Lu Dumas
Crisis Communication
Paracrisis
It is inevitable that brands, no matter how careful they are, will have a misstep or paracrisis or be faced with a circumstance completely out of their control. However, having a team in place to effectively handle it can diffuse the dilemma or mitigate the effects of a disaster.
This project examines a marketing paracrisis involving the Pretzel Crisps brand. It is a paracrisis because it was not necessary to convene the brand’s crisis team, but it had the potential to do damage to the brand. The paracrisis I explored involved an advertising campaign that included large print ads used for marketing a product called Pretzel Crisps owned by the brand Snack Factory. This was a paracrisis because the ads created negative media attention,consumer criticism and a reputational threat to the brand. I identified the paracrisis and created a response that was intended to mitigate the negative press, apologize to those offended and use humor to diffuse the controversy. At the heart of dealing with crisis is ethics and transparency. When a brand is at risk, the ultimate concern should be responsibly helping the people effected.
Source: Google Images
The Use of Signs
As a former news journalist, I’m fascinated with the role of media in a crisis. The impact of the media in a crisis can exacerbate a situation or its influence can help quell fears. This illustrates how semiotics, or signs can evoke an emotional response, for instance, when we see a weather alert come up on the television screen or we see a beware of dog sign. It can have a psychological effect on those viewing the information. How people react to signs illustrates how important clear messaging is and how simple, common visuals and instructions are best practice to convey information during a crisis.
As a marketing specialist, it is ethically important to be responsible when creating messaging especially when it involves danger or could result in injury or loss of life. It is a reminder to be concise yet thorough when conveying messages.
White Paper
Crisis can come in many different forms. I researched for a white paper that looked at an anticipated problem related to IMC. The question posed discussed the need for IMC professionals to be well-versed in an array of mediums to participate in what research suggests is the future of marketing, personalized marketing strategies. The use of technology in the field of marketing is necessary to move forward and better serve consumers. To gain those loyal consumers, you must reach them where they are, digitally, using personalized messaging that allows them to feel valued as a brand customer. The ethical implications of personalized messaging include conveying truthful communications that reach a targeted audience but also having diverse representation in the messages and being inclusive when disseminating the ads.