure communication campaigns is to measure outcomes. One of the questions that need to be asked is the following: Did communication activities result in any opinion attitude, and/or behavior change amongst targeted audience? If the outcome is yes there is a change in behavior and attitude, then one can assume that the communication campaign worked well. Some of the ways to evaluate and measure campaigns are: 1.Web Analytics; 2. Short Poll; 3. Focus Groups; 4. In-Depth Interviews; 5. Panel Studies; 6. Surveys; 7. Control Group Studies; 8. Tracking Mechanisms; and 9. Chronological Monitoring. (Owl RE, 2008)
In conclusion, even though there is not a standardized way of evaluating strategic communication campaigns, the techniques mentioned above have been proven to be useful.

References:

http://www.owlre.com/wordpress/

http://www.bledcom.com/_files/326/ansgar_zerfass.pdf

www.pitt.edu/~super4/36011-37001/36091.ppt‎

 

 

Crisis Communication: When Disaster Strikes

What would you do if someone posted a YouTube video making fun of your organization? Would you know what to do? Does your organization have a strategy plan in place to repair your organization’s reputation when a crisis situation arises? These are some of the questions that public relations (PR) and communication personnel should ask themselves when dealing with a crisis situation. An organization’s crisis management team needs to have a before, during, and after plan in order to repair damages done by a crisis situation. Each team member needs to know what their specific roles are, and they need to train and rehearse their roles with their team frequently. A specific person needs to be assigned as the spokesperson for the organization. This person needs to already have an idea of what he or she will say when a crisis hits the organization. The organization should already develop a bunch of hypothetical scenarios that the organization could face. Natural disasters such as tornados, bad publicity, internal and external problems should be among the top potential threats that could happen to any organization.

It would be beneficial for the crisis management team to write up a list of potential questions and answers for the spokesperson to rehearse to prepare him or her for interviews from the public and media. Once a crisis does occur, the plan should be implemented immediately, without hesitation. The team should know the exact cause of the crisis situation. Employees and internal publics should be notified first. The organization must address the crisis straight on and demonstrate concern for the victims, if any, and the public. Also, the organization and the PR team must explain what the organization plans to do to solve the problem. Organizations should already have a strong, stable relationship with the community and the media. If the company is at fault, the company should own up to their mistake and apologize. The company will look more trustworthy, and the public will be able to forgive the company. If the company does not apologize, the company will look less trustworthy to the public. The facts need to be presented to the public from the very beginning to the end, because rumors can cause more damage to be done to the company. Someone from the PR team should be on call 24 hours a day during the most extreme part of the crisis. Information that is given to the public and shareholders should be accurate, consistent, and done so in a timely manner. The crisis management team should be able to handle the crisis leaving the organization to function as normal as possible. Time for updating information should be done so constantly and consistently. The organization and crisis management team should learn from the crisis situation. The PR team should review the cause of the crisis, how they responded to the situation, and the results of the situation. The review process will allow the crisis management team to know what to do the next time a crisis occurs. They will need to update their crisis communication plan, because they will know from the previous crisis on what needs improvement. Seeger suggests the followings ten best crisis communication practices: process approaches and policy development; pre-event planning; partnership with the public; listen to the public’s concern and understand the audience; be open and honest; collaborate and coordinate with credible sources; meet the needs of the media and remain accessible; communicate with compassion, concern, and empathy; accept uncertainty; and use messages that are of self-worth. (2006) If a company’s crisis management team follows Seeger’s ten principles, the organization should be able to rebuild their reputation. However, there are a few strategies that organizations should never do when dealing with a crisis. Some of the strategies that companies should avoid are the following: never deny, lie, or hide the situation; never ignore the crisis; do not let the lawyers dictate the decisions, because that could do more harm than good; and never try to avoid the public or media’s questions. If the spokesperson for your organization does not know an answer to a question, he or she should say that he or she cannot address that particular question at this time. Communication and PR departments should never volunteer information freely or off the record. There is no such thing as being “off the record” during a crisis situation. The spokesperson should never try to “wing” their speech or answers. There needs to be a plan of what the speaker will say concerning the crisis. The spokesperson should stay calm at all times when speaking to the public and media about the crisis. There have been some good and bad examples of crisis communication from organizations. Some of the more successful organizational tragedies include the following: Tylenol’s tampering bottles, Texaco’s racial discrimination case, and Dominos’ YouTube crisis. Some of the bad PR examples include the following company disasters: BP’s oil spill, Exxon’s Valdez crisis, and KFC’s salmonella case. Tylenol, Dominos, and Texaco all apologized at the incidents and communicated to the public about how they would fix the problems. These companies were able to repair and rebuild their reputation by utilizing some of Seeger’s principles. They were all open and honest and showed concern for the public and victims. They communicated effectively and stayed in contact with the media with what was going on with their crisis situation. They told the media what they planned to do to fix the problem, and they implemented their plan. However, BP, Exxon, and KFC all did not take responsibility for their crisis situations. BP and Exxon did not take their crisis situation seriously. They both thought the damages from the oil spills would be minimal. Both companies showed a lack of concern for the victims, the aquatic animals, and the environment in general. Also, they tried to shift blame to others instead of admitting that they were at fault. KFC continues to deny that they had anything to do with their crisis situation. KFC flat out refuses to accept any responsibility for the Australian girl who suffered brain damage from eating a chicken Twister wrap that was contaminated with Salmonella. Companies and organizations need to plan, rehearse, and prepare for the worst case scenarios in order to protect and rebuild their reputation when a crisis strikes them. Companies should not be so prideful to think it cannot happen to them, because it can and eventually will happen.

 

Best practices in crisis communication

http://people.oregonstate.edu/~flayb/MY%20COURSES/H549%20Mass%20Media%20and%20Health%20-%20Winter%202012/Weekly/Week%208%20-%20Seeger.Best%20Practices.pdf