Volkswagen Controversial Commercial

A recent advertisement commercial posted by Volkswagen have many of people throughout the country discussing if it was racist or not. For CBS not to accept the four million dollar charge to air the commercial must mean that it is offensive right?

“The concept of Volkswagen's ‘Get Happy’ advertisement is to put a smile on your face, and continues to build upon the heritage of ‘human stories, told simply.” Said a spokesman from Volkswagen regarding the controversial advertisement. A representative from Volkswagen went on to say “We actually talked to about 100 Jamaicans in the research, and we had a speech coach on site to make sure it was authentic as possible.” 

Certainly Volkswagen is bringing light upon their company and causing the public to have their name at the center of their mind. A person might think their approach is to direct their advertisement to a certain ethnic group, or a person might agree that indeed they are just trying to portray that a new beetle or any other German car with the VW symbol can put a smile on your face, and Volkswagen has done absolutely nothing wrong! Regardless of your opinion Volkswagen as a company must consider their ethics in their approach.

Some points I would direct Volkswagen officials to consider are:

·         What is their code of conduct?

·         Analyze the issues of ethics that are common within automobile dealers, and analyze the common issues of ethics within business and advertisement.

·         What are their priorities as a company?

·         Lastly are they truly doing the right thing, or is this a unique way of trying to earn some extra money off of more sales?

I am not saying that Volkswagen has done anything wrong. I am not saying that I agree or disagree with their commercial. I am simply pointing out a few points to consider that will help them as a company. Public relations professionals must be driven to preserve, defend, sustain and enhance the health and vitality of the organization. One Public Relations professional said “ An organization is the lengthened shadow of a man.”  If their actions hold to the values and business practices of their corporation then they should stand by their actions, and accept any criticism they may come.

It is important as a company they hold themselves accountable for their actions. Volkswagen needs to turn to their expertise; a great public relations representative can build mutual understanding between the company and the public, add credibility to their company, and continue to build relationships that will be able to make this added extra attention into a positive situation.

Beyonce Knowles Lip-Synching Our Nations Anthem

     Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s was granted the opportunity to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” during President Obama’s inauguration! This is an opportunity to be center stage in front of the country and more importantly in front of the world! This is something that every singer dreams of.  

     Unfortunately for Beyoncé there were some problems with her performance. The twitter world credits her with a mediocre job for her performance. But could things get worse for Beyoncé? There are now reports that Beyoncé possibly lip synced the honored song which represents our country. We have seen other star singers accused of also lip syncing performances, only to see their reputation be slanted.  Rather she did lip sync the performance or not, Beyoncé must now make a decision of how she will move forward. She must try to do something to protect her image.

     Of course any Public Relations Consultant would advise her to just be honest with the world. If she lip synced it then admit it, but what if she really did not lip sync the song? Will anyone actually believe her?

     Beyoncé and her advisers could benefit from a plan of motivating the public. They can use the beloved song to their advantage. They can have an emotional appeal, pointing out that no such person could disgrace the star spangled banner in such a way. As they speak of the opportunity that it was for her, and the honor that she had to help represent President Obama and the next four years of his term they can create a different image in the public’s eye. A question might present itself of “how does Beyoncé get this message to the public?” Beyoncé can use the two-step flow theory to first beam her message to the mass media, which would then deliver the message to readers, listeners, and viewers all over the world.

     Beyoncé can use herself “the person” as the message. In similar tactics a Public Relations Consultant might have to use the medium as the message, or the content as the message. But because Beyoncé is a well-recognized singer with millions of followers all over the world, she can use to her advantage the fact that she is speaking on a topic that millions of people are wondering about.

     Beyoncé’s career is not over, in fact it is far from over. However the stance she takes can impact her career with millions of dollars and the legacy that she leaves behind. Through these simple steps of showing the public that she cares she can help change her public image at this time. She can put the attention back on her in a positive way and use this to her advantage.

Lance Armstrong

     Lance Armstrong is one of the biggest motivational stories of all time. The man beat testicular cancer and won seven tour de Frances in a row. These accomplishments were once viewed as impossible. For almost two decades Lance Armstrong has fought the attacks that he used performance enhancing drugs. Tonight during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the publicized hero came clean that he cheating during almost his whole career using performing enhancing drugs, including testosterone boosters and blood doping.  From public relations perspective Lance did exactly what he needs to do try to restore his image, and be given any creditability at all. He finally came clean! He was very forthcoming and did not hold back from any questions offered by Winfrey.

      The best option for Lance is to continue to tell the truth, give all the details, and try to use his story to affect the world. Lance will face the attacks and criticism, in fact it will probably be that way for a while. However could Lance potentially use his story to change the meaner of sports? Over the last two decades we have found compelling evidence that superstar athletes from baseball, football, and other popular sports have used human growth hormones or steroids. Can he use his story, his energy, and his leadership to create a clean or cheat free professional sports environment.Lance does not have the option that many companies in the past have done with changing their name or merging with another company. He is Lance Armstrong, there is no changing that he is who he is. There is hope that one day Lance Armstrong’s name may not leave a sour taste in the public’s mouth.  

     What does Lance Armstrong do with his Livestrong foundation he started years ago to help cancer patients and survivors. In such disasters, corporations will usually make adjustments at the top to bring in new faces and show that change has taken place. But what happens when the face of your company and the CEO is the person that needs to be removed?

     One important step for Livestrong will be to show that they can move forward without Lance Armstrong.  They must use an emotional plead to help others understand that the Livestrong foundation is committed to helping cancer victims survive. They must help the public understand that there is something much bigger than Lance Armstrong, there are people dying every day from a devastating disease. In order for the Livestrong foundation to successfully adapt to the new perceptive they must understand the latitude of acceptance.The new faces of livestrong will need to find areas where investors and donors can be persuaded. Indeed they will need to use strong, logical, and personally relevant arguments. Livestrong will need to have the public’s trust and in time they can have the hopes of having a positive view in the public’s perceptive.