Kim Leslie’s PR Blog

The August 2000 Firestone Tire recall is an example of PR, but not a good example. The recall, announced by Bridgestone Corp., producer of the Firestone Tire brand, was the second largest tire recall in U.S. History. Reports about the tires alleged that that the treads peeled off the tires of SUVs travelling at high speeds. The tire manufacturer used PR to respond (ineffectively) to public scrutiny concerning the safety of its tires. Bridgestone attempted to capture people’s attention during the recall by communicating information about the tires to important publics.

The recall cost the company substantially, but not just financially. The cost of replacing all of the tires combined with the cost of lawsuits from defective tires did not compare to the loss of brand loyalty and customer trust. Gary Crigger, Bridgestone’s Executive Vice President, commented on this issue. “Obviously there will be a large financial impact on the company, but that’s not our subject for discussion today. The issue is our concerns for customer safety and customer confidence in our brand.”

Despite the company’s efforts to ensure customer satisfaction and new tires for all, a CNN article found that many were disappointed with Bridgestone’s initial response and believed the company’s actions were flawed. For example, once the recall was announced, the company did not have tires ready for replacement at many of its dealerships. Merely apologizing for the inconvenience the recall caused, and for the deaths of those who had faulty tires was insufficient. In addition, CNN reported that the company, as well as Ford Motor Company, knew about the problem for 8 years prior to the recall. This angered customers and tainted the Bridgestone/Firestone name for years.

Further, Bridgestone’s company philosophy did not align with their PR tactics and actions during the recall. The philosophy on the company website states, “Only through concrete action can we earn the trust that becomes the basis for our pride in our companies and products. Only when that pride motivates us to become ever better, can we continue to earn and retain the trust of the community.”

Next time, Bridgestone will need a new PR approach, one that includes its values.  

Technology has and will constantly stimulate change in the PR industry. Web 2.0 has changed the way practitioners think about and use the Internet. As a result, PR professionals must be aware that many online conversations cannot always be controlled. The web is now a platform for the exchange of messages.  Online conversations can be monitored, participated in, and utilized for research, but individuals and organizations control the conversation. Important publics and individuals speak to each other about particular organizations online, rather than directly to PR professionals. For these reasons, PR professionals must understand how to access, tap into, and influence online conversations about the organization they represent. They must simultaneously monitor online conversations and conversations occurring through traditional media.

Social networking sites and blogs, part of Web 2.0, represent platforms for messages that PR professionals can use to join the conversation. Online communities, created through social networking sites, have redefined the traditional definition of community. These communities have created a place where culturally diverse people come together to form a nontraditional community (Guth & Marsh). Due to this, it is imperative that PR professionals understand who online communities are, what they represent, and what they want. Blogs can tarnish an organization or individual’s reputation, or they can validate that reputation. By creating a two-way conversation through blogging, practitioners can monitor and influence the messages produced about their organization. While these are only a few of the changes Web 2.0 has caused, they reflect the significance of participating in the conversation through both traditional and nontraditional media.

China’s Internet censoring system, often referred to as the “Great Firewall,” has attracted attention from human rights groups and countries around the world. The Chinese government’s effort to censor Internet content that undermines the government has proved successful despite its loopholes. Proxies and virtual private networks, or VPNs, can easily bypass the censoring system and allow Chinese citizens to access restricted content.  Even so, most Chinese citizens do not take the time or effort to bypass the censors due to the possibility of harsh punishment from the Chinese government. Citizens face jail time or even death for accessing or posting content that poses a threat to the government. For these reasons, most citizens escape slow Internet connections and punishment by acting as “self-censors.” They only access sites they know are appropriate and will not be blocked.

The case study at the end of chapter 11 asks why those outside of China should be concerned about the Chinese government’s censorship of Internet content (Guth & Marsh). First, such censorship encourages self-censorship, especially for Chinese blog writers. Since most Chinese citizens will not bypass the firewall, bloggers must operate within the Chinese firewalls and obey regulations in order to be read. Second, if this practice of censoring all Internet content were adopted in the U.S., it would cause extreme consequences for the PR industry. Blogging is one of the newest ways that PR professionals send and receive messages and connect with important publics. If blogging were restricted, PR professionals would be restricted in the messages they could produce. Third, Chinese censorship and its punishment violate basic human rights such as free speech and self-expression. PR practitioners rely on these rights when receiving feedback from important publics. If people were no longer allowed to post what they wanted and continually had to self-censor, practitioners would not receive accurate information. Censorship of all Internet content would change the PR industry’s use of the Internet and its ability to communicate effectively through the Internet.