audience, brand, channel: using social media cases to teach communications concepts holly...

AUDIENCE, BRAND, CHANNEL: USING SOCIAL MEDIA CASES TO TEACH COMMUNICATIONS CONCEPTS

Holly Littlefield, PhDhlittlefield@umn.eduUniversity of MinnesotaCarlson School of Management

Audience analysis

Tone

Credibility

Persuasion

Brand

Channel selection

Timing

Crisis communication.

AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

YOUTUBE—COLLEGE RECRUITMENT VIDEOS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_TcOoAzrg

Gonzaga--Making the College Decision

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpp3quce1VoUBC—lipdub

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlQL5L7_zwwUBC Place of Mind

AUDIENCE ANALYSIS DISCUSSION POINTS Music

Images

Verbal vs Print language

Film quality

Buildings

Students shown

Activities

TONE

URBAN OUTFITTERS KENT STATE SWEATSHIRT

“…was purchased as part of our sun-faded vintage collection. Discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray…We deeply regret that this item was perceived negatively.”

TONE AND CHANNEL

ESQUIRE MAGAZINE: FALLING MAN IMAGE ON 9/11 ANNIVERSARY FACEBOOK POST

Thousands of customers complained about the inappropriate use of this 9/11 photo in their ad Tweet.

Multiple national news channels covered this story.

ESQUIRE’S APOLOGY POSTED ON TWITTER….

JC PENNEY GIRL’S CLOTHING—SELF ESTEEM LINE

JC Penney

Online Caption

Who has time for homework when there’s a new Justin Bieber album out? She’ll love this tee that’s just as cute and sassy as she is.”

Sold as part of Penney’s Self Esteem line

Soon after the shirt went online, Change.org put up a notice with the message: “Stop selling clothing with sexist messages for girls.”

By midday, more than 1,600  people had signed a petition addressed to JCPenney Chairman and CEO Mike Ulman III

“Under the guise of being ‘cute,’ J.C. Penney is promoting merchandise that encourages girls to value looks over brains; to leave academics to the boys, and to aspire to nothing more than fawning after Justin Bieber,”

JC Penney Response:

“We want to apologize to our customers. We’re reaching out to our customers who are unhappy to apologize and to let them know that the T-shirt is no longer available.”

JP MORGAN CHASE EDUCATIONAL TWITTER Q/A SESSION

Thousands of hecklers responded with “questions”….

AND THE FINAL RESPONSE…

TARGET GENDER NEUTRAL SIGNAGE

“Barbies are still going to be with Barbies and Legos will still be with Legos. We just didn’t feel like having a sign that said ‘boys bedding’ was necessary”

- Molly Snyder, Target spokesperson

“…has created an explosion of anger on the right, with Fox News devoting at least four segments to churning up pointless outrage over it.”

Business Insider

Target Troll—Mike Melgaard pretended to be an official customer service representative on Target’s Facebook page

Target’s Official Response—After 16 hours

Target’s Subtle Support posted the next day

CEO PERSONA AND COMPANY BRAND

RYAN AIR—CEO MICHAEL O’LEARY

FACEBOOK POSTING FROM CUSTOMER SUZY MCLEOD REGARDING RYANAIR FEES

“I had previously checked in online but because I hadn’t printed out the boarding passes, Ryanair charged me 60 euros per person! Meaning I had to pay 300 euros for them to print out a piece of paper! Please ‘like’ if you think that’s unfair.”

More than half a million people ‘liked’

RYANAIR CEO MICHAEL O’LEARY’S FACEBOOK RESPONSE

“We think Mrs McLeod should pay 60 euros for being so stupid. She wasn’t able to print her boarding card because, as you know, there are no internet cafes in Spain and no hotels where they could print them out for you…She wrote to me last week asking for

compensation and a gesture of goodwill. To which we have replied, politely but firmly, thank you Mrs McLeod but it was your fuck-up.”

BRAND

LEGO, SHELL OIL, AND GREENPEACE Greenpeace asked Lego to discontinue its relationship with Shell Oil

Nearly 8 million views

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhbliUq0_r4

TIMING

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HORSEMEAT SCANDAL…

WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE 2013 SUPERBOWL….

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

CINNABON CONTROVERSY

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-26/kat-cole-a-former-hooters-waitress-runs-cinnabons-1-billion-empire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5LcBdbH8bo

APOLOGIES

AMERICAN APPAREL—CHALLENGER DISASTER PHOTO

Challenger disaster photo

DIGIORNO PIZZA—#WHY I STAYED

http://time.com/3308861/digiorno-social-media-pizza/

AMERICAN AIRLINES: PLAN PORN

US Air Tweeted a graphic photo of a naked woman with a “toy” airplane between her legs; the Tweet remained in the US Air Twitter feed for several hours; hundreds of Twitter responses included:

CHILDREN’S PLACE

Children’s Place

"NOT cute, Children's Place, This is not 1953. Stop making it fashionable for girls to be dumb. Parents are sick of this garbage."

The infamous 'Math is Hard' Barbie came out over 20 years ago, and you guys are *STILL* trying to glamorize empty-headed materialism? Shame on you,"

MISCELLANEOUS SOCIAL MEDIA FAILS

HOME DEPOT FIRED ITS SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY AFTER THIS TWEET

JUST AFTER THE AURORA SHOOTING….

http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/01/15/Anthony-Bourdain-launches-Twitter-tirade-against-American-Airlines/3481358285712/

Anthony Bourdain and American Airlines late departure via Twitter

2013

And…"Just overheard our Marketing Director (he's staying, folks!) ask 'How do I shut down Twitter?'"

Live Tweeting During an HMV Layoff

JUST AFTER THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS…

viralblog.c

Back in 2011 during the protests in Egypt, Kenneth Cole posted this tweet.

Twitter: @WSWCSM

Posted just after the Boston Marathon Bombings

OTHER CASES

KRISPY KREME AND KKK

COLBERT AND WHEAT THINS

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/zzgfft/the-colbert-report-wheat-thins-sponsortunity

2013

non-executive chairman of Barilla Holding, never expected his remarks would be relayed all around the world when he told Italian radio: "We won't do ads with homosexuals, because we like the traditional family." 

Bertolli pro gay ad response:

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/bertolli-makes-most-barilla-chairmans-anti-gay-comments-152758

2015

http://www.prweek.com/article/1352323/heinz-apologizes-qr-code-germany-links-hardcore-porn

Heinz QR code linked to porn site