Question 1: 1.Do you think a U.S. public relations agency should represent a nat

Question

Question 1: 1.Do you think a U.S. public relations agency should represent a nation that holds views contrary to the United States? Why or why not?

Question 2: 2.Should Ketchum have resigned the Russian account after the 2014 invasion of Ukraine? Why or why not?

Question 3: 3.Where should a public relations agency draw the line in representing controversial clients?

Case: "Irate Actor Takes to the Air" p.36-37

Question 1. How would you assess the “fairness” of Baldwin’s response to American’s action, and the airline’s response to Baldwin’s tweet?

2. Did American Airlines do the right thing? What other options did the airline have?

Explanation / Answer

Question 1:

The public relations agency can represent a nation, which holds contrary views to the United States as it’s an individual agency and is free to select the business or country it will represent. Further, they can follow their business practices as long as they do not compromise the security of the nation or pose a threat to a nation by its adverse negative activities. It should maintain the code of ethics as dictated by the public relations society of America. It dictates as follows:

·         Advocacy: Represent the client’s interest and ensure the confidentiality of client’s information. Information about the client would be released only on the client’s request. The agency should responsibly represent their clients and their ideas.

·         Honesty: They need to project the truth and give accurate details of the people they represent while communicating in public. The PR Company cannot lie or cook up information about its client.

·         Expertise: They use their knowledge and expertise to guide the client on how to conduct itself in public and which activities and events they should publically attend or patronize.

·         Independence: They have to give their objective opinion to their client while ensuring they take care of the public interests.

·         Loyalty: They need to support and keep loyalties constant when they agree to represent a particular client. They cannot change loyalties if a competitor offers better returns.

·         Fairness: The right to free expression is respected by all agencies.

As long as they represent the interest of the country within the established code of ethics and conduct they should be free to represent any nation who wants to project themselves in a positive manner to build their brand and improve the country’s image.

Question 2:

Ketchum A public relations company from the USA was appointed in 2006 by the Russian government headed by President Vladimir Putin to build a good image for Russia especially when it was hosting the group 8 meeting in St Petersburg.

After the Ukraine Russia war, Mr. Putin is no longer interested in building his public image and Ketchum who had 36 plus employees managing Russian image worldwide is not having just 10 employees representing the Russian business.

The reason why Ketchum should not discontinue their business is that the purpose of the public relation company was to build a good brand image of Russia for the following reasons:

1.      Promote investment in Russia

2.      Help build its business interests and image for the Olympics

3.      Facilitate communication

They are not contradicting their code of ethics or conduct nor are they threatening the countries security in any manner. They are acting like a mature independent business organization conducting business on behalf of their client by promoting their brand image.

Question 3:

The public relations company are also companies who are providing specialized service. They are similar to marketing companies who help in advertising, business promotion etc. They are entitled to build their business and within the scope of the code of ethics. They are free to represent clients and project them in the positive light in case it is the truth. They have to be careful not to misrepresent the facts or twist the situation to show clients in a positive light. There is no fixed parameter where they should draw a line.

The line on controversial clients should be drawn and they should use the power of public opinion only when they are sure that the situation is not being fabricated. The good and bad should be clearly studied and presented accordingly.

Question 1.

Alec Baldwin refused to stop laying words with friends while the plane was being taxied on the runaway.

He tweeted a statement which was read by 5 million people. The American airlines made a statement on Facebook which reached 75,000 people. This was broadcast worldwide. Baldwin tried to use public opinion to create public opinion and get sympathy. According to me, a passenger cannot be allowed to compromise the lives of 100’s of co-passengers and should adhere to the aviation rules. The tweet by him was just to vent his frustration and reflects his bad attitude. American airline was correct in protecting their image and clarifying the situation.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse Q
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.