Quick PR Reads You Can Tackle Between Bites
Here in the District, we were up late last night biting our fingernails as our beloved Washington Capitals took on the Penguins for game six in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. It was worth the late night to witness the team’s 5-2 victory to tie the series at 3-3.
In this week’s Lunch Break, we are talking controversy with Netflix’s hit show “13 Reasons Why,” musing over the newest PR crisis at Delta Airways, and dreaming up new flavors for Oreo.
“13 Reasons Why” You Need Appropriate Messaging
It’s National Mental Health Awareness Month, which made Netflix’s announcement of a second season for its controversial show “13 Reasons Why” particularly poorly timed. Though Netflix’s intention was to start a dialogue about mental illness, experts told The Washington Post the messaging was irresponsible. As we await the second season, the controversy is a good reminder that execution of a message is at least as important as intent, and hope that the message that is being sent to adolescents is improved over season 1.
Dream Up the Flavors
Oreo has recently enlisted consumers to dream up the newest Oreo flavor and share their ideas on social media. It’s not a new tactic, but similar to brands like Lay’s Potato Chips and Quaker Oats, Oreo consumers took to the campaign and its hashtag with enthusiasm. In the wake of a better-than-anticipated but still lackluster sales quarter, we’re watching to see if the campaign’s gifs and personalization earns engagement that translates to sales.
These Numbers are Feeding This Social Media Giant
Facebook’s advertising numbers rose drastically in the first quarter of 2017, surpassing analyst’s initial expectations, increasing the company’s net income for the quarter by 71 percent. Facebook’s active user numbers are also up, with a year-to-year increase of 17 percent. Facebook’s mobile advertising alone made up 85% of sales, continuing to feed the social media giant. Based off these numbers, it seems Facebook will remain an advertising hub for the foreseeable future.
Flying From One PR Crisis to the Next
In the latest airline consumer scandal, Delta threatened a family of four with jail time unless it forfeited the seat for their one-year-old, even though they paid for it. The airline reached out to the family with a full reimbursement, additional compensation, and an apology. In an age where every consumer holds a video camera in hand, company representatives increasingly must be prepared for every encounter to be reported—and corporate must have a PR crisis plan ready to respond swiftly when incidents occur.
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