Public Relations and Advertising Commons^™

Consumers' Correspondence Inference On Celebrity Endorsers: The Role Of Correspondence Bias And Suspicion, Taewoo Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this study is to find out whether celebrity endorsers’ behaviors, such as large endorsement contract and multiple product endorsement, will influence consumers’ correspondence inferences on those celebrities’ genuine attitudes towards the endorsed products in print advertisements and how such attributional inferences will differ according to the perceived level of product congruence with the endorser. For meaningful analysis and interpretation, the differential effects were examined in terms of correspondence bias and suspicion of ulterior motives. The bias refers to people’ attributional inference tendency to relying on other persons’ dispositions; whereas, the suspicion of ulterior motives accounts for ...

The Phenomenon Behind The Bite: Altercasting As It Applies To Apple Technology, Elizabeth Baldwin

Masters Theses

This paper investigates how the brand Apple markets their product so that consumers feel obligated to buy their product. By looking at five main categories of brand loyalty, environmentally friendly practices, being up-to-date with technology, pricing with value and customer service, this paper will rhetorically analyze how successful of a job it does. To get an inside look at what the public thought on the the way that Apple fulfilled their altercasting this paper analyzed what people said about Apple verses competing technology brands. By drawing overall conclusions, recording trends and making observations about the way that people had been ...

Meet Them Where They Gather: An Analysis Of Nasa’S Communications Approach For The 21st Century, Amanda D. Stein

Theses and Professional Projects from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Since the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been tasked with not only governing the United States’ space activities, but also sharing those efforts and subsequent findings with the American public. When President Barack Obama issued the Open Government Directive in 2009, NASA was well positioned to meet the objectives. Today, the administration has built one of the most successful web-based information-sharing presences by government agency, largely by tailoring communications efforts to reach the public on popular social media platforms. This paper will explore how NASA has utilized two-way symmetrical communications ...

Misconceptions In Agriculture: The Role Of Public Relations To Communicate With And Educate The Public, Kimberly Taylor

Journalism

The following study aims to investigate the misconceptions in agricultural communications, why they exist, and what communicators can be doing to further the development, management and assessment of agricultural communication messaging. Agricultural issues are a source of media attention, from policy changes like Proposition 2 or Proposition 37 in California, to commercials such as the Dodge RAM Super Bowl spot in 2013. By studying what professionals are currently doing in the fields of public relations, marketing, and agricultural communications to reach and educate the consumers, it becomes clear the strategies that should be taken when presenting key messaging. This study ...

Building Collaboration Within The Quarter Horse Community: The Obstacles And Hurdles, Allison Grayson

Journalism

The following study investigates how to increase collaboration within the Quarter Horse community through Twitter. Twitter is increasingly one of the top social media tools for many organizations, including organizations within the Quarter Horse community. Twitter is an important tool in creating a dialogue between community members, and the organizations to which they are members. Research shows, “Users believe that using Twitter can improve their performance or their ability to achieve specific goals and, thus, they are more extrinsically motivated to continue to use it” (Agrifoglio, Black, Ferrara & Metallo, 2012, p. 38). That being said, it is important that research ...

Mom Made Me: Students Respond To The Flu Shot, Lauren Elizabeth Gregg, Kristin Kelly Carver, Christine Cordelia Copelan

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The University of Tennessee Knoxville’s on-campus Student Health Center publicizes the opportunity for students to receive the influenza immunization for $25 during the flu season. Despite on-campus convenience, many students are still deterred from receiving the shot. Advertising and Public Relations research students used survey research to sample more than 200 students in six major colleges across the University of Tennessee’s campus. The research team gathered relevant information about student perceptions of a healthy lifestyle, flu experience (diagnosis and shot), motivations and deterrence from the flu shot, and general knowledge of the Student Health Center. Results show that ...

Seattle's Seafaring Siren: A Cultural Approach To The Branding Of Starbucks, Briana Kauffman

Masters Theses

Many corporate brands tend to be built on a strong foundation of culture, but very minimal research seems to indicate a thorough analysis of the role of an organizational's culture in its entirety pertaining to large corporations. This study analyzed various facets of Starbucks Coffee Company through use of the cultural approach to organizations theory in order to determine if the founding principles of Starbucks are evident in their organizational culture. Howard Schultz' book "Onward" was analyzed and documented as the key textual artifact in which these principles originated. Along with these principles, Starbucks' Website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube ...

Unleashing The Power Of Social Media Marketing Within Non-Profits, Through The Lens Of Social Cognitive Theory, Kerah Kemmerer

Masters Theses

While many organizations still struggle to effectively incorporate the present-day promotional framework of social media marketing, research reveals that non-profit organizations are lagging even further behind when it comes to the implementation of effective social media and interactive marketing strategies. The interactive marketing strategy model incorporates technology and media-based tactics designed to enhance marketing strategies within any industry. In this project, the primary researcher explored why non-profits are struggling to incorporate these specific strategies, and considered it through the lens of social cognitive theory. The purpose of this project was to focus on a specific non-profit organization and apply the ...

Fifteen Percent Or More: A Content Analysis Of Geico's Commercial Advertising, Paul Davis

Masters Theses

In this media saturated world which is lived in today, the general public is bombarded by a multitude of advertisements. This thesis was conducted to examine Geico's commercial advertising looking specifically at their use of humor. The Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Humorous Message Taxonomy were used to conduct this content analysis. The research examined the route of persuasion and elaboration that were used in 60 Geico commercials from five of their most recent campaigns. The Humorous Message Taxonomy helped to establish which types of humor were being used along with the processes and relationship between elements. Three research ...

From The Last Frontier To The New Cosmopolitan A History Of Casino Public Relations In Las Vegas, Jessalynn Strauss

Occasional Papers

This research chronicles the history of public relations by the gaming industry in Las Vegas. Reflecting larger trends in the field, public relations efforts by the casinos and hotels in this popular tourist destination have used a variety of communication tactics over time to promote themselves to potential Las Vegas tourists. Based on archival materials from over 30 casinos and gaming corporations, this paper identifies four ways in which public relations is practiced in the gaming industry and four macro-level trends in the evolution of casino public relations in Las Vegas.

Jpc Editorial Advisory Board 2012

Journal of Professional Communication

Listing of members of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Professional Communication.

Social Media And Crisis: The Challenge Of Currency (Review Of The Four Stages Of Highly Effective Crisis Management: How To Manage The Media In The Digital Age By Jane Jordan-Meier), Heather Pullen

Journal of Professional Communication

This book review of The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management: How to Manage the Media in the Digital Age (CRC Press, 2011, 283 pages) discusses the inherent challenges of providing media relations advice in an era when social media is forcing communicators to re-invent their approach to crisis communications. The author points out that the rapid, ongoing evolution of social media itself makes the prediction of trends and development of crisis communication strategies very difficult. She acknowledges, however, that Jordan-Meier has effectively applied a media management methodology that should remain relevant and useful in the face of change ...

Looking For The Silver Lining (Review Of “Effective Crisis Communications: Moving From Crisis To Opportunity (2nd Ed.)” By Robert Ulmer, Timothy Sellnow And Matthew Seeger), Susan Emigh

Journal of Professional Communication

This is a review of the second edition of the book Effective crisis communications: Moving from crisis to opportunity (2^nd ed.) (Sage, 2011, 228 pages) by three university professors who have several books about crisis communications under their belt. The reviewer follows their examination of how to manage uncertainty and communicate and lead effectively during the heavy weather of crises, followed by a look at specific storms big and small, and wraps up by examining their theory of "discourse of renewal”, the potential for clear skies beyond for renewal and growth.

©Journal of Professional Communication, all rights reserved.

Not Just Chick Lit: How Contemporary Fiction Conveys Crisis Communications (Review Of Damage Control By Denise Hamilton), Stephanie Brooks

Journal of Professional Communication

A review and critique of Denise Hamilton’s work of fiction, Damage Control (Scribner, 2011, 384 pages). This analysis shares insight on some of the novel’s overriding themes of journalism, gender and ethics and their relationship with crisis communications. Through an examination of the main character, it reveals the differences and similarities between Hamilton’s version of celebrity crisis management and representations of the field in popular culture. The novel portrays a version of perception management that is difficult, dirty and dangerous, but deeply satisfying – a concept that differs from what film and television depictions prove. Hamilton’s riveting ...

The Structuration Of Crisis Management: Guiding A Process Of Repair, Erin Schauster

Journal of Professional Communication

Crisis management, specifically the communicative response to a threatening event, is intended to both inform and persuade. However, the approaches to crisis management may be contradictory at times, constraining the intended purpose of repairing a corporation’s image. Structuration theory provides a perspective for the enabling and constraining features of action as well as the unintended consequences that occur. Through a rhetorical criticism of press releases issued by BP in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the enabling and constraining features of crisis management are presented and a call to revisit best practices in crisis management is made.

©Journal ...

Risk Communication And The Disclosure Dilemma: The Case Of Ottawa's Endoscopy Infection 'Scare', Josh Greenberg

Journal of Professional Communication

In 2011, Ottawa Public Health announced that a non-hospital medical clinic had failed to follow proper infection control measures over a period of 10 years, resulting in the potential exposure of several thousand patients to Hepatitis and HIV. This paper discusses the health department's risk communication strategy, in particular its decision to delay the disclosure of information to the public and the reactions this provoked. The case study provides an opportunity to revisit several key themes: the role news media play in framing public health risk events; the ethical obligations that health communicators have in times of health risk ...

Into The Crisis Vortex: Managing And Communicating Issues, Risks And Crises, Terence (Terry) Flynn

Journal of Professional Communication

This article provides a discussion of the growing importance of crisis communications in communications management practice. Using celebrated examples to set the scene, such as the BP oil spill, Toyota, SARS and the Japanese tsunami, the author describes how crisis communications can be a factor in making organizations more cost effective given the high reputational and legal cost of crises. The author also discusses the distinction between tactics and strategy and how the crisis communications research agenda must move to focus more specifically on crisis preparedness and management.

©Journal of Professional Communication, all rights reserved.

Recalling Toyota’S Crisis: Utilizing The Discourse Of Renewal, Lindsey Anderson

Journal of Professional Communication

This case study applies the theoretical framework of the discourse of renewal to Toyota’s lingering crisis (safety recalls) in order to understand how this approach is utilized as well as to demonstrate the appropriateness of the response. The discourse of renewal is a rhetorical crisis communication strategy that attempts to frame a crisis event as an organizational opportunity and tends to focus on the future rather than the past. In this case study, six commercials produced by Toyota were analyzed using these overarching principles associated with the discourse of renewal. Results indicate that this approach was utilized in Toyota ...

Pr Lessons From The Ocean Ranger Tragedy, Sean Kelly

Journal of Professional Communication

This commentary discusses the Ocean Ranger accident that happened on Valentine’s Day in 1982, which created a crisis of significant proportions for the Ocean Drilling Exploration Company (ODECO) which designed and owned the ship and Mobil Oil of Canada which leased the Ocean Ranger to drill for oil in the harsh offshor environment of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Despite being referred to by many as the “Ocean Danger,” the oil rig was described as unsinkable - a name that nature would prove to be a reckless test of fate. Using personal narrative as the basis for describing the impact ...

Trade Unions Should R.A.C.E. To Survive In The Current Communications Climate, Donald Courchesne

Journal of Professional Communication

This commentary examines the impact of social media campaigning on crisis communications in the labour movement. Labour crises usually take the form of strikes. This commentary examines upon two cases: (i) McMaster University vs. Service Employees International Union; and (ii) Brazilian Vale vs. United Steel Workers of America Local 6500. Being unable to effectively communicate with various publics represents a large problem for union survival. This commentary proposes that executing effective strategic communications will enable trade unions to better create a dialogue between the leadership and all stakeholders while creating and maintaining relationships with members, the media, and communities.

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