Andi Narvaez: Re-learning PR » obama

Public Relations Publics: Problem or Solution?

Andi Narvaez — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:11:36 +0000

This semester I’m taking “Public Relations Publics” at university of Maryland, which focuses on what matters (or should) the most to public relations practitioners — the people.

We discussed the difference between the terms “stakeholders” and “publics” and agreed that stakeholders are those who are affected by what the organization does and have stakes in the results of those actions. Publics are not only affected by organizations’ actions, they also have the potential to become involved in those actions and to influence organizations that way. This concept of publics comes from the Situational Theory of Publics, developed by University of Maryland Professor James E. Grunig (yay Maryland).

The idea behind this theory is that individual members of the public exercise problem recognition, constraint recognition and level of involvement with organizations to different degrees. The publics who exercise these three factors to the greatest extent are considered “active publics.” Active publics seek and process information to a greater extent and, should they ever decide to coalesce, these publics have the potential to affect an organization. According to the theory, it would be wise for organizations to dedicate their resources to those who will affect them the most.

That makes sense.

Then, Obama came up. He has been criticized for campaigning for the Democratic Senate candidate in Massachusetts, where a republican was about to (and did) take Kennedy’s senate seat, and not being in Haiti, where an earthquake had just shattered the nation and where help was still taking time to get on its way. My professor spoke about public opinion — a prime example of what happens when publics coalesce. She said the Obama administration was catching so much flack from its publics because it failed to recognize that they were very much active and — here is where I had to chime in — active publics can create problems for organizations, which is why organizations have to keep a close eye on them and make sure their needs are met.

Enter social media. I see publics as SOLUTIONS, instead.

When news about Haiti broke on Twitter I witnessed IMMEDIATE response. People like Danny Brown started to raise funds through 12for12k, people like Ed Shahzade were making sure that everyone trying to help and donate had their facts right. On Monday, I also found out all about CrisisCamp, which extended to 12 cities in only two weeks.

Publics can be a problem if they allow themselves to be that way. Regardless of what was happening in American politics and what Obama should or shouldn’t have been doing… what I saw coming from social media were SOLUTIONS.

If publics are the solution and organizations empower them to be so… more people win.

Flickr user Just Sarah

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Overwhelmed by Hope and Change

Andi Narvaez — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:44:00 +0000

As of Tuesday, November 4, 2008 the country has been in an uproar. And with good reason.

I would have loved to blog the second the news were announced and president-elect Barack Obama made his acceptance speech in Chicago but the moment and the days that have followed have been overwhelming.

By now you have probably read or heard about everything that has surfaced online, on TV and in print in reference to Obama’s victory. Already you can see how much this man has galvanized the country into caring and becoming proactive in whatever their realm of interest or expertise is.

PR blogs are talking about how OIbama won the election – in a nutshell, besides being a talented orator that could speak to the issues and appeal to the intellect of the many that inhabit and want to see change in this nation, he reached out to first-time voters via the new platforms and media which they use to share ideas and communicate about themselves to peers all over the world. In Obama’s words, these voted “rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy” and it was mainly David Plouffe and the team behind his brilliant campaign that helped to make that happen. The strategies behind the Obama victory will be the topic of many books, blogs and studies for years to come.

The account of Obama’s vistory on picture blogs and sites is quite touching. I am a very visual person – seeing Obama speak at Grant Park was incredibly moving, every second of it was history in the making and with every word he was changing the world. As I watch pictures of the campaign trail and Election Day, I can literally SEE just how much strength and purpose is guiding this man and will continue to do so over the years of his term in office.

Mentions of Obama are ubiquitous. On the BET Hip Hop Awards Salt n’ Peppa dedicated “Whatta Man” to him and Michelle Obama – they even changed the lyrics and made the song an all-around endorsement. The Daily Show and Colbert Report have already begun to follow the transition as it takes place in a swift and smooth manner. People have uploaded YouTube videos to extend their congratualations, express their hope and share footage of the celebrations that took place around the many corners of the world Bloggers are taking a look back at the campaign and forward at what Obama will bring to their particular spheres of interest. Internatioanl newspapers have printed articles praising the events of Election Day. There is word of hope on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace … my feeds have gone wild…

It all sums up to this – with his campaign and now with his election, Obama successfully managed to transcend every aspect of people’s lives. And the key to everything is that it happened with our full consent – he resonates with people in a way that is quite unprescedented and the levels of excitement and people’s willingness to continue to be spoken to and be proactive in return couldn’t be higher.

Leading social media experts and the general public alike are anxious to see how the initiatives of Obama’s campaign translate into new public offices dedicated to keep the links of communication between the administration and the people open. Obama’s victory will bring change the White House that goes beyond the usal to-dos that president’s must deal with. I think that the power of the people will truly see itself harnessed and put to efficient, effective use… and the thrill of living in these times is nearly beyond what I can handle.

Here’s to HOPE!

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Vote for FREE

Andi Narvaez — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:45:00 +0000

Tomorrow is the big day. And people are not just going to elect a new president.

No one is expected to head straight back home to watch the election coverage once they exit the polls. This time, regardless of where you are from, you will have a series of freebies to choose from for exercising your right to vote. Whether it be free Starbucks coffee, free McDonald’s cofee, free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – and I’m sure more spiffs are out there that I have yet to hear about – companies are riding the Election Day wave. Overlook the fact that the wave is in a very crowded beach and that onlookers will most likely end up going for whatever happens to be closer to where they lay their towels down on the sand… and what you will see is that the anticipation that has defined the days leading up to the election has compelled everyone with the means to give away free stuff to do just that and position themselves as the instigators for getting people to the polls.

As if the motivation wasn’t already there. Early voting is off the charts. No spiffs necessary.

So now that you know about all the added bonuses of it finally being Election Day tomorrow, don’t forget about the most important thing – VOTE.

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The 2008 Presidential Election

Andi Narvaez — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:45:00 +0000

Here is what I think about the elections: Everyone should vote.

I think that I have done a good job this time around in keeping up with news of the campaigns, debates, good and bad advertising and PR, SNL appearances, etc. etc. What it comes down to now is the fact that voting is the most beautiful right we have right after free speech. Where I’m from, voting is mandatory so everyone misses the point. Here, you get to choose – sure, you only get a few options to choose from which, if you ask me, is ironic when you think about how many different ways you can have your coffee at your friendly neighborhood Starbucks – and to let that opportunity go to waste by not exercising it would be a shame.

I found this website and thought it was a decent enough in a “the 2008 presidential candidates for dummies” kind of way. Use it.

But regardless, when it comes to your vote… definitely don’t lose it.

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