Introduction to Public Relations
The Subway yoga mat social media campaign was informed by the leak that the company was still using a chemical component used in the production of rubber and yoga mats in the preservation of food. The large corporation did not apply universal standard when deciding on the regions that would use the component. Even though the chemical has been approved by the food and drug agency in America, other parts of the world have restricted its use even in the non-food industries. Therefore, from the perspective of the company’ and the management, the use of the component in the North American market was justifiable since it was within the premises of the law.
In the absence of social media, the company could have most likely gotten away with the practice. However, the increased information exchange and the connectedness threatened the company such that it decided to issue a statement that it was initially in the process of eliminating the component in its products. According to the company, the elimination of the part was an internal decision but not a result of the pressure piled upon it by the masses (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/06/subway-is-removing-something-from-their-sandwiches-thats-also-found-in-yoga-mats-shoes/).
This statement is contrary to the common perspective. In the popular media platforms, the news was only reported once. The popular media was incapable of running this story with the same fervor that the social media replicated. It was virtually impossible for the company to silence the social media since anyone that consumes the product or thought of consuming the products from the company was infuriated and opted to vent out. Oddly, even the individuals that were not familiar with the company and its products ended up sharing the images and modifying them to reflect the common feeling of distaste towards the company's disregard of the human rights.
Social media had a significant impact on the reaction posted by the company in the end. At each stage, the people took the message and converted it into forms that were more relatable to all them. For instance, there were images of the common sausage being rolled in a yoga mat as opposed to any wheat-based bread. The above images were invariably associated with all the foods that the company supplied. Even though the company did not use the product at the time in its European markets, there was an aversion towards it since the publicity that it had received was negative.
Essentially, the company was not only losing its brand image value, but it was also losing the potential customers. Instead of the customers associating it with the high standards of quality and delicious foods that they had become more accustomed to, they were suspicious of the products leading to the massive campaign for the elimination of the chemicals before the customers could resume eating their products. For Subway, this meant that they had to reevaluate their priorities and refrain from using the product even though it had an effect of extending the shelf life of the bread and saved them some money. This decision was reminiscent of a catch 22 situation whereby the removal of the chemical would mean that the company had to bake more often and in smaller batches since there was not special preservative to extend the shelf life. Failing to remove the chemical was a major threat to the customer base that it previously commanded since most of them would leave the company and head to the competitors.
Therefore, the company was pushed into considering the lesser evil of the two. Even though it may have decided to react swiftly to the issue, the damage to the brand had already been done. The costs of reconstructing the brand image were anticipated to go higher with the company being expected to explain why it had differential treatment of the customers in different regions.
The company’s reaction was ideal in the given situation. The blog article had already done the damage. Additional calls for a campaign to rally all the people behind the change were more threatening. Therefore, it decided to ride the wave before too much damage had been done. Even though the company indicates the willingness to remove the products, it did not address the reasons behind the differential treatment of the customers in the United Kingdom and the European Union (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/06/subway-is-removing-something-from-their-sandwiches-thats-also-found-in-yoga-mats-shoes/). The silence on the parameters of its action may have been detrimental to the company since it left room for the individuals to guess what may have prompted the reaction.
Subway had been caught in an act that it could barely wiggle itself out off. Therefore, it had to come up with the immediate acceptance of the presence of the chemical and the strategies that it had been implementing to eliminate it. However, the above explanation may have lacked the genuine outlook since the company did not fully explain its decision to use the product even when there were evidenced harms of its use to the humans.
Faced with the difficulties that the company indicated, it had the option of handling the situation in such a manner that it could not degenerate into something more unmanageable while meeting the needs of the consumers and assuaging the public of its commitment to the elimination of the chemical in its supply chain.
A most commendable element of the crisis management was the swiftness with which the company dealt with the matter. Instead of padding around the issue, it accepted its responsibility in the issue leading to the immediate assuaging of the public. The blogger that had ratted the company's actions was the first one to fall prey to the adept public relations stunt orchestrated by the company. She lauded the company for its reaction to the above issue leading to the calming of the masses that had assembled behind her campaign of not frequenting the Subway restaurants until the company had fully eliminated the product from its foods.
The reaction to the potential public relations disaster was indicative of the importance of understanding the social media and its associated complaints. Event in social media have far-reaching effects, but they are easily overtaken by new news. The above understanding was what potentially saved the company from the total loss of a loyal customer base. Instead of the company fighting the issue and stating the legal justifications for its action, it resorted to the accommodation of the views of the customers. Immediate reaction meant that the company was capable of nipping the issue before it had developed into a larger disaster. The acceptance and constant updates on its progress in the elimination of the chemical are indicative of the importance of proper public relations in the development of the more effective brand image for any organization.
NBA
For David West, the debacle was a platform on which he was going to address the common issues in the American context; his tweets tend to reflect a deeper consideration of the racial issue beyond the content of the discussion. David West, being an influential personality, chose to react against the above statement and use his large Twitter followers as means of advocating for a change in heart as far as racial relationships in basketball are concerned.
The basketball player focuses on one element of the society that has been lacking regarding the racial awareness campaign. The racial awareness issue has failed in the light of new modern mythology of race. In the mythology, there are some acceptable associations between races as long as they are not too public (http://fansided.com/2014/04/26/david-west-blasts-donald-sterling-twitter/). In a witty observation, the basketball player connects the activities of major league owners and their minority players and employees. In the spirit of modern mythology of race, the interaction between the two races is only permissible if it takes place in the private life (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhT6d5fMhzI).
The basketball player also addresses the naivety of the masses as far as racial awareness is concerned. Instead of the people addressing the root causes of racism and acknowledging that the racial discrimination is present albeit in a subtle form, they are willing to accept the platitudes and simple signs of acceptance while the influential individuals sit back and make rules defining their conduct. In one instance, Donald Sterling refers to the permissiveness of the girlfriend sleeping around with the black people as long as she does not publicize them. In another instance of the same audio recording, he comments on her eliminating the minority element in her. Therefore, there is still an attempt to brainwash her into thinking that she is a white woman. The comment by David West invokes deep reflection over the state of racial discrimination in the modern world even with the constant attempts to wish away its existence.
Essentially, David West creates a surgical assessment of the situation. He notes that the type of racisms and bog try carried on in the conversation is hidden behind statements of assumed acceptance and love for the minorities. The girl in the audio recording also tends to mirror the current approach towards racism whereby each is willing to change himself, either physically or personally, to fit in the box of racial acceptance defined by the bigots such as Sterling.
The new commissions of the NBA had to act fast before the issue had degenerated into a deeper issue. The teams often generate money for the association through subscriptions, when the fans boycott their games, as it was most likely in the above case, the risk of more financial loss for the organization were high. Swift action was also needed as a way of ensuring that the other bigot owners did not find solace in their wealth.
The commissioner was also making a statement of his capabilities and his willingness to effect change. He took over the office at the time when the association was rocked with claims of increased bigotry. His action was needed as an assurance that the status quo was not going to prevail over the reforms. Taking action against a large investor in the league was an adequate statement of the resolution to be more effective in the fight against bigotry. It was also a statement of the desire to create new NBA that would not be defined by its past. Rooting out the seemingly bad apples in the pile was a preferred way of dealing with the issue of handling bigotry in the association.
The move made by the commissioner was accurate given the tension that plagued the league at the time when the audio leaked to the public. If the commissioner kept silent and hoped for the situation to wane, there would have been new protests rocking all the teams in the NBA. These teams would eventually end up losing more regarding delayed games. Boycotts would have commenced in the team leading to the major cancellation of games all over. The fans would have been the next offended group since they wanted to watch the game only and not to be served the debacle of racial discrimination.
Despite the tough nature of the choice where the commissioner was forced to ban a major owner of a basketball team, the alternative was far worse with the teams risking losing more. Therefore, in the interests of capitalism and peace in the domains of the rest of the teams, the move was the best outcome possible.
Even though the move was sparked by an illegal recording of a private conversation, the information had reached the masses, and they were seeking a reaction from the governing body. Pushing the decision would have resulted in lack of faith in the body hence promoting the plantation model where there were servants and masters. The decision to ban the Clippers owner for life may come across as a Band-Aid fix to a deep running issue. Firing one master did not revolutionize the plantation system since there were other masters hiding in the mix? These masters had the power to control the game leading to their system of sustained servitude and riches to the two parties.
The move may have led to the conveyance of the message that there were no untouchable figures in the league. However, the sincerity of the message is still under question since it took too long to take action on the Clippers owner. He had gotten away with different kinds of bigotry comments or inclinations in the past. Therefore, the authenticity of the actions was under sharp focus.
Zirin and Carlos came out strongly in condemnation of the sentiments issued by the Clippers owner. The two reporters seemed aggravated by the comments just like anyone else. For Zirin, he viewed the actions of the NBA as a public relations stint that was directed towards the reduction of damage to its public image. The NBA had finally been cornered when a secret recording indicating the outright rejections of the racial differences in the league came out. The interesting question that he raises is why the governing body had to take so long before it took action. There were other notable incidences when the same owner had reacted in a manner that may have been indicative of bigotry and tendencies towards racism. Zirin makes a reasonable argument on why the owner was not punished for his discriminatory actions.
For John Carlos, he presents the most radical situation that seeks to take control of all the resources that the former Clippers owner owned including the team and the franchise. The above positions are different from the traditional sports outlet, which suggest that the punishment of the ban is adequate. The new positions indicate the views of the fans that are often aggrieved by the actions of insensitive team owners. For the players and fans, the team is more than the individual owner who is in the ownership position for capitalistic gains. Therefore, there is marked difference in the sentiments voiced by the new voices and the traditional outlets (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10851409).
Works Cited
Klimas, Liz. "Subway Is Removing Something from Their Sandwiches That’s Also Found in Yoga Mats, Shoes | Video | TheBlaze.com." The Blaze. N.p., 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 4 July 2016.
"Mike & Mike: Reaction to Donald Sterling - ESPN Video." ESPN.com. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 4 July 2016.
Miller, Trisity. "David West Blasts Donald Sterling on Twitter." FanSided. N.p., 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 4 July 2016.
TMZ. "Clippers Owner Donald Sterling to Girlfriend: Don't Bring Black People to My Games (Audio)." YouTube. N.p., 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 4 July 2016.
