SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
THE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS INCLUDED IN MY PORTFOLIO WERE CREATED FOR TWO DIFFERENT RHETORICAL CONTEXTS. THE FIRST SET OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS WERE CRAFTED FOR THE STARBUCKS BRAND IN RESPONSE TO A PARACRISIS. IN NOVEMBER OF 2015, THE STARBUCKS BRAND ENCOUNTERED A PARACRISIS AFTER A MAN’S VIDEO WENT VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA, INDICATING HOW OFFENDED HE WAS BY THE NEW HOLIDAY CUP DESIGN, DECLARING IT WENT AGAINST THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. THE DESIGN WAS A BLANK RED CUP THAT LEFT OFF THE ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS DESIGNS, USED IN THE PAST. THE VIDEO THAT WENT VIRAL AMONG 10 MILLION VIEWERS. STAKEHOLDERS WERE ABLE TO VIEW THE VIDEO RIGHT FROM THEIR SMARTPHONES, CAUSING A PARACRISIS TO OCCUR. COOMBS AND HOLLADAY (2012) DEFINE A PARACRISIS AS, “A PUBLICLY VISIBLE CRISIS THREAT THAT CHARGES AN ORGANIZATION WITH IRRESPONSIBLE OR UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR. A PARACRISIS IS A SPECIFIC TYPE OF CRISIS THREAT. A CRISIS THREAT IS A SITUATION THAT COULD ESCALATE INTO A CRISIS” (P.409). THE IMPORTANT WORDS TO COME FROM THIS DEFINITION ARE PUBLIC AND THREAT. THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ACTUAL CRISIS AND A PARACRISIS IS THAT A CRISIS CAUSES AN ORGANIZATION A HUGE FINANCIAL LOSS, IMPACTS OTHERS’ LIVES, OR NEGATIVELY IMPACTS THE ENVIRONMENT. WHILE A PARACRISIS OCCURS WHEN A RESPONSE IS GENERATED THROUGH STAKEHOLDERS AND THREATENS THE ORGANIZATION’S REPUTATION. WE CAN CLEARLY SEE THE RED CUP DEBATE WAS A PARACRISIS BECAUSE ACCORDING TO COOMBS AND HOLLADAY (2012) A PARACRISIS PRIMARILY PLAYS OUT IN PUBLIC. IN THIS PARACRISIS, THE MAN PETITIONED STARBUCKS TO CHANGE ITS’ BEHAVIOR THROUGH A SOCIAL MEDIA POST THAT QUICKLY BECAME VERY PUBLIC. SINCE THE FACEBOOK POST RECEIVED MORE THAN 1.8 MILLION LIKES, IT BECAME A POSSIBLE THREAT TO THE BRAND’S REPUTATION.
IN RESPONSE TO THE PARACRISIS, I CHOSE TO CREATE THESE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS TO SHOW THE BRANDS COMPASSION FOR OTHERS AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO BE INCLUSIVE FOR ALL RELIGIONS. I CHOSE TO RESPOND TO THE PARACRISIS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS BECAUSE I WANTED TO REACH TO THE LARGEST AUDIENCE POSSIBLE. ACCORDING TO COOMBS AND HOLLADAY (2012) “USING MULTIPLE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS CONNECTED VIA A CENTRAL WEB SITE IS A SOPHISTICATED COMMUNICATION APPROACH” (COOMBS & HOLLADAY, 2012, P.411). THE RHETORICAL CONTEXT OF THE STARBUCKS SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS IS THAT THE POSTS BROUGHT THE BRAND’S RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC SPOTLIGHT TO PREVENT AN ACTUAL FULL-BLOWN CRISIS FROM OCCURRING. THE INCREASED PUBLIC AWARENESS ENCOURAGED GREATER ATTENTION INTO THE BRAND’S VALUES AND DEVOTION OF BEING INCLUSIVE TO ALL. I CHOSE TO INCLUDE MESSAGING TO SHOW THE BRAND’S COMMITMENT OF BEING INCLUSIVE TO ALL GENDERS, RACES, AND RELIGIONS TO CREATE A MORE ETHICAL IMC PRACTICE.
THE OTHER SET OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS WERE CONSTRUCTED FOR THE RED BULL BRAND TO PROMOTE A NEW SUBCATEGORY OF VODKA ENERGY DRINKS. I CHOSE TO CALL THE NEW PRODUCT, RED BULL DRAGONS BLOOD TO CREATE EXCITEMENT AND BE CREATIVE. THE RHETORICAL CONTEXT OF THE RED BULL SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS IS THAT THEY BROUGHT THE NEW SUBCATEGORY INTO THE PUBLIC EYE PROMOTING THE PRODUCTS OFFERINGS AND MOTIVATED OTHERS TO GO OUT AND TRY IT. “RED BULL’S MAIN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT BODES AN IMPRESSIVE 9.8 MILLION FOLLOWERS” (MADDIE E., 2018, PARA.2). AFTER LEARNING THIS, I CHOSE TO CREATE THESE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FOR THE RED BULL INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT TO REACH THE LARGEST AUDIENCE POSSIBLE. AAKER (2018) EXPLAINS, “THE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY SHOULD BUILD A CRITICAL MASS OF INTEREST BY REACHING OUT TO EMPLOYEES, FRIENDS OF THE BRAND, AND OTHER INFLUENCERS WITH FOLLOWINGS; THESE GAIN EXPOSURE FOR THE MESSAGE AND PROVIDE ENDORSEMENTS FOR IT” (P.91). I SPENT TIME RESEARCHING THE BRAND’S SOCIAL PROFILES, THEIR LOGOS, THE TONE, AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS PRIOR TO CREATING THESE ADS TO ASSURE MY MESSAGING WAS COHESIVE AND CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT ALL MEDIA. HAVING AN INTEGRATED, CONSISTENT APPROACH TO MARKETING IS KEY. “WHEN COMMUNICATION VEHICLES ARE OPERATING IN ISOLATION, PERHAPS BECAUSE OF ORGANIZATIONAL SILOS, IT IS HARD TO SEND A CONSISTENT MESSAGE AND TO ACHIEVE ANY SOCIAL MOMENTUM AND SYNERGY” (AAKER, 2018, P.91). BY INCLUDING FEMALE ATHLETES INTO THE MIX, I WAS ABLE TO DIVE INTO THE FEMALE MARKET AND ESTABLISH A MORE ETHICAL APPROACH OF BEING INCLUSIVE TO A MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCE.
Red Bull Dragons Blood Social Media Posts
Starbucks Paracrisis Response Social Media Posts
