Melissa A. Johnson

From Jeff:

 Top Ten Legal Facets to a Crisis
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/nl/crisismgr050115.html#jat

Who is a crisis communicator within your organization?
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/docs/its_an_inside_job_internal_crisis_communications.html

Everyone’s heard about the Great Wall of China, but netizens are coining a new term called the Great Firewall of China to indicate China’s extreme media and Internet censorship. China has the highest number of internet users in the world with about 300 million Chinese wired to the world wide web (Businessweek.com). However, the government strictly controls the access of Internet by blocking several websites and use of several words on the web. How does the Chinese government manage to watch over 300 million users? According to Businessweek.com, the agencies that watch over the Net employ more than 30,000 people to prowl Web sites, blogs, and chat rooms on the lookout for offensive content as well as scammers. In the U.S., by contrast, the entire CIA employs an estimated 16,000 people.

In March 2009, Google officially confirmed that China had blocked Youtube.com (which is owned by Google). China did not give any reason for the ban and Google engineers were still trying to restore access to the Chinese users (cnn.com). It’s not the first time that users in China have been denied access. In March 2008, China blocked youtube during the riots in Tibet, as they did not want people to post the videos of situation in Tibet. Users are also not allowed to use certain websites including Flickr, YouTube, Wikipedia, MySpace or even certain words such as “Tibet”, “democracy”, “government” and “Dalai Lama.

As distressing as is Beijing's control of information, one Chinese-American student said that the censorship continues with the help of some of America's largest and best-known technology firms — such as Yahoo, Google and Microsoft. "United States is based on freedom of expression and other personal freedoms”. " However, many of those companies actually help with censorship in countries like China. So I think this is outrageous." (Fox News). Companies like Microsoft maintain they have no choice. “We remove content only if the order comes from the appropriate regulatory authority.” On the other hand, Baidu.com, a Chinese equivalent of Google’s search engine said that they were trying their best to provide as much information but without breaking any Chinese laws.

However, individuals always find ways to bypass the filtering system known as the “Great Firewall” because it can be hacked by more technologically savvy users. As the social media in China is growing with over 40 million bloggers, a lot of creative ideas have been generated over anti-censorship. The censorship not only has its effects on the Chinese internet users, but also on foreign companies that are setting up their operations in China. Every time a company needs to set up their business in China, they are also enforced the strict Chinese Internet protocols. How much of this will really work in the long run?

Like one Chinese student said, “Many people don’t know that 300 years after Emperor Kangxi ordered an end to construction of the Great Wall, our great republic has built an invisible great wall,” he wrote. “Can blocking really work?”

I wonder what PR model/tools does the Chinese government use to build relationships with its publics? With the increasing censorship, some Chinese citizens are getting frustrated and angry over their government's right to control every single move. Grunig stated, two-way symmetrical model of communication is the most effective model of PR to build relationships. However, it looks like the Chinese government is still decades behind in practising dialogic relationship building with its public.

 With inputs from:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2006/tc20060112_434051.htm http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,368985,00.html http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/05/leaked-cisco-do/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/web/great-firewall-of-china-snares-youtube/2009/03/25/1237656971545.html http://www.webupon.com/Web-Talk/Ever-Heard-of-the-Great-Firewall-of-China.539959 http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/ptech/03/25/youtube.china/index.html

Smitha

It seems there is nothing for the media to report about Israel unless it is monitoring conflicts and exposing Israel’s wrongdoing. 

Israel needs to go back to the foundation of this issue – Israel neglected to justify its retaliation to Hamas firing rockets and killing innocent civilians.  Instead, Israel is seen as the instigator and demanded to cease fire.  Israel cannot continue to let a terrorist group command power over their neighbors and watch idly by as they become the next target for deconstruction.  In fact, it is Israel who is fighting the enemy that may soon become our enemy.  And world media and politicians are finally beginning to see that.

Middle East professor Bernard Lewis announced how Israel is portrayed as an invader, but there should be no call for peace if Hamas remains dedicated to make Israel non existent.  At a U.N. conference earlier this month, ten countries walked out in protest, including Israel and the U.S., for what appeared to be a “forum for Israel-bashing”. 

Additionally, Israel has become the target at the U.N. Human Rights Council meetings for the past three years.  It wasn’t until 1991 that the U.N. 1975 resolution “Zionism is racism” was overturned.  It was the U.S. Ambassador, in 2006, who finally stood and fought the Human Rights Council for its “relentless focus on a single country – Israel” and accused the Council of neglecting its duty to address abuses elsewhere in the world.

Israel needs to politically demand a Palestinian-based security force with counterterrorism before withdrawing.  And it should be the U.S. and their “War on Terror” advocates that help them.  It was the Israeli government that found peace with Egypt and who started the peace process at the Madrid Conference and has supported a two-state solution with Palestine.  But this isn’t posted in every newspaper.  Prosperity on the West bank is the only chance Israel has to a peaceful solution, but it should not be the responsibility of Israel alone to stop a terrorist group from domination. 

Politics and public relations will always mix.  It is the relationships that need to be established and messages sent outside Israel that the county is solely taking on the world’s next terrorist threat.  Sometimes it takes an outside public relations effort to get the message across.

“Obama-Clinton Human Rights Bid Faces Anti-Israel Bias at U.N. Agency” by Cooper & Brackman, US News.com  from http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/04/14/obama-clinton-human-rights-bid-faces-anti-israel-bias-at-un-agency.html

“Israel, Despite Hasmas Rockets and Media Scorn, Must Not Compromise on Peace or Terror” by Zuckerman, US News.com from http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/mzuckerman/2009/04/06/israel-despite-hamas-rockets-and-media-scorn-must-not-compromise-on-peace-or-terror.html

“Israel marks annual Holocaust Remembrance Day” by Heller, AP from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMSPfNKtxFpBDnjVpVXaiRfn-HwAD97MSI1O0

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that a British secret agent had compromised covert drug operations in Columbia by leaving her handbag containing a memory stick with the identities of secret agents and details of 5 years of operations on a bus. With millions of taxpayer dollars and the lives of thousands now on the line, operations are being tidyed up and agents are being relocated for their safety.

This blunder is likely to cause public relations problems for several stakeholders involved, including the US Drug Enforcement Agency. Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, said: “This is an extremely sensitive part of Home Office operations and is the latest in a series of big data errors. It underlines why this government, and Jacqui Smith in particular, has to get to grips with security protocols.” Apparently, Smith has been responsible for a series of blunders as Home Secretary in charge of Britain's anti-drugs operations. Public perception of Britain's ability to manage complex covert operations has seriously been damaged, even evidenced by some of the comments posted below the article on the Times Online website, including "The old oxymoron - British intelligence."

Paul Evans (the agent's boss) ordered an internal inquiry. In a related article on the Times Online, Oakeshott and Leppard say, "Evan’s anxiety to keep the affair out of the public eye is understandable. There is already widespread criticism of Soca, some of whose derring-do operations in hostile places are considered “frankly amateurish” by more experienced agencies such as MI5, MI6 and the DEA"

It is likely that this could be the final straw for Smith, whose firing could be a PR way to save face amid this blunder, as he is the "villian" associated with these chronic mistakes within the anti-drug agency. The UK also has some PR work to do to repair its image and credibility with the U.S. DEA and other agencies. Likely this will have to be accomplished through consistent action and reliable internal handling of information in the future. Given the covert nature of these operations, public relations strategies to repair image and credibility with the public would be difficult, but not impossible. Perhaps community relations or philanthropic endeavors such as teen anti-drug education programs would be effective in addition to consistent internal action to restoring credibility.

Links:

 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6169946.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6169077.ece

The growing fears about a possible swine flu pandemic have reached the UK, as they reported in the Times Online today that 25 people were being tested for possible infections. Of those 25, 8 were declared negative but the others were still being investigated.

BBC News reported that Foreign Secretary David Miliband said it was "right that we put the issue of swine fever on the foreign ministers' agenda" because there needed to be "maximum European co-ordination" on the issue. Indeed global cooperation will be imperative to manage this crisis, but effective public relations will be essential.

The world has a potential health crisis on its hands and public relations work will need to begin immediately, if not "yesterday." The UK will have some tough decisions to make to protect its citizens - will schools have to be closed? Will masks be mandatory? How will the UK  respond to the situation without creating pandemonium and fear amongst its citizens? At the moment, officials are relying on people to come forward for voluntary testing. This may be tricky, as these individuals will need to know if in fact they need to come forward and be motivated to do so.

It will be important for the Department of Health to use public relations and key message strategies to inform people where to go and what to do if they suspect they have the swine flu in a way that encourages people to come forward. Transperancy about what will happen once they identify themselves is also important. The BBC News reported the following information from the Health Protection Agency about the swine flu confirmation procedure: 

"If a patient rings their GP or NHS Direct to report symptoms, they will be told to stay at home, not to visit a surgery or hospital.

The HPA has prepared an "algorithm" - in essence, a flow chart - for suspected cases. On the phone, or possibly even face to face depending on the circumstances, the patient's GP or NHS Direct will take the patient through the algorithm.

If the answers to the algorithm lead the questioner to believe the patient may have swine flu, a sample will be taken that will then be sent to one of the HPA's network of regional labs for testing.

If the sample is confirmed as influenza type A, it will then be sent to the HPA's Reference Lab at the Centre for Infections in Colindale, where they will carry out genetic typing on it and establish whether it is a confirmed case of swine flu."

This is a good start, but it seems that the HPA is not conveying enough sense of urgency in this message. Given the global implications of this flu virus, it will be necessary to be pro-active in disseminating information that conveys a sense of urgency to get people tested, but doesn't alarm them or scare them into in-action. 

 Links:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8020222.stm

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6180813.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

According to Reuters UK, the country of Japan has plans to open a major uranium deposit in Central Asia.  Recently, Japan has made advances to decrease its long-standing reliance on Russia as a trade and policy partner.  The proposed digging site is Kazakhstan, a former member of the U.S.S.R.  As a country, Kazakhstan is equally ambitious as its East Asia counterpart.  According to the Reuters article, Kazakhstan is determined to become the world’s leading uranium exporter by the end of this year.

Considering these current events, the international public relations implications are rather large.  According to Nassar (2008) in Petrobras: Building an Image of Leadership in a Critical and Culturally Adverse Environment, a business, particularly energy based, “must be adapted to the cultural realities of each country if they are to be successful” (p. 148).  If Japanese investors seek to reap economic rewards in Kazakhstan, they should first become sensitively aware of Kazakhstan’s culture.  No doubt workers from Kazakhstan will be employed by these power plants.  That being said, understanding Kazakhstanian culture will enable the Japanese to better manage business operations.  By creating a campaign and corporate culture that is sensitive and all together ‘Kazakhstani’, Japan will be able to take the first steps towards economic recovery.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUKLO46285820090424?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

 This is an interesting piece of news especially after last week’s readings on takeovers and company bids.

On Sept. 3, 2008 Coca-cola announced a $2.4 billion takeover of China Huiyuan Juice, a Beijing rival that is the No. 1 juice maker in the country. The deal, subject to regulatory approval, would be the largest ever for Coke in China and one of the biggest ever for the company. Analysts agreed that the purchase would be a smart move for Coke. "It makes absolutely perfect sense," says Matthew Crabbe, managing director for Access Asia, a market researcher in Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur. "Carbonated soft drinks are in decline, and native tastes prefer juice. It's going to be a growth sector." Currently Coke is No.2 in the drink market, but that just translates into just 9.7% market share in juice. An acquisition "would give Coca-Cola a big advantage because China Huiyuan is absolutely the leading company in fruit and vegetable juice. In a statement, Huiyuan Chairman Zhu Xinli said the two companies would work together to boost Huiyuan's products in China. "This partnership with Coca-Cola will further develop the Huiyuan brand in a competitive global beverage market and provide a larger and more competitive platform for Huiyuan's business and employees," said Zhu.

 However, the deal fell through when China refused to approve the deal. Why did that happen? It was not a hostile takeover by any means, and Huiyuan’s Chairman fully supported this merger!

According to the country's Ministry of Commerce, Coca-Cola's acquisition was denied, claiming that it would restrict competition in the country. The government said the deal would allow Coke to dominate a huge segment of the beverage market and was also rejected on antitrust reasons. Officially Beijing blocked the takeover on the grounds that it would not be in the long-term interests of Chinese consumers, forcing them to pay ‘higher prices and have less variety of products’ according the Ministry of Commerce ruling. However analysts said the decision also had a political dimension and pandered to popular anti-American sentiments stirred up by the deal. Huiyuan’s founder, Zhu Xinli, was even branded a ‘traitor’ on one website for agreeing to the buy-out.

After effects-- Beijing’s blocking of the deal, which would have been Coke’s largest ever foreign acquisition, is likely to have a negative impact on foreign investment in China which has already fallen by 21% in the first two months of 2009, analysts said. Shares in Huiyuan fell sharply and then trading was halted early Wednesday in Hong Kong ahead of the announcement, while shares of other Chinese beverage makers, which could have also been takeover targets, also tumbled on speculation that the deal would be rejected by regulators. On Thursday morning, Huiyuan’s shares extended their fall, plunging more than 40 percent. Analysts said the rejection also reflected the Chinese authorities’ determination to protect homegrown brands as China tries to build consumption demand at home in the face of the global economic slowdown.

Lot of Chinese people may be celebrating this rejection, as early polls shown the deal to be highly unpopular, the idea that a Chinese brand would sell out to foreigners instead of build its own empire.

Failure to Communicate? Did Coke’s PR strategy fail?
Did Coke forget to do something, or could they have done things differently that would have helped them seal the deal? These are the questions PR experts are trying to figure out. The Coke- Huiyuan deal had several political, cultural and economic implications, governed by China’s anti-monopoly law that came into effect last year. According to some PR experts, Coke did not communicate effectively with the Chinese public and media. According to one PR blogger, public sentiment was not in favor of the deal to begin with, and things went from bad to worse, as allegations came out that Coke's people were trying to quash criticism of the deal. A statement released by Coke before the deal went awry said that "This acquisition will deliver value to our shareholders and provide a unique opportunity to strengthen our business in China, especially since the juice segment is so dynamic and fast growing in China. It is also further evidence of our deep commitment to China and to providing Chinese consumers with the beverage choices that meet their needs," Mr Kent said. “If successful with the offers, the Company will use its expertise as a global beverage company to further develop the Huiyuan brand to address the evolving needs of consumers. There are anticipated synergies that will drive operational efficiencies, particularly in the Huiyuan business' production footprint and in Coca-Cola's distribution and raw material purchasing capabilities.” When the public analyzed this message, the order of priorities seemed to be: 1. Coke shareholders, 2. Coke's business in China, 3. Chinese consumers, 4. Huiyuan's success.

How could have Coke localized the entire campaign for people to vote in favor of the bid? This would be an interesting case study to follow and analyze. Especially because, one would think Coke would know how to approach deals which have high cultural and political context. I compared this deal to the case study that we read on Hokuetsu paper mills-- a complete contrast, and it's fascinating!

Sources: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/03/18/am_china_coke/
 http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/sep2008/gb2008093_329385.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
http://www.thedeal.com/corporatedealmaker
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/5010838/Chinas-quashing-of-Coca-Cola-deal-delivers-blow-to-foreign-companies.html
http://news.imagethief.com/blogs/china/archive/2009/04/01/coke-huiyuan-and-communicating-to-the-audience-that-matters.aspx

-Smitha

In last post, I talked about how MySpace failed in Korean market. This time, I found a successful example of branding and marketing. An article on Business Week Online on April 6, 2009 reported that despite Sony’s brand recognition, its Korean rival Samsung is well ahead in TVs with LCD screens. Samsung’s success lies in the combination of smart marketing and cutting-edge technology. Recently, “extreme shepherding”, a video clip of sheep covered with LED lights being herded around a hillside in the darkness, became very popular on YouTube. It has been watched by some 5 million people so far. The clip was actually a clever marketing ploy by Samsung as part of its campaign to launch a new flat-screen technology that use LEDs [light emitting diodes] as its light source. And it only mentioned Samsung in the about last 10 seconds.

The sheep video is only an example in Samsung’s fresh marketing blitz. In order to compete with strong rivals like Sony, Samsung has put significant amount of money into creating brand recognition, and it is paying off. Its marketing strategies provide a few good examples of concepts we discussed in class.

1.    1. Glocalization. The sheep video is a good example of how they incorporate the increasingly popular social media in their marketing efforts in advanced countries. Moreover, Samsung also taps into the sports passion of Americans by spending more than half of its marketing budget in U.S. on a deal with the National Football League and various promotions tied to it.

2.      2. Differentiate the features of its TV from those of other brands. Although Samsung has not achieved the kind of brand awareness enjoyed by Sony, it has successfully convinced many product reviewers and consumers that the quality of its TVs is as good as that of Sony’s. In order to feature its own brand of TV, designers have been asked to come up with TVs that do double duty as a piece of living room furniture, so its TVs aim to not only perform normal functions of TV, but also become a decoration. Moreover, since Samsung is the only major player that develops and manufactures its own computer chips for its TV sets, it shows the potential and ambition to let its TVs handle multiple needs as the centerpiece of home entertainment.

3.      3. Evaluation of goals. Samsung has devoted a lot of efforts to creating brand recognition, and various data such as product ratings in Consumer Reports survey and market share are examined as measures of evaluation. Evaluations ensure them that allocating tremendous amount of money to marketing and branding is deserved.

Many elements in the case of Samsung are consistent with what we discussed in class regarding effective international public relations. Looking back on Myspace’s failure in Korea, I think, building your own brand by developing a niche market can be an effective strategy to compete with rivals who have already dominated the market.

Sources: http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2009/gb2009043_756905.htm?chan=globalbiz_asia+index+page_companies

Adventure tourism is predicted to grow in Peru between 5% and 7% this year, with transactions reaching the equivalent of $16 million U.S.  In the last three years, this sub sector grew between 15% and 20% each year.  Considering the current international economic crisis, Peru tourist and vacation planners foresee a slowdown in the growth rate, which they state is significant when compared to what may happen in other countries of the region.
During 2008, over 100,000 foreign and domestic tourists chose adventure tourism.  Unlike classic tourism, adventure tourism registered an impressive growth in the last years due to its redefined concept.  The land, location, and availability for this kind of tourism in Peru are all ideal.  Currently, 90% of tourist shelters in Peru are located in the mountains and 10 % in the jungle.  The area is perfect for tourists to take advantage of what is already there.   

Promotion and advertisement will be key components in accomplishing the adventure tourism growth rate that is desired. An encouraging 40% of European tourists last year (2008) reported that they prefer adventure tourism over classic tourism.  This statistic shows that the concept of this type of vacation is out there; but that additional promotion is needed in order to raise awareness even higher of this kind of tourism in Peru. 

In connection with our branding and positioning topic last week in class, a few items to consider in order to develop a brand program to enhance this type of tourism may be:  

1.      Define the target publics to understand who the specific groups are that will be interested in this type of vacation

2.      Determine the core values and personality of the brand to differentiate Peru’s adventure tourism from what its neighbors have to offer

3.      Make sure the plan includes a clear method of evaluation to ensure the increased preference goal of adventure tourism over classic tourism is achieved

Source: http://www.livinginperu.com/news/page/

By: Jennifer

April 6 

The popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels by Alexander McCall Smith have been made into a series for HBO.  The series follows the adventures of Botswana's first lady detective Mma Precious Ramotswe .  HBO chose to shoot the series on location just outside of Gabarone, giving the landscape and people of Botswana the opportunity to seen throughout the world.  This seems like a dream scenario for a remote nation that relies on tourism for revenue and has a rather small marketing budget.  The Botswana tourism board hopes that the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series will put Botswana on the global map and increase tourism. The series has been marketed in the United States on billboards, subway trains, buses and by media appearances by the books author and series star Jill Scott. The Botswana Tourism Board is also running a campaign to take advantage of the hype surrounding the series.  The Who's Your No. 1 Lady? contest sponsored by HBO and the Botswana Tourism Board invite contestants to nominate the number one lady in their lives to compete for a trip to Botswana.  Botswana Tourism also launched a new Web site in March, where a variety of tours are being advertised, including an 11-night "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Botswana Safari" from the Eyes on Africa Travel & Safari company.

The pilot episode, which shows where Botswana is on the world map in the opening sequence also features some of the tourism top spots like Lekhubu Island in the Makgadikgadi Pans and the Okavango Delta. The series aims to show what life is like in Botswana while telling an entertaining story.  This is a departure from the typical media coverage the continent of Africa receives, such as news reports of civil war and HIV/AIDS outbreaks and nature documentaries.  The series premiered in the UK several weeks ago and enjoyed a 5.6 million viewership.  It is not clear whether these numbers will translate to tourism dollars for Botswana; however, it has accomplished a great deal of press. 

A recent Google search for No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency produced 449 news results.  Many of the news stories proclaim the country of Botswana the "real star" of the series.  Another headline reports that the series "captures the sweetness, goodness of Botswana."  Typically, news media coverage as a PR tactic is risky, because PR practitioners cannot control the tone or content of the news story.  However, it seems that Botswana has hit the jackpot with the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  This type of free, unanimously positive reporting may do more to boost Botswana's tourism appeal than any campaign the tourism board could have designed.  From a conservation standpoint, tourism is the best option for Botswana to grow its economy without degrading the natural wildlife, poaching or allowing foreign companies to drill for minerals.  About 35,000 visitors from the U.S. traveled to Botswana in 2005, however, there is fear that the current economic crisis will drastically reduce these numbers.  The Botswana Tourism Board seems to be making the most of their free publicity.

 Sources:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-tc-arts-no-1-detective-0325-mar29,0,3734542.story

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102795439

http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_12082786

http://www.courant.com/entertainment/tv/hc-detective.artmar29,0,4137242.story

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=7&aid=26&dir=2009/March/Monday30 

First a must mention in covering Italy this week:

Italy’s government, churches and many non-profits are in crisis communication mode this week after a devastating earthquake hit the city of L’Aquila. Officials say a 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the city which is less than 60 miles north of Rome.

At the time of this posting the death toll in near 300 people, and officials estimate as many as 30 thousand people were left homeless. Prime Minister Silvia Berlusconi says it will take billions of Euros and years to rebuild L’Aquila. The country is reaching out internationally for help.I also found a story that reminded me of last week’s readings on branding and specifically branding a city or country for tourism. Italy has long been a major international tourist destination. Rome in particular is a major draw with its historic ruins, including the coliseum, museums, and the Vatican. In the past six years history of the country has been drawing in some avid readers. Fans of the Dan Brown Novels including the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons now flock to the ancient cities to see the churches, monuments and works of art described in his books. Cities like Paris, France saw another surge of the “Dan Brown Tours” when the Da Vinci Code Movie was released in 2006. Next month the movie Angels and Demons will be released in theaters. The backdrop for that book and movie is Rome and Vatican City. Numerous travel and tour companies, both domestic and international, have advertised “Angels and Demons” guided tours for several years. In anticipation of next month’s movie release, the tourism industry is expecting another boost and many companies are ramping up advertising for the tours.The draw appears to be similar to what we read about Lord of the Rings fans traveling to New Zealand to see the sites. The authors talked about how such niche branding could help a small country increase its tourism. They also point out the importance of brand values that hold saliency for both stakeholders and potential tourists. In that respect the Angels and Demons niche could create some interesting challenges. Critics argue the book, and now movie, paint a negative image of the Catholic Church and particularly the Vatican. Church leaders have widely criticized Brown’s Novel. The Vatican banned the crew from filming any Angels and Demons scenes in any of Rome’s churches. The Church has not made an official statement on the film yet, but numerous international news organizations are reporting that the Vatican may call for a boycott of the film.PR practitioners may have a fine line to walk in promoting tourism in the months ahead. There may be an increased niche market for fans of the film, but tourist officials must be careful not to offend those who may visit because of faith and religion. It would certainly be an issue to study closely when writing a broad tourism PR plan.If the Vatican does call for a boycott it will also be interesting to see if that controversy hurts or actually helps the movie promotion.

It appears the Coca-Cola people may not have done their homework, or at least not well, while gearing up for a new campaign in the Italian city of Venice. This semester we’ve talked about several image blunders by the company and their latest Italian campaign has once again angered one of its international publics.

Several Italian media agencies are reporting that the city council is now re-thinking a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola after loud public outcries of anger. In the proposed deal the city would allow Coca-Cola to put dozens of vending machines in the St. Mark’s Square of Venice, an area that currently has preservation restrictions which include banning public picnicking. Under the deal Coca-Cola was going to provide 5 million Euros to the city over the next 5 years for preserving monuments. Venice leaders say many of the city’s statues and churches are at risk of crumbling because of lack of funds to restore them. The city saw the Coca-Cola sponsorship deal as a win-win. The overwhelming public response has been disgust, people claiming the city is selling itself.

In response the city council is now opening a month long bid process where any company, domestic or international, can compete for a similar sponsorship deal. The city says Coca-Cola can compete too, but is no loner guaranteed the deal. While the new suggestion may not calm all concerns, local leaders hope the new transparency and competition will help. The city says under the new deal it will allow as many as 80 snack and drink machines, but none will be allowed to display advertising slogans. Instead each machine will have to display information about the city’s museums and exhibits.

For Coca-Cola’s part it seems like they were trying to take the approach of appearing to increase corporate responsibility in Italy, while displaying the brand. On the surface it seemed like a good idea. Adding vending machines would sell more product and put the company logo throughout a high traffic area, while allowing the company to say it was helping save the city’s monuments and churches. Some public opinion research first would have gone a long way in this case.

In a previous blog post, I talked about labor strikes in France and worried that they might end up having a negative effect on tourism to the country.  French labor tactics are back in the news again, but this time, it’s company leaders that need to be concerned, not tourism officials.  An article in the NY Times reports that in the last month, France has experienced four incidents of angry workers taking their bosses hostage in an attempt to address many different labor issues.

Yes, I mean employees actually holding their bosses against their will as a labor tactic.  From my American point of view, this action sounds almost inconceivable, but according to the article, this tactic has been used sparingly in France in the past and unions and the general public almost defend the action given the current economic environment.

The article predicts that this tactic will be an increasing trend as long as the economy continues to struggle.  While that’s bad news for the leaders of companies across the country, I’m sure anyone working on economic development and attracting new business to France isn’t very happy about this negative publicity either.  Message strategies to encourage new business development will have to be even more creative to overcome this type of coverage of difficulties with labor.  Maybe they should offer some sort of incentive package to attract new businesses that includes personal protection services for the top company officials!

Ellen

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/business/global/03labor.html?scp=3&sq=france&st=cse