Category: Uncategorized

By Sierra Goodman

It’s no secret that the landscape of crisis communications has changed significantly due to the prevalence of social media. According to the Pew Research Center, 67 percent of U.S. adults received news from social media this year and of those users, 74 percent get their information from Twitter. Increasingly, we have seen social media used as a tool for social change. Crises involving public figures and brands have the added input of social media which can act as fuel to a burning fire. Here are some examples of how social media has brought social issues to the forefront of conversation:

Harvey Weinstein and #MeToo

It was recently brought to light that Harvey Weinstein has a reputation for sexual assault within the Hollywood community. This has been going on for decades but was unknown to the general public until now. After The New York Times published an article about Weinstein paying off his sexual assault accusers, social media made his actions finally surface. The stories have started a conversation on social media with the trending #MeToo, creating a platform for sexual assault survivors and supporters to speak up. This has brought up many other cases of sexual assault, both inside and outside of the film industry. As a result, Weinstein was terminated by The Weinstein Company and kicked out of the Film Academy. Without social media, the New York Times article uncovering this story would not have reached as many audiences as it did.

Starbucks and #borderfreecoffee

In August 2017, the hashtag #borderfreecoffee was trending on Twitter and suggested that undocumented immigrants would receive 40 percent off Starbucks coffee for “Dreamer Day.” At first, Twitter buzzed with praise for Starbucks until it was revealed that this information originated from an online message board in hopes of luring undocumented immigrants to Starbucks and reporting them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Starbucks took to Twitter to confirm the information was a hoax. While social media has the ability to spread information widely for social change, it can also be used to spread false information.

Racist Dove Ad

The soap brand, Dove, recently came out with an advertisement that featured an African American woman taking off her shirt to reveal a white woman. Social media pointed out the ad as racist because it implied that darker skin is “dirty” and lighter skin is “clean.” Social media did not fail to remind both the brand and public why the ad was wrong and that it was not the first time Dove was racially insensitive. Dove released a statement to apologize for the offensive message. Social media has allowed for consumers to have a voice and as a result, companies are expected to take action and apologize when they miss the mark.

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Social media can be both a gift and a curse for PR professionals and it is crucial for brands to know how to use it and how it is used by the public. If you’re interested in learning more about crisis communication, check out the links below.

• What Will PR Look Like in 2020?
• 13 Golden Rules of PR Crisis Management
• Crisis Management Tools For Managing your Brand Reputation

By Kate Miller

Congrats! You landed a summer internship. I don’t know about you, but my eyes were so firmly set on landing an internship that I felt like I hadn’t slept in months. When I finally landed the perfect internship, I was excited but nervous. What do I do now? What do I do when I get there? How do I plan?

With five weeks to go before I leave for Washington D.C., I need to figure out my clothing situation, housing, food and transportation while I am simultaneously studying for finals, scheduling fall classes and balancing extracurricular activities. I want to be the best intern, but how do I do that?

I decided to look into what other interns have done to navigate a cross-country internship experience. Here are five tips to plan for a summer internship adventure:

1. Budget 

Make sure you calculate the amount of money you are going to be making and how much housing costs. In D.C. housing takes a large chunk out of my paycheck. Make sure to account for taxes and budget for food, coffee and transportation as well. Wally is an excellent app to help plan and track your expenses and set savings goals. Budgeting is crucial so you can have some leftover money to explore a new city.

2. Work Hard

Now that you have landed the internship, show them why they chose you. You have learned various skills in school that will help you, but a lot of what you will be doing you will be learn on the job. Make sure to come in early and stay late, show them how much you want this internship and how great of an employee you would be. You never know who they know and how it will help you find a job when you graduate.

3. Soak it up

Your supervisors will have a wealth of knowledge to learn from, so take the opportunity to soak it up. You are in the “real world” and have the chance to test out your chosen field, see what you like and see what you don’t like. I am taking a journal with me to write down some of the fun things that happen so that when I am looking for a job next year I have something to reference to help me decide what type of place I want to work.

4. Be positive

Employers notice. Make sure you always take the tasks you are given with a smile on your face. Do every task with a positive attitude and always go the extra mile. This will make your experience a lot more fun, and it will make your relationship with your supervisors better.

5. Network

You have a full staff of people doing the job you want to do one day. Take the opportunity to network. Spend time getting to know the other interns because one day they could be working somewhere where you want to work or vice versa. Make a goal to take one person out to coffee per week and get to know them. Learn about their track and how they got to the company. Ask for feedback and learn from the advice they give you.

Remember, you are an intern and you are not expected to know everything. Be excited! This is going to be an amazing summer of learning and experiencing new things. They chose you for a reason. Congratulations, and good luck at your internship.

By Lily Gordon

Protests are a quintessential part of democratic countries. Occupy Wall Street, the Civil Rights Movement, the Boston Tea Party— the good ol’ American protest has been proven to produce tangible change when addressing national policy or cultural issues. Perhaps the perfect Petri dish for protests and social activism is on a college campus. When a mass of people learning about the injustices of the world all live in one place, public demonstrations are bound to occur.

Dealing with protestors, or what strategic communicators so eloquently call “issues management,” isn’t exactly the highlight of most PR professionals’ week.  I got the chance to sit down with Kyle Henley, the Vice President of  Communications at the University of Oregon, and chat about the sometimes tricky topic of issue management on a college campus.

It seemed almost too fitting that on the way to Henley’s office I passed through a group of students from the UO Climate Justice League participating in a sit-in just a few feet from his door. Whereas in a large corporation the chief communications officer could stay in his or her corner office removed from demonstrators, a university is a small city. When neighbors are unhappy, they march right up to the offender’s front stoop.

Henley didn’t seem fazed by the guests in the atrium. He embodies his policy of keeping a level head when it comes to communicating. During our conversation, he mentioned countless morsels of PR wisdom, but a few core aspects stood out when it comes to approaching issues management. These are what I’m calling The Henley Keys to Communication Success.

Think ahead
 Since the 1960s there have been loud student protests on American college campuses. “It’s not something we’re unaccustomed to dealing with,” says Henley. There are certain issues every university administration can anticipate— tuition, campus safety, feelings of inequality— and that makes it easier to develop proactive strategies.  According to Henley the UO is a “well oiled machine” when it comes to controversy. Like any large corporation, the university’s communications team forecasts potential issues that could occur taking into consideration the student body’s demographics, upcoming changes, and other factors unique to the school.

Stay consistent
“What’s the challenge? What are the answers and information you’ll need? And how will you communicate it?” Henley says these are the three questions to ask when addressing any communications problem. PR often faces criticism for being “all spin,” but when facing social activists, a brand must decipher the facts in order to develop a realistic path forward. Once the truth is evident to brand communicators, which may or may not align with activists’ demands, clear and consistent messaging can follow.

Utilize experts 
Henley admits he is the forty-five-year-old dad who really likes Facebook but doesn’t have the bandwidth to do the “other ones,” meaning Twitter, Snapchat, et cetera. He also acknowledges the major role social media plays in vocal student dissatisfaction. That’s why the university communications department has individuals who understand every in and out of these platforms tracking the conversation. Law enforcement even plays a role when it comes to monitoring the UO Yik Yak. The point is a person cannot become an expert on everything. A distinguishing characteristic of great PR professionals is that they can find the right experts and aren’t bothered by asking for assistance.

Be interesting
“Even if you have a job that you love, and I do, don’t let your job define you,” Henley said. “Find something you’re passionate about and invest in that.” Henley is a family man who enjoys cycling and cooking among other hobbies. Besides keeping a person sane, Henley notes the valuable perspective gained by having a fulfilling life outside of the office. PR is all about balance: what the brand wants compared to what consumers are demanding, having an online presence but also remaining personable, bringing creativity into the mix while keeping messaging accurate and clear. Balance is ultimately the key to professional communicating success be it personally, when dealing with a long-term branding project, or even when protestors come calling.

By Kate Klosno

By now, we’ve all been given a lesson on what is and is not appropriate to wear to work. For as long as I can remember, all the talks are pretty much the same: boys should have their shirts tucked in to nice pants and girls should look presentable and modest with appropriate hair and makeup. So why has the conversation of business attire for women been such a hot topic lately?

Some professionals believe that it is inappropriate for a woman to wear a dress for any business professional setting. I had never heard of this until recently, and it sparked my curiosity. So, I asked people from my generation and generations before what they thought business attire for women meant to them. I thought there might be a possibility that because just a few decades ago, people dressed much more modest than now, that maybe that influenced what people believe to be appropriate in the modern workplace.

The Verdict:

• The young college women found it completely acceptable to wear a dress or skirt to work as long as it came to the knees and the shoulders were covered. Otherwise, wearing a nice pantsuit with closed-toe flats or short heels would do the trick.
• Two professionals from the baby boomer generation, a male and female, had the same thoughts on what business professional for a woman meant to them. They both agree that dresses and skirts are okay as long as the hemline isn’t too short. In their eyes, pantsuits are also a great option as long as the pants are not too tight and the neckline doesn’t fall too low.

From the opinions that I heard, it seems that most people are still going by the same guidelines that we learned back in high school. What are your thoughts on business attire? Do you agree with the opinions above, or do you think it’s inappropriate for a woman to wear a dress to work?

By Lily Gordon

The road to thriving company and consumer relationships with a reputable public image can often be bumpy. Largely in part to its relatively new, and disputed, business model, ride-sharing app, Uber has been a star on the Turbulent Public Relations Speedway. While in the driver’s seat, the Uber PR team has navigated controversies ranging from sexual assault charges to sabotaging competitors like rival ride-sharing app, Lyft and traditional taxi services. Uber  is available in over 50 countries and 300 cities worldwide and recently has been made unavailable in Eugene, Ore.

Eugene has had a large number of individuals make public appeals in favor of Uber, but other cities have experienced the opposite, like the January 2015 Portland protest pictured above, calling for the ride-sharing app to adhere to city transit laws. (Photo by Aaron Parecki, CC BY 2.0)

History of Eugene Uber

University of Oregon students as well as community members enjoyed the convenience of Uber from summer 2014 until the ride-sharing app had to halt Eugene operations in April 2015. The Eugene City Council met with Uber representatives to negotiate terms under which the company could legally operate in the city. The council eventually released a proposal outlining the requirements Uber would need to meet before continuing to service the Eugene area. It has been 1o months since operations halted, and Uber has yet to make any public moves toward adopting new policies in order to relaunch legally in Eugene.

PR Victory Laps

Über in German means “above” or “over,” and Uber definitely went above and beyond in several aspects of its Eugene Uber campaign, specifically in encouraging civic participation and releasing strategic statements.

Whether the petition to “Support Uber Eugene!” would have been as successful as it has been is questionable had Uber itself not initiated and promoted it. Even earlier this week on the University of Oregon campus, individuals were imploring passersby to sign the petition. Public protests and petitions have in the past been used against the app, but in the instance of Eugene Uber, the power of the people is undeniably being channeled in Uber’s favor. The company seems to have learned from past fallouts and was proactive enough to give a voice to the “correct” side in the debate.

The fact Uber already had a positive reputation in the Eugene community and strong relationships made the “Support Uber Eugene!” campaign more feasible. During the company’s seven-month stint in the area, it partnered with University of Oregon Greek life by supporting fundraisers for the Oregon Make A Wish Foundation.

The app’s victory lap in the campaign to relaunch in Eugene has been fueled by, as simple as it sounds, tactful statements. In other legal controversies Uber has cited itself as a “technology company” rather than a “ride-sharing business.” Uber claims it is solely responsible for the app-based aspects of the service, but many city governments have rejected this argument.

PR Fender Benders

Despite the successes of Uber’s PR in Eugene, there have been a few missteps during the campaign to relaunch Eugene operations. Uber has appealed to the city council via petitions and letter to no avail. At this point, it seems the company’s resources would be better used by simply abiding by the regulations put forth.

Unfortunately for those in the Eugene area hoping to get an Uber ride home after graduation parties in June, the prospects look fairly bleak. While the company has gone above and beyond by encouraging civic participation, building a positive local reputation, and releasing strong statements, the Eugene City Council is unbudging. Sometimes even the best PR cannot combat legal requirements. But until Uber crosses that finish line into Track Town, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the company’s progress on the PR Speedway.

Even a junior in college, I still struggle with the difference between business casual and business professional attire. As if an interview is already stressful enough, deciding how to dress just adds to the anxiety. Instead of reviewing the values of your potential hiring company and practicing various interview techniques, you seem to spend an awfully long time choosing what to wear. So with a new job or internship in your future, or even as you being attending career fairs and various PRSSA networking events, it’s important to know what is appropriate to wear and when. Hopefully, you already have some basic business-appropriate garments in your closet, ready to use. But if you don’t, it’s time to start building you “work wardrobe.” Here’s your guide to office-ready essentials for any situation.

Casually Appropriate

This is not casual in the way you may hope. This means jeans and sneakers do not apply. It is important to maintain a professional presence, even if you’re not in a suit and tie or a dress and heels. Remember, you are a direct representation of your organization, so you want to make an effort, no matter what day of the week.

Casually Appropriate

• From day one: Dress more formally–observe your peers, which can help you decode your office. From there, you can build a wardrobe that correlates with your coworkers.
• Women: Tailored pants, blouses and sweaters to casual dresses (not more than an inch or two above the knee.) Footwear should be conservative and does not necessarily need to be a heel.
• Men: Dress pants, collared shirts and a belt is the standard. Unique blazers, tailored sweaters and leather shoes accompany the look well.
• For everyone: Avoid jeans until you’re certain when they are acceptable. Take business casual days to dress in more fun and trendy clothes.

Professional Standards

Business professional style expectations may vary across industries but there are basics to a professional look. Professional attire always means:

• Men: Tailored suits with a tie, paired with a solid-colored dress shirt.
• Women: Dress or pantsuits and tailored dresses with a jacket (blazer, dress cardigan, ect.)
• For everyone: Clean grooming, ironed clothes, attention to detail, neutral colors and conservative footwear.

Business causal can mean different things to different employers. And unfortunately, there is no strict definition of the phrase. Until you are sure about its definition, dress professionally. One of my mentors once told me that it is better to be over dressed than under dressed. Take this into consideration when dressing for an interview or for your first day on the job. Make sure to ask yourself, “What do i want my first impression to be?”

Sophie Lair is a junior at the University of Oregon, majoring in public relations and minoring in French. She is obsessed with her little white five-pound puppy and never misses an episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” She hopes to pursue a career in the fashion industry.