Case Study 1: #Social Media Debacle Introduction Since its inception, the rise of social media has enabled people to connect in different ways and for different purposes. Many companies now use social media to advertise products and spread the word about the organisation. However, there is a negative side to social media that must also be taken into account. An important imperative is for companies to ensure that they assign staff to monitor their social media sites in order to address hacking, 'complainvertising and negative feedback Background The organisation is Everclean Petroleum Limited. It was established in 1970 in a joint venture with a British Petroleum company funding the start up of the Australian organisation. Most of the company's oil rigs are located on the North West shelf off Western Australia. It has been highly successful in producing and exporting crude oil for more than 40 years. The company also owns 250 petrol stations in WA. Recently, the British partner company faced an environmental and public relations crisis when there was an oil spill in the Gage Roads shipping lane from one of their tankers leaving the main port of Fremantle. Though quickly contained the oil slick drifted into the popular and iconic Cottesloe Beach area causing significant outrage. A public campaign was launched via Facebook and Twitter seeking the demise of highly ranked company officials. As a consequence the Australian CEO and other officials lost their jobs. The new CEO of the company, Australian entrepreneur Roger Jones, was employed after triumphantly handling a public relations crisis for a Queensland based coal mining company. Jones knew that it was important to deal head on with the issue at hand and address the public outrage that was gaining momentum by the minute. He was tasked with selecting tech savvy employees to manage the company's external communications. You are part of the team that has been selected to manage communications with the company's stakeholders. The problem Just prior to the oil spill, Everclean had engaged in a costly and pervasive advertising campaign which entailed television and radio advertising focused on the tag line of "keeping the environment ever-clean'. The company was also running a Twitter competition with the hashtag #everclean. The competition required participants to describe an ever clean environment in Western Australia. The best tweets would receive a $50 petrol voucher, with the winning tweet participant receiving a fully paid one-week holiday plus spending money of $500 at the destination stated in the tweet. The previous head of communications has been forced to resign due to the oil spill incident. She had set up the Twitter response from the company to automatically respond to tweets with positive comments (as the account was not actively monitored) such as: 'great destination - always ever clean and keep those clever tweets coming Unfortunately, the competition has been hijacked by negative tweets related to the backlash from the oil spill. Some of the negative comments included: @Dion123: "My surfboard will never be everclean again #everclean" @Minstrel: "#everclean-what a joke-Cottesloe neverclean again!" @Tony_Bond: "boycott #everclean in all environments" @ GrumbleBND: "like pouring petrol on seagulls #everclean" The day after the oil spill, #everclean was trending worldwide with a mostly negative theme to the comments. ethics at work a guide to marketing communications' grey areas C the communications council code of ethics Stand up for what you believe is right. Be open- minded and receptive. If something's wrong, try to resolve it. Let well informed conscience be your guide the communications council Honour all agreements. Agreements are expressions of trust our all promises - written spoken - to clients colleagues and suppliers. Respect confidentiality 1 2 3. 4 Don't break the low. Don't bend the low. Think beyond legal argument to morol argument - the spirit of the low Don't stretch the truth. Don't look for loopholes. Respect all people. No stereotypes please Individuals should be understood, not portrayed in a way that could bring disrespect. Use humour, but avoid cheap shots 5 Strive for excellence in everything you do. Create an open, trusting environment with colleagues, clients and suppliers. Raise the standards of creativity and professionalism Give clients your best advice, without fear or favour Act in your clients' best interests. Tell them what they need to know not what you think they want to hear Look after your colleagues. Responsibility is a two-way street. Look for the best in one another, acknowledge it and reward it. Leave room for fun, family and friends 6 7 8 9 Compete forly. Be honest in commenting on competitors and our industry No dirty tricks in new business. No misrepresentation of the capabilities of your business Think before you act. The best decisions are informed decisions. Think before you act Will this action connect with your personal sense of what is right or wrong? 10 Be honest. This con be fough Be honest without being brutal Be true to yourself, Recognise the trust placed in you, your company and the marketing communications industry, then act accordinglu if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything Demonstrate your informed understanding of: Ethical Behavior: Behave in accordance with relevant professional standards, values, and codes of conduct. Use the Social Media Debacle' case study and Refer to the relevant "Code of Ethics" to guide justification for the decisions in your response