Brands and memes

Memes have become the inside jokes everyone is a part of. They are artistic media with no origin. They are the folk songs of our era.

When the Ice Bucket Challenge gained steam in 2014 to raise awareness for ALS, brands jumped on the opportunity to raise awareness for, well, their brands. Brands such as Starbucks and Best Buy were criticized for taking advantage of the event as an advertising opportunity (Hsu, 2018). In one case, Samsung dumped water on their latest phone to advertise its water resistance. Some saw it as exploitative (2018).

Is there irony in a brand using a meme to call out a brand for unethically using a meme? (Hsu, 2018)

Of course, exploiting a cultural meme isn't always met with backlash. A scroll through Arby's' Facebook page shows a number of times they have used anime, video games, LEGO, and other kinds of pop culture to advertise their brand. The consistency with which Arby's targets "nerd culture" seems to indicate their sincerity in their approach. It almost seems as though the Facebook page is run by an individual rather than a brand. And while this sort of marketing targets a rather niche audience, they also have other forms of marketing (TV, print, etc.) that target wider audiences.

In addition, brands have seen a certain amount of success when making use of benign memes and current events in their marketing (Hso, 2018). That being said, brands would make better use of meme and current events if they offer their own unique spin in the marketing piece.

Reference

Chung-Kue (Jennifer) Hsu. (2018). The “borrowed interest” appeal: Brands riding the wave of popular events and memes in the digital age. Journal of Brand Strategy, 7(3), 258–270. Retrieved from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=48&sid=84c6cb33-87ff-4ef8-b732-27b9c01208d7%40sessionmgr101

Power of the press in the palm of your hand

Embed from Getty Images

Technology has put tools for content creation in everyone's pockets. As we've seen in the case of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, social media has the power to put pressure on officials and push them to action. Many have questioned whether an arrest would have happened if the authorities were not pressured by social media activists.

The video of #AhmaudArbery sickens me to my core.

Exercising while Black shouldn't be a death sentence.https://t.co/GV7GFju7tr

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 5, 2020

The effects of technology in shifting the balance of power can be seen in the struggle between the Israelis and Palestinians. There is a stark contrast in how each group views the advancement of technology: "It was apparent from talking to Israeli and Palestinian leaders that the former group saw recent technological changes as a threat, while the latter saw these changes as an opportunity" (Wolfsfeld, 2018, pg. 112). There has been a recent rise in ordinary Palestinian individuals using camera phones to document abuses by Israeli officials (2018).

From this we can learn that technology is affecting the culture by making power of the press available to everyone.

Reference

Wolfsfeld, G. (2018). The role of the media in violent conflicts in the digital age: Israeli and Palestinian leaders’ perceptions. Media, War & Conflict, 11(1), 107–124. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/1750635217727312

News in a time of COVID-19

It's natural to expect a political bent in news media these days. CNN and MSNBC often appeal to a more liberal demographic while Fox News viewers tend to skew conservative (Jurkowitz & Mitchell, 2020). It's rather common knowledge. The outbreak of COVID-19 helped highlight some of the differences in each outlet's viewers.

Pew Research Center (Jurkowitz & Mitchell, 2020) conducted a study of viewers of CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. The study found that viewers who view Fox News are less likely to believe that the virus originated in nature than viewers of the other two networks. The study also found that viewers of Fox News tend to say that the media has done a poorer job in general of covering news about the virus and that the media has exaggerated its risk to the public.

From Pew Research Center

What these studies show is how the news media reinforce the political divide in the U.S. We can see how a seemingly non-political event can be turned into a political one based on how people perceive news media in relation to their own personal political leanings. In addition, our expectations of the news media as politically-motivated entities informs our own bias about them. Viewers of Fox News tend to be more critical of the media because the messaging of most mainstream media outlets don't match up with their personal beliefs.

Reference

Jurkowitz, M. & Mitchell, A. (2020, April 1). Cable TV and COVID-19: How Americans perceive the outbreak and view media coverage differ by main news source. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.journalism.org/2020/04/01/cable-tv-and-covid-19-how-americans-perceive-the-outbreak-and-view-media-coverage-differ-by-main-news-source/

Sexism on the News

Embed from Getty Images
Australian newscaster Karl Stefanovic was fed up with how his female coworker, Lisa Wilkinson was being treated by viewers. They would often criticize her clothing and offer unsolicited fashion advice. Stefanovic responded by conducting his own experiment. He wore the same suit every day for an entire year to show how men are judged by their merits in the industry whereas women are judged on their appearance.
One study found that 87.5% of female journalists interviewed received viewer criticism over their appearance, with 58% of all journalists receiving negative comments about appearance over Facebook (Finneman & Jenkins, 2018).

The response to the criticism has varied. Many journalists heed the advice "suggesting that they may see the sexist nature of these remarks but also recognize the need to seek opportunities within existing patriarchal newsroom structures" (Finneman & Jenkins, 2018). Researchers suggest the responsibility should be on the TV news stations to impact the culture. They should also provide training for newscasters on how to respond to the criticism (2018).

For further reading, here is another article about the broadcast news industry and women.

References

Finneman, T., & Jenkins, J. (2018). Sexism on the Set: Gendered Expectations of TV Broadcasters in a Social Media World. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 62(3), 479–494. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1080/08838151.2018.1484292

PR's new role on social media

Social media offers users a unique opportunity to be both personal and professional. Therefore, personal engagement is something users have come to expect from their time on social media. With the ability to engage with customers remotely, translating that personal customer experience to a digital platform introduces new challenges to public relations professionals.

Here are a few things to remember when responding to challenges on social mediat:

1. Use your unique voice

Customers don't want to interact with a brand. They want to know that they're talking to a person. You might be posting from your organization's social media account, but don't forget to represent yourself as a person.

2. Answer negative feedback

Scrolling through the comments on a social media post can be difficult. It might be easy to respond to only positive feedback. But your responses to the negative comments can go a long way to improving your brand's public image.

3. Be honest and transparent

This is a given, but especially in the age of social media, transparency is more important than ever. "Public relations professionals have a special obligation to practice their craft ethically, with the highest standards of truth, accuracy, fairness and responsibility to the public" (Smith, 2014). Your role is so important. If you're not transparent, it will come out eventually.

For further reading, here is a list of 13 social media mistakes and how to avoid them.

Reference

Smith, T. (2014). The value of public relations is growing in the digital age. Mississippi Business Journal, 20. Retrieved from https://bi-gale-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/global/article/GALE%7CA370458336?u=nhc_main&sid=ebsco

Journalism and Social Media

The profession of journalism has been significantly impacted by the emergence of digital technology. News has become more democratized by the fact that it can be shared by nearly everyone on social media. Therefore, journalists have to work much harder in order to support their organization and have their news story break through.

The specific demands of online news also have changed the way modern journalists work. Although the Internet and social media made it easier for journalists to research and report their stories, many are now expected to write a story, shoot still pictures or video, and then edit their work for multiple media platforms. (Weaver, Willnat, & Wilhoit, 2019)

In recent years, journalists have had to learn new technology quickly, and that can result in burnout. Since many journalists work independently, they are left to their own devices to learn new technology and pay for their own resources.

While there are many journalists struggling with the new technology, there are those who are having a much more positive reaction to the changes. For example, nearly 60% of journalists make use of social media to research new story ideas or find sources (Weaver, et. al, 2019).

(The Atlantic, 2014)

References

The Atlantic. (2014, August 8). How Is Social Media Changing Journalism? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7esKJDZqzQ

Weaver, D. H., Willnat, L., & Wilhoit, G. C. (2019). The American Journalist in the Digital Age: Another Look at U.S. News People. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 96(1), 101–130. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/1077699018778242