Lauren Gets Foreign

Germany Study Abroad

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Week Four: Last tumblr post :(

Dimeo, Hunt & Horbury, “The Individual and the State: A Social Historical Analysis of the East German ‘Doping System’” explores a governmental scandal about a sports/medical technology. Compare this to a contemporary sports scandal of your choice, using at least two quotes from the reading. Take a local photo to illustrate the East German doping scandal in some way, and another photo to illustrate the scandal you choose.

A sports scandal, no matter the subject content, takes years to come back from and recreate a reputation. In the reading, Dimeo et al says, “It has been claimed that the GDR cheated its way  to success, damaged the health of numerous athletes and left a legacy of cynicism around elite international sport,” (Dimeo et al 2011, p. 20). The mere concept of an entire nation engaging in doping to become exceptionally skilled at a sport was I’m sure baffling and unprecedented at the time. One thing I found interesting was that a group was created to make sure doping wasn’t an issue after the GDR scandal, “Given the risks involved, the ‘uM’ programme had to operate through a strict, centralized organizational structure and those who did not follow it directly  were  investigated  and  punished,” (Dimeo et al 2011, p.230). 

 Looking to present day, there are numerous scandals that involve cheating to get ahead in sport. The first example that comes to mind for me is Deflategate in 2015 with the New England Patriots. While it doesn’t involve doping, the message of cheating to get ahead is present here. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are still trying to come back from this scandal with no end in sight. Similar to the ‘uM,’ the NFL held the Patriots accountable by dragging them through court, forbidding Brady to participate in playing time, etc. The NFL has also become more strict in its policies which coincides with how the East Germans cracked down on the issue of doping in their time. 

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Week Four: Privacy

Research the GPDR online privacy regulations that went into effect last Friday. Link to an official government communication from the EU or another governmental body about these new technological restrictions. Then, find an example of art or advertising in the the city you’re in (not online) that deals with similar issues of privacy or surveillance.

When we talked about the privacy issue in class, I was impressed that the EU had gone to such lengths to protect the rights of citizens online. The biggest thing that stood out to me was Penalty Access and the Right to be Forgotten. If  one is caught breaking these regulations, they can be fined up to four percent of annual global turnover or twenty million euro, whichever is greater. That number is astounding to me and it shows how much they value the act and take it seriously.

With the Right to be Forgotten, individuals have the right to say, “I don’t want you to have information on me anymore,” and that company or entity must respect their wishes. Consent is a huge factor with the whole act. In contrast, America is the polar opposite. We click away on Facebook with bad links and contract virtual viruses without knowledge that we have done so. 

Though I am not the first to use this photo, I think it encapsulates the attitude of people in the EU to the mess that is digital media. Not only do they hate the idea of being controlled or watched, the ads we have seen about it are rather aggressive. Issues with online privacy have become increasingly more difficult to deal with as of late due to the fact that this type of personal intrusion is unprecedented in society. I believe the EU took a big step forward by creating the act and hopefully the rest of the world will follow. 

https://www.eugdpr.org/the-regulation.html

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Week Four: Art

Prompt 3: At Teufelsberg this week you will see a lot of graffiti. It's a cultural phenomenon here - highly skilled artists have been allowed to paint the walls of this defunct spy station. Some murals have lasted years, while others are painted over from one week to the next. As Ledingham tells us, “Public relations is best defined and practiced as the active attempt to restore and maintain a sense of community.” How is this graffiti a function of community building/maintenance? How might this space be different in the U.S.? Would the owners of this property or the federal government be likely to allow this long-term graffiti haven to continue untouched by anyone who isn't part of the community? Post a selection of murals to illustrate your post

As soon as we got to Teufelsberg, I immediately saw the art as a means of communicating by the people. Most of the the art had a political message behind, covered by beautiful art on the surface. The fact that artists are even allowed to paint there speaks to community maintenance. Obviously the government has control over the area as they condemned the tower, however, they are making an effort to include the artists by giving them an open space in which they can express themselves freely. 

The exhibit also functions as a place for the community to come and engage with the art, support the artists, and appreciate the space. It is clear that individuals who live there have made it their work to improve the structure of the space so that it may stay open for all to use. 

In my opinion, I don’t think a space like this would exist in the United States. The minute something would be considered condemned in the U.S. I believe it would be shut down completely. On another note, I don’t think it would exist because here they are more collectivist than we are. The government in the U.S. doesn’t really care if artists have the ability to express themselves, which is why we have graffiti under every bridge and train. 

To answer the last question, I would say no. There were multiple pieces of art in the space done by Americans and people of other countries. I think that as long as their art goes along with the style and message that the majority of the art in the space has that the government and community would allow them to create art within the space. However, I don’t think they would allow anyone to change the aesthetic or the structure of the park. 

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Week Four: Auto Industry

Prompt 2: You have now seen the Mercedes-Benz arena & museum, the BMW Motorcycle Factory, and the VW Autostadt. How are these various locations similar in terms of stakeholder engagement? In what ways are they different? As a tourist viewing these locations (rather than as a local fan, a native German, or a customer), which was more effective in creating a compelling experience for you? Think about the Ramshaw reading as you answer, and include specific examples. 

When we went to our first auto museum, it became clear to me that the car industry is much larger than ours in America. With that being said, I found it bizarre that they had museums to showcase car brands. To me, it seemed excessive, however, after walking through them and experiencing guided tours, I noticed that the museums and all that goes with them exist as one big advertisement for the brand.

While the brands vary in their target audience and direct publics, they all engage with stakeholders through videos. In each museum, there was a video that our tour guides showed us or we ran into while touring on our own. The video in each museum told us about the brand, how it came to be, how big the brand is, and the income of the brand.

The brands are different in that they have different publics. At BMW, I felt that motorcycles target a specific audience whereas Volkswagen targets the everyday family who wants to spend 8.000 euro on a car but also the celebrity who wants to spend one billion euro on a sports car. However, BMW’s “make life a ride,” motto came across as very laid back, our tour guide cussed and wore jeans. In contrast, at Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz workers were dressed professionally, in suits and pencil skirts. This communicates the idea that BMW wants their customers to enjoy life and relax while Volkswagen wants to come across as prestigious with their Ritz-Carlton on site and their Bugatti cars.

As a tourist, I was more drawn to BMW because it was straightforward and genuine. They showed us their daily processes, answered all of our questions, and their workplace environment reflected their motto. I think Mercedes was least effected as we guided ourselves on the tour and I got less out of it.

To quote Ramshaw, “Tours, then, offer those that visit them the prospect to cross the symbolic boundaries that distinguish the worlds of the audience and the worlds of the performer or privileged. They encourage deeper interactions with the place, propagating more embodied experiences of stadia–and in doing so, more meaningful experiences of the heritage that potentially resides within,” (Ramshaw et. al 2013 p.4). This quote shows expresses my thoughts of BMW being the most effective in that I had a more meaningful experience when they were transparent and down to earth with us.

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Week Four-Metropolis in Action

Prompt #2: Museum Communication meets Metropolis: At the museum, look for two examples of science or technology to relate to the film: 1 - Find an exhibit that suggests the film was accurate in communicating the future. 2 - Find an exhibit that suggests the film was inaccurate in its vision of the future.

To give a little bit of background, the film Metropolis discussed the idea that one day technology would take over the roles of humans and essentially rule us. The example I found in the museum that agreed with the film was the robots in the round square. In the film, evil Maria was a robot and in this exhibit robots were roaming around dressed like people. The exhibit exemplifies the prediction made in the movie as robots are freely roaming and built to function on their own. The robot with the hat on also looks like he has a brain which speaks to the idea that robots will one day be smarter than us and overcome humans for good. 

While a subtle example, I chose the boat exhibit to demonstrate that the film was inaccurate in its depiction of the future. Even with autopilot or cruise control, boats still need humans to function at full capacity. Someone has to steer, perform maintenance, and make the space comfortable for human use. A boat at this time is not able to think on its own or create ideals of the future. It is an object that is put to use by humans, therefore it is not in line with the predictions of Metropolis. One thing that I also think is not in line with the ideals presented in Metropolis is that everyone is susceptible to the ways of the future. While watching the film, every single one of the workers fell victim to the suggestions of evil Maria. 

In our society, I believe enough people are aware of the collusion that went on in our election with robots and see that what is happening in our “future,” isn’t necessarily the best for us moving forward. Overall, the film Metropolis made some very good predictions in regards to how our society functions today. When we look at the 2016 election, we see that another country was able to use the same method, robots, to create turmoil in democracy and deface an election. Something is to be said for how well they predicted such a marginal concept in my opinion. 

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Week Four-Advertising

Capture an advertisement that you think would be ineffective in the U.S. Tell me why it would be ineffective, and then describe how you might do it differently for a U.S. market. Post a photo of the advertisement so that your classmates and I can see what you're referring to. (Note: You cannot post something in German and say "it would be ineffective because it isn't in English" or something similar. Think in terms of the intended message, intended audience, and how both are communicated - would the spirit of the message be ineffective? Why?) Make a connection to at least one of our readings from the program.

Below you will see a photo of a smoking advertisement. Despite the message the ad sends, I don’t think it would be normal to see an ad for cigarettes in the United States, period. I believe it is effective here in Germany because everyone smokes. College students, the elderly and everyone in-between can be seen smoking throughout the day. In the United States there is a big push to stop the production and consumption of cigarettes. This is interesting to me because generally Germans are in much better health than us Americans stereotypically, however, they pound cigarettes day in and day out. 

In order for this ad to be effective in the United States, I think it would need to be an ad that discourages smoking. The message, “do your thing,” could remain the same but include a picture of someone who has suffered a great deal from smoking rather than a woman enjoying a nice sunny day. Changing the picture will show the contrast between smoking cultures here and at home. As stated previously, smoking is the norm here and at home is largely discouraged due to its damaging effect to the human body. 

A debate that could occur over this ad is whether or not it is ethical. Everyone involved in creating the advertisement knows the effects that smoking has on the human body. With that being said, one could argue that the companies produce ads on smoking, specifically Camel in this ad are violating an ethical code. As we learned from G&M Chapter 6, ethics are our values in action, they are something we carry out and practice intentionally day in and day out. To quote G&M, “Ethics are not something that we have, they are something that we do,” (G&M, p.161). One could argue that Camel advertising cigarettes creates an ethical dilemma. While the product they sell is harmful, by producing cigarettes they employ a multitude of people. If they were to stop producing cigarettes, tons of people would be out of work.

Cigarette advertising is one of the most slippery slopes in my opinion. Because they are so addictive, I believe it is important for companies to consider the ethical implications of their work, as noted in G&M Chapter 6. Not to say that this advertisement wouldn’t be effective in the United States, I simply believe the message would need to be altered because our culture approaches smoking differently. 

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Week 3-Public Sphere

Prompt #3: Advertising / Public Sphere: Public Communication and Democracy. Find an example in Berlin (not TV, online, etc.) of communication from a regional, city, or national governmental body about a particular technology. Drawing on Habermas, examine it first from a public sphere perspective: What information is needed about this technology for citizens of a democracy to have informed civic debate and deliberation about it? Then, drawing on Jaganathan et al, examine it from a rhetoric of advertising perspective: What persuasive arguments might a manufacturer or distributor of the same technology want to make to the public?

I chose a billboard type advertisement by a bank in Switzerland titled UBS. Translated, the quote says, “now for 10 francs you can go to the top of the mountain.” After a little bit of research, I think the correct interpretation is that if you pay ten franks to banks with UBS you’ll go to the top of the mountain. In order to have informed civic debate, the public needs to be able to engage without fear of punishment for their actions, their needs to be an even playing field for all, and open conversation. According to Habermans, “The principle of supervision is thus a means of transforming the nature of power, not merely one basis of legitimation exchanged for another,” (Habermas 1964, p. 53). This is the idea that one who is in power should not hold more control over a debate than someone who is lower class. 

Although the Jaganathan et al reading focuses on automobile advertisements, it draws some parallels to the advertisement I chose. For example, “The assumption underlying the minimal use of data is that the readers do not need further explanation,” (Jaganathan et al 2014, p.163). The bank does this by putting an exact number amount one needs “to get to the top.” If they would have said, “just a few franks will get you to the top,” people would dig deeper or not all because of the vague message. However, when they put the number ten in front of it, pedestrians no longer have to think about how much it will take because a price has been given to them. The biggest thing a manufacturer wants to communicate is the superiority and simplicity of their product and I believe this example effectively communicates that. 

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Week 3-A pool of alphas

Prompt 3: Luke Lalor from AlphaPool Content Marketing is coming to talk with us about his firm and what they do. For this post, you need to take careful notes during Luke's talk so that you can go out this week and find an example of something he discusses. Specifically, you need to identify a concept he discusses, then find an example of that practice (1) done well, and (2) done poorly. 

Having Luke come talk to our class was one of the highlights of my time in the classroom. It was clear that he had been in his industry for a long time, knew how to maneuver within it and take charge. After looking further into their website after Luke left, it became clear that they are a rather big deal as a company. They have worked with one hundred if not more major brands and been successful in their campaigns. 

The one thing Luke said that stuck out to me most was that AlphaPool is good at bringing it clients. Not only are they good at bringing clients in, they are efficient when they do so. When talking about their Ellie Goulding x Deichmann campaign, he mentioned that all of the footage was shot within a time span of five hours. To dig deeper on that thought, he discussed the concept of shooting B roll at the same time as the rest of filming. This was a foreign concept to me but after seeing it in practice it looked sleek and obviously cost effective. 

A good example of this would be E-News broadcast of the Billboard Music Awards last week. It is clear that all of their B-roll comes from the red carpet which is where they film their A-roll. They simply take snap shots or use bloopers from their A-roll footage to constitute their B-roll which is very similar to what AlphaPool did with Ellie. 

A bad example would be Britain’s Got Talent. On their show, A-roll and B-roll are clearly shot separately. Most of the contestants and judges are put in front of a screen to record and photos are posed. It doesn’t look as natural as the campaign with Ellie by AlphaPool did. 

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Week 3-BMW

Prompt 2: Capture an image from the portion of the BMW Motorcycle factory where we’re allowed to have photos – anything you like (something cool, obviously). Discuss the concept of communicating/connecting with internal & external stakeholders, and how this tour accomplishes both of those things (refer to the entire tour and to things we learn from the tour guide and the promo videos). Draw specific connections to the Zerfass reading - quotes w/ page numbers are a good way to do this. 

Right when we walked in the door at BMW and then when we met our tour guide, I immediately noticed the lax approach they had to their jobs and life in general. As you can see in the picture, the neon sign says, “make life a ride.” I believe that quote speaks to the company’s desire to produce nice, strong motor-vehicles for consumer use but also their, “wear jeans and a t-shirt to work, smoke on your break,” work environment. Internally, they do a good job translating this. When we were walking around the plant it was clear that employees were not rushed, they enjoyed their job while still producing quality products. One thing our tour guide said that stood out to me was, “We would rather produce at a slower rate because when we produce faster it is less quality and we have less happy workers.”

He also made sure to emphasize the fact that BMW creates products for consumers around the globe. While Germany is their main market, they focus on translating marketing materials or messages for viewers in their other markets. This quote from Zerfass breaks that concept down well, “ if globalization is the hallmark of the 21st century, diversity is its character,” (Zerfass et. al 2015, p.787). It speaks to the idea that when BMW caters their brand to a market outside of Germany, they have to not only translate the message but also translate the meaning. As we learned in class the other day, Sierra Mist will never be sold in Germany because of its translation. Through the presentation I noticed the opposite about BMW. Not only do they show various languages, the message gets the same point across in each as well. 

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Week 3-Technology in Sports

Prompt #2: Computerspielmuseum / DDR Museum: Public Communication of Sport Sciences and Technologies. Compare and contrast an example from each museum that talks about, shows, or otherwise presents a science or technology used in sports. Embed a music video of one song you would choose to play along with each sport (one for each, two songs total). Use supporting quotes from McLeod to explain why you chose those songs.

At the Computerspielmuseum, the exhibit I thought was the most interesting was the arcade. It reminded me of any other arcade I would’ve gone to play in as a kid and it was interesting to see how the games aged over time. As we discussed, to many people video games are a sport. The use of technology in video games is self-evident-they don’t work without some source of power. To quote McLeod, “A related trend is the increasing presence of major label musical artists in sports related video games,” (McLeod 2006, p.539). This connects the idea that video games can be sports but also celebrate traditional sports. 

The example I chose from DDR focused on kids soccer. According to McLeod, “Crowd chants and club songs permeate European and South American football (soccer) matches,” (McLeod 2006, p.531). Technology is shown through the development of new gear and techniques in the sport over time. There has been a great deal of progress over the years in protective gear, cleats, concussion technology, etc. 

Drawing on McLeod’s example, video games and soccer in this example are rather similar. While soccer involves exerting a little bit more effort physically, they are both mentally stimulating. Along with that, the two sports also bring people from all walks of life and all languages together. You don’t have to speak German to play soccer with someone here, it is a universal language. 

The music video I chose for soccer was Shakira’s “Waka Waka.” Shakira made a music video in 2008 for South Africa’s World Cup victory. A lot of times I think music at soccer games is meant to get people excited about the event or bring them together. In this example, Shakira is bringing a whole country together with her song. I thought this example fit McLeod’s explanation of, “rock, hip hop, and pop tunes are broadcast to delineate every stoppage of play,” (McLeod 2006, p. 531). 

I chose a Super Mario Brothers compilation for the video games because I thought it fit the vibe of an arcade environment. To quote McLeod one more time, “the general idea of music in video games is what he calls ‘‘emotion and recognition,” (McLeod 2006, p. 539). For me at least, the second I hear this music I associate it with Super Mario and video games in general. 

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Week 3-Expression of Values Through People

Prompt #1: Ecoland / Tempelhofer Feld: Public Communication of Health Sciences and Technologies. Find the community gardens at Tempelhofer Feld. Compare how they communicate sciences and/or technologies of health (such as nutrition, sustainability, etc.). What values are expressed? How are they similar? Different? Do you see any miscommunications?

It is clear that Ecoland and Tempelhofer both communicate sustainability and preserving the environment. While at Ecoland, our tour guide made it a point to tell us all that they do to sustain the environment and economies of poor countries. While at Tempelhofer, the community gardens represented unity in my opinion. Not only was there a large space filled with open land, it was also available to everyone. Rich, poor, and homeless people were all there. Sharing a space and enjoying themselves. 

The two spaces are similar in that they value preserving the environment and creating a bond between people and nature. At Ecoland, this was evident when the man in charge came out of his office to speak with a random tour group. He farms organically, never meets a stranger, and makes it a point to treat all people equally. The Seeds of Hope initiative also represents the sustainability measures they have taken within their company. As organic farmers, their work already promotes health and nutrition, however, preserving the economy of a third world country further proves this point. 

At Tempelhofer, this was expressed by the wide open spaces that exist for everyone to enjoy. The bike, scooter, and four-wheeler type rentals encourage people to explore the space and get a workout in. The wide open space also communicates the idea that they value green spaces and the environment. From an American perspective, the space speaks to the sustainability efforts that are enacted in Europe. One could argue that these are desperately needed in the United States. 

To be frank, at Ecoland I didn’t notice a single miscommunication. All of the materials presented to us by our tour guide were fluid and transparent. Anything you could imagine was straightforward and was likely posted on a pamphlet provided by the company. They make it a point to be viewed as a transparent organization and I truly believe they are successful in that aspect. 

The only thing that I would mark as a miscommunication at Tempelhofer was my American perspective. Looking back, I appreciate the community space that they have set up for everyone to enjoy. However, at first glance I thought that it looked like a space in which sketchy activity or sketchy people would hang out. I thought this simply because if I saw something like that in America that would be my initial reaction. After walking around and observing everyone, my opinion changed when I saw families, children, and couples enjoying their time together in the space. 

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Week 3-Dinner in Paris

Prompt 1 (extended): Pick a concept from the chapter 14 reading on cross-cultural communication and PR that you have seen exemplified during our time here so far. Perhaps at a cafe you've witnessed differences in how space is used (Proxemics). Maybe on a weekend trip you've seen ways that people from some countries view time differently than we tend to (Chronemics). Or perhaps you've seen a really clever ad that bridges cultural/linguistic boundaries. Post a photo or video, and explain how it captures or illustrates the concept you choose. 

While I don’t have a photo of the restaurant, I have many pictures of our meal and experience. Prior to arriving in Germany, I spent three days in Paris. If there is one thing that stood out to be above all else it is the lax approach they take to eating meals. Noted in the reading, “In some cultures, a designated time is a flexible timeline; in others, it’s a specific target,” (G&M, p.431). Prior to this experience, I never thought that meals would be what set us apart from Europeans, nonetheless I appreciate their approach to meal time. 

In the United States, we don’t have a set timeline for dinner, however, it is common for most families in America to eat from 5:00-7:00. While we eat earlier in America, we also don’t emphasize meal time as a time to share with loved ones, catch up, or converse about life in general. We shove meals into our schedules as if they are a burden and are constantly ready to move onto the next thing. After a long day of exploring Paris, Kellen and I decided to go have dinner around 8:30 which we thought was a rather late meal. Much to our surprise, we were some of the first ones at the restaurant. It wasn’t until about 9:00 or 9:30 that people began to sit down for their meals. 

When Kellen and I sat down at our restaurant in Paris, I immediately noticed the opposite. Not only where they not rushing, they weren’t rushing through their meals or constantly flagging the waiter down. We waited ten minutes before our waiter spoke to us and when he came over we ordered drinks and meals at the same time. He would drop off bread and drinks to our table without saying a word, giving a polite smile. It was such a contrast to the American restaurant experience. Waiters in the United States make it a point to get you in and out the door because they need their next tip desperately. 

Not only did our waiter give us time and space, I spent a lot of time observing the people eating around me. Not only did they arrive to dinner around the time that I would go to bed, they were very present. No one was on their phones or scrolling through Instagram, people were conversing, ordering drinks, laughing and talking to one another. This seems like a lost concept to me as an American. Specifically as an American who grew up in the biggest technology explosion to date, I am so used to my friends sitting on their phones at dinner or sitting in a room and everyone scrolling through social media. 

Their lax approach to time and meals says a lot about the culture in Paris in my opinion. While we are such an individualistic, constantly ready for the next thing, they value experiences and time with people. Meal time is a staple in their culture, one could even argue that it is the focal point of their day. Overall, I was impressed with how efficient they are as a society, using the metro and fast-paced walking to get from point A to point B but finding time to be lax about time and enjoy the company of others when it matters most to them (meal time). 

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Week Two-The Vaccine Epidemic

Miscommunication

Prompt #1: Briefly describe how the readings by Nebel and Stobbe and Sun relate to one of the types of miscommunication of science and technology we have discussed. Find an example of public communication of science or technology here that also evidenced one of the types of miscommunication and explain how.

In the reading by Nebel, the idea of SSRI causing autism during pregnancy is discussed. To quote Stobbe, “Correlation does not imply causation. This is a phrase used in science and statistics reminding us that a correlation between two variables does not automatically imply that one causes the other,” (Stobbe, 2011, p. 1). As all of the articles discuss vaccines, it is important to note that we live in a digital age by which one angry mom can post something on her Facebook and suddenly Pampers has a flock of 8,000 moms on their doorstep talking about diaper rashes. 

One of the key points I think that all of the articles highlight is the importance of being cautious when using “Google University,” or social media to retrieve information. While it is helpful to use these platforms to gain information sometimes, at the end of the day they are all fallible. 

The spread of false information has also proven to be dangerous. According to Sun, “Measles, which remains endemic in many parts of the world, was eliminated in the United States at the start of this century. It reappeared several years ago as more people — many wealthier, more educated and white — began refusing to vaccinate their children or delaying those shots,” (Sun, 2017, p. 7). This shows that angry Facebook moms are not only spreading false information but rather that what they are communicating is believed by many and has caused further outbreaks of diseases. 

Attached is an anti-vaccine ad that was released in Germany per, https://global.handelsblatt.com/opinion/germany-land-anti-vax-moms-895184. It shows a child who is safe from all of the diseases because he is pure and doesn’t need to be vaccinated. 

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Week Two-Mortality to Memorial

Sachsenhausen...

Prompt #3: We visited Sachsenhausen this week. The holocaust undeniably was a crisis, and created a series of cascading crises for Germany, Europe, and the world over the following months and years. Thinking about the Guth reading, how does Sachsenhausen function as a response to that crisis? How does the organization utilize Sachsenhausen (and museums/memorials like it) to pursue healing, restoration, and a prospective vision for the future with the various publics affected by the holocaust? Make specific connections to both the Guth reading and the ECC (Effective Crisis Comm) reading - again, quotes are a good way to do this.

According to Thierry C. Pauchant and Ian I. Mitroff, three major effects of a crisis are, “threatening the legitimacy of an industry, reversing the strategic mission of an organization and disturbing the way people see the world and themselves,” (Guth 1995, p.125). This quote is important to visualize the effects of the Holocaust in Germany and everywhere. The war completely wiped out any form of industry in Germany as our tour guide mentioned, the government was completely demolished and reconstructed under Hitler, and the people of Germany lost pride in their state after the war. 

One thing I have thought about is that immediately following the war there probably was no “PR” plan as Guth discusses at the beginning of his reading. In a country that lost a major world war, has no leader, and lots of oppressed people, I doubt that constructing a public response for the issue was their first priority. 

As our tour guide mentioned, there are still some people in Germany who think memorials of the holocaust should be destroyed and that the future should be the only thing that matters. However, the quote I saw on the wall at the end of our tour says the opposite, “And I know one thing more-that the Europe of the future cannot exist without commemorating all those, regardless of their nationality, who were killed at that time with complete contempt and hate, who were tortured to death, starved, gased, incinerated, and hanged,” (Andrzej Szczypiorski, Prisoner of Sachsenhausen). 

That quote spoke to me in many ways. It is a common belief that to get through a traumatic experience one has to work there way through grief. The memorial at Sachsenhausen addresses multiple publics. Not only is it dedicated to the memory of the victims of the holocaust, it has become an attraction for people all over the world to come and see what people went through in that time. In a way, the memorial also serves as a reminder to people everywhere. When you walk the path of a person who was oppressed for the way they thought or where they came from it paints a painful, heart wrenching picture.

Another quote that stood out to me from the ECC reading was, “Even in cases where there are clear warning signs, people are often still surprised when a crisis occurs,” (ECC, p.6). As our tour guide mentioned, many people in Germany were aware of the fact that their nation was enduring the biggest crisis to date and still acted surprised when reports of people dying were released or when they were questioned about their knowledge of the war and its camps. 

Overall I think the memorial serves as a reminder. As far as victims go, some may want to remember and some may not. Everyone copes with trauma in different ways. For the people of Germany as a whole, it speaks to the idea that they were once oppressed and should do everything in their power to prevent anything like that from happening again. Lastly, for the world I believe it serves as a “warning sign” that we should value people and be cautious about the ensuing impact of war. 

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Week Two-Furchtlos Und Treu

Prompt #2: How is the Mercedes-Benz Arena utilized for public relations? Who are the key publics here, how are they engaged, and what types of relationship management strategies are employed to engage with these publics? Again, using information learned on the tour is a good idea.

Touring Mercedes-Benz was a highlight of the trip thus far. Immediately when we walked in, we saw the hallway decorated with murals of the fan groups and choreographers. One of the first things our tour guide said to us was that they value their fans greatly. This shows through the fact that out of 65,000 seats in the arena, 30,000 are sold out before the season starts. 

With that being said, the stadium serves as a place for the people of Stuttgart, fans and other soccer fans to come together and be a part of a common activity.

To quote Ramshaw, Gammon and Huang, “First, the tour creates a narrative about the identity of the stadium and the stadium/team owner, Jerry Richardson. Second, the tours create narratives based on the perceived identities of patrons,” (Ramshaw et al, 2013, p.25-26).  While this quote is speaking about the Carolina Panthers, it holds true for Stuttgart as well. Our tour guide walked us through a day in the life of a Stuttgart fan which allowed us to understand their identity and value as a club. Second, the tour gave us the chance to associate fan clubs with the likes of our student section at Clemson. 

I would say that the fan clubs are the most important publics and emphasizing their importance and showing their gratitude for their fans is how they manage the relationships.

[laurengetsforeign]

Week Two-Ecoland

Prompt #2: What sciences and technologies are communicated during the tour of Ecoland? Find one example to describe in detail. How effective do you think it is?

It is expected that immense amount of science and technology goes into organic farming. However, one of the pieces of technology I found the most interesting was the blue and green lights in the spice rooms. The room we went into held enough spices for a half a year of production. When you have an amount of a product that large it is essential to protect from the pests and insects that would destroy the product. 

The light hangs high in the warehouse and acts as a repellant for the insects. It emits a blue/green glow which insects do not like according to Popular Science, insects are more attracted to blue and green lighting (Ossola, p.1). Instead of being attracted to the scent of the spices, they are drawn to the light.

The fact that they use lighting rather than insect repellant or pesticides to keep them away speaks to the eco-friendly, organic nature of the company.

In regards to the effectiveness of the technology, it seems to be effective as they trust the lights with a half year supply of spices. 

[laurengetsforeign]

Week Two-Seeds of Hope

Prompt 1: While we are at the Farmer Producer Association market/tasting, look/listen for stories, examples, artifacts, and practices that represent the ethical views of the organization. What values are represented through this tour experience? BESH only produces their own content, they do not rely on an external agency. Is this a values position, or a cost-saving measure?  

The first thing I noticed about the Farmer Producer Association was their humble nature and relaxed attitude towards business. Not only did the man in charge come out of the building to speak to us, he kindly took a photo with us as we waited for our tour guide to show. I could tell right off the bat that the company valued transparency and strong relationships as the man in charge wears a straw hat and hangs around with those who work for him. 

Taken directly from the company’s website, their values are, “Agricultural, economic, environmental, legal, fiscal, educational and social issues related to farmers are our daily work.” This idea shows through the economic, social, and educational partnership they created with Seeds of Hope and areas of the world that are in need. I interpreted our reading for this excursion as if ethics are stages or a system if you will. It tells us, “Ethics are something that we do every day.” So rather than a passive action or set of ideals we actively engage in ethics every day. Then the ethics we carry out every day become our ethics code which eventually turns into the ability to determine our core values,” (G&M, p. 161). 

As far as BESH producing their own content, I think it is a values position. While some organizations do rely on a third-party, BESH seems to have no interest. Upon meeting the man in charge, he immediately told us they did their own communication in house because, “a third-party cannot do what we do. We are farmers and our customers must here from us. They are not farmers so they cannot tell them what they need to hear.” In addition, he said they produce their own content in order to be authentic.

This was a really fun experience and one of my favorite parts of the trip thus far!