Ethics in Public Relations

Public relations is probably one of the most misunderstood professions and is probably top on the list amongst the professions with the most definitions. It is difficult to define PR not just from a layman's perspective but also within the industry itself. I have come across various people that have expressed their opinions towards public relations because they have believed that there can be no ethical public relations because the practice itself is parallel to propaganda and manipulation, but I disagree.

Not all major public relations firms may engage in some unethical practices and they don't do it because they are bad people with no morals but they do it because their wealthy clients have problems, and cleaning up their image is often easier and cheaper than cleaning up their mess.

Lets take a look at McDonalds. McDonalds' management has been trying to now for a very long time to distance themselves from claims that they promote junk food, which is unhealthy and causes obesity. They have tried to cover up the crisis by introducing healthy meals such as oatmeal and displaying the fat/calorie content on their menus which doesn't really solve the problem in the first place as most of their food is still classified as junk food. Does McDonalds PR company have responsibility of letting the public know that McDonalds is indeed harmful or should they just let it be.

Another example of a media crisis is by Lowes and their recent decision to pull their ads from the TLC show All American Muslim. Their decision to pull these ads has been met with widespread criticism from people from all over the country.  This kind of publicity does not reflect well on Lowes because it demonstrates ignorance on their behalf. Lowes reps have said that it stands by its decision to pull the ads during the show because they were getting complaints from several Christian groups.

In the event of a scandal or other PR crisis, companies have a short period of time to respond or they risk long-term damage to the business. What companies can do when faced with a scandal is to become proactive immediately and own up to the situation before it gets out of hand. I feel that a poorly handled PR situation can destroy a business’s reputation and credibility and can lead to the demise of the business itself. Because some incidents are unpredictable, businesses should have a checklist of steps to in order to keep employees, vendors, business partners and importantly the public up to date on what’s being done to address the situation. Another helpful tool that PR companies should employ is that they should identify a credible person who could speak on behalf of the company and most important with the rise of technology, be vigilant and use technology to your advantage. Twitter and Facebook and any other type of social media can be used as platforms to discuss and manage a crisis. 

I would like to learn more of crisis management and what companies have done to address and prevent such crisis from happening once more.

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Cosmopolitan magazine relies heavily on the contributions from their readers. Whether it is by message boards posts, tweets or articles Cosmo stresses the importance of respect with their community guidelines. Cosmo is committed to ensuring that no one feels threatened or bullied because of something that they may write or express their feelings towards. 

For investor relations, Cosmopolitan magazine partners with different companies in order to give or provide service to the public. One of Cosmos successes is partnering with Maybelline New York and the United Service Organizations (USO) for the third year in a row in order to collect and deliver "Kisses for the Troops." On Friday, November 11^th (Veterans Day) Cosmopolitan will build a Kiss Station on Military Island and invite the public to give a kiss on a postcard for a cause -- our troops -- which will ultimately be delivered to those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan just in time for New Year's Eve. Cosmopolitan and Maybelline New York will donate one dollar for each kiss collected to the USO.  This is a great event for Cosmo because it shows the initiative towards helping out our troops overseas.  Even though sending a card may seem like a small gesture, I think that it’s an amazing way to boost morale to the soldiers and let them know that we are thinking about them.

Crisis as defined by the Institute for Public Relations can be defined as a “significant threat to operations that can have negative consequences if not handled properly”. As I was researching around the web for any juicy scandals that Cosmopolitan magazine may have been involved with, I came across a news piece on Kim Kardashian. On April 2011, Kim Kardashian graced the cover of the international Turkish edition of Cosmopolitan magazine.

“Kardashian is upset because April marks Genocide Remembrance Day,

a holiday commemorating the murders of 1.5 million Armenian civilians in Turkey

from 1915 to 1919. Kardashian is Armenian.”

Kim Kardashian and Armenians were upset by this because they found it disrespectful to their heritage and to the tragedy that was of genocide against the Armenians by the Turkish. Cosmopolitan magazine replied by stating that they were deeply embarrassed by the mistake and that no ill will was intended.

In a case like this I believe that Cosmopolitan should have done their research more thoroughly. There is always going to be a group out on the defense because Cosmo is more of liberal, sexy magazine so it is important for Cosmo to make sure that they don’t give reasons to people to protest.

The most important strategy during a crisis, especially within the first few hour is to accept responsibility where is due, address the public and become available to the news media. During a crisis, it’s important to have a crisis team available and ready and that they have been professionally trained by doing hard interviews. Respond to reporters’ questions immediately, hiding out wont solves any problems. Lastly, have media kits already prepared and in the crisis room ready for distribution.

Cosmopolitan magazine has not been part of many moments of crisis which is a good thing. Since they are part of Hearts Corporations I am sure that they have a strong, efficient crisis implementation plan already set up because they would not want to do anything that would harm their investor relations.

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As I have blogged before, Cosmopolitan Magazine relies heavily on their use of social media as a way to connect with their readers. The very popular Bedroom Blog has been part of the Cosmo community for six years now; loyal readers have stuck by K’s fictional blog as she blogs about her quest for “love, happiness and sanity”. I think that readers have tuned in to her blog because of her relativity to the everyday working twenty-something woman. She touches on subjects that we relate to such as her relationships, her work life, social circle and more issues that hit home to me and other readers.

With their external blog, Cosmo announces new products, events, and services. As part of their external blog, I came across different blogs/articles written by different contributors  that aren’t necessarily part of a series but blogs about the latest trend, gossip or even headline news that’s has been going on. I enjoy reading the articles on “Cosmo Confidential”, a section where survivors recall their stories and give us tips on preventative measures that we can take in order to avoid risky situations.

I am not aware of any internal blogs that Cosmo may have, if they don’t have it, I would recommend that they should because it definitely encourages participation through out all departments, and more importantly communication from top level management all the way to lower level management.

Not only did I some different blogs aside from Bedroom Blog but I also came across-Joe Hottie's Dating Blog , a blog written by a guy about his dating life and the females that he comes across with. Having a guy post blogs about his dating life works effectively for Cosmopolitan magazine because they are diversifying their target audience, not only are guys going to want to read his blogs but female readers are also going to want to read his blog because it can give them insight into the male mind.

Even though reading about a Bedroom or a dating blog is great, I would love to see a blog about current events. I feel that our society is going through many changes especially in our economy and it would be nice to hear and share stories the about successes and struggles in this economy. I have read finance articles on Yahoo.com that are written by regular, non journalist people and I find them effective so I think that anyone with a story could write a blog about what they are going through in this economy. 

Cosmopolitan magazine does not offer a specific celebrity as a  spoke person however, each month there is a cover girl. Each featured cover girl gives an interview that’s a bit more personal than any other magazine because Cosmo is targets  a younger more liberal audience.  I think that by choosing females that are strong, confident and successful Cosmo sends out a positive message that anyone can reach success by working hard.

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Outreach to journalists, producers, bloggers and news sites in order to generate coverage are often referred to as traditional media. Traditional media is not dead; but in order for a company to reach its target audience they must find a way to connect with them digitally. Being a women’s magazine that tackles a diverse range of topics, Cosmo encourages its readers to go to their website www.cosmopolitan.com and blog. They have a “Cosmo Community” where there are many different message boards that go from “Dating & Relationships”, “Fashion Trends”, and “Working Girl” among other topics that encourage readers to share their thoughts, stories, and opinions. 

One thing that is cool about blogging or participating in their message boards is that you can participate in conversations on blogs that you love and you can willingly tell your story as well. You can engage and get to know the blogger and the audience by commenting and contributing to the conversation. 

Cosmopolitan magazine has grown right along with technology. Cosmopolitan magazine offers a digital edition of their magazine available with any mobile device that has an internet connection. This is an effective way to reach out to the “tech savvy” and the women on “the go” because the magazine can be downloaded onto an I-Pad or a Nook and anyone can read it on a plane, car, train etc. Cosmo is also branching out into a new market with the CFG App, the Cosmo for Guys app is designed solely for guys and they cover topics that are targeted for the male mind.

I think that traditional and new social media are somewhat one in the same. Whether you’re talking to a journalist at the Times or someone who just simply blogs but happens to have the same audience that is relevant to the same industry, you need to understand who you are talking to, who the target audience is an the importance of bringing them a story that is relevant to their interest. 

I believe that Cosmo has shown that they can mature over time. With new media we have to engage in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter both of which are heavily used on Cosmos website. More importantly what contributes to the growth of a magazine company is that almost all of their content is also available online thru their website.

Aside from branching out into the Facebook and Twitter world, Cosmo also offers Cosmo Radio. Cosmo Radio is a station on Sirius XM Satellite Radio that you can listen in your car, at your desk, at home, and anywhere on the go. Just like the magazine and the website Cosmo Radio offers expert advice on sex and relationships, beauty and style tips, celebrity news and interviews, and giveaways.

What Cosmo can improve on is their content, I know that they are mostly a fashion, beauty, advice magazine but I would love to see more articles about real life stories and have journalist contribute stories about more current events. Cosmo offers a light read but sometimes I would like for them to tap into their more journalistic side.

Start Talking! Cosmo Blogs...

“Would you date someone who wasn’t financially stable?” this is the latest question that Cosmopolitan magazine wants its readers to answer. In order to answer the question one must be a member of their “online community” by joining for free or if you want to opt out of their free membership you can answer by logging in with your Facebook account.

Cosmopolitan magazine relies on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter as ways to stay connected to its readers. Nowadays, everyone has Facebook and Twitter accounts. By incorporating those two social networking platforms on their website, Cosmo increases their usability because its readers can share interests, ideas, activities, and events with other readers.

Blogging is also incorporated onto their website; their Bedroom Blog is a popular series that follows a twenty-something writer a la Carrie Bradshaw from Sex & the City. Bedroom Blog has been up and running for the past six years and has attracted a cult following because of her more toned down Carrie-esque persona without the Manolo Blahniks obsession.  

As I have stated before, Twitter is a platform heavily used by Cosmopolitan magazine, by readers using their twitter accounts on the company’s website, they are micro blogging.  Via their Twitter account http://twitter.com/#!/cosmoonline Cosmo would ask a question and we could all tweet back. This works effectively because Cosmo would alert their followers about their new issues, new celebrity interviews or events that they may be hosting. Cosmo also has a digital edition that readers can sign up for; the magazine is accessible thru I-pads, Nooks, and any other tablets that way readers can connect to Cosmo and not be limited just by the print version.

Cosmo has video and photo sharing as well, on their website, every week they have featured videos that can range from the latest celebrity gossip to latest fashion trends. Cosmos website is very interactive, they have message boards, quizzes & games, weekly polls, Cosmo for guys, Cosmo radio and Cosmo freebies.

In terms of accuracy Cosmopolitan magazine delivers, they provide readers with the latest news, tips and gossip. They cover health, beauty, and fashion, in a fun, creative way that attracts its target audience.  However, I do think that they can clean up and tidy up their page a bit more in order to make it more user friendly. Sometimes when I visit their webpage all their headlines and articles just popping out at me that sometimes I don’t know where to begin overwhelm me. Their appearance really gears towards the female readers, they tend to gravitate towards the pink family and their female cover girls tend to look very glammed up.

Fun, Fearless, Cosmo!

Cosmopolitan magazine is very unique it’s in branding because it is designed to attract female readers in many ways. I went to their website just recently and they had a survey about story titles and they asked that  if I were to come across a certain title...for laughs let’s say “Kim Kardashians New Love” would that make me pick up the magazine and read it or would that title discourage me from reading the magazine.  They do these polls because they want to know what’s most likely to engage a reader, which celebrities, which trends and fads are we more likely to gravitate towards. I like how they try to engage their readers in weekly polls, blogs, articles that are relevant to me and my friends. The way that they name their articles is very important to their brand because they have a reputation of attracting the “fun and fearless” females.

What makes cosmopolitan stand out is that they are not afraid to “go there”, no topic is off limits and they provide answers to all of our most intimate questions. Every month I look forward to see which female celebrity is going to grace their cover. Usually, I am happy with their selections of cover girls because they usually choose fun, sexy, smart celebrities to grace their covers. They always have give us an interview on the cover girl which I enjoy because the interviews tend to be more laid back and about getting to know the celebrity and their lives outside of Hollywood.

Cosmopolitan relies on its article content for its talkability. Currently on their website their top headlining stories are “The Orgasm He’ll Never Forget”, “Name Cosmo’s New Sex Position”, “and The Sexiest Cocktails of Fall” among many other articles. These names are a sure hit with the females and they are likely to get any male intrigued as well. Men have a certain fear of women’s magazines and it confuses me why. If I were a guy and I saw a magazine with Olivia Wilde on the cover and “Kinky Sex” written near her chest I would pick it up and start reading, specifically because they have a guys confessional section, that is a section where guys just spill their most embarrassing, dirtiest secrets.

Cosmopolitan is definitely a trendy magazine, since its target audience ranges from 18-40 there is a diverse pool of topics that are covered. Cosmo is truly influential because they reach readers all across the country and the globe. Overall, Cosmopolitan magazine has shown that a magazine can engage its readers by covering sensitive, taboo topics all around.