Submit the crisis topic that you have selected for your final project. Specifically, identify the organization whose crisis communication strategy you are planning to evaluate. Briefly describe an actual crisis that the organization has encountered, and p

COM 657: Final Project Document

Overview

The final project for this course is the creation of a crisis communication plan. You must deal rapidly, authentically, and efficiently with a crisis. A crisis communication situation demands an appropriate level of authenticity and real-time response. A crisis communication professional must understand where target audiences go for information and must disseminate relevant information across numerous digital channels. The project is supported by three formative milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules One, Five, and Eight. The final submission will occur in Module Ten.

Outcomes

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Recognize and respond to crisis communication challenges by successfully implementing ethically sound strategies on new media platforms that maintain a positive brand image

 Develop an authentic response to crisis management situations through a cogent analysis of relevant case studies and real-time scenarios

 Employ innovative technologies and tactics to disseminate messages to specific target audiences about political officials, corporations, and public figures

 Evaluate social media trends and related audience reactions with an open-minded, empathetic treatment of different cultural perspectives

 Develop a responsible message integrating a contemporary knowledge base of public relations ethics, brand imaging, and contemporary media strategies

Milestones

Milestone One: Crisis Communication Evaluation Draft In task 1-3, you will submit the crisis topic that you have selected for your final project. Specifically, identify the organization whose crisis communication strategy you are planning to evaluate. Briefly describe an actual crisis that the organization has encountered, and provide some initial thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s communication strategy. This milestone will be graded pass/fail. Milestone Two: SWOT Analysis Draft In task 5-2, you will draft an in-depth strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the organization’s strategy for the crisis chosen. Consider social media use and different cultural perspectives. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Campaign Redesign Draft In task 8-2, you will submit a campaign redesign draft for the organization that you chose, including the response strategy. Detail the technologies and tactics to be used. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Final Project Submission: Crisis Communication Plan In task 10-2, you will submit your crisis communication plan. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This project will be graded using the Final Project Rubric.

Prompt

You will prepare a crisis communication plan for a real-world organization. You will select an organization, assess its current communication strategy to address crisis issue(s), and redesign a PR campaign for mitigating the impact of a crisis. How does a crisis communication professional or team effectively respond to a predicament through appropriate digital channels to reach the target audience, with the intent to protect, maintain, or restore the organization’s brand? What crisis communication plan would best demonstrate this? Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Complete a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of a current crisis communication strategy for a real organization, considering social media use and different cultural perspectives. Include the following:

a. Strengths. Analyze the components of the current crisis communication campaign that you consider to be strong. Provide a rationale to substantiate your claims.

b. Weaknesses. Analyze the components of the current crisis communication strategy that you consider to be deficient and therefore need to be addressed in your revised plan. Provide a rationale to substantiate your claims.

c. Opportunities. Assess the opportunities identified within the current crisis communication strategy. Do you see additional opportunities to be addressed?

d. Threats. Assess the threats, both internal to the organization and external, that are identified in the existing plan. Are there other threats that you believe should be considered?

2. Create a new campaign to develop an authentic response strategy by effectively using new media platforms for crisis communications. [COM-657-02]

a. Provide a succinct description, essentially a synopsis, of the redesigned campaign. b. Provide a clear rationale for the redesign, supported by evidence from real case studies and potential scenarios relevant to the specific

organization.

3. Detail the technologies and tactics that you recommend in the redesigned campaign.

a. Recommendations. Provide a description of the digital media platforms/technologies and communications tactics that you recommend. b. Rationale. Justify your recommendations by providing a clear rationale for your selections, highlighting how they address issues and

opportunities identified in the SWOT analysis.

4. Craft authentic, transparent messages appropriate for new media platforms and discuss why those messages work across the channels.

a. Provide a description of the new messages for specific target audience(s), including any specific attributes that you choose to address in your revised campaign.

b. Develop a clear rationale for the strategy behind the new messages, emphasizing brand image and ethical considerations in PR.

5. Provide an implementation plan for the redesigned campaign.

a. Detail the process that would need to be followed to implement the campaign. b. Highlight how your redesigned campaign will address specific ethical issues and cultural perspectives in respect to maintaining a positive brand

image.

Final Project Rubric

Requirements of submission: Written components of projects must follow these formatting guidelines: 10–15 pages, double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and discipline-appropriate citations. The paper should follow APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Crisis Communication Strategy: Strengths

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and analysis is comprehensive and well developed

Analyzes the strengths of the current crisis communication strategy in terms of its use of social media, particularly for its effectiveness in reaching and addressing various cultural audiences

Analyzes the components of the current crisis communication strategy in terms of its use of social media; however, is not effective in reaching and addressing various cultural audience

Does not provide an analysis of the strengths of the current crisis communication strategy

5

Crisis Communication Strategy: Weaknesses

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and analysis is comprehensive and well developed

Analyzes the components in the current crisis communication strategy that are considered to be deficient and provides a rationale to substantiate claims

Analyzes the components in the current crisis communication strategy that are considered to be deficient; however, does not provide a rationale to substantiate claims

Does not provide an analysis of the weaknesses of a current crisis communication strategy

5

Crisis Communication Strategy: Opportunities

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates creativity in identifying additional opportunities

Assesses the opportunities identified within the current crisis communication strategy and, if applicable, identifies additional opportunities to be addressed

Assesses the opportunities identified within the current crisis communication strategy; however, overlooks relevant factors

Does not provide an analysis of the opportunities for the crisis communication strategy

5

Crisis Communication Strategy: Threats

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates creativity in identifying additional threats

Assesses the threats, both internal to the organization and external, that are identified in the existing plan and, if applicable, assesses other threats that should be considered

Assesses the threats, both internal to the organization and external, that are identified in the existing plan; however, overlooks relevant factors

Does not present an analysis of threats for the crisis communication strategy

5

New Campaign: Synopsis

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and description is clear and compelling and demonstrates creativity in the redesign of the crisis communication campaign

Succinctly describes or provides a synopsis of the redesigned crisis communication campaign

Provides a description or synopsis of the redesigned crisis communication campaign; however, is not clear and lacks sufficient detail

Does not describe a redesigned crisis communication campaign

10

New Campaign: Rationale

Meets “Proficient” criteria and cites specific, relevant examples to support the redesigned campaign

Provides a clear rationale for the redesigned campaign, supported by evidence from real case studies and potential scenarios relevant to the specific organization

Provides a rationale for the redesigned campaign; however, it is not supported by evidence from real case studies and potential scenarios relevant to the specific organization

Does not provide a rationale for the redesigned campaign

10

Technologies and Tactics:

Recommendations

Meets “Proficient” criteria, demonstrates a superior knowledge of new media platforms/technologies, and provides relevant, concrete examples to substantiate claims

Provides a description of the digital media platforms/technologies and communications tactics that are recommended

Provides a description of the digital media platforms/technologies and communications tactics that are recommended; however, is not clear and lacks sufficient detail

Does not provide a description of any recommendations

10

Technologies and Tactics: Rationale

Meets “Proficient” criteria, uses a variety of online platforms, and provides relevant, concrete examples to substantiate claims

Justifies the selected recommendations by providing a clear rationale, highlighting how they address issues and opportunities identified in the SWOT analysis

Justifies the selected recommendations by providing a rationale, highlighting how they address issues and opportunities identified in the SWOT analysis; however, overlooks relevant factors

Does not justify recommendations for the online tools and tactics

10

Messages: Target Audience(s)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a superior understanding of the target audience(s)

Proposes new, authentic, and transparent messages for specific target audience(s), addressing relevant communication attributes

Proposes new, authentic, and transparent messages for specific target audience(s); however, does not address relevant communication attributes

Does not propose new, authentic, and transparent messages for specific target audience(s)

5

Messages: Rationale

Meets “Proficient” criteria and substantiates rationale with specific, relevant examples

Develops a clear rationale for why new messages work across the digital channels to protect, maintain, or restore the organization’s brand

Develops a rationale for why new messages work across the digital channels to protect, maintain, or restore the organization’s brand; however, overlooks relevant factors

Does not develop a rationale for why the messages work

5

Implementation Plan: Process

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a professional understanding of addressing a communication crisis

Details the process that would need to be followed to implement the campaign

Details the process that would need to be followed to implement the campaign; however, overlooks relevant factors

Does not propose a plan to implement the crisis communication strategy in response to a crisis

10

Implementation Plan: Ethical Issues and

Cultural Perspectives

Meets “Proficient” criteria and illustrates a sophisticated understanding of ethical and cultural considerations

Highlights how the redesigned campaign will address specific ethical issues and cultural perspectives in respect to maintaining a positive brand image

Highlights how the redesigned campaign will address specific ethical issues and cultural perspectives in respect to maintaining a positive brand image; however, is not clear and lacks sufficient detail

Does not consider crisis communication issues associated with ethical concerns in respect to maintaining a positive brand image

10

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy to read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%