The Art of the Apology

Recently, more and more cases of Sexual Misconduct have been popping up all over the news. Many beloved celebrities and well known individuals have been accused of Sexual Harassment or Assault. First and foremost, these horrific acts cause so much pain and stress for those who have been victimized and at the same time it severely damages the reputation of the accused as well. One person who has recently been accused is world famous chef, Mario Batali. After the allegations, Batali was fired from the daytime TV show, The Chew, which he has co-hosted since 2011.

Mario Batali

The obvious next step for the accused is to do whatever they can to restore their image and try to rebuild the trust back in their followers. A PR Specialist can be very effective in planning out the right course of action remedy the issue and move forward. Sometimes the best course of action is to admit your mistakes, show compassion for those that were affected and show how you are going to do things differently moving forward. Batali almost got that right, but the last line of his apology letter made everything worse.

According to CNN, Batali used an online newsletter to acknowledge "many mistakes" and apologize for disappointing "my friends, my family, my fans and my team." But what has people talking is the conclusion of the message, which read: "ps. in case you're searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite." The postscript included a picture of the referenced sweet treats, along with a link to the recipe. This last line proved to be extremely insensitive and made it seem like he wasn't taking the allegations seriously.

An effective PR Specialist should know that this was not the best way to handle this apology. One of the key traits of an apology is sincerity, but all it took was one line to show that Batali was not so sincere in his attempt to empathize with others. Hopefully, Batali can understand that he must lean on someone with good PR experience to help guide him through this issue and restore his image with the public.

Bullying is not OK!

A recent article published by the Huffington Post talks about a young boy from Knoxville, Tennessee named Keaton Jones who is a victim of bullying at his school. His Mother shared an emotional video of him crying and discussing how the kids in his school were bullying him. The video which has now gone viral has captured the attention of many people including several celebrities and organizations who have come to the defense of Keaton and are advocating change. Other business have also responded offering trips and once-in-a-liftime opportunities for Keaton and his family.

The response and call for support is an example of how companies are using real life events like this to not only influence change in the world, but highlight the values of the company and build relationships with the community. An organization is more than just an entity existing for the benefit of themselves. The most reputable organizations are those who know when to take a stance on an issue and promote good around the world. One article published by Fast Company, states that organizations have an, "opportunity to join issue conversations on equal footing to more traditional advocacy voices. And, increasingly, brands aim to nurture customer relationships that are lifelong, built not just on product features but also on shared cultural values." (Mintz, 2016) Issues like this are an opportunity for a company to show who they really are. 

This particular case relates back to the Public Relations technique of Community Relations. Bullying is a serious issue in our schools today. It is going to take some brave people and organizations to step up and help advocate for protections and support for those who are affected by bullying. A company should have the moral ambition to be more than an organization, but a beacon of hope and support for the community it exists in. Keaton's story is a touching reminder that we are a human and we should support each other and build one another up, and Public Relations can be the vehicle for that change. 

Citation:
Mintz, R. (2016). Companies, Don’t Be Afraid To Take A Stand: It Can Be Good For Your Brand. In Fast Company. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3061109/companies-dont-be-afraid-to-take-a-stand-it-can-be-good-for-your-brand

Uber Transparency

Uber is widely known as a prominent rideshare app, but has faced several Public Relations issues in recent months and has suffered because of the actions of those in leadership at the company. A recent article published by Bloomberg, states that, "Hackers stole the personal data of 57 million customers and drivers from Uber Technologies Inc., a massive breach that the company concealed for more than a year. The ride-hailing firm ousted its chief security officer and one of his deputies for their roles in keeping the hack under wraps, which included a $100,000 payment to the attackers." Trying to conceal this information has proven to be a disastrous decision for the company.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO

Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over as Chief Executive Officer in September, learned of the terrible decision and is doing everything he can to restore trust back in the company. The first thing that Dara did was fire those responsible for the incident and cover up and then he released all of the information to the public. The public has a right to know if their information was compromised and if the company ever wants to rebound from this they need to let their customers know that their data is in safe and responsible hands.

The Public Relations connection in this case is extremely important. The CEO had a very important and difficult choice to make. When he learned of the hack and breach of data, he had the opportunity to remain silent and keep the incident from the public. The other option was to tell the public, knowing that the disclosure would harm the company's reputation even more and push the company further down the competitive ladder. The CEO decided to take the more difficult, but morally sound choice and tell the public. Transparency is an important part of public relations and even though this was a very unfortunate incident, coming clean and informing the public was the right thing to do. Hopefully, the public will see this decision as a responsible one and a turn in a different direction.