- Collaborate with other students in your team to brainstorm strategy and messaging for one of the following five "case study" scenarios.
- For your case study scenario, consider the following:
- What is the desired communication outcome?
- Who is our target audience?
- What are our target audience’s needs, concerns and interests?
- What is our message?
- What communication channel is most effective?
- Who is the most believable spokesperson?
- The goal on this "shared project" is to collectively contribute to and create a written response that every member of your team has contributed to. I don't expect one person to "do it all," but you should contribute your fair share of work.
- This project also gives you a chance to get familiar with team-collaborative technologies, such as Google Documents. These types of tools are becoming commonplace in the PR workforce. There will be many times when you will "collaborate" with other PR practitioners, so this is a good chance to get comfortable with these "share" technologies.
- Here are the scenarios that you need your input:
- Jet Blue
- Low-cost carrier JetBlue is worried that frustration over added fees (e.g. baggage check-in, extra-room seats, etc.), as well as ongoing concerns over recent terrorist threats, have caused consumers to avoid air travel
- What can they do publicize their service as a safe, inexpensive form of travel?
- Save the Children
- Save the Children is “the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world”
- The organization has contributed significantly to help victims of Hurricane Katrina
- This needs to be communicated and used to spread awareness of the organization and solicit new donations
- However, the organization needs to be sensitive to how it portrays this message so that it is not seen as “exploiting” those that it helps
- Loyal users of Facebook are concerned that the site is violating the privacy of its users with many of its new features
- What can be done to help the site keep its most vocal critics happy while letting the general user base know that Facebook values user privacy?
- Exxon
- Oil giant Exxon is about to announce record profits for the quarter
- There is a known sensitivity due to consumer frustration with rising gas prices.
- Exxon needs to appease investors, but also calm consumer and federal concerns about price gouging.
- WSU
- Washington State University has a reputation for being a “party school”
- Administrators want to shake this image!
- What can they do?
Collaboration Exercise: Case Studies in Public Relations
