Comms About Hurricane Harvey

As Texas prepares for Hurricane Harvey, government officials and news organizations are preparing communications to help:

• President Trump issued a statement about monitoring the storm and encouraging people to evacuate if they are in the Hurricane's path. The president is also tweeting about the storm.
• His statement points to Ready.gov, a website rich with resources for preparing families in case of flooding, hurricanes, or extreme heat.
• CNN's website shows live updates of the storm's path.
• The National Hurricane Center is posting coastal warnings and a visual of the cone.
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott was interviewed by BBC and is hosting a meeting to plan emergency operations. (His website includes a tweet but nothing else yet about the storm.)

And, of course, the media is covering the storm with bold headlines:

• "Major disaster" (BBC)
• "Monster storm" (Washington Post)
• "Could be much worse than Sandy" (NY Post)

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Discussion:

• Explore Ready.gov. What do you notice about the key messages, organization, and use of visuals? How easy is it to find information?
• Ready.gov, as of now, doesn't feature Hurricane Harvey; it's generic. Should the site be updated to feature the storm? Why or why not?
• Also explore Governor Abbott's website. Does this site feature the hurricane yet? How do you think the hurricane should be positioned here?

Air Canada CEO Gets Defensive

No one wants to face a reporter's tough questions, but it's best to handle them gracefully. Air Canada's CEO and president Calin Rovinescu got angry during an interview with a Globe and Mail reporter, and it didn't end well.

Rovinescu was asked about bumping a 10-year-old boy when a flight was overbooked, and he responded,

No. I'm not getting into specific customer dynamics with you, Trevor. And that's not what I expected this interview to be about, and I'm happy to end it here if that's-I'm not getting into discussions with respect to specific customer experiences.

The interviewer then asked Rovinescu about weather planning because of climate change, and he was a bit sarcastic, saying they can't do anything to control the weather. Things seem to get worse when the interviewer pushed him about an incident in July, when a plane almost collided with others on the taxiway:

Can you talk to me about pilot error? Just in terms of-

Trevor, I'm not sure I'm loving the direction of your interview here. I thought we were talking about a more generic dynamic around what the airline has achieved.

Instead, Rovinescu could have used the technique of "bridging," or transitioning from the interviewer's question to something more positive about the airline's safety record or plans for the future. He sounded defensive throughout, and the interviewer took advantage by asking tougher questions.

Rovinescu wanted to avoided seeming vulnerable-risking emotional exposure-which just made him more vulnerable and open to harm. A PR Daily article summarizes the issue well:

[Rovinescu] reacted to Cole's questions instead of answering them-and by doing so, unnecessarily increased the negative tone of the article.

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Discussion:

• Read the reporter's questions. How could Rovinescu have responded to each instead?
• Did the reporter push too much? Were his questions unfair?

Is Poland Spring Water from Poland Spring?

A consumer lawsuit accuses Pepsi of falsely promoting Poland Spring Water. The product is marketed as "100% Poland Spring water," but the plaintiff group of 11 say it's really ground water. The company is accused of false advertising and misleading customers, and the plaintiffs seek $50 million in damages.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), spring water has a specific definition: "Spring water shall be collected only at the spring or through a bore hole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. There shall be a natural force causing the water to flow to the surface through a natural orifice." Although a Poland Spring did exist in Maine, according to the suit, it dried up almost 50 years ago.

The accusations are an issue of behavioral integrity, as my colleague Tony Simons defines it: doing what you say you will do. In other words, does Nestle Water promise something it doesn't deliver?

Nestle Waters denies the claims. In response to the suit, the company created an extensive web page with a brief statement, two videos, and an infographic. The statement reads as follows:

For more than 170 years, Poland Spring® has delivered great tasting spring water from Maine to millions of people in the Northeast. The claims made in the lawsuit are without merit and an obvious attempt to manipulate the legal system for personal gain. Poland Spring® is 100% spring water. It meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations defining spring water, all state regulations governing spring classification for standards of identity, as well as all federal and state regulations governing spring water collection, good manufacturing practices, product quality and labeling. We remain highly confident in our legal position.

They are taking a strong approach to counter the claims, and they accuse the plaintiffs of seeking personal gain. One of the videos, only 30 seconds, demonstrates principles of persuasion: emotional appeal, logical argument, and credibility.

Discussion:

• What elements of persuasion (pathos, logos, ethos) do you find in the video example? What other communication strategies does Nestle Water use on its web page?

• Analyze the full infographic from this page. What communication design principles does the infographic illustrate? How could it be improved?

• Given what little we know so far about the case, what's your view? Do you side more with the plaintiffs or with Nestle Water?

Martin Shkreli's Failed Communications

Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli damaged his own case by failing basic communication principles. As a juror said, he is "his own worst enemy" and "All he had to do was to tell everyone, ‘I'm sorry, I lost the money, all I can say is I'm sorry,' and that would be it."

In other words, just apologize. The jury found him guilty of fraud because he lied to hedge fund investors.

Throughout his career in the media, Shkreli came across as arrogant and indifferent to his impact on others. His company hiked the price of Daraprim, a potentially life-saving drug, from $13.50 to $750 per pill. A Daily Beast article called him "reprehensible" and worse.

In 2014, he tweeted about his board of directors: 

Rather upset at my inane BOD who was overly focused on irrelevant innuendo but also now can pursue a NewCo without them. So net-net excited.

- Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli)

In January of this year, Shkreli was banned from Twitter for harassing a journalist. In 2016, he testified before Congress, and we see why people consider him offensive. He "takes the fifth," which is his right, but his behavior shows his lack of compassion. MoneyWatch posted "The many smirks of Martin Shkreli" during the hearing.

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Discussion:

• What is the value of an apology, and how could saying "I'm sorry" have helped Shkreli?
• What non-verbal behavior does Shkreli demonstrate? For example, watch 8:00 - 9:00 of the Congressional hearing. How do you interpret his non-verbals?

Corona and Other Brands Capitalize on Eclipse

With the total eclipse coming Monday afternoon and glasses hard to come by, Corona is offering a solution. In a 35-second video, the company instructs us how to make a viewer from a beer box. Apparently, solar corona is the beer's namesake, so the connection isn't entirely random. Ad agency Cramer-Krasselt created the campaign.

NASA Goddard posted a video to show how to make a viewer out of a cereal box, and a generic box is used as an example. But other companies have been using the eclipse to promote their brands.

A CNBC article identifies "17 clever ways brands are cashing in on the eclipse." Volvo, for example, designed a custom moon roof for viewing the eclipse from the road, but reports warn about traffic and accidents if people aren't careful while driving. Other companies are selling drinks, mattresses, train rides, houses, and a variety of food: half-moon cookies, donuts, pizza, and more.

Discussion:

• What are potential downsides of a brand associating with the eclipse and using the event to promote products?
• What is the most outrageous promotion you have seen related to the eclipse?

Many Perspectives on the Google Memo

A Google software engineer's memo has further split conservatives and liberals in the workplace. The most divisive part of the 10-page, so-called "manifesto" seems to be the argument that biology partly explains why fewer women are in technology jobs. James Damore was fired following controversy about the memo.

Here are a few highlights of the situation, particularly as they relate to communication:

The Engineer's Point of View

Damore argued in his memo that Google's diversity programs need to be reworked. Titled, "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber," the memo suggests Google de-moralize diversity, stop alienating conservatives, confront Google's biases, stop restricting programs and classes to certain genders or races, have an open and honest discussion about costs and benefits of diversity programs, focus on psychological safety instead of just race/gender diversity, de-emphasize empathy, prioritize intention, be open about the science of human nature, and reconsider making Unconscious Bias (Google's training program) mandatory for promotion committees.

His argument about empathy and claims that women are more neurotic than men seem to be perceived as most hurtful. Damore responded to his termination in a Wall Street Journal editorial.

Women in Tech's Point of View

A computer science lecturer at Stanford acknowledges that the memo cites some peer-reviewed studies. But she identifies fives reasons the memo is offensive to women in tech: fatigue (tired of hearing the arguments and feeling dismissed at work), resisting the divide-and-conquer strategy (women won't feel better if they aren't "average"), Google isn't average (yet Damore cites studies of averages), race is argued alongside gender (but Damore cites no research), and contradiction (he says he values diversity yet criticizes all of Google's programs).

In sum, women argue that technology is a challenging field filled with bias. The memo only hurts women's attempts to be valued and included in the workplace. 

Google Leadership's Response

Google leadership had a right to terminate Damore. The question is whether this was the best  decision. By posting his memo and given the subsequent conversations, Damore may have created a hostile working environment for Google. In an email to staff, CEO Sundar Pichai wrote, "portions of the memo violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace." The VP of diversity, integrity, and governance-just two weeks on the job-wrote an email with her own perspective.

You can read more about Google's decision process here.

Conservatives' Point of View

Conservatives see this situation as emblematic of what Damore argues: that conservative voices are silenced. Damore called Google "cult-like" for its unwillingness to consider other points of view. Damore has filed suit against the termination. New York Times opinion writer David Brooks wrote that Pichai should resign for terminating Damore. 

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Discussion:

• From a perspective strictly of persuasion (or argumentation), what did Damore do well in his memo, and where did he fall short? What could he have done differently in this situation?
• To what extent do you agree with Damore's arguments? What are his strongest and weakest arguments?
• Did Google do the right thing in firing him? What are the arguments for and against his termination?

Irvine Finds Room for Admitted Students

University of California, Irvine, is trying to do right by 800 students who accepted the college's admissions offer above the expected number. When making admissions decisions, colleges always consider their "yield," or the percentage of students who will enroll. Admissions officers admit more students than they have space for, assuming some won't come because of financial reasons or school preference.

Initially, Irvine rescinded offers from about 500 students, but it was too late for them to enroll in other schools by that time. They informed students during the summer about transcript and other issues, which happens in a few cases each year, but this is an extraordinary number.

Then university administrators began softening. They admitted that they used standards that were too strict in order to lower their enrollment numbers. The vice chancellor wrote a message to students, including this excerpt:

We heard from some students that this year's process was too stringent and our customer-service approach needs improvement. I acknowledge that we took a harder line on the terms and conditions this year and we could have managed that process with greater care, sensitivity, and clarity about available options. Also contributing to the angst many of you have experienced is our traditional communication and outdated telephone systems that did not serve us well in this circumstance. For those who felt ignored or mistreated, I sincerely apologize.

We are making every effort to do better, immediately. I have directed the admissions team to step up the personal outreach to notified students. We're bringing in more people to review appeals and answer phones. We are committed to correcting any errors swiftly and providing the help you need in an empathetic and understanding way.

A few days later, Irvine's chancellor also apologized, and the university found a way to accommodate 290 more students. His message included this excerpt:

The stories of our students whose college dreams were crushed by our decision to withdraw admissions to hundreds of students are heartbreaking. And unacceptable.

This process is not working. We are a university recognized for advancing the American Dream, not impeding it. This situation is rocking us to our core because it is fundamentally misaligned with our values.

The apology is notable because we see so few of them from university presidents. Writers for The New York Times and Insider Higher Ed commented on the rarity of apologies, partly because of the complexity of academic institutions.

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Discussion:

• Analyze the chancellor's and vice chancellor's messages. What communication principles do they use? How do the messages compare in content, tone, word choice, and organization?
• What should Irvine have done differently in this situation? What are all of the touch points with students that could have been improved?

BMW Denies Collusion

German automakers felt another blow this weekend when they were accused of colluding. The news came as Daimler recalls 3 million cars, and Audi recalls 850,000 to lower their emissions.

German officials found documents related to a potential technology cartel when looking for evidence about potential anti-trust issues related to steel. To avoid penalties, VW and Daimler admitted meeting regularly with competitors. Spiegel magazine quoted VW as saying five German carmakers met "several times a year" and had been "co-ordinating the development of their vehicles, costs, suppliers, and markets for many years, at least since the Nineties, to the present day."

One area of discussion was about the size of the technology to hold AdBlue, a chemical cleaning substance. Automakers agreed on a smaller tank to reduce costs and allow more room for accessories, such as audio, but this meant less efficient cleaning of exhaust gases.

In a statement, BMW denied the accusations:

"BMW vehicles are not manipulated and comply with respective legal requirements," and "The BMW Group categorically rejects accusations that Euro 6 vehicles sold by the company do not provide adequate exhaust gas treatment due to AdBlue tanks that are too small."

VW may have learned a lesson from the emissions scandal. A New York Times article summarizes how earlier admissions may have helped avoided trouble:

If Volkswagen had been honest with American officials [in May 2014 when Winterkorn received a memo about the inconsistent test results], the damage to the company's reputation and finances would very likely have been serious but not devastating. Similar cases suggest that Volkswagen would have paid a fine in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Discussion:

• Assess BMW's strategy. What principles of persuasion is the company using? What crisis communication techniques would be useful to the company at this point?
• To what, specifically, is VW admitting? What, specifically, is BMW denying?
• Where's the line between meeting and collusion?

Walmart Apologizes for Racist Description

Walmart blamed a seller for a racist description of a hair weaving net. The blurb included the "N-word" as an adjective with "brown" for the product color.

Walmart removed the description and issued an apology, shown here.

The seller, Jagazi in the United Kingdom, said someone was using its name to sell products on Walmart's website. Jagazi wrote a statement denying connection with the product but didn't mention the racial slur.

We woke up this morning to the news that someone has used our name, Jagazi, to list an item. Please beware that we are reporting this to as many people as we can and trying to get all the listings pulled down. The real Jagazi is a 100% black company for black people. People have often used our brand name to try and sell their products. Please be aware. Very sorry for all the distress this has caused. We are feeling the pain here as well. Most shocking!
 

An AOL article author criticizes Jagazi for "indicating some offense to the racial slur and much offense to someone selling fake Jagazi on Walmart's website." Do you agree or disagree?

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Discussion:

• How does a mistake like this happen?
• How well did Walmart handle the apology? Should the company take more responsibility? Why or why not?
• Assess Jagazi's response. What, if anything, should Jagazi have done differently?
• The AOL article has a punctuation error. Can you find it?

Did Ann Coulter Go Too Far?

 Have we had enough of customer complaints about airlines? The social media tenor seems to be trending in that direction, at least in the case of Ann Coulter and Delta Airlines.

Author and media personality Ann Coulter paid $30 for a seat with more legroom but was "inadvertently" moved as the airline shuffled seats to accommodate other passengers. Coulter tweeted several attacks on the airline, including a couple about other passengers: the one at right and, in another tweet, "Immigrants take American jobs (& seats on @Delta)." 

Delta promised to refund Coulter's $30 and pushed back on her insults. In tweets and in a statement, the company admitted confusion:

We are sorry that the customer did not receive the seat she reserved and paid for. More importantly, we are disappointed that the customer has chosen to publicly attack our employees and other customers by posting derogatory and slanderous comments and photos in social media. Her actions are unnecessary and unacceptable.    

Each of our employees is charged with treating each other as well as our customers with dignity and respect. And we hold each other accountable when that does not happen.

Delta expects mutual civility throughout the entire travel experience.

We will refund Ms. Coulter's $30 for the preferred seat on the exit row that she purchased.

Brandwatch assessed sentiment on social media and found more negative responses to Coulter than to Delta.

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Discussion:

• Do you find yourself sympathizing more with the airline or with Coulter? Why?
• How does the timing (moving her seat within 24 hours of the flight) affect your response, if at all?
• Where did Coulter perhaps cross a line? Read more tweets here.
• How well did Delta handle the situation? What, if anything, should the airline have done differently on social media or in the statement?

Customer Service Gone Wrong

An article in Ad Age details a scripted, annoying customer interaction at Chase bank. The customer waits on line for a teller and is encouraged to use an ATM instead (with a longer line). The conversation seems relentless:

"I can stand with you by the ATM and walk you through it -- it's really easy," he said.

Oh God. He was obviously working off some sort of script.

"Right, yeah," I said, "I've used them before. I'd just prefer to deal with a teller today." Head back down, eyes on my iPhone.

"Can I ask why?" (Oh jeez.)

The killer line was this rationale for using the machine: "You know, if you use one of the ATMs, you reduce stress for him [the teller]." Although the representative claimed the bank is adding tellers, it didn't take long for the writer to find headlines about Chase laying off 5,000 employees.

Encouraging people to use technology may be good for business, but customer service people need to read social cues to know when to end a conversation-and they should get the facts straight.

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Discussion:

• Read the article for more detail. What verbal and body language cues did the bank representative miss?
• What should the rep have said or done differently? What would have made the interaction sound less "scripted"?
• Did the situation warrant the writer's reaction? Should he have simply done as suggested and used the ATM?

Women and People of Color Under-Represented in Technology Ads

A study published in Gender Issues analyzed video ads for technology products and services and found little diversity. The authors concluded that white men were most prevalent and women, people of color, older people, and children were missing or in lesser roles. 

The researchers also found that, when women were represented, they were portrayed as emotional or passive-not in control. In contrast, according to the authors, "technology itself is portrayed in masculinist terms-powerful, fast, strong, active-thereby reinforcing this association."

The results are interesting and perhaps a warning to technology companies who say they want to increase diversity among their employees. If companies want to boost the appeal of computer science degrees, they may look at how they present their products and services. 

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Discussion:

• Do some research of your own. Watch a few technology product videos. Do you see what the authors found? 
• Why do you think companies advertise their products and services in this way? Is it an oversight or intentional?

Gianforte Apologizes

Greg Gianforte, the Montana Republican candidate running for Congress, "body-slammed" a reporter. The link to audio is at right.

His apology letter has gotten high marks, and it does meet some of the criteria discussed in Chapter 7 for an effective apology. A professor emeritus of management and human resources at the Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business analyzed and annotated the letter for The Huffington Post:

Dear Mr. Jacobs: 

I write to express my sincere apology for my conduct on the evening of May 24. My physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable, and unlawful [acknowledgement of responsibility]. As both a candidate for office and a public official, I should be held to a high standard in my interactions with the press and the public [acknowledgement of responsibility]. My treatment of you did not meet that standard [expression of regret].

Notwithstanding anyone's statements to the contrary, you did not initiate any physical contact with me, and I had no right to assault you. I am sorry for what I did and the unwanted notoriety this has created for you [expression of regret]. I take full responsibility [acknowledgement of responsibility]

I understand the critical role that journalists and the media play in our society. Protections afforded to the press through the Constitution are fundamental to who we are as a nation and the way government is accountable to the people. I acknowledge that the media have an obligation to seek information. I also know that civility in our public discourse is central to a productive dialogue on issues. I had no right to respond the way I did to your legitimate question about healthcare policy [declaration of repentance]. You were doing your job. 

In the hope that perhaps some good news can come of these events, I am making a $50,000 contribution to the Committee To Protect Journalists, an independent non-profit organization that promotes press freedom and that protects the rights of journalists worldwide [offer of repair].

I made a mistake and humbly ask for your forgiveness [request for forgiveness]. 

Sincerely, 

Greg Gianforte

On Twitter, @SorryWatch also compliments the letter, but she questions the source. The letter was part of a settlement, so perhaps the words aren't Gianforte's own? 

To me, the letter sounds a bit too perfect. Yes, it hits the right components but, for example, who says, "I....humbly ask for your forgiveness"? And some criteria for apologies discussed in the book are missing. It sounds like a lawyer wrote it.

Discussion:

• Quiz question: Which criteria discussed in the book are missing from this apology? These may give us a clue about how the letter falls short overall.
• What's your view of the letter? Is my assessment too harsh?

Dove's Shampoo Bottles Touch a Nerve

Dove's latest advertising from the "Real Beauty" campaign was mostly mocked. Shampoo bottles were designed to represent different body types, continuing with Dove's messaging about body positivity. Copy with the ad read,

From curvaceous to slender, tall to petite, and whatever your skin colour, shoe size or hair type, beauty comes in a million different shapes and sizes. Our six exclusive bottle designs represent this diversity: just like women, we wanted to show that our iconic bottle can come in all shapes and sizes, too.

Twitter responses were nasty, including Perez Hilton's round-up. (Read at your own risk.)

But an AdAge article reports little brand damage. A survey of 2,200 Americans found that 41% received a more favorable view of the brand, while only 9% felt less favorable. More people were likely to buy Dove products: 71% or 3 points higher than before seeing the ads.

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Discussion:

• What's your view of the campaign? Is it "dumb," as Perez Hilton says, or something else?
• How do you account for the disconnect between the nasty reaction (or should we say, the reports of the reaction) and the survey results about the brand?
• Even the most cynical seem to agree that Dove is trying to do a good thing. Does no good deed go unpunished?

United: It's Too Soon

United tried a fun Twitter campaign, but it failed. It's simply too soon after Dr. Dao was dragged off the plane to put themselves out there.

A 16-year-old from Nevada asked Wendy's how many retweets he would need to get free Chicken Nuggets for a year. The answer was 18 million.

Somewhere along the way, United jumped in and offered a free flight to the boy to any Wendy's in the country. It was a bold move, but people had fun at United's expense.

Discussion:

• Do you agree with my assessment that it's too soon for United? What if they wanted a few weeks? Still too soon?
• Or did the campaign backfire for other reasons?
• How do you think Wendy's feels about the association with United?
• What else should United be doing now to rebuild its brand?

DeVos Steps Up About Formatting Rules

Two weeks ago, Upward Bound applications to help kids get into college were rejected for formatting errors such as line spacing. To protest, 32 members of the House of Representatives signed a letter asking the Department of Education to reconsider the grants that affected approximately 2,700 students; an excerpt is below.

In response, Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education, established a "new policy" that prevents program officers from using page limits and formatting as "mandatory requirements":

"Program offices may suggest page limits and formatting standards (such as font size, line spacing, and the like) but may not use ignoring these suggestions as a basis to reject grant applications."

In her letter, however, DeVos does not address the recently rejected applications.

Discussion:

• What do you think DeVos should do at this point? What should she consider in her decision?
• Assess the Representatives' letter. What principles of persuasion are used, and how could the letter be improved?

Sunny Co. Renegs on a Freebie

Be careful about offering unlimited free items. Sunny Co. Clothing company learned this lesson the hard way when it posted a message on Instagram.

Naturally, nearly "everyone" reposted the image hoping for a free suit, and people complained about their feeds being over-run with red bathing suits.

The company eventually posted some rules: "Due to the viral volume of participants, we reserve the right to cap the promotion if deemed necessary." They also warned of delays because of the "overwhelming volume of orders."

One good thing did come from the situation: Sunny Co.'s followers increased from 24.1 to 458,000. Now, whether that translates into sales is another question.

Discussion:

• The company could have had some fun with this. What ideas do you have?
• Should they have known better, or was the outcome too hard to predict?

Mall of America's Social Strategy

PR Daily News reports on Mall of America's successful "newsjacking," or taking advantage of news stories to promote business. Being close to the Mineapolis-St. Paul International Airport gives the mall the chance to lure travelers to shop when their flight is delayed.

Last summer, the mall wrote a blog post, "Flight delayed? 11 things to do at MOA," offering better options than wandering aimlessly like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal." Like a lot of malls these days (what's left of them), Mall of America is part amusement park.

Through social listening, the mall is responsive, but they also promote timely events, such as the mall's 25th anniversary, and greet people who announced celebrations at the mall. We can see the potential for creepiness here, but management believes people appreciate this.

The mall has a bunch of people writing posts, and manager Timothy Pate lets them have their own voice: "Mall of America happens to have a lot of quirky stories, and we aren't afraid to share those with our readers. We find when you really let your quirks shine through, readership goes up."

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Discussion:

• From Chapter 3 in the text or from your own research, how would you define social listening?
• I mentioned the concern about "creepiness." Where should social media managers draw the line? What are some examples of overstepping?

United Announces New Policies

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has found some strength and a way out of the situation that angered so many around the world. The company admits that dragging a man off of a flight two weeks ago wasn't the best way to make room for four United employees.

The company has published "Changes We're Making" in an email to loyalty members, in videos, on its website, in a report, and in an interview with NBC News. The website statement begins as follows:

We are making changes to ensure that we always put customers first

By United Airlines

April 27, 2017

Earlier this month, we disappointed our customers and ourselves when a passenger was forcibly removed from one of our planes. We can never say we are sorry enough for what occurred, but we also know meaningful actions will speak louder than words.

We committed to take action as a result of this incident, and today marks the first step in changing how we fly, serve and respect our customers.

 In the email with the subject line, "Actions Speak Louder than Words," United summarized its most significant policy changes:

We will increase incentives for voluntary rebooking up to $10,000 and will be eliminating the red tape on permanently lost bags with a new "no-questions-asked" $1,500 reimbursement policy. We will also be rolling out a new app for our employees that will enable them to provide on-the-spot goodwill gestures in the form of miles, travel credit and other amenities when your experience with us misses the mark. 

The $10,000 offer for re-booking is particularly clever: it's a generous amount, and it's unlikely the airline will have to pay that much.

Meanwhile, the airline settled with Dr. Dao for an undisclosed amount. Good idea to end the nightmare. The last thing United needs is more publicity about the case.

Discussion:

• How are they doing? Analyze the audience, communication objectives, content, and writing and presentation styles. Also consider the timing and policy changes.
• Read the full report. Which principles of report writing are allowed, and what could be improved?
• To what extent will these communications and policy changes affect United's image?

Adidas Apologizes for Congratulatory Message

Adidas

Adidas may need a better review process. After the Boston Marathon, the company sent a congratulatory email about "surviving" the marathon, not thinking about the terrorist attack four years ago. During that event, two bombs killed three people and left several hundred injured.

The subject line to the marathoners read, "Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!"

Outrage was swift. People immediately saw that Adidas hadn't posted this intentionally but had failed to consider the connection and potential reaction. 

The apology also came quickly and did the job. Admitting that "no thought was given to the insensitive email subject line," the company didn't make excuses or apologize "if we offended anyone"; they said plainly that it was insensitive.

Discussion:

• Are people too sensitive, or was this a real gaffe?
• How does a mistake like this happen?
• What makes this an effective apology?