Connecting Cultures

CULTURE | COMMUNICATION | PROGRESS

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-- Final presentations in Advanced Strategic Communication: We developed three Integrated Marketing Communications Plans and the YOC staff came to see our presentations. It’s a wrap! --

The Youth Opportunity Center Tackles The Roots Of Truancy In New Orleans

The Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) is a joint initiative of the Orleans Parish School Board and the Recovery School District. The YOC provides citywide safety net for students at risk of becoming disengaged or even dropping out of school. The role of YOC is to reconnect those students and families to the services they need. The organization functions as a link between schools, families, and social service agencies. At-risk students are those who are chronically absent, leaving detention, incarceration or psychiatric facilities, are involved in court, or are dealing with mental health or discipline issues.

Managing absenteeism is a true challenge in New Orleans since there are two school systems: local and state. Until the summer of 2014 Orleans Parish schools handled truancy problems themselves. According Recovery School District and Orleans Parish School Board report from 2014, 16 percent of New Orleans prekindergarten through eighth-graders and 28 percent of high schoolers missed more than 10 percent of school in 2012-13. Click here to read more on nola.com

Andrew Shahan, chief executive of the two-charter ARISE organization, said attendance management is "definitely a service that should be provided" centrally, even in a de-centralized educational system like New Orleans. According to him, the challenges require specialized training that school social workers might not have. Click here to read the full article

Starting as a pilot program in 2014, the YOC hopes to provide families with the services they deserve. Their marketing and communications goal is to change the public’s perception from seeing the YOC as punishment to perceiving it as a support system. The YOC staff wants children and families to know that they are not judging them for their struggles they are facing.

Click here to read more about The Youth Opportunity Center

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-- Community members in the Guerrilla Garden --

Food Insecurity In New Orleans: Building More Self-reliant Communities Through Backyard Gardening

This week’s post is inspired by the PR campaign proposal I developed for The Backyard Gardeners Network. The non-profit organization is based on the mission to sustain and strengthen the historically self-sufficient and deeply rooted community of the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans using their own food growing traditions as a platform to build a community, revitalize the neighborhood and preserve the cultural heritage.

Surprisingly, New Orleans ranks second in the number of homeless people after New York. Even for low-income families who have homes, access to nutritious food is a daily struggle. According to the No Kid Hungry Campaign launched by Share Our Strength and Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2010, nearly one in four children in Louisiana are constantly struggling against hunger. This issue is even more prevalent in New Orleans. Over 13,000 children (20.9 percent) in New Orleans are at risk of hunger and 90 percent of children in Orleans Parish are income-eligible for nutrition programs. At the same time, one in three children in Louisiana are overweight. This is paradoxical, isn’t it?

Obesity is not necessarily a sign of food surplus. Children fighting hunger can be prone to being obese because they don’t have access to quality food. Instead, they are likely to eat cheap meals or fast food without that has no nutritious value. As a result, children are growing up not knowing how to cook with naturally grown food.

Not many New Orleanians know that the Lower 9th Ward has a rich cultural history of backyard gardening. These food-growing traditions do not only provide food, but are part of creating a healthier, closer-knit and more self-reliant community. The Backyard Gardeners Network located in the Lower 9th Ward has created such a community where residents can grow their own food.

The nonprofit organization invites residents of all ages to participate in events such as the weekly Food As Medicine workshop that focuses on food as a primary source of healing. The Backyard Gardeners Network also offers a weekly Kids Club, a monthly Super Saturday community party, and a Youth Internship program. Click here to read more about their programs

Organizations like this leave us with hope that the cultural traditions of backyard gardening will be beneficial to more communities in New Orleans and continue to contribute to healthier, more self-reliant and more close-knit neighborhoods.

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Forever 21 Removes Controversial T-Shirt After Consumer Backlash

What happened?

The clothing retailer received a flood of negative feedback from customers after selling a shirt with the phrase "Don't Say Maybe If You Want to Say No." The social media response was immense. People took offense because the phrase can be interpreted as a justification for rape. It communicates that the person who wears it might take a "maybe" as a "yes". People were shocked because it hints to victim blaming and disregarding the rules of sexual consent.

Click here to read more

The company’s reaction

After the public outrage, Forever 21 marked the shirt as “sold out”, while still keeping it visible on the website. The following statement was published:

"Forever 21 strives to exemplify the highest ethical standards and takes feedback and product concerns very seriously. With regards to the T-shirt in question, upon receiving feedback from our customers, we took immediate action to have it removed from our website. We sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by the product."

Effective crisis management?

The company was very responsive following the crisis. It immediately removed the shirt from the market and published an apologetic statement to those who felt offended. Even though the the necessary steps were initiated, the response seemed rather reactive than proactive. Because Forever 21 has been accused of trying to use a Christian agenda for selling shirts with prints such as "Holy," "Love, peace, faith, hope, Jesus," and "Thank God" it seems like the company’s strategy is “any publicity is good publicity.” I don’t believe that the designers or decision makers were unaware of controversial phrases. Keeping the shirt visible on the website after marking it “sold out” also indicates that the company wanted people to still see it and talk about it.

5 Crisis Management Tips for Your Digital Brand

The implications of the crisis

The controversy will probably scare off conscious consumers, but most consumers will continue buying products from this brand. Despite glitches like this most people still prioritize cheap prices and trending looks. Since Forever 21 has such a large and diverse customer base, it won’t hurt if they loose a few customers. After all, the company might even get a few more customers who don’t care about these issues, but are curious about the brand after seeing it all over the news. Sadly, “any publicity is good publicity” sometimes works in the short-run.

"The Forever 21 customer includes all ages, genders, and sizes—anyone who understands the importance of fast fashion, but still appreciates affordable luxury." - Linda Chang, vice president of merchandising for Forever 21

Click here to read more about the brand strategy of Forever 21

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The Backyard Gardeners Network – A Community Center In New Orleans

This week my classmates and I visited the Backyard Gardeners Network in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. We met with Jenga Mwendo, the founder of the nonprofit organization, whose mission is to sustain and strengthen the historically self-sufficient community of the Lower 9th Ward.

Jenga’s goal is to use the food growing traditions of the Lower 9th Ward to create a community center that revitalizes the neighborhood and preserve its cultural heritage. There are currently two community gardens, the Laurentine Ernst Community Garden and the Guerrilla Garden, but Jenga wants to reach out to other communities in the future to expand the network. Click here to visit the organization’s website

Food As Medicine Workshop

The Food As Medicine Workshop is a series of 10 weekly workshops held by health professionals, nutritionists and cooks who are experts in making healthy and delicious food. Participants receive free health screenings at the beginning and the end of the workshop series.

Using food as medicine is not a new concept. Researchers have found that healthy food can be integrated into clinical practice, but the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. is so powerful that many doctors disregard nutritional therapies.

A Historical Perspective On Food As Medicine

Dr. James S. Gordon, founder and director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, helped create the Food As Medicine approach for Georgetown University medical students 20 years ago. According to him, certain foods have therapeutic effects, but food alone won’t cure many chronic health problems unless the root of the issue – stress – is also addressed. Read more

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) resembles that approach: it is nutritious and harmonizes the body, mind, and spirit. In China, the concept of therapeutic food dates back 4000 years. Specific food is selected to boosts the entire system with a combination of herbs. One of the unique concepts of TCM is that food and medicine come from the same source and they have the same uses. Read more

The Backyard Gardeners Network Is Making A Difference

It seems like we often eat our food either too fast for convenience or we just eat for taste rather than for health. Jenga’s organization is helping the community to explore the value of naturally grown food. In the next 2 weeks, my classmates and I will develop a communications campaign for the Backyard Gardeners Network to expand their reach and improve their online presence.

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Uber’s PR Nightmare

What happened?

On Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 a shooter killed six people and injured two in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The shooter was an Uber driver at that time and casually picked up passengers in between the shootings. Though, he did not kill any of his customers. According to the police, he picked his victims randomly within a seven-hour period until he was stopped. His motive is still unknown, but he most likely acted independently and has no connection to terrorism. Read more

How did Uber react?

Uber confirmed that the shooter Jason Dalton passed their background check. This is what their chief security officer Joe Sullivan said in a statement to CNN:

"We are horrified and heartbroken at the senseless violence in Kalamazoo. We have reached out to the police to help with their investigation in any way that we can." - Joe Sullivan

A spokeswoman also explained that Dalton had no criminal record and emphasized that the company prohibits having any firearms in Uber vehicles. She also said that they are in touch with law enforcement and are planning to host a conference call with reporters on Monday, Feb. 22, two days after the shooting.

How did the media react?

Of course reports on CNN and other news outlets started questioning Uber’s safety measures. Even though this was not the first time the company has been under scrutiny for its background checks, security officer Sullivan said he doesn’t think he will change the screening processes for drivers.

"As the local police made clear, the perpetrator had no criminal record. And if there's nothing on someone's record, then no background check is going to raise a flag. As this case has shown, past behavior may not accurately predict how people will behave in the future." - Joe Sullivan

How did Uber manage the crisis?

The good thing about Uber’s crisis communication strategy was that they informed the public in a very transparent way. There were designated spokespeople who communicated a consistent message. They also assured that the company is cooperating with the police in ongoing investigation. While doing so, they attempted to move the attention away from their brand by disassociating themselves from the shooter.

So far so good. But Uber’s crisis management lacks an essential message to the public. Even though chief security officer Sullivan made an empathetic statement, he did not address the elephant in the room: What are you doing to make sure this doesn’t happen again? Instead, he said that people are unpredictable and there is nothing they can do if there is no criminal record. From a PR standpoint, this is not a good way to calm the storm. People will continue to be fearful about using the service. If the company doesn’t make any efforts to tighten up the vetting process it might permanently damage their brand. Luckily Uber has been very successful lately, so there are still more than enough customers who are not concerned about safety issues to keep the business running.

A few PR tips to calm the storm:

Be present in the media and respond to controversial questions

Show empathy for the victims and their families

Start reinforcing all the things you do right regarding background checks

Think about creating a new emergency contacts feature on the app and a more reliable rating system for customers

Develop a safety protocol for customers including a list of warning signs and a guide on how to react to suspicious drivers

Generically take more responsibility for the safety of customers or at least make an effort to make them feel more safe

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The Latino community of First Grace Methodist Church gathers in the sanctuary

Struggles of a Post-Katrina Latino Community in New Orleans

This week, I visited the First Grace United Methodist Church on Canal Street in New Orleans as part of my Advanced Strategic Communication class. We get a chance to write a crisis communications plan for Pastor Shaun, who received significant media attention for his activism against the Jefferson Davis monument in front of his church.

So what’s so special about this church? Two years after Hurricane Katrina two churches, the First UMC and the Grace UMC merged into one congregation, the First Grace United Methodist Church. It became on of the most diverse churches in Louisiana, with a membership consisting of 40 percent African Americans, 40 percent Caucasians and 20 percent Latinos.

2015 marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, reminding the Latino community in New Orleans that their struggles have only gotten worse. They have been tolerated because of their cheap labor, which helped to rebuild the city after the storm, but now it seems like their time is up. Many are facing deportation even though they have been in the U.S. for almost 10 years, raised their children here and built homes.

Read more: Hispanic population fights to stay in New Orleans 10 years after storm

First Grace has created a place of hope for the Latino community. It allows them to come together and fight for their rights as day laborers. Individuals and families battling deportation receive legal support from lawyers. According to nola.com about 100,000 Hispanics came to metro New Orleans following Katrina. More recently, Bobby Jindal accused the leaders of the city of making New Orleans a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants because the police stopped cooperating with federal immigration raids.

The controversy around undocumented immigrant did not spare the current presidential race and reached a peak in Donald Trump’s xenophobic campaign. Trump blatantly called Mexican immigrant rapists and killers and also accused the Mexican government of intentionally sending their criminals to the U.S.

While discrimination and the struggle for basic rights have been a constant challenge in Latino communities across the country, First Grace in New Orleans is inclusive of all ethnicities. The love and support they receive in the community gives them hope for a better future where they can provide a more carefree life for their families.

Read more: Hispanic immigration post-Katrina finding permanent roots in metro New Orleans

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The Boston Globe staff shows integrity and commitment in crisis mode

At the beginning of this year John W. Henry, the owner of the Boston Globe, experienced his own personal nightmare. Following the transition to a new delivery vendor (ACI Media Group) in December 2015, 5 percent of subscribers didn’t receive their daily delivery of the Globe.

The Boston Globe staff came up with a brilliant idea while executives were still paralyzed by the shock of this unexpected crisis. Dozens of reporters and employees from the advertising and IT departments quickly set up a volunteer call center to help field complaints and hand-delivered the paper on the unstaffed delivery routes. Despite this extraordinary effort, 3,000 to 4,000 papers were not delivered that day. Follow the link for more details.

REACTIONS

Of course, many Globe readers who did not receive their paper were aggravated by this faux pas. In a public apology, Henry said he had underestimated what it would take to switch delivery companies. He took full responsibility for this inconvenience and explained how everything happened. Follow the link to read Henry’s letter.

The Globe’s CEO Mike Sheehan gave a TV interview, saying that ACI informed him about disruptions, but they didn’t tell him that 10 percent of subscribers would not receive their papers. (YouTube: youtu.be/Pe-zFhrYFjI )

This statement is alarming from a crisis management perspective. Every business, no matter if a crisis is anticipated or not, should have a crisis management plan in place. Only through the incredible commitment of the Globe’s staff, the newspaper was able to win the goodwill of a few subscribers and create a positive distraction in the news and on social media.

WHAT NOW?

Sheehan and Henry are picking up the pieces of a crisis they were not prepared for. They have been very transparent and apologetic about this issue so far, which will contribute to a speedy recovery of the Globe’s reputation. Though, the truth is that once the reader’s trust is broken, it’s hard to win it back. Sheehan and Hendry could have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they had thought about a proactive crisis management plan in case their delivery system fails. One thing is for sure: they will learn from their mistake – maybe a little too late for some subscribers.

 LESSONS LEARNED

Globe reporter Shirley Leung wrote a story about the lessons learned in this crisis: http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/01/05/delivering-newspaper-tough-business/2mwWQvydwP3pjaJqIijTeO/story.html?event=event25?event=event25

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Call me old-school, but I will definitely have a map in my bag. You never know.

D.C., here I come!

I though I’d write a series of blog posts about my upcoming internship in Washington DC. I am super excited, no doubt! Besides overcoming the challenges of the housing market and mastering the transportation system, I look forward to getting a foothold in the field I see myself in: International nonprofits. My position at the International Center for Journalists (http://www.icfj.org/) will give me a chance to combine Journalism with PR. I just love the cross-cultural programs and the impact the organization has on people’s lives around the globe!

The preparation phase:

I’ve been reading articles and blogs about DC to get a better feeling for the dynamics of the city. It seems like it is a vibrant city full of ambitious, young people.

Here’s an entertaining (and anonymous) blog fueled by thoughts and anecdotes of DC interns: http://dcinterns.blogspot.de/

The Washington Post even has it’s own section for DC interns called “Your guide to interning in DC”. Very interesting: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/special%20reports/intern-city/

But my absolute favorite blog is this one: “Tips and Tricks for the District’s Newbies” https://soyourenewtodc.wordpress.com/. You get tips about the metro system, monuments, museums, useful apps, movie theaters, laws, universities, food and much more. Great blog!

Internship preparation: Having a smooth start at your internship is so important. No one wants a confused intern, right? This book called “All Work, No Pay” by Lauren Berger (or the self-proclaimed “Intern Queen”) gives helpful advice on finding an internship, rocking the interview and succeeding during the internship. With its short but detailed chapters it is definitely a great investment for interns who want to get the most out of their experience. Here’s a link to Lauren Berger’s website: http://www.internqueen.com/

As my internship is coming closer and closer, I have identified 3 main goals for my time in DC: 1) Improve my professional skills and exceed expectations 2) Enjoy what the city has to offer 3) Network with other professionals.

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- Me and my classmates after attending the press conference where Dr. Francis announced his retirement -

I would like to dedicate my last post of the 2015 spring semester to a legend who happens to be the longest serving university president in the United States: Dr. Norman C. Francis. He ends his 47-year tenure at Xavier University of Louisiana on June 30, 2015, leaving a legacy of leadership and service. Francis enrolled in Xavier in 1948 and became class president each year. After graduating from Xavier with a math degree, he became the first African American to graduate from Loyola’s law school in 1955. Shortly after, he started serving as a private in the army, which gave him the foundation for good leadership he would need later in life. He finally became president of Xavier in 1968.

“I feel good about it. I feel at peace.” – Dr. Francis about his retirement

Watch the Dr. Norman C. Francis Tribute Campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meb7MSmS7ss

I personally met Dr. Francis a few times as an athlete of Xavier Volleyball team and as a staff writer of the Xavier Herald. He always takes his time to speak to students even if he is on a tight schedule. His speeches are touching and filled with wisdom that he is willing to share with others. I have a lot of respect for his legacy and hope we will still see him around at Xavier after his retirement. 

More about Dr. Francis on nola.com: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2014/09/norman_francis_to_retire_after.htm

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CONSUMER CYNICISM

My Crowdsourcing Experience

Living in a digital world means we receive news updates by the minute and watch endless commercial reruns. Thus, it has become increasingly difficult for advertisers and public relations practitioners to break through the clutter and reach the intended audience.

In this context it is crucial to understand which demographics are more or less susceptible to different types of information. Given the history of discrimination in the United States, successful PR specialists and marketers must understand the differences in consumer behavior among all ethnic groups.

A national survey conducted by Dr. Amanda Helm showed results that concluded that nonwhite consumers were more cynical than white consumers. Consumer cynicism is defined as a stable, learned attitude toward the marketplace, characterized by the perception that pervasive opportunism among firms exists and that this opportunism creates a harmful consumer marketplace. Furthermore, a consumer behavior research project at Xavier University of Louisiana found that interview subjects often pointed to discrimination issues as a primary problem in the marketplace. This heightened awareness of discrimination played a key role in interview subjects’ development of cynical attitudes.

According to the article “Urban trope misses a large swath of black consumer,“ African Americans have the impression that some brands neglect to connect with them even though they should be treated as and marketed to as average consumers in America. “Black consumers largely do not feel that they consistently receive resonate invitations from brands reflective of the way they see themselves” (Slutsky 2010, p. 2).

When Justin Grier, a student at Xavier University of Louisiana, was asked whether companies do a good job serving a racially diverse market he said that it depends on what company one refers to. “A retail company like Abercrombie & Fitch, does a horrible job, but McDonald's, a fast food company, does a great job,” he said. Jeremy Smith, a college student from Chicago, agrees with the statement that some brands fail to target African Americans. “They only pay attention to what their company represents,” he said.

According to Nadiya Wylie, an exchange student in London, “companies such as Walmart and Target for instance don't do well when it comes down to customizing African American products. As far as cosmetics, Walmart, Target and local drug stores such as CVS don’t even supply the right color foundations for black women.” Her response resonated with the overall resentment felt by most interviewees.

Another questionable aspect of the marketplace is the representation of African Americans in advertising. Art student Nicholas Davison supports the perception of under- and misrepresentation of African Americans and says that advertisements fundamentally lack diversity. “I feel at times some products advertise more to the stereotypes of African-Americans rather than the actual African-Americans,” he said. Candice Noel, a student from New Jersey, elaborated on this comment by saying that it depends on the advertisement, but she thinks that in general African Americans are not used enough for advertisements to say that they are represented authentically.

Racial bias and discrimination has also been a much-discussed topic. According to Jesse Washington (2013), African Americans are still discriminated against by salespeople and clerks. Notable personalities such as Oprah Winfrey reported that a salesperson thought she couldn’t afford an expensive handbag while Obama experienced being perceived as suspicious in certain stores.

Smith recalled an incident at a restaurant called “Old Chicago” where he and his friends were treated less welcoming than other guests. “We were four African American males and she basically ignored us while she was extremely nice to other guests. I had to chase her down in order to get the service we needed,” he said.

Another situation described by Grier showed that upscale stores still tend to react with suspicion towards African American males. “The guy working there asked me what he could do for me, but when I told him what shoe I wanted, he looked at me funny as if he couldn’t picture me wearing those types of shoes,” he said. Grier also explained that he feels like oftentimes salesclerks follow him around the store.

These insights are extremely helpful when it comes to understanding the perceptions and attitudes of different target groups. Studying social behavior is not just imperative in public relations, but also in advertising, marketing and business management. The digital age has given us endless opportunities and responsibilities at the same time. Misrepresentation and discrimination is no longer under the surface, which requires us as PR or marketing professionals to communicate in more authentic and trustworthy ways.

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--Top10 countries with the highest number of crimes (mapsoftheworld.com)--

Louisiana officials suggest nitrogen death penalty

Lethal injection has been a nationwide and even worldwide controversial issue for decades. Now, a report submitted to the House of Representatives describes a six-month study dedicated to finding the most humane form of the death penalty in Louisiana. The research report states that death by nitrogen would be the most humane method and would not result in discomfort for the subject. Research efforts are still continuing. Louisiana’s current protocol allows for a mix of drugs, which opponents consider cruel and inhumane punishment.

Follow this link for more information: http://thelensnola.org/2015/03/04/death-penalty-study-suggests-using-nitrogen-to-carry-out-executions/

The Guardian reported that Oklahoma has approved nitrogen-induced hypoxia for use on death-row inmates as the first state in the US.

“I support that policy, and I believe capital punishment must be performed effectively and without cruelty. The bill I signed today gives the state of Oklahoma another death penalty option that meets that standard.” – Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin

Read the full article on http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/17/oklahoma-nitrogen-execution-method-death-penalty

The death penalty in Europe:

The only countries in Europe that have executed in the 21st century are Belarus and Kazakhstan. It is completely abolished anywhere else. The abolition is a key objective for the European human rights policy. The European Union sees the death penalty as cruel and inhumane, and  no evidence of a counteracting effect on crime rates.

The map above shows the United States had the highest number of crimes in 2011. Something to think about in the light of the controversy around the death penalty.

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This is how New Orleanians celebrate Easter!

This weekend I was able to watch the Easter Sunday Parade in the French Quarter. The unique floats and jazzy marching bands of the 32nd Annual Chris Owens French Quarter Easter Parade reminded me of the Mardi Gras parades with their colorful beads and cheering crowds.

Here’s what WWL reported about the event: http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/local/orleans/2015/04/05/parades-roll-through-french-quarter/25338211/

 Follow this link to see the route of the parade: http://www.nola.com/festivals/index.ssf/2015/04/easter_parades_french_quarter.html#2

For more pictures check out my Audio-Slideshow on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BMNr-v46T8c

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Interview with Fox8 Photojournalist Lance Washington

I had the pleasure to meet Lance Washington today, a professional photojournalist at Fox8 in New Orleans. Lance is originally from New Orleans and loves the uniqueness of the city. He said there is no other place where you can find so many people with “character” or “swag”. In college, Lance majored in Television Production and his main focus was being behind the camera.

How do you use photographs to tell a complete and compelling story?

“Being creative, but knowing the story is important! Once I leave the station, I find out what I need to focus on. The focus can always change once you get on the scene so you have to constantly communicate and stay flexible”.

What Lance enjoys most about his job is the fact that every day is different. The only office he has is the car he is assigned to. Sometimes he covers stories back to back once he comes back to the station. He uses the time in the car to talk to the reporter and learn more about the story so he can make sure he covers all perspectives.

“Even though I see my work as a form of art, I know my responsibility as a journalist is to stay objective”.

Is photojournalism a dying or growing form of storytelling?

“Photojournalism is certainly not dying, but it has gotten more challenging. With the onset of multimedia journalism, I think the craft is going a little bit out of the window because it almost seems like quantity is more important than quality. Nowadays, the acceptability of mediocre video material is higher than in the past”.

 What’s your take on social media?

“I’m starting to get into it and I understand that there is a need for it in a constantly changing world. It’s a great way to show off your work”.

Here is some of his work on vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user35766156

This was an interesting interview! I like that his job combines creativity with high quality journalism. Even though we live in a fast-paced world of multimedia journalism, you can tell that his work requires skills that amateurs don’t have. The rise of YouTube might have desensitized us with shaky cellphone videos, but the art of good photojournalism is still a much appreciated form of storytelling!

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Should businesses get involved in social issues?

What happened? Two weeks ago Starbucks started the “Race Together” campaign across America, attempting to encourage a conversation about race in the light of recent racial tensions and police violence towards African Americans. The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, said he feels responsible for addressing social issues and making an uncomfortable conversation about race more acceptable in our daily interactions.Starbucks employees were asked, but not forced, to write “Race Together” on customers’ coffee cups. Schultz explained that they didn’t have to start a conversation, but they could if they wanted to.

How did the public react?

This campaign upset a lot of people who perceived it as opportunistic and taking advantage of the national controversy around police violence towards African Americans in order to make profits. Customers also felt irritated by the fact that they were encouraged to have a discussion about race when all they wanted to do is get some coffee. Some people didn’t see the connection between the Starbucks brand, a quick and pleasurable solution for coffee-lovers, and sparking a conversation about race. From a PR perspective, this campaign was problematic because it confused customers about the brand identity of Starbucks. Ideally, a company should have “one voice” and a clear mission but discussing a hot topic like race and mixing it with the pleasurable experience of getting coffee didn’t go well together. The basic idea was good, but the execution was lacking. It’s almost impossible to have a unified message through this campaign because employees might want to say things that they are not supposed to say. They are trained to make coffee, but not so much to run an awareness campaign.

Starbucks’ reaction?

Rather odd. The VP of communications deleted his entire Twitter account after Twitter users tried to reach out to him and asked questions about the campaign. Did he really expect that no one would get upset about this? It seemed like he was not prepared for the controversy that was going to arise. This furthermore shows that Starbucks didn’t think it through well enough. 

The bottom line?

The basic idea to get people more comfortable with the discussion about race is not too bad, but the execution was poor. Instead of confronting the customer directly and kind of rubbing the issue in his/her face, they should have given the customer the choice to get involved. A lot of customers got upset because they felt like they didn’t want to be confronted with a serious issue such as police violence or racial tensions and that’s totally understandable. If you give customers the choice to get involved they might even be more willing to support your campaign.

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Humans of New Orleans’ City Park

This week started off with a great, interactive experience during our once a week “Digital Journalism”class. We all went to New Orleans City Park with a mission in mind: Take four photos of a person or a group of people and tell a story. But it was more than just taking random pictures. We had to use our communication skills to approach people in a professional but casual way that would make them feel comfortable.  It was interesting to discover their backgrounds and the different reasons why they came to the park. The group of people I chose for my slideshow was a mother of four who was pregnant with her fifth child, accompanied by her sister who is expecting her first baby. They caught my eye because of the joy and curiosity they embodied.

Below you find the cutline to each picture:

Upper Left: Charlene (left back), her four children Deighton, Zayden, Peyton and Braelyn and her sister Ashtin are enjoying a bike ride through City Park in New Orleans on a sunny afternoon. Ashtin is pregnant with her first baby. She learns a lot from her sister.

Upper Right: Deighton and Zeydon are impatiently waiting to start the bike tour. It's their first time and everyone wants to be the one in control of the steering wheel.

Lower left: The group stops by the lake and the kids observe the water coming out of the waterfall. Charlene loves to see this curiosity in her children and tries to foster it by going out and doing things outside.

Lower right: After much discussion about who can sit in front, they drive off. Charlene loves having moments like this with her children because she gets to know who they are.

Here’s the link to my slideshow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRTexEZ_Z3w

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Entertainment and Politics in the United States

A mutually beneficial relationship?

President Obama recently undermined Jay Z’s claim that he texts with the president. That’s funny because according to the Obama on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, he doesn’t text. More on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/13/politics/obama-jay-z-texting/

As I was reading the article on CNN I thought about relationships that many politicians and celebrities have had in the past. Is it beneficial or harmful to blur the lines between politics and popular culture? An appearance of German chancellor Angela Merkel on a show like “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for instance, would be unheard-of in Germany. This hypothetical example shows that culture determines how politicians gain popularity. In Germany, entertainment and politics are not as closely intertwined. As a German citizen I know that people are more focused on seriousness as an implication for successful politics.

There’s a pattern! Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between American politics and entertainment. For instance, in the 90s, Bill Clinton was called the first rock ’n’ roll president when he used movie and pop stars to enhance his image.

The most impressive record of celebrity support has Barrack Obama. In his two successful presidential campaigns he had celebrities such Barbra Streisand, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Beyoncé in his corner. Pretty impressive, huh? Though, in the light of Obama’s appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, it seems like most of those relationships are less personal than they appear.

Unlike most European countries, American politicians intend to feed off of popular celebrities. Publicizing those relationships foster trust and admiration in people’s minds.

The advantage of this cultural phenomenon: “Celebrities can ensure that political messages and causes receive maximum publicity, and thus raise awareness for key social issues and problems”. (Lee Barron)

 BUT:

The overuse of celebrity status transforms politics into an entertainment contests in which political messages are secondary to slick performances on camera

Excessive presence of celebrities within the political arena can result in ‘dumbing down’ of politics

Celebrity activism sometimes reduces politics to a media spectacle and often renders the subjects of its advocacy invisible

Read more about this topic in “Celebrity Cultures”, an essay by Lee Barron, a Senior Lecturer in Media at Northumbria University: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/66636_Celebrity_Cultures_chapter_4.pdf 

[franziskapirkl]

-- Misha Battiste (right) is the Director of our student-run PR agency. We work hard to become leaders in our field --

WHY WOMEN ARE GREAT LEADERS

Survival, renewal and reinvention

March 8 is International Women’s Day! So let’s look at where we stand as female leaders in the world. According to a Forbes article, as of July 2013, there were only 19 female elected presidents and prime ministers in power around the globe.  In the business world, women currently hold only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions and the same percentage of Fortune 1000 CEO positions.

Article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/02/03/the-most-undervalued-leadership-traits-of-women/

I know one thing for sure: Women process things differently, which certainly makes their leadership style different from men’s. But are they therefore worse leaders? Certainly not. If women embrace their qualities and don't try to be "the better man" they can even make it in a patriarchal world, I believe.

Here are some qualities of female leaders that stood out to me:

Opportunity-driven

Highly collaborative and resourceful

Strident yet compassionate

Praise publicly and correct when appropriate

Knowledgeable but yet skillful to ask for help

Not afraid to protect their domain or territory

Solution oriented

Persistence in their pursuit of goals

Patience

Decision-making based on facts and figures

Earned respect instead of relying on favors

Leading others to exceed

Reinvent themselves

Strategic thinkers

Passionate explorers

High standards and attention to detail

Leadership within the home and in the workplace

While women in general were historically viewed and stereotyped as emotional leaders by men, I believe they are just passionate explorers in pursuit of excellence. – Forbes

6 Productivity secrets of women CEO’s:

Set the stage: Create a comfortable and positive physical environment based on your team’s values

Delegate: Find the right person for the job

Play games: use recognition as an incentive

Be available: Be an approachable boss

Grab the fire hose: solve problems right away

Don’t micromanage: let employees work in their own ways

Link: http://www.inc.com/ss/productivity-secrets-top-women-ceos?slide=0

I personally think that women fail to become great leaders as soon as they attempt to copy male leadership styles. Yes, we process thinks differently and we should embrace it. We have the necessary qualities to bring out the best in people. Emotional weakness is not a valid objection. Emotional intelligence is just as important for women as it is for men. Why cut out all emotions when we can use our EQ to understand and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflicts? I believe that women can earn respect as effective leaders without neglecting their natural tendencies.

#MakeItHappen #InternationaWomensDay