Public relations refer to the professional procedures aimed at maintaining a good public reputation of an organization and the environment associated with its operations. This process is diverse, considering that it does not only involve a positive image with the general public but also with other organizations. A critical analysis of organizations’ public relations reveals that this process can be executed using various strategies. In contemporary society, companies opt to use social media for their public relations since these platforms are quite a catch. Researchers confirm this by purporting that social media is now a phenomenon in public relations and one that has extensively conquered the modern-day world (Stříteský, Stránská, & Drábik, 2015). Currently, social the various social media platforms are believed to have several billion users, and this makes it easier for organizations to share information and reach out to huge crowds. This qualifies social media platforms as new spaces for communication that companies can utilize as great tools to deliver their message to the right people and in real-time. One notable occurrence where an organization has used social media platforms for its public relations was Samsung’s communication of its Samsung S7 note crisis using Facebook and other social media platforms.
Description of the Social Media Platform
The social media platform that was greatly used by Samsung in its public relations was Facebook. This social media platform is identified as a vast network that over 2.6 billion users all over the world. The connections on this social media platform involve people sharing trending stories in society as well as other aspects of their personal lives, such as the trips they had or how they enjoyed their weekend. This sharing creates a community that is connected by the element of sharing updates and interacting with others from different parts of the world to make new friends. Considering the massiveness of its community, Facebook has to make sure that it is thorough in ensuring that this platform is not abused. For instance, the site is notable for its effectiveness in maintaining public relations (Breakenridge, 2012). This is made possible by the fact that this site regulates the types of videos and photos uploaded therein. Therefore, inappropriate information has a high possibility of being flagged and pulled down. These regulations extend to include security measures that restrict people from sharing illicit website links and other contents that are perceivably unethical based on social morals. The attributes of Facebook, particularly its openness and the vast number of users, makes it the most popular social media platform globally. This explains why Samsung, though it used other platforms such as Twitter, found the Facebook platform as the best channel to reach out to its users. Facebook operates in a way that it invites users to like pages that are believably of interest to them, and Samsung is one of those pages privileged to enjoy this.
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Information about the Organization and Its Campaign
By taking advantage of 159 million Facebook users that like its page, Samsung makes sure that it uses this site for its public relations. Particularly, Samsung has been on the frontline in using Facebook to conduct public relations campaigns. In relation to this, this organization used Facebook for more than just its interaction platform to maintain its public status and image. Following the crisis that faced Samsung S7 note, this organization was forced to come clean and clear after the flagship of this phone model. According to the users’ grievances, the Samsung S7 note had various malfunctions. This was explained in the context that this mobile phone was had recorded cases of its battery blowing up (Kang, Shim, & Kim, 2019). These complaints were disastrous to the company since they were damaging its reputation, which it had taken decades to build. Realizing the magnitude of this crisis, Samsung was fast to act and it took to social media, Facebook, for its public relations campaign. In addressing this issue, Facebook acted by first apologizing to its users and taking liability for the issues caused by its faulty phone. Secondly, the company also made it public that it regretted that that the consumers had to experience this, and it would correct it by continued production of the best commodities. For compensation, Samsung offered to recall all faulty phones. This gesture was highly appreciated by the users since it was interpreted as the company’s willingness to take responsibility for its mistakes and correcting that by compensating the affected consumers.
The Effectiveness of the Campaign
Based on the concepts learned in Unit V Lesson, it is undeniable that Samsung’s public relations campaign was effective. First, most companies in times of crisis shy away from compensating their consumers and the process to get them to do so is usually a wearisome legal process. Samsung was notably very different since its major highlights in the campaign were that it would compensate its affected users by refunding them the cash spent in buying this product. The outcome of this was that the public relations campaign by Samsung sparked positive responses, especially because its actions gestured a company focused on serving them and giving them the best (Swann, 2014). According to the course content, the effectiveness in Samsung’s public relations campaign can be attributed to the fact that the company was focused on maintain customer loyalty by doing all that is necessary to make sure they are satisfied. Evidently, in this case, the company at first experienced a drop in its sales volume, which later picked on to maintain its previous status as one of the best-selling phone companies. Though Samsung’s public relations campaign, as analyzed herein, was effective, the company can improve by ensuring that it increases its reachability of these social media platforms. Secondly, the organization can craft informative advertisements that it can use to make sure that it maintains its engagement with the consumers.
Conclusion
In summation, public relations were identified as the professional procedures aimed at maintaining a good public reputation of an organization. Therefore, organizations use public relations campaigns to make sure that they maintain a good image with the consumers and other involved stakeholders. On this note, public relations has changed significantly in contemporary society since social media platforms are now a phenomenon in public relations and one that has extensively conquered the modern-day world. Currently, social the various social media platforms are believed to have several billion users, and this makes it easier for organizations to share information and reach out to huge crowds. Samsung’s case is a clear illustration of the significance of social media platforms in public relations campaigns. By using Facebook, Samsung managed to spark positive responses from the consumers since it engaged with them in a way that they felt cared for; hence continued customer loyalty.
References
Breakenridge, D. (2012). Social media and public relations: Eight new practices for the PR professional . FT Press.
Kang, S., Shim, K., & Kim, J. (2019). Social media posts on Samsung Galaxy note 7 explosion: A comparative analysis of crisis framing and sentiments in three nations. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research , 2 (2), 259- 290. https://doi.org/10.30658/jicrcr.2.2.5
Stříteský, V., Stránská, A., & Drábik, P. (2015). Crisis communication on Facebook. Studia Commercialia Bratislavensia , 8 (29), 103-111. https://doi.org/10.1515/stcb-2015-0010
Swann, P. (2014). Cases in public relations management: The rise of social media and activism . Routledge.
