For years I admired Apple as a company. I bought my first iPhone a couple of years ago, and I was incredibly excited. However, I then realized Apple was not what I thought it was after more than 10 people killed themselves in the office where most iPhone components were made in China. Time and time again companies say they have outsourced certain types of work, then they think they have nothing to do with it. However, in my opinion, you cannot outsource responsibilities too.
Apple then said it would look into it - but more people killed themselves. The death toll climbed to about 20 by 2012, and I can never see Apple the way I used to. Being a responsible company is a global initiative, not just in North America.
I am a linear thinker, and I tend to go down a decision tree when I need to decide something. Let's say the brand of car seat for my baby daughter. I struggled with the cost, the brand, and feedback from other parents before I chose Diono. Eventually I decided to buy a Diono car seat because of the discount offered in a store. Without the discount, I would probably have gone for a Graco car seat. I would say I was mainly influenced by my income level - which is zero at the moment. Therefore, the behavior is going to change once I have a paid job.
In terms of thinking differently for an issue I must backtrack to the beginning of 2012. At a time I was carrying Alice, and for the first time in my life, the future of the education system in the post-colonial Hong Kong became relevant. Then I learnt they were implementing a new subject called "National Education", which was essentially making brain-washing a mandatory subject. I have always paid attention to politics, but the change of status made it even more important to me than ever. So, I wrote my comments constantly on my Facebook page hoping it would influence some of my friends to do something. It was an awful experience having to fight with a government, but it was a battle that needed to be fought.
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Monday, 1 July 2013
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
PR blog comments
Who really runs this place?
Link: http://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/Rd-Safety/Tips/60-Sec-Driver/Pages/60sec.aspx
Date: Jun 24, 2013 (Week 1 - Case Studies)
Comment:
I have always been fascinated by lobbying. That's right, the rich and powerful spends a huge amount of resources trying to influence government policies pretty much on everything. This blog about the Big 4 (aka the four biggest accounting firms on this planet) and its influence in the British government explains the close relationship between them.
As a PR professional, lobbying is basically part of what we do - influencing policy makers in order to benefit the very organization that we work for. However, you realize it is more than influencing when you look at the Big 4 in the UK (and to a similar extend in the US). They work with the government to formulate tax-related policies while they earn millions of pounds advising their clients on tax issues. Big 4 pays huge salary, but to me there are certain companies I would never work for because they don't sit right with my conscience. I need to make a living, but I am not going to sell my soul to pay my bills. There are other stakeholders in the equation such as the public and interest group, not just the people who own the company.
Social media and storytelling
Link: http://spinsucks.com/social-media/social-stories-how-to-use-storytelling-on-twitter/
Date: Jun 20, 2013 (Week 5)
Comment:
We have all seen clever messages on Twitter, Facebook and etc, but this blog reminds us of PR 101 - tell a story, and tell a good story regardless of the platform.
As a PR professional we all tell stories, and we can tell a story on Twitter - if 140 characters are not enough we can have a few back-to-back tweets instead. The technical side is one aspect, but we should never ever forget what we want to communicate, and what we want to be identified with. The purpose of the message forms the message, it should not be the other way round. I have seen a number of classmates who spend all their energy in coming up with clever messages, but forgetting the objective of the campaign. So my next comment is consistency. By following the objective and strategy of the campaign, one needs to ensure the messages are consistent on all platforms, whether for the traditional or social media.
Nibbles at the Apple
Link: http://www.shiftcomm.com/2013/05/nibbles-at-the-apple/
Date: June 13, 2013 (Week 4)
Comment:
I love the idea of 'nice companies finish first'. This is so true and yet easy to forget when the bottom line is more important than everything else in Wall Street.
It is true that the PR department cannot change the tax practice of a giant company like Apple, but it is our responsibilities to tell the C-level executives the damage that it can cause by practices such as avoiding tax (and we are talking about $9.2billion here, not $90,000). Moreover, I think PR, as well as any employees of an organization, should push for positive changes when they firmly believe in it. Remember the two million people who joined together to form a human chain across the three Baltic countries in 1989? When you shout loud enough, amazing things DO happen (within six months of the demonstration, Lithuania became the first of the Republics of the Soviet Union to declare independence). PR can sit and wait, or it can be the catalyst for positive changes. I would like to be the latter.
5 Examples of How Social Media is Changing the 2012 Elections
Link: http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2012/01/5-examples-of-how-social-media-is-changing-the-2012-elections.html
Date: June 6, 2013 (Week 3)
Comment:
We have been using various social media platform to engage our audience, and some politicians in the US have been using them pretty extensively - especially during the 2012 presidential election. Some candidates used Instagram and Tumblr as they toured across the country. On the other hand, Google did a pretty good job by using Google+ and Google Calendar to improve its efforts. The most amazing thing about the social media platforms was that Mashable found Twitter actually helped to predict who would win - now as a PR professional, can you afford NOT to better understand these tools and use them to your advantages?
I like social media, but social media is part of the big plan - your overall PR plan. Social media is not about playing with words, it is about helping you to fulfill the overall objective of your campaign. I have seen many people playing with words using Twitter, but these are just words if these tweets do not help the overall plan.
Hence, my opinion is that we have to utilize the social media platforms, but we have to have the big plan in mind otherwise time and resources could be wasted.
Last-Minute, Non-Profit Pitch Rakes In
Coverage
Link: http://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/Rd-Safety/Tips/60-Sec-Driver/Pages/60sec.aspx
Date: Jun 24, 2013 (Week 1 - Case Studies)
Comment:
I have always been fascinated by lobbying. That's right, the rich and powerful spends a huge amount of resources trying to influence government policies pretty much on everything. This blog about the Big 4 (aka the four biggest accounting firms on this planet) and its influence in the British government explains the close relationship between them.
As a PR professional, lobbying is basically part of what we do - influencing policy makers in order to benefit the very organization that we work for. However, you realize it is more than influencing when you look at the Big 4 in the UK (and to a similar extend in the US). They work with the government to formulate tax-related policies while they earn millions of pounds advising their clients on tax issues. Big 4 pays huge salary, but to me there are certain companies I would never work for because they don't sit right with my conscience. I need to make a living, but I am not going to sell my soul to pay my bills. There are other stakeholders in the equation such as the public and interest group, not just the people who own the company.
Social media and storytelling
Link: http://spinsucks.com/social-media/social-stories-how-to-use-storytelling-on-twitter/
Date: Jun 20, 2013 (Week 5)
Comment:
We have all seen clever messages on Twitter, Facebook and etc, but this blog reminds us of PR 101 - tell a story, and tell a good story regardless of the platform.
As a PR professional we all tell stories, and we can tell a story on Twitter - if 140 characters are not enough we can have a few back-to-back tweets instead. The technical side is one aspect, but we should never ever forget what we want to communicate, and what we want to be identified with. The purpose of the message forms the message, it should not be the other way round. I have seen a number of classmates who spend all their energy in coming up with clever messages, but forgetting the objective of the campaign. So my next comment is consistency. By following the objective and strategy of the campaign, one needs to ensure the messages are consistent on all platforms, whether for the traditional or social media.
Nibbles at the Apple
Link: http://www.shiftcomm.com/2013/05/nibbles-at-the-apple/
Date: June 13, 2013 (Week 4)
Comment:
I love the idea of 'nice companies finish first'. This is so true and yet easy to forget when the bottom line is more important than everything else in Wall Street.
It is true that the PR department cannot change the tax practice of a giant company like Apple, but it is our responsibilities to tell the C-level executives the damage that it can cause by practices such as avoiding tax (and we are talking about $9.2billion here, not $90,000). Moreover, I think PR, as well as any employees of an organization, should push for positive changes when they firmly believe in it. Remember the two million people who joined together to form a human chain across the three Baltic countries in 1989? When you shout loud enough, amazing things DO happen (within six months of the demonstration, Lithuania became the first of the Republics of the Soviet Union to declare independence). PR can sit and wait, or it can be the catalyst for positive changes. I would like to be the latter.
5 Examples of How Social Media is Changing the 2012 Elections
Link: http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2012/01/5-examples-of-how-social-media-is-changing-the-2012-elections.html
Date: June 6, 2013 (Week 3)
Comment:
We have been using various social media platform to engage our audience, and some politicians in the US have been using them pretty extensively - especially during the 2012 presidential election. Some candidates used Instagram and Tumblr as they toured across the country. On the other hand, Google did a pretty good job by using Google+ and Google Calendar to improve its efforts. The most amazing thing about the social media platforms was that Mashable found Twitter actually helped to predict who would win - now as a PR professional, can you afford NOT to better understand these tools and use them to your advantages?
I like social media, but social media is part of the big plan - your overall PR plan. Social media is not about playing with words, it is about helping you to fulfill the overall objective of your campaign. I have seen many people playing with words using Twitter, but these are just words if these tweets do not help the overall plan.
Hence, my opinion is that we have to utilize the social media platforms, but we have to have the big plan in mind otherwise time and resources could be wasted.
Date: May 17,
2013 (Week 1)
Comment:
We talk about telling good stories, using good visuals and
building relationships in almost every single PR class. This blog has provided
a real-life example to prove this formula can indeed bring you success.
The 20,000 rakes donation to a charity may not sound
exciting. However, as a PR professional, a few things can be done to make it
more attractive for the media. You suggested using creative visuals, such as a
picture of the 20,000 rakes. Moreover, the suggestion about not having to worry
about the typical news cycle too much is useful – if you have a story that
cannot wait until Monday, go ahead selling it on a Friday. My opinion is just
to make sure it is packaged well, and also to ensure there is a human angle. A
light story with human angle is always good for a weekend.
My conclusion is that ultimately being a PR professional
means we have to think out of the box, period. As PR is an art, hence
creativity can really help you to succeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)