WWKS or WWJS? You Choose

What Would Kant Say

What would Immanuel Kant say about advertising today? Well, he’d have a lot to say because he asserted that nothing was right or wrong, the only thing that matters is the intentions behind the action.

So, an ad is only as good as the intention behind the creation. Analyzing every intention behind every ad would take forever, but if a company is really looking after their customers’ best interest (which most companies claim to do) then every ad would be “good.” Imagine if all advertisers thought this way. How would it change things?

If all ads had good intentions behind them, then the public would take comfort in advertising.  But let’s be honest, not every ad has the best intentions for the customer. 

Some ads are created with the intention of selling more products, regardless of the consequences to the customer.  So you would think those companies are acting unethically because the intentions are bad.

Wrong.

Kant would say the intentions of the company were good, because he doesn’t specify whom the good intentions are for, as long as they are good.  The results do not matter.

Lets take a look at this ad:

http://www.thomaslockehobbs.com/2004/04-08-31-01.jpg

This jean ad is more like an ad for sex and definitely doesn’t scream, “buy Calvin Klein Jeans”, it screams...well nothing, really.  What about the intentions behind this ad? Do you think that advertisers had the best of intentions when this ad was created? What about their intentions for the company? Were those good?

Kant could probably write thousands of aimless words and never answer these questions, but overall I think this philosophy is bull, at least in regards to advertising.  Kant probably didn’t make many friends with this philosophy, and neither would a company that abides by the same.  An ad is only good if it works. This moves us into WWJS.

WWJS – no, not what Jesus says but what Jeremy says. Jeremy Bentham.

What Would Jeremy Say

Jeremy would say that an ad is only good if it has a positive result for the greater good. If an ad caused the customer to purchase the product, then all the customers died but the company made the most profit in a decade, it could be argued that the ad was good.

Personally, I think that Jeremy Bentham’s philosophy is easier and more effective means of rating the “goodness” of an ad. Named Utilitarianism, this philosophy allows advertisers more slack. To determine if an ad is good, all one must do is look at how the ad effected the largest number of people. If the largest number of people received a positive, pleasurable experience, the ad is considered good.

Check out this ad: http://www.tomsshoesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/toms.jpg

Almost everyone knows about TOMS. This ad encourages people to buy TOMS, which donates “a shoe for a shoe” and to give blood. Obviously, this affects a large number of people positively. So, this ad is “good.”

I believe this Utilitarian philosophy puts ads in the best perspective. It looks out for the majority. While having a majority means there is a minority not benefiting, it’s hard to argue against something that benefits the most people.

Therefore, I believe analyzing ads with old ethical theories is challenging but worth it. It lets you decide how to best analyze an ad, on your own terms. Companies should look at what benefits the most people, not what the intentions behind the ads are. I am most definitely a WWJS girl.

Need for ethics in media and business decision-making

The need for ethics in media and business decision making

When I read this question, multiple situations pop into my mind: Enron, Watergate, Jayson Blair, all those tobacco companies, even William Hearst and his yellow journalism. To me, that was reason enough to need ethics in media and business decision-making. All things considered, I believed the situations explained themselves.

They don’t.

We need to explain why we need ethics because of these situations. A recent article in the PR Daily said that PR students think they are supposed to lie. Logic suggests that if we let them keep thinking this way, there will be more cases for ethic classes to study.

So, here are many reasons it is beneficial to have ethics in a media and business environment.

First off, ethics is required for social interaction. In every situation there is a certain level of trust that must be met. When you order at a restaurant, you trust that the employee will bring you what you ordered and you trust that the cook will make it correctly. In the business world, companies do the same. They trust their employees to do their jobs honestly because if they didn’t, goals wouldn’t be accomplished. They trust other companies to meet agreements made and they meet their agreements.

Without ethics, companies couldn’t survive. If everything came down to lying, cheating and stealing, no one would trust each other and nothing could be done. There is too much interdependency in our business world – everyone needs something from someone. Since ethics is acting out on moral values and lying, cheating and stealing are against the cultural norm, the companies partaking in unethical decision-making would basically be asking to go bankrupt (I will get into that later).

The second reason is to resolve conflicts. If company A put out ads claiming company B had products that caused death and there was nothing that said false advertisement wasn’t allowed, then company A just screwed over company B. This, of course, is unfair and definitely unethical. However, we only know it is unethical because we know what is ethical. Ethics help make business environments easier to work in and make them fairer. Having an ethical code in businesses and in the media helps employees in those fields have guidelines to make decisions.

William Hearst believed it was okay to tell a little lie in his papers because it meant more business. What if that happened today and journalists had the ability to tell little lies like President Obama just committed adultery. Our culture, which doesn’t approve of adulterers, (see, ethics in work) would be outraged. 

Without having ethics, the journalists making the decision to write that story would be under no obligations to write the truth. The conflict couldn’t be resolved because, well, there wouldn’t be a conflict.

Thirdly, we need ethics because our culture needs some sort of moral hierarchy. Since businesses need the publics to be a business, whether they agreed with ethics or not, they would have to follow an ethical code in order for their product to be sold. Society places a high value on trust (as mentioned earlier). Without really knowing it, most people trust people to do even the smallest of tasks. If the public saw that a company did not follow a code of ethics, they would not trust the company.

The need for ethics in media and business decision-making is of great importance. Without ethics, the world of business and media would not be functional. Having ethics in decision-making, future PR friends, should be the butter on the bread, the parachute to the skydiver, the… well… you get the point. 

What I've learned

JOUR 4460 is a writing intensive, time-consuming class that is excellent for preparing public relations students for a real life job. A real life public relations job is time consuming as well as writing intensive. You have to know your audience, know the best way to reach them and PR communication teaches that. You have to know the best tactics to reach the audience, whether it is a brochure, press release, social media campaign or even just a billboard. PR communication provides examples and knowledge on how to execute the perfect tactic. I am prepared because my professor has high expectation of my work and any employer will expect the same. It was challenging and frustrating. Certain aspects seemed useless and pointless, yet reflecting on the semester, I realize that there is a high probability that I will use almost everything I learned and even if I don’t use it, I will consider using it.

The communication plan was a pain in my butt. I had to work with classmates that I was assigned with and create a strategy that I really didn’t know would work or not. However, having the opportunity to create the campaign, even if it does not receive a good grade, was amazing. It prepared me for working with people and clients that I did not necessarily want to work on but still have to do my best and give it everything I had. I appreciate having that opportunity because I know that when I enter the public relations ‘real’ world, I will at least have some knowledge on what to do and something to contribute.

This semester was a wonderful learning experience that I can take into any job. I can tell them about my class work, show them I am talented and well educated with examples to prove it. I am really glad that I learned so much from this semester. 

Twitter: a push strategy

I spent all last semester under a rock. I had no idea what was going on in the world unless I thought I would be quizzed on current events. Then, I was forced to get a Twitter.

Suddenly, information was available at the touch of a button. Posts would appear telling me what was going on in Iraq, Egypt, or even Libya. I could see what was happening locally or nationally all in one little program. It was brilliant! It pushed me into the sunlight and allowed me to see the world and that I was meant to be a part of it.

Twitter is a lot of things. It is a social network for friends, a news medium and even a part of a new product launch. It will show you pictures of your sister’s kid and tell you about a deal at the local Chick-fil-a. Twitter is all about the giving and receiving information and it is crucial to any public relations strategy. Well, not any. But Business to consumer, Twitter is definitely a wonderful medium for interaction.

The strategy is not necessarily meant for every company or product, but any desiring a connection, a relationship with the consumer should consider using Twitter as part of the push strategy of information. It is quick and has 250 million users on the network. In order to separate your Tweet from the other 50,000 Tweeted every day, you need to figure out what information your consumer needs and how they need it. Do they respond to humor or serious jargon? Do they want promotions or just straight facts?

Twitter is meant to give and receive information. For a public relations professional, it can be a vital component to a communications strategy. Research your consumer and figure out of Twitter can be used as an information giver for your company.  

Apple customer service

My friend took his 24’’ iMac to the Apple store a week ago. They called, saying the problem was corrected two days later. For free. That same day he brought his shattered iPhone 4 to the store with him, mentioned it was broken, showed the Apple employee. He walked out with a brand new iPhone 4. For free. The story isn’t over.

Upon arriving home, excited about his newly fixed computer, he set up all the software, ready to start his homework. To his dismay, the error remained and the computer was not fixed at all. Frustrated, he took the 24” iMac back to the Apple store, seeking a new solution to his computer’s issue. A total of $1,700 dollars of repairs took place, completely covered by Apple. He smiled, walking to his car finally thinking his computer would work properly. He almost made it to his car when the Apple employee called, asking him to come back. Nervously, he walked back into the store, unsure of what would happen next.

Since they had sent him home with an incorrectly fixed computer and still couldn’t quite fix the problem, they decided to give him the new 27” iMac, with the titanium body. For free.

This is not the only story of Apple going above and beyond for their customers. Apple customer service is designed to make the customer feel special, like they are the only person to receive this kind of treatment. It is all part of their marketing strategy. Guess what? It is working. Their exceptional customer service sets them apart from other technology-centered companies who only want your money. Apple wants your loyalty. As far as public relations goes, Apple is doing very well. These seemingly small gestures of service are bringing customers back. They admit there is an issue in one of the generations or series of devices and they mend the problem for free. They admit it early, and whenever an unhappy customer brings an error to their attention, they keep the device, whether it is the iPhone or iMac to determine if all the iPhones created in the same week or month have the same problem. By doing so, they establish a very trustworthy relationship with their customer and when they enter a new product into the market, they don’t have to look very far for a target audience. They already have one formed, waiting for their next big thing.

It is so brilliant. All companies should learn from Apple. 

What we can learn from the Sinclair C5

Recently for a marketing class, I was asked to read a piece describing the failure of a new-to-market product: Sinclair C5. Maybe you heard of Sir Clive Sinclair? He began the lab that created a very successful personal computer called ZX Spectrum. Anyways, he had a genius idea to develop an electric vehicle for personal use, thus the C5.

The concept of the C5 was quite brilliant. He designed a small, moped type vehicle for relatively cheap cost and decently user-friendly, for the 1970s. It was also electric powered. However, Sinclair, in his infinite arrogance, believed he had no reason to undergo any type of research on his target audience. He believed that if he built it, they would purchase. He targeted “14 year olds, the housewife for urban commuting and generally anyone else who needed to get about,” (Marks, The Sinclair C5, 1989, Vol. 23). Marketers tried to push the C5 as a ‘serious’ transportation option, meant to take place of cars and mopeds. However, the C5 could barely get 15 mpg and was unpredictable in traveling uphill. In all, the C5 did not perform how it was marketed, did not reach the market it intended and was overall a dud. Only 10,000 of the C5’s were even sold in all of England.

So then, what can public relations professionals take from the failure of the Sinclair C5? Basically, push managers developing new products or concepts to research adequately. Had Sinclair done his homework, he would know that making the C5 a ‘mail-to-order’ item would destroy any hope for a successful product launch. Public relations people need to make sure that there is a connection between the audience and the product and continue finding ways to improve that relationship. Also, public relations people could explain that understanding the audience and showing them the need they initially have for the product, will benefit the company tremendously.

Overall, Sinclair C5 is what NOT to do when developing a new product. It is something all public relations folks should read over and understand so not to make the same mistakes Sinclair did. 

The Sinclair C5 -  An investigation into its development, launch and subsequent failure by Andrew P. Marks, Paisley College of Technology, Glasgow. 1989, VOL. 23

Tips for an Internship

My internship with The Richards Group is a great learning experience. From media lists and coverage reports, to press releases and editorial calendars – all of which I learned at UNT – I believe I was prepared for all that was thrown at me. However, there are some things school cannot prepare you for.

• Own a watch. Seems so silly – why not just check your phone? Well, apparently, checking the time on your phone appears like texting or emailing. Checking your phone, even for the time, makes you look like a slacker. While you may honestly want to know the time, just buy a watch. And please, leave your phone in your pocket or purse.

•       Don’t assume you know what you’re doing. When you get assigned a project, ask all the questions up front and double check you know what your boss wants. If you have to go back to them and ask the same questions, they think you aren’t paying attention. Cover your bases.

•       Ease-drop. Know what is going on around you. Pay attention to your colleagues and especially your boss. Know what they drink and eat. Know when they take lunch and what times they are in meetings. Once you know these things, you can take initiative in proving you think ahead. You can bring them the coffee they want, or have an assignment completed before their meeting, without being asked. This is crucial in separating yourself from the pack.

•      Have fun. That’s right – have fun. Enjoy what you are doing. If you aren’t having fun, find a way to make the assignment fun because otherwise, you’ll dread going to work. Honestly, if your work is not a fun place, you aren’t going to work hard. Even if you are incredibly talented, no one does something over and over again that they do not enjoy.

These are just a few things I’ve learned at my internship. This experience is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Hopefully, these will help you know what you are doing at your internship.