Maggie Scruggs in Comm 355

This past May Coca Cola released a statement introducing their new PlantBottle. It is a bottle that is made partially from plants. Coca Cola says that this bottle is more environmentally safe because it is fully recyclable, uses less non renewable resources, and has less carbon emission than the normal PET plastic bottle that they had been using. Coca Cola says that the bottles are a more environmentally friendly alternative packaging than the PET plastic bottles because PET plastic bottles are made of a non renewable resource while the PlantBottle is made of 30% plants and petroleum bases materials. Coca Cola said that the new bottle is a key innovation and hopes that they will be able to impact the rest of the marketplace to act more eco-friendly as well. They said that they were going to relase the new bottle in North America, first, with Dasani water bottles, and later, with Vitamin Water. Coca Cola also said that this is a step in the right direction, and they also hope to continue research to someday create a zero waste bottle.

This is a good example of PR. Coca Cola is showing that they care about the environment. They show that they want to maintain relationships with their customers because they came up with the bottle themselves instead of going out and getting it from someone else. The news release shows that Coca Cola is proud of their new product and want to continue to make better bottles for the environment. It also shows that they hope to influence other companies to do the same and be eco-friendly as well.

( http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20090514_plantbottle.html )

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The V Foundation for Cancer Research was actually created by ESPN and Jim Valvano, basketball coach for North Caroline and ESPN commentator, who died of cancer. The foundation was created to raise money for cancer research and awareness for all types of cancer. This year marked the 3rd Anniversary for Jimmy V Week from December 3 to December 8. During Jimmy V Week there are the Jimmy V Week Women’s and Men’s Basketball Classics. Througout the week there are TV programs on ESPN about Jimmy Valvano’s life and The V Foundation. At the end of the week there is a Women’s Classic and a Men’s Classic. This week is meant to raise awareness and funds by showing the V Foundation, what they do, cancer stories, and other impactful stories plus where you can donate to the V Foundation.

I watched one of the men’s classic games (Butler vs. Georgetown) which was Monday, December 7. Throughout the game and halftime there were special stories of cancer victims and cancer survivors. It was very moving and was hosted by Dick Vitale. He shared stories of his personal experiences with friends who’d lost people to cancer and other stories of people who’d been involved with the V Foundation. It was moving and made me appreciate ESPN more. That’s why this was a great move by ESPN in terms of public relations. It showed the viewers that ESPN cares about more than just sports. It shows that they care about what happens to the community which helps to strengthen the relationships ESPN has with its viewers. The fact that ESPN has a Jimmy V Week and holds basketball classics in its name also helps the V Foundation. It helps raise awareness of the group and their message and lets people know they should donate to it.

(  http://www.teamespn.com/TeamESPN/vfoundation.jsp )

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Last year Walmart decided to show that it was conscience of environmental issues by offering new environmentally products at lower prices during Earth Month which was April. Walmart realized how many people it affects and can have influence on when making decisions to be eco-friendly or not. So, they decided to offer new products that were considered eco-friendly. They launched 50 new products that were included in the categories of energy conserving, waste reducing, and organic that would be available for sale during the month of April. Their online store, Walmart.com, had over 500 eco-friendly products like baby products and furniture. All of their products were at reasonable prices so that their customers could afford them.

This is also a good example of PR on Walmart’s part. This campaign shows that Walmart cares about the environment but that they also still care about the customer. They maintain relationships with their loyal customers by letting them know that all of the environmentally friendly products will still be at affordable prices. By keeping their prices low it shows the customers that Walmart also wants them to be able to participate in helping the environment. This shows how much Walmart cares about the environment and their customers and how they want to help make a positive change for the environment.

( http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/8161.aspx )

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This past February Nike teamed up with the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund to raise awareness for the fight against cancer, specifically breast cancer. They teamed up with the organization and college basketball teams to raise money and awareness. Over 1000 women’s teams and 300 men’s teams participated in the cause and 14 college women’s teams wore special edition pink uniforms and shoes in support. Nike had special edition pink basketball shoes, pink low top shoes, tshirt, and special edition basketball for sale on their website. For every purchase Nike donated $2 to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

This is a great example of PR on Nike and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund’s parts. For Nike it showed that they were involved in human interest groups and cared about the community of women and supported good causes like funds for cancer research. The fact that Nike donated money for every purchase of their product showed that they cared about raising funds and actively participating in philanthropic charities. It was also good for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund because they associated themselves with a large and credible company like Nike. It got their name out there so more people could know who they are and what they support.

( http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikebasketball/2009/02/03/join-the-fight-againt-cancer )

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TOMS shoes is a public service organization. For every pair of shoes that is bought they donate one pair of shoes to a child in need. In AT&T’s (formarly Cingular) ad for “more bars in more places” they used the Chief shoe giver from TOMS shoes in their commercial. The commercial showed how TOMS workers needed a reliable network but it also showed how AT&T cared about the world. They used this PR tactic to appeal to the emotions of people and show that they supported organizations like TOMS shoes. By doing so, AT&T created a sense of pride by its users to know that they use a network that helps support a philanthropic organization. It also made other people want to join the network. The commercial was also PR for TOMS shoes. It got the name of TOMS shoes out there and their mission for the world. They put their own small name along side a big name and created more awareness and support for their organization. I think this is a good example of PR because both companies used each other to show their concern for the community and others, and get their names out there. ( http://www.tomsshoes.com/content.asp?tid=468&gclid=CMSzvuqSxp4CFRKenAodbmXNsg )

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PR and professionals in PR have to be conscious of the law and follow it strictly. The public opinion of what is constituted as free speech and what is not must be considered by PR professionals since the public is what PR professionals should be most concerned with. The example used in our text book was that of Don Imus. He was the radio and tv host who racially and sexually slurred the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. He lost his shows, but the book says that his first amendment rights were not violated. He didn’t lose his job because of the government, he lost his job because of the public opinion. I agree with this statement. He was allowed to say whatever he wanted but he had to accept the consequences when the public reacted.

The book also says that it is the  job of the PR practitioner to know and understand the laws that govern the PR practice. Not knowing these laws puts the professionals and his or her client at rist for law suits. I think that it is important for PR practitioners to know the law and I also think that it is their responsibility. It is not fair for them to put their organization at risk just because they don’t want to take the time to learn the laws. I also think that it would help a PR professional gain more clients if they knew the laws because the company would trust them more and they would have more credibility.

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One thing that I found that was consistent throughout readings on employee engagement and internal commmunications was that the best way for employees to communicate with superiors or eachother was through face-to-face interaction. I found this to be refreshing and interesting because of how much technology we use today. Everyone is always sending out emails or text messages. It is a fast way to get in touch with someone but it leaves little to build a relationship upon. It is important for employee within the workplace to have relationships because it helps the company become stronger and more productive. If no one ever spoke in person to one another there would be no relationships except for knowing someone’s email address.

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I was unable to access the presentation from the conference from the link on our class’s Blackboard site, but I found this presentation online (it may be the same one…I’m not really sure). http://www.slideshare.net/FHInternalComms/how-to-use-every-social-media-tool-in-the-box-to-engage-employees-2458576

It talks about using social media to engage employees. I thought that it was interesting that the presentation said that talking face-to-face is the best way to communicate in a work place. I agreed with this idea because emails and phone calls can get so bothersome and, a lot of times, impersonal. The presentation defines “employee engagement” as, “A heightened emotional connection that influences an employee to exert greater discretionary effort for the benefit of the company.” The presentation says that social media, like Facebook and Twitter, is being used  more by companies to engage employees more because it allows for more trust to be built. One interesting statistic that I saw in the presentation was that customers trust Facebook 3rd most out of any social media. This was more than the news and commercials. This was interesting to me but it also shows how much people rely on social media tools.

I thought that the presentation was interesting, overall. It showed a lot of good points and tools for engaging employees. I think that it did a good job of showing how important it is to a business for employees to feel a sense of community and trust in the workplace.

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