First post: Blog Focus

I am going to focus this blog’s attention on public relations campaigns in America as well as other areas around the world. My aim is that once I research enough campaigns in the U.S. and other nations, I will be able to discover and come to conclusions about the differences and similarities between how each nation deals with their intended publics. I especially want to highlight the differences between ethics in United States public relations campaigns and other countries. But, only the most innovative and influential in my opinion, will be recorded here.

My personal opinion of PR campaigns is that the United States, in most cases, will promote products/people/ etc. professionally by respecting a company’s code of ethics more so than other countries around the world. This includes staying away from topics that exploit sexuality, racism, etc.

For example, here is a link to a website, Everything PR, which keeps current with many PR campaigns in the United States and beyond and can serve as a way to see my focus clearer. In particular, this is a link about a French McDonald’s campaign that is stirring some controversy for both Americans and the French. 
http://www.pamil-visions.net/mcdonalds-gay-friendly-ad-in-france/215604/

In sum, the article discusses the McDonalds ad that is trying to reach a new demographic of homosexual, young-adult males around the ages of 18-29. The ad which shows a father taking his child to a McDonalds to eat, suggests that the father does not know the son is gay, whereas McDonalds is accepting of his sexual orientation. The commercial ends with the words, “Come as You Are”. Many Americans such as political commentator Bill O’Reilly, as the article states, feel as if McDonalds is making a “political statement” more so than promoting a product. But, Xavier Giannolli, who is the director of the taboo campaign, disagrees and said his aim was “to acknowledge a social change, to ‘fit in’ if you want”.

My beliefs on the “Come as You Are” or “vennez comme vous êtez” campaign is that since this campaign is definitely getting people talking not only in France, but in the United States, McDonalds is proving to be very successful at promoting their company name. Regardless if this is a “political statement” or not, McDonalds is getting press time on TV, the Web etc. and that is important in the publicity aspect of the PR world. Thus, the people in charge at BETC Euro RSCG, the agency that designed the campaign, are attaining beyond satisfactory outreach levels.

On the other hand, even though the saying goes, “no press is bad press”, some not-so liberal Americans and French might disagree. The ad can be misinterpreted that McDonalds promotes homosexuality, which a lot of Americas and even French are still uneasy about. This would give a select target market within the McDonalds consumers a negative connotation with the product and alter a company’s reputation and sales. Consequently, altering the outcome level of the campaign as well.

Even more unfortunate is that McDonalds could defame its reputation beyond France and the United States seeing as I was able to pull up this article easily on my laptop. Sales could therefore dwindle in those countries as well all because of one ad placed in France.


Final word: be careful what your campaign is promoting, you don’t know who else will see it, where they will see it, and what they are going to think about it.