Monday, December 9th, 2013

Systems Theory: Paula’s Apology Video

By: Erin Olitzky

Today, Paula Deen is not only a household name, but also a very large company with many different stakeholders. She has cookbooks, cookware, television shows and restaurants as well as many devoted fans. However, in June of 2013 Paula Deen came forward and admitted to racial comments she had made in the past, however only after a former employee accused her publicly. According to CNN, her company issued a statement saying Deen used the epithet, but in a “quite different time” in American history. The statement said:

“She was born 60 years ago when America’s South had schools that were segregated, different bathrooms, different restaurants and Americans rode in different parts of the bus. This is not today.” With this, also then came the release of a forty-five second Youtube video apology made by Paula herself.

Systems Theory states that an organization is made up of interrelated parts that adapt to changes in the political, economic and social environments in which they operate, environments can be both internal and external. I believe this to be an example of The Systems Theory and more specifically of a closed system. Paula Deen and her company decided to use this video to tell the public and her stakeholders that it was true she made these remarks and to then apologize for making them. She used the PR tactic of releasing a press-release in a video form to inform her stakeholders, rather than use the first release of a statement  to receive feedback from the public and stakeholders  to find out what she should do next. Many PR experts believe Paula’s apology was “mediocre to miserable” and the lack of communication with the other actors in her system was the reason she lost so many deals and endorsements.

Other Sources:

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/paula-deen-issues-video-apology-racial-slur-article-1.137926

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/06/26/paula-deen-apology-reaction/2462483/

Monday, December 9th, 2013

Uses and Gratifications: Loss of Sponsors

By: Jason Davis

Paula Deen, the famous celebrity chef featured on Food Network has been cooking for audiences on the channel since 1999.   Aside from being a celebrity performing in front of a camera, she has illustrated a handful of books, magazines and sold products for those who have a similar passion for cooking.  Her two cookbooks are focused on southern style recipes built up from her roots of growing up in Georgia.  People respect Paula Deen for her enthusiasm for cooking and delicious recipes.  As most of us are aware of, in June of 2013 Paula Deen admitted to using the N-word on occasion.  She ineffectively moved forward by issuing multiple viral apologies and cancelling numerous interviews, further damaging her future.  Paula Deen’s public relations team wanted improve her image too quickly in an effort to save longtime fans.

Paula Deen’s organization and her public relations team showed stints of uses and gratifications theory throughout the time she was looking to resurrect her image.  This theory is based on understanding what audiences do with media outlets and their thoughts and behaviors behind it. Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitch describe the concept as “the social and psychological origins of needs, which generate expectations of the mass media or other sources, which lead to differential patterns of media exposure”. Satisfying a groups needs is a goal of any organization and through a public relations team, Paula still has the opportunity to win back her audience.  Her organization showed positive and negative public relations while looking to expand on other media outlets.  The correct thing to do after making a mistake is issuing an apology, and Paula Deen did just that, unfortunately not in the best way possible. The botched apologies on top of failing to show up for an interview with the Today show prompted the Food Network to fire her.  Her career was not over at this point. The uses and gratifications theory explains, “Audiences are responsible for selecting media outlets that best fulfills their needs and that media outlets are used by the audience to fulfill specific gratifications”. The Food Network may have not wanted her, but her fans may still be interested.

Following her misunderstood apologies and losing multiple sponsorship deals Paula Deen’s organization went out and hired public relations crisis firm Smith & Co employing well-known crisis manager Judy Smith.  Deen’s public relations may have lost her biggest claim to fame, but as previously mentioned Paula has other media outlets as well as cookware product’s sold by retailers.  The team has been focused on improving her image through other media outlets as being a lovely individual who enjoys helping out in the community.  People are aware of the wrongdoing she has done and there is only so much Paula Deen can do to win back those fans.   She was very popular and a great cook. That being said there are still many people who will continue to seek out Paula Deen for specific needs.

This was sent out as an email from Paula Deen magazine publisher. The email contained a graphic, which reads: “We support Paula Deen and you can too! Subscribe to Cooking With Paula Deen today and you’ll receive a FREE Preview Issue.”

 

Other Sources:

–http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paula-deens-food-network-contract-wont-be-renewed/

–http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/22/dining/paula-deen-is-a-no-show-on-today.html?_r=0

–http://adage.com/article/media/paula-deen-hires-smith-inspiration-scandal/242849/

 

 

Monday, December 9th, 2013

Social Learning Theory: Paula Faces the Today Show

By: Leigh Scheffey

Paula Deen was faced with numerous criticisms following her “racist remarks” and lack of clean-up in the weeks following their public entry. One of the biggest down-points in Mrs. Deen’s scanal was the way that the Food Network star handled the backlash from her actions. In the days after the star made several apology videos, and tried to do all that she could to erase the situation from its original surface. Arguably the biggest problem that Paula created was a poorly managed her apology and the need to run from all opportunities to fix her mistake. After losing her deal with the Food Network and cook book publishing agency, Paula was down to the last string merely holding onto her deal with QVC. Paula was scheduled for an interview with the today show, a chance for the star to share her side with the public, however, at the last minute Paula completely missed her interview with the show.

The start tried to manage her losses by informing the NBC correspondents that she was unable to attend due to the stress and later agreed to an interview with the Today Show’s Matt Lauer. The missed first interview grew the audience for her Today Show appearance further facing her with accusations of being insincere and uneasy to apologize in the final interview below.

 

So how exactly do Paula Deen’s actions influence the public? A Social Learning Theory, commonly studied in the field of PR, allows for a public to role model to massly produce media from which our personal observations allow us to learn. Through this a subject is able to positively or negatively learn from a series of either rewards or punishments. In the case of Paula, the public was able to assess the initial action of Paula–her racial comments– and observe the losses she received: her TV show, book deal, ect.. The public is then able to look at the punishment faced by Deen to evaluate whether or not Paula was correct in her actions of dealing with the problem. In this case the loss of TV show and further missed TV appearances show us how our actions can negatively affect us during and after a crisis. Paula’s interview with the Today Show fits this theory because viewers ultimately learn that running from a problem may be worse that facing it in the eye.

Other Sources:

http://www.today.com/food/paula-deen-i-would-not-have-fired-me-6C10454147

Matthews, Kelli. “Social Learning Theory.” J 350 Class Lecture. University of Oregon, Eugene. 21 Oct. 2013. Lecture.

 

 

Monday, December 9th, 2013

Social Exchange Theory: Social Media Reacts

By: Ryan Auerbach

For the past decade or so Americans across the country have turned on their TV and felt comfortable watching multiple cooking shows starring Paula Deen, the sweet, butter-loving, southern woman with grandma-like tendencies and recipes that could make anybody’s stomach rumble.  Viewers could find her on the Food Network, read her multiple cookbooks, and buy her custom line of cooking materials.  Paula Deen was the lovable old lady in the kitchen that everyone in America could recognize and it seemed as if she was at the pinnacle in her career.  This was all until controversy surrounded Deen; she agreed to endorse a diabetes drug just as her diagnose for the disease surfaced, a sexual assault lawsuit has also been brought to attention regarding her and her brother, and arguably the biggest controversy; multiple accounts of her using racial slurs towards African Americans and an alleged video of her using the n word surfacing.  Paula Deen and her organization were then faced with a choice on how to address the situation and how to keep her career from completely deteriorating.  They came forth in June of 2013 and admitted that Deen had indeed made the racist comments in the workplace and also made other racial comments and jokes outside of the workplace.

            Paula Deen and her organization showed use of the Social Exchange Theory when deciding to come out with her public apology. The Social Exchange Theory states that individuals and groups choose strategies based on perceived rewards and costs.  With this in mind, she realized that the short run costs loss of fans and endorsements outweighed the potential costs she could face if she didn’t address the public about her mistake.  Not only would she lose the endorsements and contracts, she would lose the trust of her very devoted fan base.  As expected, the initial effect on the public and her fans was generally negative.

But as the Social Exchange Theory states, Deen also benefited from her public apology.  Some of her die-hard fans publically came to her aid and lashed out against corporations that had revoked their endorsements with Deen.

On top of fan support, some corporations reached out in support, her Ballantine Books cookbook sales have skyrocketing pre-orders, Universal Furniture has continued their “Paula Deen Home” line, Springer Mountain Farms which sells Paula Deen approved chicken came out and said they support her and will continue her line of poultry, Metro Cooking Dallas Show also came out with their support and plans to continue to have Deen appear on show, and maybe the most profitable since her decision to admit to her comments is that Alice Travel, a Paula Deen cruise supplier, has had such an amazing response from Paula Deen fans that they have planned out two cruises over 2014 instead of the original one cruise a year.  Although it was a very tough decision for Paula Deen and her organization to make I believe that through the Social Exchange Theory they did the best possible option.

Other Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/jesse-jackson-paula-deen_n_3506218.html

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