Unit 3: RPIE Process – Research, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation

When PR Goes Wrong: Lessons from Success and Failure in the Last Decade

Introduction: Why PR Strategy Matters More Than Ever

Modern day public relations isn’t limited to just publicity. Rather, it involves strategy, timing, and informed communication through research. In the RPIE process, public relations practitioners must be able to predict the responses of their audience. Lessons learned from public relations podcasts such as Lead Balloon and When Things Go Wrong stress the importance of being prepared, transparent, and adaptable.

This blog highlights some important lessons drawn from those discussions and applies them to one major PR disaster and one major PR success over the last ten years.

A professional has a “Public Relations” card, which signifies the significance of communication strategy and branding within public relations.

Source: Pixabay Image Page

Best Practices from PR Experts

The following best practices have been identified from the podcasts used for this assignment:

Listening comes first – Organizations need to comprehend the mood of the people before they take action.
Reactivity is key, but thoughtful – Reactions should not be delayed, since delays only tend to escalate situations.
Transparency and accountability – Honesty is expected from audiences, especially when making mistakes.
Walk the talk – Messages should always correspond with actions.
This is especially critical during crisis communications.

The importance of these principles cannot be understated in the context of crisis management, as mistakes made in their application may adversely affect the reputation of a brand very quickly.

PR Disaster: Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner Ad

One of the most controversial PR mistakes of the decade was the Pepsi advertisement starring Kendall Jenner.

Why was the ad controversial?

The advertisement made an attempt at relating itself to various social justice campaigns, but it was perceived as being insensitive towards them. As reported by The New York Times article discussing the backlash against the Pepsi ad campaign, the company did not possess sufficient knowledge about its target audience.

Major errors made:

Lack of relevant formative research for audience awareness
Lack of multiple viewpoints during campaign development
Not expecting the blowback on social media

How could the company have prevented these problems?

Done more research into their audience and culture
Used focus groups to test their message
Asked those involved in social movements for input

In addition, an HBI article shows that the Pepsi commercial turned out to be a well-known PR disaster because of the poor understanding of the culture and inadequate target market research (HBI, 2017).

PR Success: Nike’s “Dream Crazy” Campaign

However, there is one notable exception to the list of failed campaigns which is the “Dream Crazy” campaign by Nike in 2018 featuring Colin Kaepernick.

Why it succeeded:

A perfect match with the company’s image (advocacy for athletes)
Understanding of the target audience
Was ready to take risks

According to The Drum, “Dream Crazy” was a successful PR campaign because it managed to ignite worldwide debate on the subject of Nike being associated with controversial social problems through storytelling.

Strengths:

Comprehensive research
Smart utilization of earned media and shared media
Unified message

Nike knew that some audiences would not like the campaign, but their loyal customers would appreciate it, and they were correct.

🎥 Attached is the Nike campaign video that sparked global conversations.

Conclusion: The Power of Research in PR

While comparing Pepsi and Nike, there emerges a clear realization of an important principle in the RPIE process. Research makes success possible. Pepsi was not able to succeed due to the fact that it did not know everything about the audience. Nike was successful since it utilized research, branding, and risks.

The key takeaway for public relations practitioners: There is no way around doing research.

In the dynamic world of media, those who listen and respond appropriately always have an upper hand.

References:

Apple Podcasts. (2021). Sherwin-Williams paints itself into a corner on TikTok. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sherwin-williams-paints-itself-into-a-corner-on/id1485450196?i=1000549764691

Black Barrel Media. (n.d.). When things go wrong. https://blackbarrelmedia.com/when-things-go-wrong/

HBI. (n.d.). The Pepsi scandal: A PR fail that made history. https://www.hbi.de/en/blog/the-pepsi-scandal-a-pr-fail-that-made-history/

The Drum. (n.d.). Nike’s Dream Crazy shows solidarity for a global cause. https://www.thedrum.com/news/world-s-best-ads-ever-17-nike-s-dream-crazy-shows-solidarity-global-cause

The New York Times. (2017, April 5). Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad sparks backlash. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/business/kendall-jenner-pepsi-ad.html

Pixabay. (n.d.). Public relations PR agency [Photograph]. https://pixabay.com/photos/public-relations-pr-agency-8198201/

YouTube. (n.d.). Video resource. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW2yKSt2C_A

Keywords/Tags: Public Relations, PR Strategy, Crisis Communication, RPIE Model, Communication Strategy