According the association, NBA Cares is the league’s global community outreach initiative that addresses important social issues such as education, youth and family development, and health and wellness. The NBA, its teams, and players support a range of programs, partners and initiatives that strive to positively impact children and families worldwide.

Clearly, this is part of the league’s mission to demonstrate leadership in social responsibility. Despite the ever-so-often athlete mishap, current Commissioner David Stern has done an excellent job turning the reputation of the NBA right-side up. Since October 2005 when the NBA launched the campaign, the league has collectively raised more than $115 million dollars for charity, provided more than one million hours of hands-on service and built more than 460 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world.

Moreover, the league has focused its efforts on social causes that plague communities nationwide; however, one area of campaign that they focus on with great significance happens to be its green initiative.

The league has been taking steps to becoming a more environmentally responsible organization by launching campaigns such as “NBA Green Week.” Since media play a crucial role in persuading people to exhibit new habits, the NBA hopes that fans and others can learn by observing environmental tips from some the league’s favorite all-stars.

Moreover, the NBA teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to form the first ever NBA Green week. Here, NBA teams took part in reducing their carbon footprint firsthand while trying to inspire their fans to do their part as well. Teams hosted community events, which included tree planting, recycling drives, park clean-ups, Go Green Awareness Night, and the opening of green reading and learning centers nationwide.

The campaigned aimed at taking previously well-regarded role models from the league and having them promote sustainability and other environmentally friendly habits. In order to communicate these ideas to the public, the NBA used an assortment of media and social media outlets. During the week, teams wear special jerseys, which displayed the icon shown above. In addition, players promoted the cause through social media networks, and created short informational YouTube videos like the one below.

Photo credit: Laffy4k and Nico_’s on Flickr

So far, the company has not contacted Twitter or showed any signs of potentially putting an end to the impostor account. Therefore, many professionals in them realm of crisis management, including Bernstein, contend that BP is inviting further reputation damage by letting the account exist.

On the other hand, a recent post on Outspoken Media suggests that BP embrace the impostor account in order to fix the brand-damaging agenda. According to this post, they suggest BP partner with the impostor in order to mix in real information to a large audience that is clearly invested in the situation already. Thus, having BP face its most critical audience while working to save the remains of its reputation.

Sadly, this somewhat comical Twitter is better at keeping the public informed on recent developments (even if they are wrapped up in a harsh-toned rhetoric).In a recent nation-wide poll, 70 percent of Americans disapprove the way BP is handling the oil spill. Clearly, BP continues to dissatisfy the public with its crisis management actions, and maybe these tweets aren’t so far off.

In my mind it seems rather preposterous that a company this size lacks proper procedures for an oil spill. In addition, the lack of effective communication is beginning to bookmark their name and drag it into the history books as one of the worst companies of all time.

]]> http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/response-bp-ignoring-impostor/feed/ 0 amyshelton bpfwitter bpfwitter1 fwtittertreat http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/social-media-strategists-gamble-with-chatroulette/ http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/social-media-strategists-gamble-with-chatroulette/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 18:58:32 +0000 Blank Slate: http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/?p=214 ]]> November 2009 marked the birth of Chatroulette, a website that pairs random strangers from around the world together for webcam-based conversations. A 17-year-old high school student, Andrey Ternovskiy,  from Moscow conjured up the idea for the site after engaging in multiple video chat sessions with friends via Skype.

Shortly after the launch, the site accumulated around 500 visitors a day. Today, the site gets about 20,000 users on a typical night. According to Ternovskiy, advertising on Chatroulette is kept to a minimum because he believes them to be too distracting from what people want to do on the site in the first place.

With an audience that continues to increase daily, many social media strategists worldwide have decided to invest their time into this medium. So, what have they come up with? Surprisingly, the most creative campaign I came across was by a condom company, Condomeire, based in Amsterdam.

According to Viral Blog, the HIV prevention campaign has failed in getting attention. After its launch on April 28, 2010, the video has been viewed just over 8,000 times. Critics of the campaign suggest that probability of coming across this woman advocating for HIV prevention is so unlikely that it essentially undermines the effectiveness of the campaign.

Clearly, the uncontrollable environment of Chatroulette has provided strategists with a great feat. In addition, the site has been bombarded with negative media coverage.

A recent study by RJMetrics complied data on 2,883 Chatroulette sessions. According to the study, they tied users to geography, gender, and appearance. Overall, they generated some very interesting results:

• Half of all Chatroulette spins connects you with someone from the USA
• 89 percent of spins showed males
• 1 in 8 spins yield something R-rated

Clearly, the target audience for Chatroulette is somewhat straightforward. In addition, companies like Condomeire have made great strides in experimenting with this rocky terrain. Therefore, I look forward to seeing how companies and strategists continue to work or not work with this medium in the future.

Photo credit: Melissa Gray on Flickr

• Infographic: A visual representation of information, data or knowledge. According the post,  research results work well in this format and stand out from the other news pieces.

Example: Screenshot of an infographic about smoking, public health and the human body. (More available at: http://mastersinnursingonline.com/2010/25-incredible-infographics-about-smoking-public-health-and-the-human-body/)

• Advertising (“Shockvertising”): Paid placement can result in complete control of message, including when it appears.

Example: Brandon Knowldon’s aggressive health ads.

• News Story: In order to create momentum, sending out a story with a unique perspective can be very productive.

Example: Screen shot of The Body Odd, a blog that produces unique insights on medical, pharmaceutical and biological news with a touch of humor. This serves as a great example of how to produce content about news issues with a unique approach.

• Bullet Point: Getting your message across in a short but sweet manner is known to be highly effective.

Example: CDC Flu prevention poster.

• Haiku: Creative writing.

Example: Stacy Smallwood a public health professional and poet, performs his new occupational safety poem. Available at:http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/video/OSH_poem.html

• Video File: Recently, more and more news is pitched via Internet in a video format.

Example: Sustainable Tourism Video News Release.

These are just a few of the proposed alternatives to a traditional news release. However, is it important to note that no matter the context of information it should always contain strong, compelling and quality content. Overall, with any news, it is important to research the target audience. Thus, giving you a better idea of how to effectively engage them. Although the post clearly aims to highlight the alternatives to a news release, it is of the utmost importance to acknowledge situations that would benefit from the tried and true news release itself.

]]> http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/response-12-news-release-alternatives/feed/ 1 amyshelton smokeinfographic foodad thebodyodd prevent-flu http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/response-pr-customer-service-merger-accelerating/ http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/response-pr-customer-service-merger-accelerating/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 18:43:34 +0000 Blank Slate: http://amyshelton.wordpress.com/?p=184 ]]> A recent blog post by Todd Defren explores the ever-changing public relations profession. Similarly, a year ago, Defren wrote about the waning emphasis on ‘Media Relations.” However, today media relations is arguably one of the most important elements of PR today. Thus, suggesting that increased mainstream media results in increased online media and social channels. However, according to Defren, one area of PR that has accelerated much faster than expected is “Customer Service.”

Overall, daily PR activities have started to incorporate new tasks like monitoring social networks for clients and handling consumer complaints and other Customer Service issues. Yet, another  showcase of how the profession continues to encompass more sectors of the business industry.

This is not hard to imagine; PR practitioners are trained to employ strategic communication after carefully researching their targeted audience. These practitioners thrive by ‘getting into the shoes’ of others to really understand who their audience really is.

From a public health perspective, the swift towards a more customer-related PR approach will greatly aid in guaranteeing that each respectable audience is getting applicable information. The more you know about your audience the better chance you will have at influencing them towards healthier, risk reduction practices.

For more information about strategic communication and marketing in the public health field check out this very informative video featuring Susan D. Kirby, Dr. P.H, M.P.H.

Recently, the National Cancer Institute announced that San Francisco has the highest rates of liver cancer in the nation. The leading cause of liver cancer is hepatitis B.

The aggressive ad campaign is part of a larger collaboration called San Francisco Hep B Free. This includes over 50 private and public organizations. According to the campaign, it is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between city government, private healthcare community organizations and businesses.

“The campaign’s goal is to make San Francisco hepatitis B-free by creating public and healthcare provider awareness about the importance of testing. It advocates vaccinating Asian and Pacific Islanders for hepatitis B; and promoting routine hepatitis B screenings and vaccinations within the primary care medical community. It also facilitates access to treatment for chronically infected individuals.”

The ad campaign was put together pro bono by DAE Advertising, a leading Asian American advertising agency based in San Francisco. According to the campaign, these advertisements are the first major market health campaign in the country to feature more than 60 people from the Bay Area’s Asian community.

Here are a few of the ads:

Additional information:

How is Hepatitis B transmitted?

Hepatitis B is transmitted through activities that involve percutaneous (i.e, puncture through skin) or mucosal contact with infectious blood or body fluids (e.g, semen, saliva), including

• Sex with an infection partner
• Injection drug use that involves sharing needles, syringes, or drug-preparation equipment
• Birth to an infected mother
• Contact with blood or open sores of an infected person
• Needle sticks or sharp instrument exposures
• Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person

Hepatitis B is not spread through food or water, sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, hang holding, coughing, or sneezing.

(Source: CDC)

Domestic violence and emotional abuse are defined as: behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, lesbian, living together, separated or dating. In addition, violence can be criminal and includes physical  assault (hitting, pushing, shoving, ect.), sexual abuse (unwanted or forced sexual activity). Although emotional, psychological  and financial abuse are not criminal behaviors, they are forms of abuse and can lead to criminal violence.

In addition, there are many myths that surround domestic violence. Therefore, one thing that everyone should is that it can happen to anyone. Victims can be of any age, sex, race, culture, religion, education, employment or marital status.

Research suggests a trend among domestic violence relationships and it has become known as “The Cycle of Violence.”

Incident

• Any type of abuse occurs (physical/sexual/emotional)

Tension Building

• Abuser starts to get angry
• Abuse may begin
• There is a breakdown of communication
• Victim feels the need to keep the abuser calm
• Tension becomes too much
• Victim feels like they are ‘walking on egg shells’

Making-Up

• Abuser may apologize for abuse
• Abuser may promise it will never happen again
• Abuser may blame the victim for causing the abuse
• Abuser may deny abuse took place or say it was not as bad as the victim claims

Calm

• Abuser acts like the abuse never happened
• Physical abuse may not be taking place
• Promises made during ‘making-up’ may be met
• Victim may hope that the abuse is over
• Abuser may give gifts to victim

Adapted from the original concept of:  Walker, Lenore. The Battered Woman. New York: Harper and Row, 1979.

Many people believe domestic violence to be a family problem; however, it is a full-blown public health problem that affects the health and well-being of millions of women and children worldwide. Research has shown a direct link from domestic violence to adverse maternal, perinatal and infant health outcomes.

According to the CDC about a quarter of U.S women suffer domestic violence. In addition, the CDC estimates that 1,200 women are killed and 2 million injured in domestic violence annually. Therefore, prevention campaigns like the one being implemented nationwide have become a necessary  means for combating the dangerously high rates of domestic violence.

To learn more about domestic violence and warning signs check out this video:

A short, bittersweet article by Todd Defren discusses the turn of events for BP after causing one of the worlds most devastating oil spills to date. Defren suggests that BP started to make strides towards potentially reaping good press out of a horrific event by publicizing its plan to pay for the spill clean-up. However, reports have surfaced surrounding BP’s lack of preparedness and proactive attempts to avoid legal persecutions.  From here, it looks like the future of BP is one that is rather bleak.

Meanwhile, the petroleum well in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spew at least 210,000 gallons of oil a day since April 22. This got me thinking; what are the possible effects on nearby communities?

Currently, the U.S Health Department is participating in the oil spill recovery response. It has reported that it may have to deal with some future health issues but at this time it is merely a resource. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the several hundred chemical compounds found in crude oil make up “total petroleum hydrocarbons” and says their leading effect is on the nervous system, typically producing dizziness or headache when fumes are inhaled or crude comes into extended contact with the skin, mouth or eyes. For now, the biggest immediate threat from the spill inshore is to people with respiratory disorders and pregnant women. However, no one is sure of the potential effects to come.

According to local officials, the visible ecological impact has been mirrored by a tangible deterioration in the social fabric of the worst-hit coastal fishing communities. In addition, human damage is slower coming.

Studies of the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989 suggested a large impact on humans in addition to ecological damage:

“The consequences for fishing communities and Alaskan native villages has been that the social and psychological impacts have also persisted, incredibly so, for 20 years,” said Steve Picou a professor of sociology at the University of South Alabama. Such impacts include: increased suicide rates,  increase in divorce rate, increase in domestic violence, increased bankruptcy. Such increases are suspected to have formed because of increased depression, alcoholism and high levels of post traumatic stress disorder. Thus, leaving these communities utterly paralyzed.

Going back to Defren and BP’s lack of effective PR, it is somewhat worrisome that they have include little press about potential effects on communities and public health. In efforts to stay in a more positive light, the company should put more time into researching the results of the Exxon incident. Thus, gathering strategies in order to prevent communities along the gulf from deteriorating and falling victim to such traumatic events.

Case Study: GYT (Get Yourself Tested) Campaign

We as public relations practitioners have the ability to influence behavior through strategic communication techniques. Consequently, many organizations within the humanitarian sector have called upon us to help promote their various causes. It is crucial for these organizations to adopt a strategic approach to their communication with the public; however, it is also important for us to see the link between public relations and its growing success the humanitarian sector. Therefore, I decided to explore the GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign and how they have successfully used public relations techniques to improve public health.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that occur every year in the United States, about half are among those 15-24 years of age. In addition, many STDs show no symptoms; therefore, most of those who are infected are unaware. Meanwhile, many factors are preventing people from getting tested including: lack of information and education, social stigmas and misconceptions.

Consequently, in 1997, the Kaiser Foundation partnered with MTV to form a campaign on HIV/AIDS, STDs, and other related health issues. More recently, the ongoing partnership has caught the attention of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the CDC as well as many other entities nationwide. Collaboratively, they have launched the GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign, which aims to “help young people make responsible decisions about their sexual health.” The month-long GYT campaign runs during National STD Awareness Month, and this April marks the second annual event.

According to the campaign, the message is to create a social movement around getting tested. “The only way to know the status of your sexual health is to get tested. There’s no way around that fact,” said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV. “This generation has the opportunity to redefine the conversation surrounding STDs and to break down stigmas. We hope this campaign will help arm our audience with the information and the ability to make GYT part of everyday.”

Therefore, in order to create a strong, effective campaign the GYT has implemented a highly interactive multimedia campaign. So you may be wondering, what makes this campaign different from the rest? Let’s take a look.

• Use of Social Media
• Carefully crafted language and celebrity icons to connect with target audience
• Interactive components: toolkit & Campus Challenge

1. Social Media: The GYT campaign has an incredibly interactive website. From here, visitors are encouraged to explore the informational hub. A key aspect of drawing traffic to the site is to encourage visitors to continue their exploration by visiting the GYT Facebook and Twitter page.

• Facebook: According to the campaign, a Facebook tagging application is available, which is aimed to normalize STD testing by affixing the concept to young peoples’ everyday lives. In addition, they encourage users to become fans.

• Twitter: The GYT twitter page helps to carry the message of the campaign to a broad audience. In addition, it provides another way to get people to visit the website, answer questions, provide information, and generate interest in the campaign.

2. Language & Celebrity Icons: The GYT campaign has made great strides by effectively applying language and icons that relate with their target audience. From acronyms to slang, they have employed strategic communication in order to raise awareness about the risks of STDs and to help break the barriers currently preventing people from getting tested.

In addition, the GYT campaign has utilized MTV’s connections to celebrity icons in order to further their message. Such celebrities include Santigold, Perez Hilton, Keri Hilson and many more. The stars help promote the cause by appearing on the GYT Facebook, Twitter and by producing video clips than appear on TV and all GYT online components.

http://community.itsyoursexlife.com/Video/Keri-Hilson/0D9D8FFFF01AA0D37001700EB472E

3. Interactive components: The GYT goes beyond just merely getting people to go get tested; it aims to break taboos and social stigmas surrounding STDs by encouraging their target audience to become part of the campaign.

• Toolkits are available for anyone to use, which provide information on how to bring GYT into your environment. The toolkit is comprised of numerous materials that can be downloaded and printed. These toolkits can be applied through social media or integrated into campus health centers and community clinics. Toolkits are accessed through the main GYT website.
• The Campus Challenge: A contest between college campuses nationwide. The challenge is hosted through Facebook, and those who build the largest amount of GYT supporters relative to the size of their student body will be featured by MTV News and receive additional prizes. Therefore, those participating by spreading the word of GYT to friends are helping stop the spread of STDs nationwide.

2009 Results from previous components:

• At campaign launch, “GYT” was one of the most-searched terms on Google, most-discussed videos on YouTube and also generated significant attention on Twitter. GYT-related videos have now been streamed over 400,000 times. Thousands continue to track and engage with the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
• GYT09.org, the campaign’s Web hub, provided information to nearly 300,000 unique visitors during April, serving as a resource for facts about STDs; talking tips on how to discuss STD testing with partners and healthcare providers; and connecting young people to nearby testing centers and other resources. Tens of thousands of young people accessed local testing resources through GYT’s online and mobile tools
• An all-star collective of pop-culture personalities carried the GYT message far and wide, from Soulja Boy tweeting “WTF is GYT” to nearly 200,000 fans on Twitter to Perez Hilton’s GYT video generating over 1,000 comments. Flo Rida, The All-American Rejects, Asher Roth, N.E.R.D., Santigold, Joanna Garcia, Kid Sister, Chester French and Joy Bryant also promoted GYT via their social marketing networks, spreading the word and urging young people to GYT.
• GYT Community Kits were distributed to over 1,500 clinics, youth organizations, public health departments and other groups across the country to provide programming materials and resources for local efforts to encourage STD testing.

(Source: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/mtvs-gyt-campaign-spurs-nationwide-movement-get-yourself-tested-27926.htm)

Carefully crafted campaigns, such as the GYT, have helped empower individuals towards healthy choices and risk reduction practices. Therefore, it is important to study and recognize the key components of such campaigns in order to enhance these ongoing efforts to make the world a better, healthier place.

Visit http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/gyt for more information.

A recent blog post by Jill Laster, a Wired Campus Intern, explored a new study from the University of Maryland. Findings from the study suggests that students are hooked on social media and cellphones, describing withdrawals similar to those used by drug and alcohol addicts.

“The study from the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, “24 Hours: Unplugged,” asked 200 students on the campus to give up all media for a full day and blog on private Web sites about their experience. Student reaction showed addiction like withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, misery, and being jittery, the authors wrote.”

Currently, the American Psychiatric Association does not formally recognize “Internet addiction” as a disorder; however, many critics of the study suggest that describing the findings as ‘addiction’ is misguided. However, on a lighter note, the study has also shed light on the fact that students really cared about what was going on in the world.

According to the study, the absence of information– the feeling of not being connected to the world– was among the things that caused the most anxiety in students. Thus, they cared about was going on in their social groups, community and the world at large.

In the grand scheme of things, it is hard to not believe that students rely on social media to keep themselves connected. The face of journalism as we know it has transformed with the rise of such ‘new’ media platforms. While the demand for information continues to push journalists to keep updating 24/7 , then how are we supposed to stay in touch?

According the study, students get their news and information in a disaggregated way, often through friends texting via cell phone, or Facebooking, emailing and Im-ing via their laptops.

On a personal level, I find social media as a very helpful tool in all aspects of my life. However, I’m not completely sure that the word ‘addicted’ would describe my habits. Still undecided if you’re addicted? Check this video and see…

Photo credit: Mike Licht on Flickr