Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight
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Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight
Social marketing, PR insight & thought leadership - from The PR Coach
Curated by Jeff Domansky
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PR Debate: Should Brands Take Social/Political Stances? New Study from Field Agent - Bulldog Reporter

PR Debate: Should Brands Take Social/Political Stances? New Study from Field Agent - Bulldog Reporter | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

“Many companies are showing greater willingness to take public stances on controversial issues,” said West. “While the vast majority of consumers in our study said they are likely to purchase from companies they agree with, only 3 in 10 have actually done so.


This makes me think consumer behavior hasn’t quite caught up to this new environment in which companies take stands on controversial topics.”


But the risk is evident—and ultimately begs the question: From a company perspective, is it worth it?


“The overwhelming majority of consumers in our study agreed they are more likely to buy from companies they see eye to eye with, and almost half of consumers said they had already stopped buying from a company over a difference of opinion. This tells me that consumers are willing to vote with their dollars,” said West. “But there may be more danger for many companies than opportunity—especially if you serve, as most companies do, a market with diverse political views.”...

Jeff Domansky's insight:

Research shows no clear advantage to brands in taking sides on controversies for brands. Recommended reading. 9/10

Kate Marsh's curator insight, August 5, 2015 8:24 AM

Research shows no clear advantage to brands in taking sides on controversies for brands. Recommended reading. 9/10

Kenneth Carnesi,JD's curator insight, August 5, 2015 9:32 AM

Research shows no clear advantage to brands in taking sides on controversies for brands. Recommended reading. 9/10

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When a Successful Company Shrinks its Workforce | Harvard Business Review

When a Successful Company Shrinks its Workforce | Harvard Business Review | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

United Technologies is at the top of its game but recently announced big layoffs. Is this the new normal?...

 

... This growth was accomplished, however, without expanding its workforce much at all, and now UT believes it can continue to grow as it wants to while actually shrinking its employee base. It's planning to lay off 3000 workers this year, after shedding 4000 last year. Now, is this really anything new? After all, output has been going up and employment simultaneously going down in manufacturing around the world for several years now, and UTC is a big manufacturer.

 

But two things strike me as potentially novel here. First, the company does a lot more than just make things in factories. As its website says, "United Technologies... is a diversified company that provides a broad range of high-technology products and services to the global aerospace and building systems industries." Servicing elevators, security systems, and so on, in other words, is a big part of what UTC does, and services have historically been very labor-intensive. That could be changing....

Jeff Domansky's insight:

If this is a trend, it's both baffling and concerning. In addition to the need to rewrite the social contract, how can you communicate this situation without a reputation hit?

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