Bailey Sergott (629)
About a month ago, I got my very first puppy. He is five months old, about ten pounds and his name is Bugs. Anyone who has ever had a puppy, knows they can be quite a bit of work. For how young Bugs is, he is extremely well behaved, and I have been very impressed. As I was training him, I made an effort to not let Bugs have any human food. One day when I went to my friend's house, she gave him a Cheez-It and that was it, Bugs fell in love. Bugs is a very good dog, but he is food crazed; anytime there is food around he forgets all of his good behavior. Bugs would eat anything available to him, so I have to be very careful where food is left and make sure it is out of his reach. There’s a lot of food that people eat everyday which is fine for us, but can be toxic to dogs. One particular food that is very toxic to dogs is chocolate. Bugs absolutely loves the smell of chocolate; granted he loves the smell of any food. He would do just about anything for me to give him a piece. In that moment, all he wants is the immediate satisfaction, without realizing the outcome could be so much worse. In some ways, I like to think of myself as Bugs' conscience. I am responsible for thinking of the best possible outcomes for Bugs.
Conscience of the Company
When companies are experiencing a problem, sometimes it might be easier to go for the “quick fix” for immediate satisfaction. This is why as a public relations employee, you must think of the big picture, and how it will affect the company. As a public relations major, you are supposed to be the conscience of the company. I like to compare that to how I make decisions for my dog. If a large company is experiencing a crisis, making the wrong move can cause a negative impact on the company. If I didn’t know what I was doing and gave my dog chocolate, it could have a tragic impact on him. When a company experiences a crisis, they turn to the conscience of the company for the next steps. A “quick fix” sometimes is to lie or attempt to cover something up. The problem with that is, that you can lose a customer's trust.
The Pepsi Crisis
In 1993, Pepsi experienced a crisis where customers were claiming to find odd things in their Pepsi cans, like syringes. They could have handled this a number of different ways, but what they did was a great example of being the conscience of the company. Pepsi was very open, honest, and transparent with their customers. They let reporters enter the factory to see for themselves how they make and distribute the cans, to prove there is no way anything is getting into them before they leave the factory. The crisis did not last long, but the entire time it was going on, Pepsi was honest with the public. Eventually, it came out that people were entering the foreign objects into the cans themselves and Pepsi is still a very well respected company to this day.
Final Thoughts
Being the conscience of the company can mean many different things. Whether you are communicating with the public, or making the best decisions for those involved. Being the conscience of the company is not only about making the right decision, but it is about clearly communicating with the public and then communicating the needs of the public back to the company. It is helping manage how others feel and view a brand. Public relations brings the brand into the best possible light to the public.
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