Crisis Management

Its 2017, we have self-driving cars, solar powered building and even can determine your child’s gender however, no matter how advanced our technology, how much information we can learn about the world around us, there is still one thing we can never truly prevent. A crisis. Of course, we learn how to predict and prevent. But, it would be a crisis if we prevented it. Crisis’ are unpredictable and usually can cause damage either internally in an organization or externally. They can be as complex as a new virus strand or as forthcoming as a F5 tornado. A crisis is the true testament to how an organization handles themselves in tough situations. As I said before a crisis has the potential damage a company physically or even their public image. Therefore, most organizations have some form of a crisis management team to help respond to these circumstances. Whether it is an actual team or just people that know how to think outside of the boss, this group is responsible with what to do in a crisis. They should know how to communicate within the organization or what to release to the public. They are what keeps the organization afloat during these times.

Throughout the 21^st century we have seen a multitude of crisis’. Some were handled with grace, while others left organization public image in question. Having people that are equip to either write a proper statement and someone to deliver the message to the public is essential during this time. One example of a poorly handled crisis was Hurricane Katrina. In August of 2005, New Orleans was devastated after a Category 5 Hurricane hit the coast. Now known as one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the gulf, at the time poor crisis management might have been one of the factors. New Orleans is below sea level, because of this the have mandated levees to keep the water from flooding the city if a hurricane were to hit them. Well, these levees had not been well maintained meaning, they could only support the pressure of a Category 3 hurricane. So, these levees were easily dismantled with the pressure of a category 5 hurricane. Thus, leading to the flooding. New Orleans crisis management were not prepared for a crisis. They did not predict a hurricane of that magnitude would hit their shores and were not able to fix the levees before it was too late. This is an example of how poor crisis management can create so much damage. Perhaps with stronger levees the damage in New Orleans would not have been so devastating.

On the other hand, you have a company like Johnson & Johnson, and they proved in 1982 they are more than equip to handle crisis. Before medication had tamper proof caps, 7 deaths ad been linked to potassium cyanide found in Tylenol capsules. Immediately the company recalled all bottles since the safety of consumers was their primary concern. They pursued legal investigation and introduced what we now know as tamper proof lids. Overall, this is one of the most successful crisis handled. This is because of their quick action and apparent concern for the public.

These are just two examples to show the extremes of how important crisis management is for any organization. You would think he more advanced in technology we get the less dramatic these crises will be, but it has quite the opposite effect. Before the technology era, our crisis was somewhat limited locally, or whomever was directly affected. This was just to limited avenues of communication. Today, we are globally connected at the tips of our fingers. Crisis in Birmingham, Alabama at 12pm can be in Paris, France by 12:30pm. That is how easy information can travel. Because of this it is crucial that crisis management teams are equipped with statement to reach out to the public. The worst thing in a crisis is to not communicate. This creates room for rumors that can cause more damage to public image. If an organization can make a statement that can address the situation and let the public know that everything will be “okay”, the extent of the crisis might be limited. No matter how smart we get, how much information we have, we can never predict what will occur tomorrow or even in the next 5 minutes. We are forever behind the power curve when it comes to crisis management because we are responding to past errors. We are focused on fixing what happened previously and this leaves room for crisis to happen in the future. This is the nature of a crisis. If I had to give some simple tips on handling a crisis whether it is a city or organization, it would be to:

1.     Have a response- being able to communicate with the public will let them know you are aware of the current situation and you are concerned.

2.     Cohesion- this is not the time have the CEO take a vacation to Maldives, the whole organization from the top to the bottom should be on board with addressing the crisis.

3.     3.Timely- Try to address the public as soon as possible, having urgency is important in a crisis as along as the information is accurate.

4.     Updates- with social media being as accessible as it is, updating the public on the progress of the crisis should not be a problem.

5.     Transparency- The organization should be honest with all information given, trying to sugar coat information will only cause more damage if it is discovering it is inaccurate.

At the end of the day all we can do is learn from past mistakes, so in the future those errors won’t be as devastating and on top of that do our best to consider the future. Even if a crisis comes that we were unprepared to deal with, having the proper response in a timely manner is just as effective. Every day we just must be ready for what might happen next because you never know when a crisis will happen.

Product Placement

When looking at the world of advertisement through the media, I have always been interested in how the subtle things can affect potential consumers. How things as small as moving an item from the bottom shelf to the top shelf can impact sales. From movies, to television shows, to simply walking in a grocery store, we are being influenced by the media through product placements. There is not a day where product placement does not influence our choices amongst brands in the market. These are examples of strategic placements of items to influence consumers to hopefully initiate a purchase.

As a young girl, I loved watching iCarly on Nickelodeon. What I noticed even at a young age were pears on the electronic equipment in the show. Not just that show, but all Nickelodeon show’s where characters had cell phones or laptops, they had a pear on them. Now, this wouldn’t be noticeable if the design wasn’t strikingly similar to the Apple logo. The cellphone design, the computer, the resemblance between the well-known Apple products and the Nickolodeon Pear products were hard to miss. Although this was used as a parody of the iconic Apple products, I think this decision was largely due to product placement. Having Nickelodeon use Apple products would essentially have Nickelodeon advertise the use of their products which would influence the audience. With the majority of the audience members being under the age of 18, it would be better to limit the use of actual products within their shows that could influence the audience. This is my opinion, but I do feel that product placement does have that big of an influence especially for minors. Seeing their favorite actor using an iPhone, suddenly feel the need to have an iPhone as well.

When looking at reality shows, especially ones where the actors are living in a house, I have seen many times where house hold products or shirt brand logo have been blurred out. This is because products do not want to be associated as a sponsor or a paid advertisement for the show. Do to the nature of reality television and the possibility of spontaneous situations, some companies do not want to risk their reputation with reality television. This again is due to the powerful influence that product placement. Both examples show that product placement has the power to sell. That is the root of all advertisement to sell a product and just as easy a good product placement can sell a product; bad placement can hurt the marketabilty of a product as well.

When looking at other example of product placement, I think of the movie theatre. As soon as you walk in you are bombarded with brands. You see freshly popped popcorn on an add with a huge cup of Coca-Cola and suddenly you think how that Coke would take good after eating popcorn. Even at the grocery store, have you ever wondered why drinks and snacks always seem to line the registers? In hopes to spark a purchase. The placement of those products is to generate a second though before making all your purchases that you might need to grab some gum before you leave the grocery store. It is as if we have triggers in our brain that go off at the site of brand names. You see a Coke bottle and suddenly you are thirsty, you see the McDonald’s golden arches and a Big Mac sounds pretty satisfying. Companies play on this when they create their advertisements. We see these brands everyday walking down the street, on our phones, even on elevators. We cannot escape the power of product placement. Company’s use this power to their advantage by putting items in locations where we see them, or make them more marketable so when it is time to make a purchase we know the “right” choice. Generally speaking when people crave a dark soda their mind automatically jumps to Coke not Mr. Pibb necessarily. This is primarily because the product placement of Coke is so far in the foreground that it can overshadow other companies that make similar products.

Now jumping from literal product placement, we start to look a real-world product placement. This isn’t simply putting an item out for display, its pushing it in an audience and watching it begin to buzz. The simple act of seeing a person (especially attractive) with a new or different item or product catches people’s attention. Strangers might ask questions and become interested in the product for themselves simply because they saw someone with the product. This can be seen with a new drink for purchase at a bar. Marketing would hire a select number of physically attractive actors to create “buzz” by sitting or standing around the bar holding the drink. They aren’t wearing the bars logo on their shirt or telling people to buy the drink, they just hold the drink. This creates an avenue for potential consumers to ask the actors question about the drink. These are some of tactics it takes to sell  a product.

Again, product placement is so important because it has the power to influence a consumer to buy a product. When one consumer sees that another has purchased a product now they are curious about this purchase and maybe more inclined to purchase. It is all ripple effect that starts with where your product is place.

Overall, this is probably one of the most influential aspects of advertising and marketing today. It isn’t always how much money you spend on prime-time commercials or getting a huge billboard over the highway it’s just about putting your item in a place to be seen by the right audience. That is what creates sells, people buying your product and regardless of how amazing a commercial is, if you show a televised commercial targeted for teens during a time when most that audience is in school your product was not well placed. Having the ability to understand what your audience needs not what they want is what is important in the business of selling.

Do as I say NOT as I do

“Do as I say, not as I do.”  The infamous quote of authority, or as some might say lack thereof. When thinking about an authority figure, that would preach a quote that is essentially telling followers to “you must do what I say, but I don’t have to do it.” How can you consider yourself an authority figure if you don’t want your “followers” to follow you? But the question isn’t how can you lead people with that mentality? The real question is who would follow someone like that? No one, willingly. You follow management because you do not want to be reprimanded, not by choice. Someone who is managing a group can get away with the “Do what I say; not as I do” mentality because their sole purpose is to “baby-sit” a group of subordinates. Managing a group of people does not mean you are invested into the people and the future of the group. It means “having executive or supervisory control or authority.” It means having someone to tell you when your behavior is out of line or dictate how you should do things. The word managing can turn working people into tangible objects like money or equipment. Having an understanding for the word management will only magnify the difference between managing and leading.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” President John Adams was quoted saying that in a time without the internet or media, yet these words still have so much relevance. Being a leader isn’t about the authority or control, it’s about having a vision. Not just having a vision but being able to convey that vision to other people. A leader invests their heart and soul into their group, their team, their organization, whomever they can impact is a target for a leader. A leader isn’t a paid position it’s a voluntary act that someone puts upon themselves. Looking at the action “to lead” someone has to have a sense of direction of where they want to go. Having a lost leader is no better than having an abundance of people with different senses of directions, both get you nowhere. That is the impact of leadership. Being able to separate yourself from the pack and create followers that share your vision and choose to endure the journey with you embodies what the late President John Adams stated.  

Now some people may be wondering since we have determined that management and leadership are two very different things can they coexist. Can someone be a good manager and a good leader? Quite simply yes, just as easy as someone can be a good manager but a bad leader and vice versa. The importance is knowing that they are separate and have huge impacts on the success of a group. When trying to think of an example where this information is relevant, I immediately think of the rise of Apple products under the guidance of Steve Jobs. In 1996, Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy, today Apple is the “world’s most admired high tech company” (Business Insider,2011). What was the key to their success? Steve Jobs. Jobs wasn’t exactly your ideal coworker. He was known for being arrogant, dictatorial and downright mean- spirited. This was not a great set up for a positive work experience for his employees. Yet, many of them remained intact. Despite his flaws as a CEO or managing the company, Jobs was a great leader. “I believe that he had at least three qualities that great executive leaders have:  a clear vision, a passion for the company and its people, and an ability to inspire trust “(Rutgers, 2011). Jobs vision is clear throughout his ups and downs in his career, he always knew his goal. 
Having vision is one of the greatest qualities of leadership, because you can see beyond the present. You are envisioning something greater than what already exist and hoping that people jump on board. That is a risk that many people are afraid to take, but a leader steps into the unknown without faltering. That confidence is what pulls in followers, if someone can turn left when everyone is turning right alone, people notice. They start asking the question, "why are we all going right anyway?" And just like that, you have followers. Gaining the ability to earn people's trust to walk into uncharted territories behind you, is the fundamentals of leadership. “Have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become" (Jobs, 2005). Steve Jobs shows how regardless of what people think about you, a good leader will lead.

However, good leadership doesn’t always mean a good vision. A clear example of this is Adolf Hitler. After the reparations placed upon Germany after World War I, morally they were in shambles. Hitler used this as fuel for his reign throughout Europe with his desire to preserve the Arian race. It is easy to look from the outside and judge. How can people follow someone who’s sanity could be in question? Good leadership. Hitler had a vision, the German people were lost, feeling as if they were walking in the dark and Hitler was their light switch. His charisma and clear vision made it easy for people to follow. Despite all the horrors that were brought with Hitler’s regime, it is almost praise worthy to see how leadership can influence a nation of people.

Without good leaders, I am not confident that our world would be where it is today. From the civil rights movement to self-driving cars, these are all ideas that were driven by leaders. It would be wrong to say good management is not essential for success of an organization, however that is not what drives them forward. Leaders are your innovators, whether that’s with a product or a cultural movement, we would be stagnant without them. Anyone can tell people what to do, but to build trust and influence people to believe in what you believe, is where leaders flourish.