Premium Essay

Public Relations

In:

Submitted By jennallen2010
Words 2476
Pages 10
Name
Public Relations
PR Response Analysis to BP Oil Spill
Instructor
May 1, 2015

PR Response Analysis to BP Oil Spill
This is an analysis of BP’s PR responses to several public audiences and industries after the BP Oil Spill disaster that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. This disaster is also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The spill began on April 20th, 2010 on the BP-owned Transocean operated Macondo Prospect. The catastrophe stemmed from a gas release and ensuing explosion on the oil rig. According to BP’s website, “We acted to take responsibility for the clean-up, working under the direction of the federal government to respond swiftly to compensate people affected by the impact of the accident, to look after the health, safety and welfare of the large number of residents and people who helped respond to the spill, and to support the economic recovery of the Gulf Coast’s tourism and seafood industries impacted by the spill. We have conducted studies with federal and state natural resource trustees to identify and define the injury to natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico”.
BP allowed their use of social media to expose their corporation’s lack of professionalism and customer service. By addressing important topics from this disaster through social media channels they compromised their integrity immediately. It also was perceived as hiding behind a forum that was less than ideal to use for this particular situation. Society and certain industries can instantly take advantage of easy access to social networks and single handedly expose a specific instance where a corporation may have done wrong. This case analysis will discuss the response that BP provided to several industries and publics that were tremendously affected by this tragedy. Furthermore, it will show the effects that their use of social media had on their corporation.

Fishing

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...------------------------------------------------- Subject- Importance of Public Relations function Greetings Mr After having read DOME’s (Don’t overlook mature expertise) strategic plan objective (Http://Www.Dome.Org.Au Powered Atemo, 2014) and taking into consideration the needs of this organization, I saw how important it is to establish a Public Relations function within the organization. This email is going to include a broad understanding of what public relations is, how it is different from marketing, what tasks will it undertake and what differences and changes it can bring about in DOME. Public relations is defined as the development and management of ethical strategies using communication to build relationships with stakeholders or publics. (ed.Johnston and Sheehan, 2014, p. 6) In simple terms, it develops and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its stakeholders. According to James Grunig’s excellence theory, public relations can serve as a management function to the overall effectiveness of an organization with it’s strategic and planned approach (Grunig ed,2013) and in While Elser’s opinion, Public Relations excel at message control and manage a diverse group of stakeholders to deliver messages across various touch points. (Elser 2013) Public relations is often confused with marketing. While the two areas can often be interdependent, they do have substantial differences. Marketing is described as a ‘social and managerial...

Words: 957 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Give a detailed narration unpacking how the Public Relations function has evolved over the years and the challenges that the practice faces in the developing countries. Public Relations function is as old as human civilisation. Published narrations or histories have usually telescoped and oversimplified a fascinating history by emphasising novelty and a few decorated personalities. There have been contributions in the professional literature that impart a meaningful picture of public relations function’s past and present (Cutlip, 1994). It has existed in one form or the other. There are a lot of examples of its varied form, content and end use. An ancient clay tablet, found in Iraq, told the Sumerian farmers how to grow better crops. That was over 4000 years ago. The Arabian tales relate how the celebrated Sultan Haroon-Al-Rashid used to wander about every night in disguise to see for him as to what the people really felt about his administration. However, the available literature makes us inclined to think of public relations as a 20th century phenomenon, but the desire to communicate with others and to deal with the impact of opinion dates back to ancient cultures (Wilcox and Cameron, 2003).Therefore, this paper seeks to give a detailed narration unpacking the public relations function evolution over the years and the challenges that the practice faces in the developing countries. In the Ramayana there is a character called Bhadro who used to report to Rama about...

Words: 3134 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...PR Public Relations Review 38 (2012) 5–13 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Public Relations Review Revisiting the concept “dialogue” in public relations Petra Theunissen ∗ , Wan Norbani Wan Noordin 1 School of Communication Studies, Faculty of Design & Creative Technologies, AUT University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 2 October 2010 Received in revised form 14 September 2011 Accepted 14 September 2011 Keywords: Public relations Dialogue Two-way symmetric communication Risk a b s t r a c t This paper follows a critical approach in exploring the philosophical underpinnings and key features of dialogue in public relations practice and thinking. It argues that dialogue has been uncritically equated to two-way symmetrical communication, which has not done justice to the nature of dialogue, and has effectively stifled concrete development of a dialogic theory in public relations. The paper draws from a range of literature, including mainstream public relations and communication philosophy—in particular the philosophy of Martin Buber. The purpose of this paper is to inform public relations thinking by encouraging debate rather than proposing a new theoretical approach. As such, it sets out to explore the concept of dialogue and its philosophical underpinning, considers its practical application and suggests that it should not be seen as superior to persuasion...

Words: 8548 - Pages: 35

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Public Relations Name: Institution:   1. Mix of media used to implement public relations campaign There are three main mixes of media that were used in the implementation of the public relations campaign. One of these is the use of television. Today, almost all homes in the country own a television set. It is therefore a very effective method of implementing a public relations campaign. The public relations campaign on television needed especially to be done during prime time (Zhang, 2013, p. 1323). During this period, there are numerous people who are watching television. It is therefore very easy for the organization to reach numerous people. This also helped to show the seriousness that the foundation was putting on the issue at hand. The second media mix that the foundation considered using is the use of print media. The organization needed to examine the most popular print media in the nation. It then put the respective public relations campaign in a bid to convey the issue at hand. In using the print media, there are several objectives that the organization hoped to achieve. First, bearing in mind that one is in possession of a newspaper for a period of time, he will be able to examine the news release in details and gain an understanding on all the matters at hand. In addition, this media gives the recipient a chance to issue a comprehensive reply (Kahle, 2001, p. 34). The final media mix is the social media. In the recent past, the social media has gained...

Words: 1689 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Public relation specialist is a topic I chose because It’s something I see myself doing in the future. Today, Public Relations is a set of management, supervisory, and technical functions that foster an organization's ability to strategically listen to, appreciate, and respond to those persons whose mutually beneficial relationships with the organization are necessary if it is to achieve its missions and values. Essentially it is a management function that focuses on two-way communication and fostering of mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its publics. From my understanding a pro public relations expert excels in speaking at conferences, employee communications, and working in human related organizations. Smartness and an outgoing personality are the tools not just to impress the opposite sex, but it can also help one in his/her career. One of the professions that relies a lot on these two attributes to make an impact is media relations or public relations. A happy customer will most likely make repeat purchases, so an effective PR makes good business sense too. The Government also undertakes PR activities to create a favorable impression in the public mind. Such as it said in the book: So, if you can’t have the job you love (yet!) ... love the one you got.” I apply this role in my daily life and use it to strengthen my excellent communication and presentation skills, along with organized skills, eagerness to think out the box, and deep commitment...

Words: 380 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Compare some of the ways public relations practices vary in different parts of the world. The purpose of PR takes on several forms in the global field/market. In addition to being a media relations expert and proficient marketer, a typical “global PR” specialist can perform as your company's personal representative, acclimatizing local buyers and customers as well as growing connections with the government officials. “Strategic management of communications between a business and its foreign audiences, however, can be quite intimidating for many companies, because, although PR is PR, the challenges of launching a successful campaign are magnified on the international scene.” All companies and countries have public relation departments and in different parts of the world things have to be or are handled differently. There are “generic” principles that are basically “standardized world-wide principles.” Then there are “specific applications” which pretty mean that those “generic” principles are applied differently under different settings. “From cultural and language differences to scattered time zones and logistical obstacles, examining the overriding issues involved in conducting PR in different foreign markets, including the common pitfalls and successful strategies of companies in the international trenches” (LeClaire, J, 2010, np). I am going to use two cultures as my examples in public relations practices in different areas; Arab and American cultures. 1) Cultural...

Words: 456 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Public Relation

...Public realation Black believed that to overcome the anti-biotechnology activates the company need an advertising campaign but the low financial position does not support the decision. Black started working with Phil Croswell to initiate a public relationship for company. With the help of Croswell Black decided to initiate a modest national public relations campaign only days ahead of the product launch. Product launch The Black decided to advance the date of the launch to public relation campaign. Maintaining the planned campaign launch date would allow anti-biotechnology activities to alter by using the information of the company for scare diplomacies. Croswell using strategy to drafted a press release of the information of Yorktown technologies. The day before launched, the front page of reputed newspapers and the channels carried multiples new stories regarding company. All activities influence the market of company. After the launch the California department allowed the company to market it on the California based on the world leading scientific community to be safe but few days later they again reject because the commissioners thought that marketing them was ethically wrong. FDA was asked to consider in on the issue. The FDA’s judgment was critical that allow the fish to launch in the market. Product enhancement After the public accept the product the company realize that the output of the product is not as satisfied as it to be. The florescent zebra fish as not...

Words: 251 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Contents INTRODUCTION 2 DEFINITION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS 3 WHY IS PUBLIC RELATIONS IMPORTANT 5 HOW DOES PUBLIC RELATIONS WORKS 7 IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN AN ORGANISATION 8 CONCLUSION 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 INTRODUCTION Public relations is the way organisations, companies and individuals communicate with the public and media. A public relations specialist communicates with the target audience directly or indirectly through media with an aim to create and maintain a positive image and create a strong relationship with the audience. Examples include press releases, newsletters, public appearances and other public relations tools. An organisation is a social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals. All organisations have a management structure that determines relationships between the different activities and the members, and subdivides and assigns roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out different tasks. Organisations are open systems that is they affect and are affected by their environment and public relations is important for the functioning of an organisation. The world of business is characterised by severe competition and in order to win new customers and retain the existing ones, the organisations have to distinguish themselves from the competition. But they also need to create and maintain a positive public image. A public relations specialist or firm helps them both create and...

Words: 1609 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Public Relation

... ON PROFESSIONAL TOOLS OF PUBLIC RELATION SUBMITTED SUBMITTED BY TO POULOMI ROY Ms. RITU SHARMA MJMC II ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (A2028811059) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I, Poulomi Roy, student of Amity School of Communication, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to the Director, Professor Mr. R.K Dargaon to provide me with an opportunity to work on this project. I will be ever grateful to my guide Professor Ms. Ritu Sharma, for her exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout the course of this project. Without her help I would have never been able to complete this project. The blessing, help and guidance given by her from time to time shall carry me a long way in the journey of life on which I am about to embark. . CONTENTS * Definition * Objective of Public Relation * Types of Public Relation * Elements of Public Relation * Process * Tools * Additional Activities * Departments of Public Relation * Code of Ethics * PR Laws * Skills Required * Role of PR in Government...

Words: 7887 - Pages: 32

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...widely recognized as the father of public relations. Bernays graduated from Cornell University in 1912 and opened the first recognized public-relations firm with Doris Fleischman in 1919. As Harold Lasswell explained in 1928, "public relations" was a term used as a way of shielding the profession from the ill repute increasingly associated with the word "propaganda": "Propaganda has become an epithet of contempt and hate, and the propagandists have sought protective coloration in such names 'public relations council,' 'specialist in public education,' 'public relations adviser. MEANING OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Public Relations (or PR) is a field concerned with maintaining public image for high-profile people, commercial businesses and organizations, non-profit associations or programs. Public relations (PR) concerns professions working in public message shaping for the functions of communication, community relations, crisis management, customer relations, employee relations, government affairs, industry relations, investor relations, media relations, mediation, publicity, speech-writing, and visitor relations. The first World Assembly of Public Relations Associations, held in Mexico City in August 1978, defined the practice of public relations as "the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organizational leaders, and implementing planned programs of action, which will serve both the organization and the public interest.". Others define it...

Words: 2336 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Public Relation

...“Public Relations are the proactive communication that an organization initiates and maintains with the media, its clients, and key internal and external publics. It provides organizations various tools that can be used to support brand building, research attitudes of consumers, and influence key publics. This simulation illustrates the use of Public Relations to develop a Public Relations plan and to use its various tools to manage a crisis” (University of Phoenix, 2010). A company must be able to communicate well with the outside environment to conduct public relations successfully. This is particularly true concerning crisis management. A real life example is the crisis management strategies undertaken by Johnson and Johnson during the Tylenol crisis in 1982. By managing relations well with the public, the company could diffuse a crisis situation that put the very existence of the company in question (cited in Devlin, 2004). The case study of the Tylenol crisis serves to illustrate the importance of well-managed communications strategies when it comes to concerning managing public relations in a crisis situation. When the catastrophe broke out, Tylenol was the profuse merchandise of Johnson & Johnson. Leading the painkiller market, it was contributing 33% of the year-to-year profit growth of the company (cited in Watson, 2006). During fall 1982, some unknown parties removed a number of Tylenol packages from store-shelves in the Chicago area, opened those packages, removed...

Words: 1764 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Public Relations Chaka West BUS600: Management Communications with Technology Tools (MWA 1109B) Sean O’Leary March 8, 2011 Public relations are an effective means of connecting and building relationships with organizations, companies and or individuals with the general public. “When it comes to public relations, it’s hard to do anything correctly if you don’t listen to your customers (Hurst, 2011).” It can be defined as an activity that is undertaken to create a positive reputation. In order for this to be effective, those who serve in that capacity must possess skills to distribute information effectively. Public relations, driven by good communication skills, must be done effectively and accurately if an organization wants to promote its products and grasp the consumers’ attention. According to Al Ries, “You have to start with the mind of the prospect and you have to think about what’s in their minds and relate what you are doing or what your product has to offer, to what’s in their minds (n.d)” Public relations play an important role in the success or demise of an organization. When the public relation is not driven with the right intentions it can create the wrong impression. Public relations personnel must be continuously mindful of counterproductive behaviour’s among the organization's target audiences - customers, prospects, competitors and others. Research Process: The research will be done in 9 steps. First, I will choose a topic that interests me...

Words: 1025 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Public Relations

...Clinical Faculty COM 259 Introduction to Public Relations Required Text: Think:Public Relations, by Wilcox, Cameron, Reber, and Shin, Second Edition with MySeachLab Recommended: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal Instructor: Bill Brewer, APR Office: 150 Williams Office Phone: 529-3548 (Williams Hall number) E-Mail: brewerwe@miamioh.edu Office Hours: Mon. 4-5, Tues. and Thurs. 10:30-11:30 and 1-2, Friday 11-12 and by appointment. We also have virtual office hours through Webex on Sunday from 3-5 pm. Teaching Assistants: Kaitlyn Blaney blaneyka@miamioh.edu Joe Dahm dahmjm@miamioh.edu Robert Engle englerj@miamioh.edu Sarah Grega gregasm@miamioh.edu Grayson Hagerman hagermgp@miamioh.edu James Harper harperj5@miamioh.edu Madison Mullen mullenmm@miamioh.edu Tyler Springhetti springtr@miamioh.edu Course Objectives This course is designed to provide an introduction to the closely related fields of strategic communication and public relations. This is an exploration of social influence and how communication is used strategically to achieve social influence goals of a broad variety of organizations and individuals. It introduces the 20th century history and development of the field and discusses the influence of strategic communication and the profession of public relations on society. Specific attention is given to the role of economic class, race and sex in the profession of public relations. It will explore central theory, principles...

Words: 1739 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Public Relations Priscilla A. Gillespie MKT/438 September 5, 2011 Ricco Rizzo Public Relations Throughout history public relations many definitions are changing. Historian Daniel J. Boorstin is quoted as saying, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers," Public relations is an art and involves careful consideration and creativity on the part of the public relations representative. The job of any good PR rep is to communication a message to the public the organization represented wants to convey. This paper will (a) introduce and examine three definitions of public relations, (b) introduce a newly constructed definition of public relations, and (c) compare and contrast definitions of public relations. Three definitions of Public Relations Two-Way Communication The first definition comes from The Practice of Public Relation, Tenth Edition. According to Seital (2007), “Public relations is a planned process to influence public opinion, through sound character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory two-way communication” (p. 4). The first aspect of this definition says, “Planned.” The act of public relations is a deliberate process planned by an organization. The next aspect of this definition is, “Process to influence.” The process to influence means to have an effect. The framework of public relations is to have an influence or an effect on the public. The next aspect of this definition is “two-way communication...

Words: 1200 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Public Relations

...Public Relations. It is, as my professor said, the management, art, and science of building relationships between— Whoa! Okay. Stop right there. Before I really get all mushy about PR and its definition, I would first like to tell you something. Usually, I would start my composition with something like the first paragraph. I would talk about PR, its meaning, and then write down what qualities a PR professional must possess. I was originally planning to do just that. When I got home from school last Friday, I immediately sat in front of my desktop computer, meaning to start with this reflection paper. It was 8:08 P.M then. 10…20…50 minutes had passed and I still didn’t have a clue on what to write. I told myself, “It’s okay, this paper isn’t due until Thursday next week anyway. I don’t need to finish it now. I’m off the hook.” Saturday came, and the same thing happened. I just stared on my PC’s screen for 3 hours! Heck, there wasn’t even a single letter on that blank document! It was clean and white! But then again, it’s okay. I told myself that there’s still tomorrow, and the day after that, and then the next, next day after that. Surely by then, I would have come up with something brilliant for this piece. I was totally wrong. I started to panic when Sunday came and I still didn’t know what to do with this paper. “What is wrong with me?! Why couldn’t I write something as simple as this? It’s just a mere reflection paper, for Pete’s sake! IT’S JUST PR...

Words: 1107 - Pages: 5