The Apartheid State

How long can a politician go without offending a target population? John Kerry, U.S. Security of Defense has been under scrutiny for his comments calling Israel an apartheid state.

John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of Defense

Apartheid* is a form of social segregation that took place in South Africa. The rights of millions were stolen, and representation in politics lost for those in minority groups. Those of different races were not allowed to marry, coincide within the same neighborhood or have sexual relations.

Fortunately, the Apartheid state deceased after continual resistance from minority groups and the election of Nelson Mandela as the president of South Africa. For many years preceding Mandela’s election, the apartheid state was condemned by the west and other parts of the world.

John Kerry’s assertion of Israel an apartheid state has reached criticisms across the political spectrum. Kerry’s comment came after an unsuccessful week of peace talks with Israel and Palestine.

Young child in Israel faces of with tank as the conflict continues 

Like most political blunders, Kerry’s comment was taken out of context.
Politico.com reported the intentions behind the blunder to be nothing more than cautionary -- Kerry’s statement was intended to warn the world about a potential outcome if peace talks are not successful.  

The damage has been done regardless of context.

Kerry quickly went on the defense, explaining that his intentions were never to offend, and apologizing to all those offended.

"If I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word." Kerry stated in his statement.

David Jarvis, Colorado State University student with a focus in Political Science found that the comments where not completely out of line.

“I think the term is correct because of the internal conflict...that has been happening in Israel ever since we declared it a country. So I’d say that fits the description pretty well.”

Jarvis found the term to be brass, yet still appropriate. In contrast, Gereon Fredrickson, Junior at Colorado State with an interest in politics found the comment out of line.

“Given the history of the apartheid state in South Africa, I found it extremely insensitive. Millions of people suffered for decades after decades, and to say that Israel is on the same track if they don’t do what Kerry wants or resolve disputes is out of line. Sometimes sorry just isn’t enough.” Said Fredrickson

Kerry and Israel Prime Minister continue peace talks.

What is a politician to do when ‘sorry’ doesn’t quit cover it? Lie low. As a public relations student I believe that the best approach for Kerry is to lay low at this point in time. He has issued statements apologizing to all those offended, as well as further explained his comment. At this point there is not much left for Kerry to do -- besides to continue to facilitate and resolve conflict between the two countries.

As with most things in politics, it will only be a matter of weeks before one of Kerry’s colleagues makes a statement more offensive than his.

*South Africa is no longer considered an Apartheid State after the election of Nelson Mandela.

Heartbleed

Heartbleed.

An interesting name for a virus that is hacking into peoples personal information everywhere, stealing usernames and account information for hackers.

But in a way, technology tends to be our hearts these days. Usernames connect us to our bank accounts, social media sites, work websites, emails and so much more. So what does a company do when thousandths of usernames are being stolen across the internet?

Pinterest sent out an email to all of it's users, addressing the attack, explained that they are monitoring all accounts on Pinterest, that so far this is minimal "mischief" and prompting all users to change their log in information.

This is the e-mail that Pinterest sent me, many of my fellow pinners confirmed that they too had been notified of the security risks.

I thought that Pinterests approach was a perfect example of textbook crisis communications. The email felt very proactive and informative, without frightening the audience. The email being short rather than lengthy also helped to reduce my perception of the importance of the problem. I even liked how they provided suggestions when creating a password, such as using symbols etc.

As they would say in Harry Potter, mischief managed.

Let's Start a Riot

Colorado State, better known to the student body as Rage State is beginning to portray an image that makes Boulder look good. 

Just when we thought the 2013 CSU Confessions block party turned riot was a thing of our past, CSU students and Fort Collins residents decided to revive rioters. April, 12, 2014 marked the revival of a riot. Students were reported to begin shouting "Stand your ground" as police showed up, even going to the extent of throwing beer bottles and other objects at officers. 

How does a University protect their image of modeling responsible adults when the student body is making national headlines for disorderly conduct? 

First and foremost, the Dean of Students sends a stern email reminding students of the consequences of participating in riots.The most severe being expelled from Colorado State and unable to attend any academic institution in Colorado for one year. 

From the standpoint of a public relations student I think this is a crucial part. The image of Colorado State can only be protected so much by the faculty, the student body has to believe in the image, and embody it whenever they are being featured on any type of social media platform. 

I think the next important piece would be for the university to highlight that it was not only CSU students in attendance of the block party, but also those from Front Range and Fort Collins residents. In addition, a large portion of the student body chose not to attend the block party. 

For now, the best strategy for Colorado State University may be laying low, and staying out of the publics eye. 

Social Media

Social Media has taken society by storm. Whether its Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn, we are communicating in ways that we never have before.

In the world of PR it's important to stay up on trends and communicate with demographics on their preferred medium. I recently read a post on PR Daily that discussed the best times to post on Social Media.

I found it interesting that the primary times to post for sites such as Facebook are in the mornings on weekdays, whereas sites such as Pinterest tends to be on weekdays.

This kind of information is essential for PR practitioners because it helps use Social Media as a vessel to interact with their target audiences, or promote messages on another platform.

A Modern Day Warrior

The sun beats down on the sword. Nestled against the warriors side, waiting. Waiting for the moment when it will be unsheathed. The warrior picks up his pace, the grass crumpling beneath his weight. A long, velvet cloak flapping in the wind.

The war has began.

This scene has played out in movies and tv shows set in medieval times. Yet it's happening in modern times, in the college town of Fort Collins, Colo. These warriors aren't enlisted by kings, or fighting for honor -- but rather for themselves. A burning desire to satisfy their imagination propelling them forward in valiant quests.

Live Action Role Play (LARP) is an underground activity that is becoming more visible within the Fort Collins Community. Most Saturdays, various LARP groups will congregate in City Park and live out their fantasies of battle.

Simply put, LARP "is live action role-playing that combines interactive role-playing with combat sequences for a variety of different classes (knights, wizards, etc)." Stated Tanisha, Employee at Gryphon Books and Comics. Gryphon Books and Comics, with Tanisha's help, organize various LARPing activities around the community.

Through providing resources, workshops, and connecting beginner LARPers with pre-existing groups Tanisha is helping to grow the activity within the Fort Collins Community, despite every effort LARP has yet to gain momentum within the mainstream population.

Parker Williams, sophomore at Colorado State University, participates in LARPing with his fraternity brothers once a year. Randomly divided into teams, the brothers take months to gather their gear, and assemble their weapons. A beginner in the LARP world, Williams describe his personal strategy similar to whack-a-mole.

Despite members of Greek Life helping to bring LARPing mainstream, the movement is still struggling. The real challenge is rebranding LARP to make it 'cool'?

Donna Rouner, Public Relations Professor at Colorado State University, had a couple ideas on how LARPing could make a stand in the mainstream world. First and foremost she would "begin with awareness through media releases, including any entertainment media you may find in Northern Colorado, possibly Denver area (free weeklies, etc., as well as more traditional media)." said Rouner. This would help to promote the local LARPing groups and raise awareness among Coloradoans about LARP and how they could get involved.

Rouner also felt it would be beneficial to go to local schools and YMCA groups to build a generation of LARPers rather than ignite the curiosity of an older demographic. 

Despite effective Public Relations strategies, Rouner has her doubts about LARPing becoming main stream. "It may be possible for a more mainstream population might get interested in the spectator sport of it, rather than participating as a LARPer." Said Rouner.

 

As a public relations student, I believe that LARP would have to be rebranded and introduced to people within a younger age demographic. In an online survey I held 57.89 percent of all respondents said they would not be interested in participating in LARP.

The perception of the general public holds an even graver outlook for the potential for LARP to go mainstream. Only 20 percent of people surveyed felt that LARP could be a mainstream past time for America.


Perhaps Williams said it best "I don't think it can go mainstream because people associate it with being nerdy...there isn't an easy audience to market it to."


For now, LARP will be contained to those who want to live out their biggest fantasies.

For the full interview with Parker Williams and his LARPing thoughts and adventures below or link back to youtube.com if video doesn't work.

Interview with Parker on youtube.com

Main Stream

I have recently found myself wondering what makes an underground activity go 'mainstream.' Is it a series of coincidences, the stars aligning just right, that makes something go viral? Or is it a series of strategic, calculated maneuvers executed by PR professionals across the globe.

Various steps can be taken to make something mainstream or popular. First and foremost would be the value of star power. A trend in America appears to be that as soon as a star has found something 'new' or 'underground' by the next day it is a top seller.

Another way is to appeal to the general public. Through making something go viral it requires a lot of time and marketing to get the public to like and share it -- although this is possible. Sometimes hits on social media can be the most effective form. Word of mouth can also be an effective form particularly with a younger generation.

Call it chance, fate, or strategic planning. Regardless a series of events click together to make things go 'mainstream'. Maybe the greatest achievement of the profession will be to figure out this mysterious formula.

Mailers

Recently in my Public Relations class we began discussing mailers. Back in the day, when people checked their mail daily mailers seemed effective. Those were the good ol' days of letters and simplified media.

But how effective are mailers really?

In a world of social media and increasing dependence on technology it seems that mailers are pointless, a dying medium that nobody has time for.

But what if mailers could be personalized somehow?

A few days ago, I was watching Shark Tank reunions when a guy came on with the idea of a post card that could be sent anywhere, with an electronic message and signature. The image could be selected by the user (including from their personal photo library) and then the company would print it out and send it to the intended recipient.

What if something like this could be incorporated for businesses? They could tailor the post card image to whatever the selected audience was interested in, and include related messages. I would make an argument that people love getting mail still -- just not spam.