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Tao CUI_W11_Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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Tao CUI_W11_Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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Many brands are no strangers to crisis management, but the global scale and continued uncertainty around COVID-19 is a first for us all. Whatever crisis response guidebooks that may have existed weeks ago now seem to be from another era, and even the most nimble advertisers - accustomed to evolving their strategies and adapting ad creatives in real-time - are asking, "How do we meet this unprecedented moment?"

While the answer to that question will be different for every brand, many have responded with meaningful approaches to give audiences a reason to believe that we'll get through this crisis and move forward together. Here are three impactful ways advertisers are showing up during the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks.

1. By addressing customer concerns
Cottonelle
Given the rate at which stores are selling out, one of the world's largest toilet paper producers, Cottonelle, delivered a direct message to ease consumers' concerns and discourage panic buying. Instead, the brand urged people to, "Stock up on generosity," and simultaneously launched a campaign called #ShareASquare, in partnership with the U.S.-based charity, United Way.

The brand pledged $1 million and one million rolls of toilet paper to United Way Worldwide's COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. And for everyone who uses the hashtag #ShareASquare, the brand will donate an additional $1 up to $100K. "We believe our consumers have no shortage of kindness," said Arist Mastorides, family care president at Cottonelle's parent company, Kimberly Clark North America. "So we trust that they will #ShareASquare to help us on this mission."
McDonald's
To directly address consumers' heightened concerns around protecting their health, McDonald's Philippines outlined new precautions they're taking, like required temperature checks for employees before and after shifts. By video, president and CEO Kenneth Yang assured customers, "We will not hesitate to cancel any customer activity or even temporarily shut down any of our restaurants."

The company acknowledged that now, more than ever, reaching their audience with timely, relevant messages is imperative. "As a community partner, it's our responsibility to update consumers on the actions we're taking to ensure their safety and well-being," said Margot Torres, managing director of McDonald's Philippines. "Having Kenneth Yang deliver this message was key to show our continued commitment to food quality, service, and cleanliness - all of which are critically important right now."

2. By pivoting toward a solution
Ford
As a brand that has been around for more than a century, Ford has weathered its share of tough times. To acknowledge the gravity of the current moment, the company pivoted their ads to explain how they have met global-scale crises in the past - for example, by building military equipment during World War II - and to convey their commitment to fighting COVID-19 by manufacturing medical equipment in short supply. The new ads, " Built to Lend a Hand" and " Built for Right Now," lean into the company's century-long commitment to their consumers and mission.

According to Andrew Georgescu, Ford's head of content marketing in the U.S., "117 years of resilience has taught us that we will get through this. But it's a critical time that calls for action and cooperation." To do their part, the company is supporting consumers facing financial hardships through the Ford Credit payment relief program.
Walgreens
One of the largest U.S. pharmacies and a trusted leader in health care, Walgreens adapted their Ask a Pharmacist series into short, informative videos that answer customers' common questions related to COVID-19. The brand also quickly converted an existing email campaign creative into a video ad to explain how people can safely take advantage of online care services and free prescription delivery. And finally, to help combat the challenge that many communities face with limited access to COVID-19 tests, Walgreens instituted drive-thru testing for first responders.

3. By bringing people together as they stay safely apart
Ikea
While being homebound causes stress and isolation for so many, Ikea Spain saw an opportunity to shift perspective around shelter-in-place orders by welcoming their Spanish- and English-speaking audiences back into their own homes. By doing so, Ikea sought to remind people of the stable worlds they had already created - playing with kids, dancing, making music, or simply relaxing with loved ones - as the world around them shifts.

As Laura Durán, marketing director at IKEA Spain, explained, "#YoMeQuedoEnCasa (#I'mStayingHome) is a movement that was born in people's homes, and it is to those homes that we wanted to pay this small tribute. We invite everyone to view their home from a different perspective and make it a place where, during this time, we can all live new experiences together."
Guinness
While St. Patrick's Day is normally a tentpole moment for Guinness, the brand recognized the day would need to be different this year in support of the bar closures and restrictions on social gatherings in Ireland and worldwide. Still, Guinness knew adults around the world needed a lift, so they responded with a message of resilience and assurance. By piecing together existing footage in a matter of days, Guinness shared that their own brand had endured the test of time by "sticking together."

With that in mind, they encouraged people to celebrate the spirit of the holiday by lifting one another just as they would a glass. "As a 260 year-old brand that has survived two World Wars, the Great Famine, and so much more, we felt compelled to share a message of resilience to reassure consumers that we will all march again if we stand together," explained Joey Converse, a senior brand manager at Guinness. To show their solidarity, the company committed $1 million to the Guinness Gives Back Fund, supporting their extended community and hospitality workers.

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Crisis marketing: How brands are addressing the coronavirus

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Many brands are no strangers to crisis management, but the global scale and continued uncertainty around COVID-19 is a first for us all. Whatever crisis response guidebooks that may have existed weeks ago now seem to be from another era, and even the most nimble advertisers - accustomed to evolving their strategies and adapting ad creatives in real-time - are asking, "How do we meet this unprecedented moment?"

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Yueyang Liu _W11_Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication 

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Yueyang Liu _W11_Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication 

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Shiqi Liu-Week11 Global Pandemic and marketing communication

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Shiqi Liu-Week11 Global Pandemic and marketing communication

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Xiang Li- Week 11 Global Pandemic and marketing communication

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Xiang Li- Week 11 Global Pandemic and marketing communication

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Dive Brief:

Starbucks and Netflix partnered on a monthly social content series entitled "But Have You Read the Book?," per a blog post by the coffee chain.

"Orange Is the New Black" star Uzo Aduba will have conversations with cast, creators and authors who have adapted books into films or television series on the streaming service. Episodes will be filmed at Starbucks locations in the U.S. and will air via the Still Watching Netflix YouTube channel and Netflix's U.S. Facebook account.

With the content partnership, both brands are looking to engage consumers around the adaptations that have surged in popularity as viewing time continues to shift to streaming. The first episode of the show will air on Nov. 16 and is about Nella Larsen's novel "Passing" and a film adaptation that will debut on Netflix on Nov. 10.

Dive Insight:

Starbucks and Netflix are tapping into several consumer trends that have accelerated during the pandemic with a video series that runs across Netflix's YouTube and Facebook channels. The Netflix Book Club allows consumers to learn about the books that have been adapted into films and TV series on the streamer, and is named after a frequent refrain of such conversations. Book clubs have seen increased interest as consumers have sought socially distanced activities during the pandemic. Integrating coffee into such interactions is a natural extension, per Starbucks.

"Coffee brings us together for a shared experience with loved ones, friends, and even strangers, and Starbucks has built a community over the years for people to have conversations with one another about literature and entertainment," Starbucks CMO Brady Brewer said in the blog post.

For Starbucks, the series showcases its cafe locations and reminds consumers of the company's goal to be a "third place" - neither home nor work - where people can have conversations and find community. Starbucks beat Wall Street estimates for its Q3 earnings and revenue and is expected to report Q4 earnings on Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, Netflix can further engage consumers who have turned book adaptations including "Bridgerton" and "The Queen's Gambit" into buzz-generating hits during the past year. Such content has helped Netflix drive revenue, but its subscriber growth has started to slow. Engaging consumers around its content with free offerings like the Netflix Book Club could help to drive new subscriptions. Netflix is expected to report Q3 earnings on Oct. 19.

The book club comes on the heels of Netflix's new online hub with Walmart that offers exclusive merchandise and experiences inspired by shows like "Stranger Things," "Nailed It!" and "Squid Game." The hub arrives in advance of the holiday shopping season, and like the Starbucks partnership, helps the brands tap into fan culture.

Starbucks has previously partnered with other streaming services to expand its cultural footprint. The chain in 2019 teamed with Amazon Prime Video to create and distribute a six-part documentary series about the human stories behind soccer around the globe.

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Starbucks, Netflix partner on book club-inspired content series

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Starbucks and Netflix partnered on a monthly social content series entitled "But Have You Read the Book?," per a blog post by the coffee chain. "Orange Is the New Black" star Uzo Aduba will have conversations with cast, creators and authors who have adapted books into films or television series on the streaming service.

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Fengling Liu W11-Global pandemic and marketing communication

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Fengling Liu W11-Global pandemic and marketing communication

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Related Articles

P romotions form the bedrock of which sales can boom or bust. In-store activations have long been the unbeatable form of marketing, but over the last decade - in which social media platforms have become ubiquitous - the use of digital has become increasingly important.

This theme was discussed in detail during the first day of Asiafruit Congress 2021. In the session titled 'Digital marketing with a difference', congress attendees heard from two leading fruit brands that have led the charge to digital platforms.

General manager of global marketing for Rockit Global, Julian Smith, said the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of having a digital presence, as he outlined the miniature apple company's approach to promotions.

"A big part of what we've done [in Asia] is to differentiate ourselves in the fresh produce category by using social media platforms in a way that surprises people, and where it makes them sit up and take notice," began Smith.

"We had to ask, as an apple brand from New Zealand, how do we do that? It has been really exciting and fun to be a part of, and we've had some great results. We've over tripled our global social media following, our engagement scores are through the roof, and we're only just starting to get noticed as the small up and coming challenger brand that we are."

A key aspect of Rockit Global's digital marketing approach, Smith explained, was an omni-channel approach. This afforded the company the ability to trial and error across a number of platforms, and then to hone it's focus where the results were apparent.

"We've used a performance-lead marketing approach to our digital activation," said Smith. "I'm not sure how many players in our category approach it that way, but it's been something very new for Rockit and it allowed us to gain a lot of insight into what was and wasn't working."

For Zespri, the number one fresh produce brand in China and Taiwan, the move to digital was one the company's senior marketing director in Greater China, Ng KokHwee, said was vital.

"Our approach has been anchored in traditional channels such as wholesale and brick and mortar," KokHwee said of Zespri's marketing campaigns. "Digitalisation was a necessity in a post-covid world - this pandemic has accelerated e-commerce growth across all categories in mainland China, and digitalisation has presented a compelling opportunity in the fresh produce category.

"We identified two key areas we needed to focus on in order to drive effectiveness and efficiency in our investment. The first was precision targeting to better reach our audience with a laser-like focus. The second is increasing conversion through content, focusing on strengthening the link from content to purchase."

KokHwee believes the lines between online and offline are blurring in Asia, and that while Zespri has had a lot of success in the digital realm already, she admits they are constantly learning.

Speaking of learning on the go, one of the key takeaways highlighted by Rockit's Smith was the need to localise content.

"We've had a team in China localising our content as much as possible," noted Smith. "You've got to approach the campaign you're producing with a local flavour, and make sure that your strategy is appropriate for your target consumers in the market.

"It's all about test and learn. Sure, you can apply the principles you've learned from other markets, but you must use them in a way that suits the market you're in," concluded Smith.

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Value of digital marketing revealed by pandemic

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Related Articles P romotions form the bedrock of which sales can boom or bust. In-store activations have long been the unbeatable form of marketing, but over the last decade - in which social media platforms have become ubiquitous - the use of digital has become increasingly important.

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Yi Yang_Week 11 Pandemic and marketing communication

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Yi Yang_Week 11 Pandemic and marketing communication

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In a short period of time, the global COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed how businesses operate, the way schools teach and how people navigate through everyday life. Although many want to return to their normal routines and activities, the social distancing necessitated by COVID-19 has provided some people with extra time in their day to devote to learning or sharpening a new skill.

In response, Carboline has found a new way to leverage its industry-leading expertise in performance coatings, linings and fireproofing. It is providing educational opportunities for its customers and employees by creating an online platform for its Corrosion School through a series of free coatings educational webinars.

"Now more than ever, we need to connect to our customers and employees, and we feel that providing free, educational opportunities is a great way to connect during this time," said Melissa Molitor, Carboline's vice president of marketing.

Each of Carboline's educational webinar series consists of about 15 one-hour sessions centered around a theme. They launched on March 31 and will continue to be available to the public through April 29. Each webinar session begins at 10 a.m. CDT daily and covers a variety of topics ranging from generic coatings types and steel surface preparation, to weathering finishes and common coating issues.

Carboline is clearly meeting the needs of its customers and employees, as demonstrated by the fact that its first webinar series quickly reached the maximum capacity of 500 participants.

For more information on Carboline's educational webinar series offered through its Corrosion School, visit https://bit.ly/Carboline. Follow Carboline on LinkedIn and Twitter for more announcements on how to sign up for upcoming webinar sessions.

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Carboline Launches Free Coatings Educational Webinar Series

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In a short period of time, the global COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed how businesses operate, the way schools teach and how people navigate through everyday life. Although many want to return to their normal routines and activities, the social distancing necessitated by COVID-19 has provided some people with extra time in their day to devote to learning or sharpening a new skill.

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Xuexin Wu W11-Global Pandemic and marketing communication

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Xuexin Wu W11-Global Pandemic and marketing communication

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Famous brands also feel responsible to encourage people to stay home. Therefore, the most popular brand in our minds related to home, IKEA created a campaign around this idea.

Ikea Spain wants to pay tribute to our homes. They want to demonstrate home is the place that always there with many memories and feelings for us, and "it will be here, no matter what." The commercial avoids a direct sales message, and more than 1 million users already watched it on Twitter in one week.

This timely ad campaign in partnership with McCann Spain reminds us what home means to us. It's where we have celebrated good news, where we can be ourselves. With #YoMeQuedoEnCasa(#StayHome) hashtag, this short and minimalistic film invites us to see our homes from a new perspective and to make it a place where we can enjoy new experiences and sensations during this time.

It looks like IKEA will continue to these types of campaigns which encourage people to stay home. The Swedish retailer also created a similar campaign in Isreal. It can be the easiest set of IKEA directions you'll likely to ever come across. You need just a key, a lock and 100 rolls of toilet paper to follow the instructions.
It's not the first time IKEA and McCann collaborate for an ad campaign. In a quarantined world, McCann obviously has limited resources, and time for this sensitive spot and the creative with that sense of humor includes a simple but powerful message: #StayHome. We also listed more stay home ad campaigns from reputable brands.

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Famous brands also feel responsible to encourage people to stay home. Therefore, the most popular brand in our minds related to home, IKEA created a campaign around this idea. Ikea Spain wants to pay tribute to our homes.

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Jie Liu - WK11 Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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Jie Liu - WK11 Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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﻿​Moriarty's Gem Art, a family-owned jewelry business located along the courthouse square on Main Street in Crown Point, Ind., was forced to shutter its retail store in March when the coronavirus pandemic prompted a city mandate requiring all nonessential businesses to close."But when we closed our doors, we had to come up with different strategies to keep business going and engage with our customers," says Jeff Moriarty, marketing manager and oldest son of co-owners Steve and Nancy Moriarty. "We did know we would open up again sometime, but we didn't want to just wait, which is why we did everything we could to continue to bring in sales."

Millions of small-business owners across the country faced a similar challenge as the coronavirus shut down much of the U.S. economy and consumers stayed home to slow the spread of the virus. To stay afloat, owners adapted on the fly and found creative ways to change their operating models.

Still, many small businesses have failed. The number of active business owners in the U.S. decreased by 3.3 million from February to April 2020, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Others have survived and plan to use innovations adopted during the pandemic to drive revenue and generate new opportunities as the economy recovers, but the impact on millions of employees nationally is uncertain.

At Moriarty's Gem Art, innovation meant creating a livestreamed gem show. It had been on the to-do list for 2019, but the staff of seven, which includes Moriarty family members, did not have time to produce a show while running the retail outlet, founded in 1975.

COVID-19 changed that.

"About two weeks into the crisis, we started doing livestreams through YouTube using YouTube Studio software," Jeff Moriarty says.

The company advertised the livestreams through its website, by e-mail and via social media. More than 1,000 people now watch the two-hour show that airs every other Wednesday. In addition to selling gems online, during the show, the Moriartys highlight a variety of stones from the company's inventory, like an Ethiopian opal similar to the one featured in the acclaimed 2019 movie "Uncut Gems," starring Adam Sandler.

Launched in April, the shows are a variation of the prerecorded spots the company did for several years featuring Steve Moriarty as he cut, faceted and polished gems and talked about his travels to exotic locales, such as the mines of Tanzania and Madagascar, where the company obtains many of its stones. Pandemic travel bans have caused him to cancel his global trips and concentrate on sources closer to home, such as Oregon, which is known for its sunstone.

Livestreaming not only has helped the company stay connected with customers, Jeff Moriarty says, "it has generated a ton of sales."

Moriarty Gem Art realized $12,000 in revenue from its July 8 show. Another show during the pandemic resulted in a $20,000 sale of a Tanzanite stone to a customer in Singapore. Many of the company's customers are collectors who prefer uncut gems they can have customized.

Livestreaming has allowed the business to connect with current customers and attract new ones.

"We always wanted to do [livestreaming] in the past," Moriarty says. "With more free time, we were able to put it together. It definitely did bring in a good amount of revenue for us."

He attributed his increased sales in part to the closure of many jewelry stores. People continue to get engaged and married, and they want rings and other jewelry to mark those important occasions, he notes.

The Moriartys re-opened their store in July, two weeks after Crown Point rolled back its citywide quarantine.

"We're a small business, and the [federal] recovery funds can keep you going for only so long," Jeff Moriarty says. "The majority of our sales is through our brick-and-mortar store." However, livestreaming "has been so successful that we have continued it ... and don't look to end it."

Innovative Business Strategies for Post-Pandemic Growth

The number of active business owners in the U.S. fell by 3.3 million-or 22 percent-from February to April 2020, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) reported in June. That was the largest decline on record, and it affected nearly all industries.

Minority-owned companies were especially hard hit. Black-owned enterprises experienced a 41 percent drop in trade, Latino-owned businesses saw a 32 percent decline, and Asian-owned businesses saw a 26 percent decrease.

Additionally, immigrant business owners saw a 36 percent loss in business, and women-owned businesses experienced a 25 percent drop in trade, the NBER found.

Staying afloat during COVID-19 requires new approaches. In one survey, nearly half-43 percent-of 416 small businesses with 500 or fewer employees reported that they were finding ways to stay in business, according to Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) research released June 23. In some cases, they are thriving. To adapt, small businesses reported that they are making adjustments that include the following:

Using contactless deliveries to make their services available.

Asking employees to learn new skills to support changes to the business models.

Adopting new revenue streams, such as converting production lines to make hand sanitizer, which is in high demand.

Instituting new safety measures, such as installing Plexiglas barriers between staff and customers.

Adopting new technology processes.

Adapting Business Models for the New Normal

Internet Advisor, a ZIP code-based Internet services finder with 12 full-time employees based in Los Angeles, had to implement different processes to handle an influx of new customer requests. Since the pandemic began, it has also added part-time and contract workers in response to client need.

"Quarantine means more people need the Internet-go figure-so our customer service staff was getting slammed," says Sean Nguyen, the company's director. "What we did was introduce live chat on our website to help with the workload. This way, people can easily get the answers they're looking for and don't need to sit on the line forever to get in touch."

Other big changes the company made involved keeping employees safe as they work in the field.

"Because we help with setting up Internet connections, that means we've got people out on location going into people's homes. ... We wanted something to help streamline and accelerate the process in order to limit the amount of time spent on these installations and the exposure to the virus. We came up with a system with step-by-step tutorials and troubleshooting, available on tablets [distributed to employees]. This way they have access to the information at all times. In addition, they can instantly connect to our office team if they require assistance."

The company plans to continue to innovate once the pandemic is over. "We're taking advantage of this great start and this push for growth to experiment with bringing [artificial intelligence] to customer service via chatbots in order to fully automate the process," Nguyen says.

"The pandemic has taught us that we're providing an essential service, so we need to ensure that we can provide this service reliably no matter the circumstances."

Funeral Funds, a life insurance broker specializing in helping people pay for funeral expenses, also had to find a new way to operate.

'The pandemic has taught us that we're providing an essential service, so we need to ensure that we can provide this service reliably no matter the circumstances.'

"We switched from a combination of face-to-face selling to 100 percent telesales" in response to government directives on social distancing, says Randy VanderVaate, president and owner of the company, based in Flower Mound, Texas. The sales process involves presentations, insurance applications and approvals-all handled over the phone in about 15 minutes, he says.

"Telesales has saved us time and increased our productivity and profitability," VanderVaate says. "We will continue to conduct our business this way, even when the pandemic is over."

Many other small-business owners plan to keep new business operations and services they instituted during the pandemic, SHRM found. Only 9 percent said they will discontinue the innovations after the virus threat subsides.

TeamBuilding, a company of 60 employees that supports corporate team-building activities, saw sales drop to nearly zero in early March when the pandemic first began forcing shutdowns.

"All of our clients canceled their events, and new business stopped coming in," says Michael Alexis, CEO of the fully remote company with a distribution center in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Although the company still managed to earn a small profit, it needed to revamp how it conducted business that relied on in-person interaction. To keep the business running, it began offering virtual team-building activities.

"We mail kits to participants in advance and then do camp games and challenges on a Zoom call," Alexis says. Zoom, with its breakout room features, is the company's default videoconferencing platform, but some activities can be adjusted for use on Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and other platforms to suit client preferences.

Games during the 90-minute event include a lightning-round scavenger hunt, and the team building culminates in telling ghost stories around a tealight candle "campfire."

Since April, "we've grown both revenue and profit and are now doing two times or more revenue than we were pre-COVID," Alexis says. "As long as a market for virtual team-building exists, we will continue to offer these events."

The company's total shift to remote work has also enabled it to hire people outside of major cities to support its team-building activities, Alexis says, "which opened up a new talent pool. This is an exciting development for us."

Key Drivers of Business Innovation During Crisis

The changes small-business owners are making to survive the recession caused by the coronavirus outbreak depend to some degree on company size. Businesses with 100 to 500 employees were twice as likely to have adopted new technology processes compared to those with just two to 99 employees (42 percent versus 20 percent, respectively), according to SHRM research. Those with 100 to 500 employees were also more likely to adopt new revenue streams, new safety measures, and new customer service and delivery processes than those with fewer employees.

The changes business owners made as COVID-19 hit also differed by industry.

Nearly three-fourths of small businesses in knowledge-based industries have all or a majority of their employees working from home, versus one-third of those in service-based industries and one-fourth in industries that rely on physical labor. Among business owners with remote workers, nearly two-thirds said they probably or definitely will allow employees who had not teleworked prior to the pandemic to continue to do so.

"The pandemic has really made businesses think about their operations in a more critical, in-depth way," says Carla Diaz, co-founder of Broadband Search, based in the St. Louis area. The company helps customers find the best Internet service providers in their area.

"One thing that we've done is offer more flexibility for staff. We understand that working at home can come with a lot of distractions, and, for staff with families, managing your home life in a pandemic can be quite time-consuming. Since each person's home life is different, we decided more flexibility was the best option for us."

75 percent of small-business owners are confident that their business will be better prepared to handle a crisis like COVID-19 if it occurred in the future, according to SHRM COVID-19 Research: Small-Business Challenges, June 2020.

The company has allowed its 14 employees, who currently work remotely, to manage their own time and re-create work/life balance in a home setting, Diaz says. Employees discuss their hours with their managers and keep managers updated on what they're working on.

"We set goals for each week," she says, "and [workers] need to complete those goals by the end of the week." However, the company trusts that its employees can manage their time, Diaz notes.

"We understand that sometimes things can pop up out of the blue, and we don't believe employees should be experiencing the stress from these situations while also trying to do their work, as quality will drop.

"Our flexible approach allows them to stop working when they need to and come back when they have dealt with whatever it is they needed to deal with. As long as they maintain the high quality of work we expect and meet their weekly goals, we're happy."

There was some concern that all that flexibility would result in employees' not working as hard or as much, but productivity actually has improved, Diaz says.

"We've even seen improvement in not only how much work is being produced, but the quality of work, as well. It's certainly something to think about in terms of business structure for the post-pandemic world.

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Small Businesses Get Creative to Survive During the Pandemic

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Innovations adopted during the coronavirus crisis drive revenue and generate new opportunities for small businesses in the U.S.

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Yingsi Ma_W11_GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND MARKETING COMMUNICATION

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Yingsi Ma_W11_GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND MARKETING COMMUNICATION

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The COVID-19 pandemic has taught all of us many new things... how to become skilled in every virtual meeting technology; how to update our Google My Business listings; mastering parenting, teaching, and working simultaneously; and that "Cheryl" really is the worst coworker in the "office." But while humor is certainly good medicine for our mental health during these times, we are also facing very real business demands as well. As marketing and communications professionals, how do we address the needs of our business and our clients during (and even after) the time of COVID-19?

Here are few tips to keep in mind:

There is an overwhelming amount of COVID-19 and coronavirus messaging out there right now. Make sure your communication clearly - and briefly - articulates your message.

Many of us want to include personal and supportive notes in our communications right now - that is fine and it can add a welcome human element to your message, but be sure to put the reason for your communication up front so the reader sees it first and foremost. Then move into secondary messages.

Many of us are in undesirable positions right now, particularly from business operations and financial standpoints. If your company needs to communicate these types of messages to your audience(s), do so in as transparent a fashion as possible.

For example, if your business is considering budget cuts, salary freezes, and even layoffs as possibilities, it may be right to share this. Also, if you are looking into business stimulus loans or grants to recover some of your financial loss, that may be ok to share, too. These insights (even if they aren't exact) let your audience know you're addressing the situation and being open about the options you're considering. It also builds trust.

"Quarantine hair, don't care" isn't just an internet meme. It's a nugget of gold for all brands and businesses. People crave authenticity. It builds relationships and trust between you and your audience. COVID-19 is hard for all of us. Give yourself and others a little grace. Know we are all in this together. This could also be an opportunity to have a little fun showing some of your business behind the scenes in "COVID-19 life" or showing your employees working from home with their new "coworkers" (aka pets, spouses and kids).

Media consumption habits have changed since COVID-19. Knowing your audience and pivoting to where they are right now can be the key to better results. For example, we are seeing that TV (broadcast and streaming) and social media are being consumed at much higher rates right now than outdoor. And a recent Nielsen article also shows that radio is even as or more popular than before COVID-19. And in addition to increased consumption, understand that "virtual," non-HD broadcast options are increasingly viable. We're all adapting to a media landscape in which traditional broadcast standards are relaxed to reflect the times.

For owned media assets (website, organic social media, newsletters), be sure to include your message prominently. If you have your own COVID-19 response page, link to it right from your homepage and/or consider having a pop-up message appear when users arrive to your site. Pin COVID-19 related posts to the top of your social media channels for "sticking" power.

In closing, yes, the COVID-19 struggle is real. But know that you are not alone. So many businesses and communicators are facing similar situations. It's even possible that the news you feel will be a "big deal" when it's reported, won't be. There's a lot of bad news out there right now. And a lot of good news. The best you can do as a marketing and communications professional is be real. The above tips will help. And we're here to help, too. Give us a shout any time here.

Good luck and stay safe out there

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4 Tips for Marketing Communications During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic has taught all of us many new things... how to become skilled in every virtual meeting technology; how to update our Google My Business listings; mastering parenting, teaching, and working simultaneously; and that "Cheryl" really is the worst coworker in the "office."

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ZIYI FANG-W11-Global pandemic and marketing communication

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ZIYI FANG-W11-Global pandemic and marketing communication

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https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/pandemic-fuels-indias-premium-drive-share-of-pricier-cars-phones-appliances-in-total-sales-double/articleshow/86798833.cms

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Reuters

India has witnessed a record shift in purchasing habits toward the premium end for big-ticket items such as cars, two-wheelers, smartphones, televisions, refrigerators and laptops since the pandemic, according to market trackers. In several categories, the contribution of pricier, premium products to total sales has doubled or is growing at twice the pace of the mass segment.

The latest data from market intelligence firm GfK India showed that the share in sales of laptops priced above ₹60,000 has risen to 26% in the January-August period from 13% of total unit sales or volume sales in the same period of 2019. For televisions above 50 inches, it has risen to 12% from 5%; for washing machines with a capacity of 7 kg and more it has increased to 70% from 58%; and for refrigerators of 350-litres plus to 6% from 3%. For smartphones, the unit sale contribution of models priced above ₹25,000 grew 1.5 times in August this year from the same month in 2019.

Similarly, the demand for cars priced above ₹10 lakh has grown at a faster pace than the mainstream market below ₹10 lakh. Between January and August 2021, the sub-₹10 lakh car market grew by 160% from the year earlier, whereas those above ₹10 lakh have grown by 210%, according to Jato Dynamics India.

The automotive consulting firm says the share of sub-₹10 lakh segment in the overall market slipped by over 700 basis points, whereas that of vehicles in the Rs 10-20 lakh bracket gained 600 basis points, accounting for 23% of the overall market in January-August 2021 compared with 16% two years ago. Even in bikes, the pricier 125-250 cc segment has grown almost twice the pace than the entry-level 75 to 125 cc.

Trend Visible in Smaller Cities too
Jato Dynamics said the shift toward higher-priced models has been consistent over the last two to three years but became pronounced after the Covid-19 outbreak. The share of entry-level cars declined from 9.5% at the beginning of 2019 to 6.6% by the end of 2020 whereas the share of higher-priced SUVs and MPVs increased from 33% at the beginning 2019 to 41% by the end of 2020.

"The pandemic has brought some structural shifts in consumer choices and shopping behaviour," said Nikhil Mathur, managing director, India, GfK. He said consumers are looking for a value proposition in tech and durables rather than just utility, marking a clear shift to premiumisation.

Mathur said this trend of premiumisation is reflected even in smaller cities led by reverse migration, rising aspirations, and improved infrastructure. It will continue to grow, backed by easy financing options.

Tarun Garg, director, sales and marketing at Hyundai Motor India, said customers are stretching and they really want to have everything in a car, with no compromises. "This is happening across brands, across variants," he said. "Post the first Covid-19 wave, many industry experts predicted downtrading to lower segments. However, today, it is exactly the opposite that has happened. Our share of higher-priced cars and SUVs have gone up, preference towards higher variants have accelerated."

Higher disposable income

CEOs also attribute this shift to premium cars, bikes, laptops and smartphones to higher disposable income with consumers who don't have too many avenues to spend on such as eating out, holidays and travel. They said this shift will continue at this pace with salaries restored or hiked, while spending avenues remain limited.

India's passenger vehicle market has recovered steadily since the slump in 2019 to 2.13 million units in August, although it's been hit by the global semiconductor shortage, leading to long waiting periods for some models. Vehicle makers have responded by launching 11 new models in 2021 in price segments above ₹10 lakh with 84 variants, as per Jato Dynamics.

Ravi Bhatia, president of Jato Dynamics India, said nearly 16% of households in India fall in the affluent (₹10-20 lakh annual income) and elite (₹20 lakh and above) categories. This upper category has benefited disproportionately, he said.

"Cars priced above ₹10 lakh now account for more than 26% of the overall market and the rate of growth is higher than the overall industry. This augurs well for manufacturers and financiers," Bhatia said.

Luxe Car Segment

The trend is magnified in the luxury car segment. Vikram Pawah, president of BMW Group, India, said even after the global financial crisis, the top end of the market had recovered the fastest and it's the same this time around too. To be sure, models such as the X7, 8 Series and M8 models priced above ₹1 crore have longer waiting periods.

"The disposable income at the higher end is much more, hence the multiplier effect is higher," Pawah said.

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Pandemic fuels India's premium drive, share of pricier cars, phones & appliances in total sales double

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CEOs also attribute this shift to premium cars, bikes, laptops and smartphones to higher disposable income with consumers who don't have too many avenues to spend on such as eating out, holidays and travel. They said this shift will continue at this pace with salaries restored or hiked, while spending avenues remain limited.

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Jingchen Li - W11 How the pandemic has changed the media consumption habits of Brits

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Jingchen Li - W11 How the pandemic has changed the media consumption habits of Brits

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PR Research 4 minute read
How the pandemic has changed how Brits consume media
Covid-19 has significantly altered the global media industry. Leading advertisers have paused or cut their ad spend, media agencies have cut staff, and the pandemic has even caused the postponement of film and TV productions and the closure of some newspaper publishers.

New insight from YouGov shows that the way Britons consume media has been altered too, as behaviours and habits, either created or accelerated from the pandemic, begin to take hold.
Key findings

1. Covid-19 increased average weekly viewers for streaming (+8%) while live TV (-2%) and on-demand decreased (-4%)

2. Proportion of Britons who listen to podcasts increased to a third in 2020 (33%), with comedy the most popular genre (16%)

3. Print magazine consumption halved between 2019 and 2020 (41%, 26%), print news readership fell 9%

4. Popularity for mobile/tablet news apps grew by 4% to rival print as Britons preferred news source (29%)

Streaming increase
In 2020, streaming viewership saw a sharp increase as Britons were confined to their homes. Average weekly viewers in 2019 were at 50%, but increased to 58% in 2020. Comparatively average weekly viewership for live TV fell by 2% (88% to 86%) and on-demand TV fell 4% (79% to 75%). However, the average time spent watching streaming content a week increased by 36 minutes among 18-to-24-year-olds.
GB: TV & Streaming average hours per week (among viewers)

Podcasts rule
2020 was also a year for podcasts, which benefitted from an audience who were bored and looking for new ways to entertain themselves.

The proportion of those who listen to podcasts increased to 33% on average in 2020, up from 27% in 2019, with comedy (16%) and music (12%) podcasts the most regularly listened to.
Less popular media
Whilst podcasts saw growth, YouGov data shows a noticeable decline in commercial radio listenership from 59% to 55%. BBC radio listenership also fell 7 points to 48%, likely impacted by reduced commuting and increased working from home. Three in ten Brits said they expect to work from home more in future in August (31%), up from a quarter in May (26%).

Print magazine consumption saw a severe impact from the pandemic, which almost halved between 2019 (41%) and 2020 (26%). Print news readership also saw a significant drop from 45% to 36%. Digital readership however remained steady among both magazines and newspapers, dropping 2% each to 33%.

Many changed their main source of news too through the pandemic - in fact all but one source of news became less popular in 2020 with only tablet or mobile apps increasing their usage. Television is still overwhelmingly the main source of news at 62% but this is down 3% on 2019. Radio is next at 41% but that saw a steep decline from 48% in 2019.

Those getting their news from a specific news website has stayed broadly the same at 38%, only down 1% on 2019. Those getting their news from social media stayed the same at 30%, while those getting their news from a news app or tablet rose by 4% from 25% in 2019 to 29% in 2020.
GB: News Sources (last 28 days)

Social networks
Usage of social networks didn't change between 2019 and 2020 - the proportion who said they had used these platforms in the past month stayed at 84%.

With increasingly more Britons concerned about their household financial situation and the prospect of a recession, this poses huge challenges for brands and advertisers looking to achieve a return on investment and reach consumers in the right channels, at the right time and with the right message.
Commenting on the research, Jules Newby, sector head of media at YouGov, says:"Another aspect of the media landscape that's seen a significant shift is how Britons source their news, with news apps growing in popularity and all other sources becoming less popular. For those in the media industry, this raises all sorts of questions as to whether the pandemic has accelerated changes that were happening already or if these habits will return to normal as society does." Methodology "The pandemic has forced many Britons to spend significantly more time in their homes and this has in turn affected how we listen, read, watch and generally consume various forms of media; TV continued to dominate but other forms have seen sharp increases, such as video streaming and podcasts, whereas others, like print magazines and newspapers, have seen a steep decline.
YouGov's International media consumption report 2021: Is there a new normal? analyses consumers' attitudes and behaviours around the international media landscape. The report is based on more than 18,000 interviews across 17 global markets.

Fieldwork was conducted in November 2020. For British findings, data is national representative and the sample size was 2,078 GB adults.

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How the pandemic has changed the media consumption... | PRmoment.com

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PR Research 4 minute read How the pandemic has changed how Brits consume media Covid-19 has significantly altered the global media industry. Leading advertisers have paused or cut their ad spend, media agencies have cut staff, and the pandemic has even caused the postponement of film and TV productions and the closure of some newspaper publishers.

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Weizhen WANG-W11 Global pandemic and marketing communication

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Weizhen WANG-W11 Global pandemic and marketing communication

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Evolving your marketing strategy for a post-pandemic world
In times of crisis, marketing communications is more important than ever. It must, however, pivot to reflect the world around us - and that means knowing what to say and how to say it, but also when to say it and through which channels.
By mid-2020, businesses across the vast majority of industries were feeling the impact of Covid-19. Some faced job losses and reduced revenue, while others - like those in the healthcare and DIY sectors - experienced a significant spike. However, all wrestled with how best to communicate in a time of global crisis. Was it insensitive to continue advertising as normal? If yes, then when should that start again? And what should that look like? What do customers want - and need - to hear? And how do they want to hear it? Questions like this - amongst many others - were no doubt being debated in boardrooms and between marketing teams across the world.

Jump forward a year and the situation across Europe - although still troublesome - has markedly improved and brands are beginning to evaluate the pandemic era. Some, or many, aspects of brands' marketing mix will have changed temporarily - some permanently. Others will have evolved or stopped altogether.

We're in a moment of reflection, following which brands will map out their marketing strategies for the next 12-18 months in what will (hopefully) be a world without the chaos of Covid-19. But for the time being, brands need to be mindful to communicate in a way that doesn't pretend or assume the pandemic has disappeared. Tensions around restarting economies and returning to ordinary life still exist and uncertainty remains.

Let's start by looking at what brands got right from the outset and throughout the pandemic.

Managing marketing communications in a time of crisis

While in a time of crisis it's impossible for a brand to "win", certain business's succeeded in striking the right tone with their communications. And ultimately, that boiled down to doing two things well: listening and adapting.

Brands that got it right listened carefully - both to their staff and customers - and acted accordingly. For some businesses this prompted a drastic change of course and/or restructure. For others, it meant honing an existing strategy.

For example, Alessandra Bellini, Chief Customer Officer for Tesco (UK supermarket chain), explained: "We didn't have to change or pivot. We had to be really at our best to listen to our customers every day... we were going out to stores, to the pickers and the depot, talking to them [staff and customers] in real-time in order to understand what we needed to do in terms of a central perspective."

Through careful listening, Tesco identified four key priorities that would steer its marketing communications strategy: safety for all; food for all; support for colleagues; support for communities.

As for adapting, Bellini went on to say that her marketing team was gathering daily insights using YouGov's BrandIndex tool, as well as customer and colleague feedback, so it could adapt "on a very short cycle to be on top of what customers and colleagues needed most."

Listening to customers and colleagues and rapidly adapting is one thing - successful execution is another.

Last year, above all else in a time of huge uncertainty, customers wanted to be spoken/marketed to with honesty, transparency and compassion. Attentiveness, aligning with customers' concerns and to-the-point messaging all proved to be key enablers of customer trust.

Last year was also a time for brands to give back and repay the loyalty customers had shown them.

Ford, as a brand that has existed for more than a century, has weathered its share of tough times. So, to acknowledge the gravity of the situation, the company created ads to explain how it had met global-scale crises in the past - by building military equipment during World War II, for example - and to convey its commitment to fighting Covid-19 by manufacturing medical equipment in short supply.

Others promoted a spirit of togetherness, resilience and safety-first mindset.

Guinness, due to hospitality closures and social restrictions, recognised that St Patrick's Day 2020 would need to be different. So it responded with a message of resilience and assurance by piecing together existing footage in a matter of days, sharing that its own brand had endured the test of time by "sticking together."

Ikea saw an opportunity to shift perspective around stay-at-home orders by welcoming audiences back into their own homes. By doing so, Ikea sought to remind people of the stable worlds they had already created - playing with children, dancing, making music, or simply relaxing with loved ones - as the world around them shifted.

Four emerging trends
1. Virtual events
The dramatic rise and success of virtual events was probably one of the biggest things to come from the pandemic - and technology meant that businesses and event organisers could host events without having to reduce their offering too significantly. Virtual breakout rooms were available for guests to meet and network, while brands could have virtual stands and interact in a somewhat meaningful way with potential customers.

In addition to using technology to replicate larger events, smaller more intimate seminars have been substituted for webinars. Webinars aren't particularly 'new', but they've emerged as the go-to thought leadership - and lead-generation tool - for B2B brands.

The standout benefit of virtual events is, of course, that they've reduced time taken out of people's busy schedules. Virtual events can be easier to attend, less time-consuming, and less expensive.
2. Audio
Audio has arguably been the rising star of the pandemic. Podcasts, for example, were gaining huge popularity beforehand, but have since become a crucial cog in many B2B brands' marketing mix. Research found, after surveying 500 business leaders of various company sizes, that 76.2% of European consumers have consumed more audio content since the pandemic started than they did before.

Another audio platform that made waves in the B2B sphere was Clubhouse - an exclusive audio-only app launched in April 2020. Clubhouse shone a light on just how useful audio-only content can be for brands - a benefit which other social platforms have taken note of and are trying to replicate themselves. And while Clubhouse's popularity may have dipped in recent months, tech giants have taken note and are beginning to invest in their own audio platforms ( like Twitter's Clubhouse-like Spaces rooms).

We explored how B2B brands can best utilise Clubhouse in a recent blog: Should you include Clubhouse in your B2B marketing?
3. Personal experiences
The pandemic highlighted the value of creating a marketing strategy with personal experiences and gamification in mind. This challenge stemmed from the fact that audiences were restricted to their home environment, meaning brands had to find a way to stand out amongst their competitors in what is already a saturated online world.

Technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are being used by brands who are looking for new and exciting ways to engage with their audience. VR and AR continue to be popular in the gaming community and with the pandemic forcing people to stay inside, gaming and e-sports are booming.

Burger King sponsoring Stevenage FC's team shirt - more for exposure amongst FIFA 2020 gamers, rather than in-stadium matchday fans - was a great example of how brands are using the gaming community to reach their audiences.

While these are tactics that don't necessarily result in direct sales, the experience and interaction people have with a are memorable, and that helps companies stay ahead of their competitors. With this in mind, it's safe to assume that the role of personal experiences, gamification of strategies and utilisation of online gaming platforms is here to stay.
4. Marketing localisation
With more consumers moving out of urban areas and to the suburbs and rural regions, localised marketing will continue to become more prominent. Two-thirds of consumers, according to Accenture, are shopping primarily in local stores, and/or buying more locally-sourced products. Localised content and personalisation will be more important than ever in order for brands to strengthen the connection with their audiences.

Three things we expect to return
1. In-person events
As successful as virtual events have proved to be, for many people nothing quite beats the buzz of being a part of and/or attending an in-person event (i.e. tradeshows, exhibitions, live panel discussions, roundtables and press briefings). They have a strong sense of atmosphere that just can't be replicated in a digital waiting room. This atmosphere is what helps people to really "feel" the products, services, businesses and people around them, thus creating an ideal networking environment.

The bottom line remains, however: virtual events can be easier for people to fit in around busy schedules and substantially cheaper to attend. Brands attending in-person events will therefore need to up their game. The event itself, in combination with the experiences brands offer, will need to be interesting and exciting enough to lure people back. Smart social media engagement, live on-stand events, and guerilla marketing are just some of the tactics that could be utilised.

The reality is, though, that some people and businesses won't return to in-person events - and that's OK. We expect the events industry to adapt accordingly and offer more hybrid events. After all, a huge 97% of event marketers believe hybrid events are the future and that going forward, the most rewarding events will have a virtual component.
2. Attention-grabbing public stunts/guerilla marketing
With footfall returning to public spaces, we expect attention-grabbing stunts to return. They can be versatile and high impact while often requiring only low investment.

Pre-pandemic, big companies with big budgets mounted impressive - and memorable - guerilla marketing campaigns. Red Bull, for example, organised a Nascar pit stop in New York's Times Square and White Walkers swarmed London as part of Sky's promotion of a new series of Game of Thrones. Companies with smaller budgets but big imaginations also succeeded, like Folgers Coffee, who utilised New York's famous steaming manholes by placing images of a coffee mug on top.
3. Experiential marketing
Sometimes referred to as engagement, live, immersive or event marketing, this strategy relies on engaging with users face-to-face - something that's been largely impossible these last 15 or so months. What's more, experiential marketing is often executed in association with an event, such as a grand opening or product launch, which have also moved to the virtual world.

Similar to guerilla marketing, experiential marketing leaves a memorable impact on the customer - one that will inspire them to share with their friends, both online and offline. As in-person events - such as tradeshows and exhibitions - return, so too will experiential marketing. They go hand-in-hand and complement each other well, combining to create a general buzz and added intrigue around an event and/or occasion.

Three learnings the marketing world will take forward
1. Your brand should stand behind great values
It's not enough to only stand behind great products. The pandemic truly challenged brand loyalty - and that dynamic, coupled with growing consumer awareness and activism precipitated during the social unrest of 2020, should make brands very focused on the values they express.

In fact, key themes from EY research show that while quality, convenience, and price still very much matter to consumer choice, factors like sustainability, trust, ethical sourcing, and social responsibility are increasingly important to how consumers select their products and services.

We explore how to successfully implement social cause marketing in a recent blog: Social cause marketing: best practice for B2B brands.
2. Agility is a modern marketing must
Covid-19 created an irreversible trend for marketing to embrace a nimble mentality. As the crisis unfolded, a company could quickly find its message was wrong and/or outdated or its supply chain not in a position to deliver, immediately creating a potential PR crisis.

The outcome was to embrace a mindset of marketing agility that is likely to continue. This includes continuous customer listening and demand sensing, not only for the benefit of marketing but for the company to capture customer sentiment.
3. Relationships are everything
It is vital to build relationships with customers based on trust. Advertising, for example, makes a brand promise, and it then falls to the product, service, and customer experience to deliver on that promise.

Covid-19 has placed a new emphasis on relationships, particularly in B2B sales. Faced with a virtual sales environment, brands with strong pre-existing relationships and online presence, including social media, CRM, and quality UX, have been able to maintain momentum.

In both cases, trust and integrity are fundamental to driving market momentum - and trust will be built by and rewarded to those that listen to customer needs and then craft solutions to meet those needs.

If you need help developing a marketing strategy for a changing world, get in touch with Principal Director, Rachel Arquat i: r.arquati@clearb2b.com / 01285 626000.

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Evolving your marketing strategy for a post-pandemic world

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In times of crisis, marketing communications is more important than ever. It must, however, pivot to reflect the world around us - and that means knowing what to say and how to say it, but also when to say it and through which channels.

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Keyu Wang W11 pandemic and marketing communication

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Keyu Wang W11 pandemic and marketing communication

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Paige O'Neill is CMO at leading content management system and digital experience platform provider , overseeing global marketing.
The pivot to contactless interactions during the pandemic created a paradigm shift in how we work, shop, travel and consume services. As a result, a 2020 McKinsey Global Survey of executives found that "companies have accelerated the digitization of their customer and supply-chain interactions and of their internal operations by three to four years." Moreover, the share of digital or digitally enabled products in their portfolios has been accelerated by seven years.

Clearly, many buyers and sellers are happy with the new digital-first reality.

However, there is also evidence that some people want to resume working in the office, shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, dining at restaurants and pursuing other in-person interactions. One 2020 study from Identity ( via Exhibition News) revealed that 80% of people were eager to return to live events within the next 12 months. Another from Delighted found that some consumers like to shop in stores to see, touch and feel items and take items home right away, among other reasons.

What should your marketing organization be doing to adjust to this complex environment? Do you have not only the tools but also the mindset necessary to rise to these new challenges? To help, here are some key tips to keep top of mind:

* Be ready with the right-sized digital experience. Marketing teams should shift away from measuring output-based metrics like impressions, click-through rate, cost-per-click, shares, likes and share of voice and start focusing on digital engagement. At its most fundamental, digital engagement is about how customers interact directly with your brand and understanding who consumers are as humans - not data points. Be sure that you are thoroughly collecting, unifying and then analyzing the customer data you need to tell the right story, personalize experiences and drive action. Your goal is to understand, empathize and connect with your audience in the ways that are most relevant to them and to support them through their journey.

* Give customers what they want most: choice. Your marketing mix should be multi-dimensional and adaptable enough to support a true omnichannel experience. To achieve this, make sure you understand where customers are interacting - that's the only way you can be sure you are prioritizing channel content appropriately. In addition, you should think modularly. Operating in silos and creating content that's specific to only one channel prevents you from being able to reuse or repurpose content. But when you start thinking about content and marketing in a modular way, you can provide teams with the flexibility they need to adapt existing content for different channels (e.g., combining different headlines with the same body text or imagery to create permutations of content). Ultimately, collecting feedback from these different data points will help you adapt your messaging and content to deliver even more personalized and authentic experiences across the board.

Timing is another key element of choice, so you should make sure you're ready to react quickly. You can use artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to capture and even predict real-time insights so that you can appropriately provide either a digital or physical interaction. (Full disclosure: My company's platform utilizes technologies like these.)

I suspect this theme of "choice" will play a major role in upcoming B2B marketing events, which we see reflected in many companies' decision to host hybrid events. That seems to be the approach Salesforce is taking for its fall event, Dreamforce, which its website says is a digital event with a small number of physical attendees.

* Recognize that digital may remain the primary way to reach customers and that personalization is critical. Optimization and personalization of B2B, B2C and D2C digital content should now be top priorities - because contextual and highly personalized content delivered when and where the customer wants it is the new expectation.

In a 2017 Epsilon survey of 1,000 consumers aged 18 to 64, 90% said that they consider personalization appealing, and 80% indicated that they are more likely to do business with a company if it offers personalized experiences. Businesses seem to be hearing that message loud and clear. In its 2020 23rd Annual Global CEO Survey, PwC found that consumer-market CEOs ranked improving the customer experience as their top investment priority for the next 12 months.

What can you do to improve personalization? It all begins with the creation of personas and customer journeys to ensure your brand has in-depth knowledge of who your customers are, what they want and need, their motivators and the potential actions they might take. This knowledge will help you determine where personalization will have the most impact on customer experience satisfaction, journey flow, sales progression and other key metrics. As you're gathering this information, resist the urge to ignore negative data. Instead, use it to your advantage. By identifying friction points within a journey or the customer experience, you can expose areas for quick wins. The ability to remove friction with more guidance and tailored content will help ensure customer satisfaction throughout the experience, which could lead to more conversions and higher engagement.

The disruption of the past year has forever changed customer behavior. But even though the move to digital channels has accelerated, many of your customers are likely now craving in-person interactions as well. Take the time to reevaluate your marketing mix to ensure you are delivering the best possible customer experience. The key, as always, is to understand your customers and continue to improve how you interact with them across all channels. I believe the brands that prioritize digital engagement - to deliver connected and contextualized experiences - will be the ones that prosper.

Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?

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the right marketing strategy for a pandemic

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Council Post: What's The Right Marketing Strategy For A Pandemic And Post-Pandemic World?

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Paige O'Neill is CMO at leading content management system and digital experience platform provider , overseeing global marketing. The pivot to contactless interactions during the pandemic created a paradigm shift in how we work, shop, travel and consume services.

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Chieh Wang W11 - Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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Chieh Wang W11 - Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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James Gamet is one of those rare people in the world who are growing by helping others grow. The Oregon based digital entrepreneur is running a fast-growing PR and marketing agency named Inches make Miles, through which he helps others reach their potential.

Recalling the time when James entered the digital marketing world and talking about his inspiration, he says, "Johnny Vo was honestly one of my biggest inspirations. Someone I knew personally that was killing it at digital marketing and showed me the laptop lifestyle was possible."

But then the pandemic happened, and like everyone, James also had his share of challenges and had to adjust. James says that COVID-19 showed them how the market changed when they talked about the lessons they took from the pandemic. "Rather than wanting people to do something for them upfront, they would rather qualify the person they are going to do business with first. This caused them to create a pay per appointment lead generation model and pivot into the media placement and SMM space," he says while describing the nature of the market.

James Gamet's digital marketing agency provides all the value upfront of some of their things. From there, they have a Done-with-you and a done-for-you marketing support system for each one of their clients.

Talking about his plans after the pandemic, James says they plan to position themselves as industry leaders that provide a premium service at prices anyone can afford. "We want to leave an impact on this world and help as many people as possible. The next evolution is to create or partner with a charity and give back on a larger scale! There are a few different markets that we are looking to break into." he says.

While James Gamet has made a career out of helping others, the best part is that he loves his job thoroughly. Ask him what part of his job he loves the most, James shares that he loves being able to help people reach their potential and driving out of them more than they ever expected from themselves.

"My job, being a full-service digital marketing agency, is to provide the needed strategy and services to let my partners/clients focus on what they do best. Also, we can take a company that is on the brink of losing everything to regain the power they have over their situation and reach new levels of greatness. During COVID, we were able to help many small business owners like real estate agents have their best years in production, says the entrepreneur.

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James Gamet: How Digital Marketing Company Helped Small Businesses During Pandemic

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James Gamet is one of those rare people in the world who are growing by helping others grow. The Oregon based digital entrepreneur is running a fast-growing PR and marketing agency named Inches make Miles, through which he helps others reach their potential.

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Xiao xi Liu W11 Pandemic and  marketing communication

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Xiao xi Liu W11 Pandemic and  marketing communication

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Marketing during a pandemic was probably not on the agendas of many marketing professionals in 2019, yet it's 2020 and here we are.

As businesses across the country continue to cope with the crisis, they're asking themselves how marketing is being affected, and what they should do.

We've rounded up the most significant statistics on marketing during the pandemic to give you an insight into where we headed, what other businesses are doing, and-most importantly-what your customers want.

Read ahead and discover 10 stats you must know as you assess your marketing plans for the rest of 2020 and beyond.

Marketers are just as in the dark about the effects of the lockdown restrictions on business as anyone else.

It's perfectly rational to hold back on campaigns and reassess when they want to have their launches.

What's notable is that more than half hope to resume their spending at the same level or increase it, even in the midst of the current economic downturn.

In periods of uncertainty, organizations will look to cut, meaning there's a whole lot less marketing noise from your competitors.

During the Great Recession, brands who continued to invest in their marketing invariably came out the other side better off than their peers who held back.

People are remote working and living under restrictions. This has naturally led to a large increase in social media use among consumers.

Businesses should look to their online social media channels in order to take advantage of this surge in users.

This doesn't have to be just lead generation either, but customer service, too-whether it's answering questions from clients or content creation to reassure them of new standards or procedures during the pandemic.

As traditional marketing and advertising spend decreases, the inverse is true of digital marketing during the pandemic.

While a third of marketers will be reducing or keeping their content creation at the same level, two-thirds are increasing their output.

This is for two principle reasons: the first is the continued rise of content marketing as a top priority for businesses for bringing in leads; and the second is a reaction to the pandemic, with some marketers making the decision to double down on their content to improve their engagement online.
Related Post: Marketing in a Recession: Continuing to Invest in Your Brand
4. Of the 79% who have a content marketing strategy, 70% made major or moderate adjustments to their strategy because of the pandemic

While there has been a large increase in content creation among content marketers, there has also been a recognition among them that the usual pre-pandemic strategies have needed adjustments.

This means acknowledging the changing needs of consumers and adopting a content strategy that reflects that, whether it's reassuring them about the continued delivery of your service, informing them of new developments within your business, or simply educating them about something new that could help.

Take as an example Experian's CreditChat series. It started back in 2012 as a weekly series about all thing financial, then pivoted after the pandemic took ahold to provide consumers valuable personal finance tips and help, building trust as a source of useful information.

Yes, it's still important to push your outreach goals with regards to the content you promote, but don't forget the big picture.

People find themselves having to adapt to the new normal; they're concerned about their financial and emotional wellbeing.

This is the opportunity for SMBs to step up and be a resource to them. They might not understand how your business has been affected; they might want to know how your service is going to change during the pandemic.

Use the tools you have at your disposal to keep them updated and at ease with your situation. Letting them know you're a tweet away, emailing them informational advice on how to take care of themselves, or measures you're introducing to protect their safety-these are small but significant gestures that consumers will appreciate.

On that note, younger generations don't just appreciate it when brands provide them information; they actively expect them to help with the pandemic.

With these generations making up the majority of the workforce, it's imperative that businesses acknowledge and pay attention to their desires.

Of course, this is also dependent on your target demographic, and businesses that cater exclusively to Millennials or Gen Zers should be particularly alive to this.

How is your marketing playing a role in this? Are you effectively letting your audience know what you're doing to help? Two-thirds of Gen Z consumers want brands to allow working from home to help fight the spread. Maybe you've already done this but haven't thought to share it online.

Tell your customers what you're doing to help, they will think positively about your business for taking action and keeping them informed of the steps you've taken during the crisis.

It would be simple for businesses to see the increase in online activity during this time and seek to market to audiences as much as possible.

This is a mistake.

In difficult times, consumers don't want brands to keep advertising to them, they want someone to give them support and guidance.

Yes, businesses should be looking to explore avenues to maintain revenue, but consumers should be treated with a light touch and as much compassion as possible.

Building your credibility as a compassionate and understanding business during times of crisis will be remembered by customers.

While consumers want to feel reassured and positive during the crisis, they don't want brands cracking wise.

We could all use a laugh in hard times, but brands that adopt a humorous angle in their messaging run the danger of coming off as facetious to their customers.

It's true that campaign messages vary wildly from one organization to another, but nonetheless companies should be very cautious in how their output will be perceived.

While we're seeing businesses both cutting and investing, what they have in common is that demands for content creation have gone up.

Many marketers are struggling to meet new demands, whether it's creating new kinds of content or just increasing output.

In content marketing, quality trumps quantity, so be careful not to fall into the trap of expecting more from less and ending up with lower-quality output.

One of the major consequences of the pandemic has of course been the widescale implementation of remote work across the country.

Overnight, employees had to transition to a completely different work environment, and businesses had to adopt communication tools to help facilitate this-Zoom was the biggest beneficiary of this change.

Marketers appear to have responded well to this change, with a large majority of them reporting success in their collaboration efforts with team members as a result of communication software.

Decision makers should understand whether the software they currently have in place is good enough for their workers to carry out their jobs effectively, and whether they should look into purchasing a UCaaS solution to help their collaboration if they don't have one already.
Related Post: What Is Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)?
UCaaS platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have given marketers the ability to take different approaches to meetings.

From one-to-one calls to large-scale conferences, these platforms have done a lot to demonstrate their worth to small and midsize businesses during the pandemic.

While collaboration tools and platforms were already seeing a big rise before the crisis, users are now seeing how they can provide the kind of flexibility they need during uncertain times in the future.

When all is said and done and normality resumes, communication platforms will continue to be used by marketers, in addition to face-to-face events.

12. Total media ad spending worldwide will decline by 4.5% this year

Unsurprisingly, marketers have reduced their ad spending significantly this year, with forecasters predicting a decline to 4.5% from pre-pandemic estimates of 7%.

Marketers are instead focusing their energy on organic social media campaigns with existing audiences, hence the drastic increase in content creation like blogs and videos.

Initial suggestions after the onset of the pandemic indicated a decline of 4.9%, suggesting businesses reacted better than expected to the economic effects of the pandemic.

13. Search engine ads forecast to grow 5.9% this year

While total media ad spending is on the decline, search ads are on the up-one area of marketing that has seen increased spending this year.

With consumers spending more time on the internet, it makes perfect sense for businesses to invest more heavily driving traffic from search engines to their websites.

Initial forecasts anticipated a much larger growth 14.4%, but it's a mark of the strength of online marketing through digital channels that paid search ads have weathered the pandemic storm to the extent they have.

14. 76% of SMBs say they have upskilled in areas such as SEO, social media, and data analytics

As businesses look to digital channels in order to make up other areas of marketing, they have put a large emphasis on improving their capabilities with regards to organic search, social media content, and utilizing data analytics.

These are common and important aspects of any modern marketing team, and the huge majority of SMBs saying they have upskilled in these areas suggests the pandemic has sped up efforts to improve competencies in digital marketing.

15. 79% of CMOs continue to pursue relatively conservative growth strategies, primarily relying on existing markets to fuel growth

Marketers have been focusing their efforts on existing markets for growth-unsurprisingly the majority of them have shown a reluctance to venture outside what they know best, investing more heavily into products, customers, and markets they are most familiar with.

Customer retention has been a key element of the pandemic, with marketers recognizing the importance of deriving revenue from existing customer bases while the effects of the pandemic lessen the odds of expansion into other markets at this time for many.

16. 23% of consumers planning to continue watching more livestreaming videos post-outbreak

One of the more unassuming winners of the pandemic from a marketing point of view has been livestreaming, with a quarter of consumers saying they plan to continue watching more livestreaming events after the pandemic is over.

With in-person gathering being significantly reduced, many businesses have instead taken the opportunity to livestream events, conventions, product launches, conferences, talks, and everything in between online.

17. Consumers feel businesses are still behind when it comes to mobile digital communication

Though marketers have been concentrating their efforts on digital channels, there are still a number of areas where consumers feel they could be doing better.

For example, 75% of consumers would appreciate getting reminders by text about items left in an online shopping cart, whereas just 39% currently do.

Simple strategies like utilizing all digital channels beyond social media can help improve customer satisfaction and of course help them down the sales funnel more effectively.

18. Email marketing (66%), websites (63%), and social media marketing (52%) top the list of tactics that brands handled internally this year

Financial difficulties have naturally placed a significant burden on marketing budgets throughout the course of 2020. This has led to less reliance on external marketing agencies by businesses, instead using internal resources to carry out marketing goals.

The three principal goals have unsurprisingly been the core digital channels, email, website, and social media.

The fact that two-thirds of SMBs say email and website are top priorities but only half of them say the same for social media suggests there's still some way to go in terms of the SMBs utilizing social media platforms to their fullest extent.

19. 67% of businesses have undertaken or already implemented marketing transformation strategies as a result of the crisis

Two-thirds of SMBs have made plans to digitally transform their marketing efforts-whether its through tech solutions to better aggregate and analyze customer data for better decision making or a more robust social media strategy, businesses are making real headway in getting their digital marketing up to date.

This is an area in which we would expect to see progress in any case, but the events of 2020 have hastened and brought forward many plans for transformation.

20. 65% of senior marketers plan to revamp their offices after COVID

When asked whether they plan to change their office plans after the pandemic, two-thirds of senior marketers indicated they would.

As many businesses signal their intention to fully adopt remote work, others are looking instead to create more collaborative workspaces for their marketing teams to respond in kind.
For more information about marketing during the pandemic, watch our Marketing in Times of Uncertainty webinar from our Coffee With Impact series, featuring hosts Jamie Judkins, VP of Sales, ES99, and Stacie Thompson, VP/Director of Creative, ES99. Click here and download the webinar to watch on demand.

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Marketing During the Pandemic: 20 Stats You Should Know

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Marketing during a pandemic was probably not on the agendas of many marketing professionals in 2019, yet it's 2020 and here we are. As businesses across the country continue to cope with the crisis, they're asking themselves how marketing is being affected, and what they should do.

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Yu Cai - W11 Pandemic marketing communication

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Yu Cai - W11 Pandemic marketing communication

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The Covid-19 pandemic upended a marketer's playbook, challenging the existing rules about customer relationships and building brands. One year in, there's no going back to the old normal. Here are 10 new marketing truths that reveal the confluence of strategies, operations, and technologies required to drive growth in a post-Covid-19 world.

It's safe to say that 2020 was a year like no other and that 2021 will certainly not revert back to the old normal. So, as marketers think about building brands during this year and beyond, what should we take away from the pandemic? What can we do to help companies grow faster? And how is marketing being redefined in the age of Covid-19?

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10 Truths About Marketing After the Pandemic

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The Covid-19 pandemic upended a marketer's playbook, challenging the existing rules about customer relationships and building brands. One year in, there's no going back to the old normal. Here are 10 new marketing truths that reveal the confluence of strategies, operations, and technologies required to drive growth in a post-Covid-19 world.

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Yimai Li W11 Global pandemic and marketing communication 

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Yimai Li W11 Global pandemic and marketing communication 

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As governments gradually remove pandemic-induced restrictions and businesses begin to reopen, there's a sense that we might be on the verge of returning to "normal." That is unlikely. During the months of lockdown and self-isolation, we have been, in fact, writing a new future.

This has important implications for marketers trying to build lasting relationships with customers. Granular monitoring of data and trends in consumer behavior has always been important to planning. Given the unprecedented nature of the pandemic and the profound changes it is causing, we believe that harnessing imagination may be just as critical. Marketers will need to think hard-and differently-about what the consumer in the next normal will think, feel, say, and do.

We have observed six potentially important changes in consumer behavior. Some of them are meaningful accelerations of existing trends, some are only emerging now. What follows are suggestions for how marketers can begin to respond to them. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list, and we do not claim certainty about the duration of these changes. But we think their implications for marketers warrant careful consideration and thoughtful action.

1. Shopping: Catching up to the great digital migration to expand digital borders

Consumers vaulted five years in the adoption of digital in just eight weeks. Significant cohorts of them have been trying digital for the first time. In Latin America, 13 million people made their first-ever e-commerce transaction. Across all countries measured in our global consumer sentiment surveys, consumers are turning to digital and reduced-contact ways of accessing products and services. As we look more granularly into the US, this digital trend is magnified for Gen Z, millennials, and higher-income consumers in general. Social commerce is on the rise as well: 34 percent of people say they have shopped on Instagram based on an influencer recommendation.

This shift is likely to stick, to a large extent simply because e-commerce is often more efficient, less expensive, and safer for customers than shopping in physical stores. Moreover, as social distancing and protective measures remain the norm, shopping from our couches will seem even more convenient by comparison. Our ongoing consumer sentiment surveys confirm that customers throughout the world intend to increase their share of online shopping across most categories. Net intent to shop in physical stores once the COVID-19 crisis abates has gone down 7 percent in both Italy and the UK and 8 percent in Spain. Amazon reported a 26 percent boom in sales in the first quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.

For marketers, this means rethinking how to connect with consumers. Clearly a stronger emphasis on e-commerce and digital channels is crucial, including consideration of the role of direct-to-consumer (D2C) e-commerce channels. One European retailer built a functioning e-commerce platform in 13 weeks. This speed to market is one reason that digital has become such a crucial component of rapid revenue recovery for brands navigating an economic downturn.

But marketers will need to think through how to manage today's new wave of data and how to use it to better personalize offers and messages to ever-narrower customer segments. Analytics will need to play a core role not only in tracking consumer preferences and behaviors at increasingly granular levels, but also in enabling rapid response to opportunities or threats. Existing analytics models may not be as accurate when predicting behaviors in the next normal, and they will need to be rapidly "trained" on how to best use new behavioral data. This baseline of data can help brands expand the borders of digital into the physical world to create more convenient and useful shopping experiences wherever the consumer might be.

Another, potentially larger, implication for marketers will be the need to redesign shopper journeys for consumers who may be in a different state of mind. At home, shoppers are comfortable-they want to see loungewear options in their recommended products, they want to spend time browsing through add-ons. They're in no rush-they can "add to cart," then go back for more. They may be shopping at different hours during breaks from their remote-work schedule. They may be shopping for their whole family across multiple product categories.

2. E-services: New 'service platforms' to help consumers take care of business

In past years, we have seen varying degrees of e-service adoption. Banking has had relatively higher penetration, along with media and entertainment. Other services have been behind for reasons that range from limited options to suboptimal customer experience. During COVID-19, people are not only increasingly buying online; they expect to perform other tasks and access services as well.

Telemedicine visits have rapidly increased, with, for example, those going to Teladoc Health, the multinational for-profit virtual healthcare company, reaching 1.7 million in the US in Q1 2020, twice as high as in Q3 2019. In the UK, 38 percent of telemedicine users surveyed have started using the online service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For marketers, this increasing consumer confidence in the use of e-services suggests a potential surge in demand and an opportunity to create new connections with people. One area of particular focus should be on developing partner ecosystems-both public and private. As services proliferate, it will be important for marketers to think through the role of their brands in interconnected service "platforms." For example, food marketers can partner with e-health platforms or online fitness companies to cross-promote the benefits of each to a wider audience. In another example, a "home-buyer platform" could include real estate, mortgage, moving, and bill-forwarding services tied into a single experience.

3. Home: Finding a spot in the new 'command central' for all activities

The crisis has made the home a multifunctional hub, a place where people live, work, learn, shop, and play. This will be especially true as a growing number of global organizations and employees attempt to sustain some of the advantages of working remotely that they have now experienced.

People in the next normal are also likely to continue devouring new home-entertainment options (Exhibit 1). Net consumer intent to spend on at-home entertainment has remained resilient in many countries, even when consumers cut back on other expenditures. Our consumer-sentiment research shows that across Europe there has been a 10 percent increase in new users of online streaming and 13 percent in online gaming, with high intent to continue for both-60 percent and 44 percent, respectively. The popular video game Fortnite recently hosted a concert that was "attended" by 12.3 million users.

For marketers, whether the at-home activity they cater to is digital or physical (for example, cooking at home has picked up as a family activity), they will need to engage with smart devices and interfaces across the home. How can you seamlessly deliver a message to a customer's phone, tablet, and TV screens when they are using those devices simultaneously? How can you market on Alexa or Google Home? How can you start two-way discussions (versus one-way marketing) with people in their homes, without coming across as intrusive?

In addition, marketers will need to rethink their media mix across a larger set of channels, such as videoconferencing platforms, virtual reality, and-for the right segment-video games. The key issue for marketers in navigating this "homebody economy" is in integrating it into the proliferating service and products anchored in the home. Doing so effectively will require an ecosystem mindset (as discussed in point #2).

4. Community: Localizing the experiences

The near-total shutdown of travel and other current lockdown constraints have made local neighborhoods much more important. Many community social-media pages and forums have been created to connect people with local volunteers and mutual-aid groups.

Businesses seeking to expand their connections with consumers, therefore, can reap benefits by localizing their marketing. This could include messages tailored to different neighborhoods and delivered through the newly established community networks; or using their existing retail footprint to support local businesses, sponsor community centers, and host community events. As our own ongoing ethnographic research shows, supporting familiar, local businesses has become important to many US communities, driven in part by greater confidence in their quality and safety.

Managing this hyperlocal activity and engagement will require marketers to rewire their operating model to provide a more granular presence at scale. This approach will need to build on many of the capabilities developed around personalization (particularly analytics, trigger-based messaging, and agile test-and-learn approaches) and require renewed thinking about how to scale content supply chains and manage performance. One popular online video showcases how COVID-19 advertisements by a wide range of US brands over the past few months look remarkably similar.

Standing out from other brands while blending in with people's shifting concerns and behaviors will be a challenge.

5. Trust: Creating a space for health and affordability

Not surprisingly, our consumer-sentiment research shows that personal health and economic wellbeing are top-of-mind concerns for people across many countries. And we believe the shared trauma of the pandemic will likely have a lasting impact-especially as new infection hotspots continue to emerge.

Foot traffic in stores-as well as travel and events-will only return when people trust that spaces are safe and virus free. Increased cleaning and disinfecting as well as a mandate that all customers and employees wear masks are the top reasons consumers give for deciding whether or not to go to a store. On top of this, millennials and Gen Z, in particular, are more widely adopting contactless activities, such as curbside pickup and self-checkout, which all ages indicate they intend to continue.

Marketers will therefore need to think through a much broader range of shopping experiences, which will require greater coordination with sales and operations teams across the business. The preference for self-checkout or scan-and-go behaviors may also change traditional store boundaries and layouts. Consumers may be more willing to shop display walls, for example, where items are shown and can be scanned for delivery.

The pandemic has also generated unprecedented challenge to consumers' brand loyalty. Our research shows that roughly 20 percent of US consumers have switched to a store brand, and almost half of them intend to stick with their new choices. As in other downturns, once customers start filling their baskets, thrift is a prominent factor in purchase choices, as value replaces luxury as a desirable attribute. Trust, however, is also a key factor: 55 percent of consumers reported turning to brands they trust during lockdown.

The increased use of sensitive health data-from publicly taking temperatures as a condition of entry to wearable devices that transmit health information-has already created privacy concerns and heightened issues around sharing data. Attitudes toward this use of personal data are far from uniform, and there are sharp divisions over the idea of trading privacy for freedom of movement and the opening of the economy. How marketers maintain customer trust on data and privacy concerns can become a point of differentiation and even a source of competitive advantage.

6. Purpose: Holding brands to higher standards

Socially conscious values have been in focus in recent years, and the current crisis will likely accelerate this trend. For example, our recent research on Australian households evidences a growing culture of doing the right things, looking after society, and "being all in this together." And the recent surge of activism is likely to give consumers a greater sense of their power in holding larger organizations to account. Some 61 percent claim that how a brand responds during the crisis will have a large impact on whether they continue buying it when the crisis is over.

This means marketers must communicate a strong sense of their brands' purpose -a cause that the brand stands up for, or an area where the brand aims to make a real difference. Brands can do this through the projects they choose to be involved in, the partners they choose to work with, the way they treat their employees, and the messages they send to customers.

Most importantly, brands will need to back up bold statements with real action. Some brands that are perceived as taking advantage of a cause or situation have already suffered a backlash. Brands will need to make clear commitments to causes they believe in or risk newly empowered consumers calling them out.

Rethinking the playbook for the next normal

The extent to which these trends stick will need to be systematically monitored. But we believe marketers already have sufficient information and impetus to reimagine and modernize their playbooks (Exhibit 2).

Marketers need a new playbook to succeed in COVID-altered markets. The new playbook should be driven by answers to the questions that matter most:

How should the brand's vision and strategy be adapted to emerging trends and customer demands?

How well do you know your customers at a meaningful segment level?

What analytics capabilities do you have to not only identify opportunities but to act on them quickly?

What kind of working relationships will the CMO need to forge with the CEO, CIO, CFO, and the rest of the C-suite so that reimagined marketing drives real growth for the business?

How can personalization drive the next order of customer experience in an increasingly borderless environment (home, stores, local, global, services)?

Which channels and messages are most effective in reaching and influencing consumers across their decision journey?

How can prices, products, and services be customized to changing needs?

How will your organizational and operating model need to change to be quick and flexible enough to meet consumers where they are going to be?

While no one knows what the exact contours of the next normal will look like, we do know that things will not go back to the way they were. Marketers will need to systematically monitor trends and indicators, commit to bold changes in marketing strategy and investments, and build agility into the organization for the world that emerges.

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Reimagining marketing in the next normal

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COVID-19 is changing consumer behavior in at least six important ways. Here's how marketing leaders can adapt.

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As the UK's first lockdown anniversary looms, businesses of every size are still struggling to cope with the challenges brought on by Covid-19.

Unexpected developments have led organisations to pivot their marketing operations drastically. A dramatic decline in consumer and business spending saw 92% of B2C businesses and 86% of B2B organisations delay or reconsider their marketing budgets in 2020 ¹.

Spending may increase when lockdown restrictions end later this year: the Bank of England anticipates a spending 'binge' thanks to an additional £125bn in collective household savings ².

But with uncertainty at every turn, clients and customers are still in need of reassurance and now expect clear, informative and quick communication from businesses. Developing an effective marketing communication strategy will be a clear priority for many organisations in the coming months.

Marketing Communications 2021 | Skills Gaps

Sadly, roughly 37,000 UK marketers have lost their jobs during the pandemic, representing one in 10 of all marketing professionals. A further 83,000 have taken a pay cut ³.

With a pared-back staff, organisations' modern marketing capabilities will be limited. The loss of talented employees, particularly those with digital skills could lead to a UK-wide skills gap in coming years ⁴.

Without the right people, innovation may decline, leaving businesses without digital capabilities in the dust. External full-service marketing and communications agencies can be appointed to provide specialist support. As Moment's Technical Director, Adam Bell, noted recently: "Data analysis expertise will be key to the success of modern marketing initiatives, and prioritisation should be given to up-skilling marketing employees or sourcing external support."

Marketing Communications 2021 | Informing & Reassuring

With change at every turn, clients and customers seek to-the-minute updates on business operations, from how to contact remote employees to anticipated shipment delays. As a result, brands are now working to inform and reassure customers at every opportunity.

CIM reports that brand reputation will be a top priority for marketers this year ⁵. Transparency is the name of the game: regular, honest updates will convey the hard work that organisations are putting into meeting their clients' needs.

Brands will still need to maintain that crucial balance between good communication and over-communication. Singer Kacey Musgraves accurately captured our feelings about the overabundance of emails sent at the start of the pandemic when she tweeted: "Corona has really made me realize how many corporate emails I need to unsubscribe from." ⁶

The key is to make information accessible to those who seek it out. Signposting to information through relevant channels, including social platforms and company websites, will save customers the frustration of sourcing it themselves.

Marketing Communications 2021 | Re-assess Channels

We might claim that we've spent the past year learning a new language, reconnecting with nature or writing our debut novels, but our collective internet use suggests otherwise. The time we spent online increased by 15% in 2020, with most of us now spending an average of fours hours and two minutes online every day ⁷.

Social media takes up much of our attention: every social platform has experienced growth in recent months. Addicting short-form video platform TikTok was the biggest winner in the UK, having achieved the highest increase in users and the longest average time spent on the app ⁸.

An increase in screen time is an opportunity to communicate with existing and prospective clients. Marketers would do well to follow this advice from former HubSpot Marketing VP, Meghan Keaney Anderson: "Don't push people to where you want to be; meet them where they are." ⁹

Following what has been a period of upheaval, marketing communications professionals should seek to re-assess the channels they use to reach their audiences. Things have likely changed since they were initially selected.

With limited marketing resources available this year, gaining a better impression of where customers are most likely to congregate online will help determine where to focus your attention.

Marketing Communications 2021 | Flexible Approaches

This year has seen even the most resilient marketers pining for the days when we could plan our marketing communications months in advance. Those days are long behind us, and with further change ahead, long-term planning is no longer realistic.

A flexible and responsive approach is now necessary. Companies should monitor their environments closely as they'll need to rapidly change tacts should their customers' needs and demands change.

Every good marketer knows that marketing communications must align with their company's strategic objectives. But how can campaigns and other communication outputs fulfil this brief, faced with ever-changing priorities?

The answer is to undertake frequent assessments of marketing activity and their effectiveness in achieving business targets. Weekly or monthly rather than quarterly or bi-annual reporting should become commonplace, allowing marketers to monitor their performance and adapt their approach where necessary. This will allow for long-term but flexible planning: nothing will be set in stone this year.

Crisis communications plans should also be in place for several potential scenarios in 2021. McKinsey's five-step guide for crisis communicators is a good place to start. Its final step is particularly salient given the chaos caused by the pandemic: "Help people make sense of all that has happened. Establish a clear vision, or mantra, for how the organization and its people will emerge." ¹⁰

Marketing Communications 2021 | Emphasis on Digital

As brand building and reputation increase in importance this year, we can expect a rise in informative digital content. Educational articles and early-stage informational content lend credibility to businesses, significantly increasing their likelihood of making sales ¹¹.

Digital ad spend is on the rise. Social advertising spend increased by 56.4% in Q3 of 2020 ¹². Developing a strategic approach to search engine marketing will be crucial for businesses who hope to raise their profiles and enhance their reputations in 2021.

Marketing Communications 2021 | Final Thoughts

While we expect these trends to be relevant throughout 2021, the ever-changing nature of the pandemic means that nothing is certain. We'll be closely monitoring the effects of Covid-19 on the marketing industry. For updates and further marketing insights, be sure to visit the Moment blog.

As always, marketing communications activity must tie to objectives and results. A modern marketing approach focuses on measured outcomes, not marketing output.

Interested in receiving marketing communications support? Get in touch with the Moment team to discuss your challenge.

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Marketing Communication: Effects Of Covid-19 [2021] | Moment

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As the UK's first lockdown anniversary looms, businesses of every size are still struggling to cope with the challenges brought on by Covid-19. Unexpected developments have led organisations to pivot their marketing operations drastically. A dramatic decline in consumer and business spending saw 92% of B2C businesses and 86% of B2B organisations delay or reconsider their marketing budgets in 2020 1.

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Haohao Gu-W11 Global pandemic and marketing communication

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Haohao Gu-W11 Global pandemic and marketing communication

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Influencer Marketing in a Global Pandemic? Turn to TikTok

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By Imogen Beschi - Founding 50 Member of the School of Marketing
At a time when most markets are significantly down, swerving influencer marketing may seem like a simple way to cut marketing spend and avoid the wrath of any negative publicity. This may be an easy path but is it necessarily the right path?
Consider Tiktok; a platform where any individual can be an influencer, and now more so than ever. At this moment in time, when people have more time on their hands and fewer places to be, Tiktok enables anyone and everyone to become life coaches and entertainers to other users across the globe.

From dance challenges to lip syncs, life hacks and anything else you could possibly imagine; here, 'normal people' are gaining the same level of attention as celebrities, and celebrities who had lost some of their buzz in the public arena have discovered a new lease of popularity on the platform. It's an increasingly valuable platform for brands looking to engage in influencer marketing to consider; albeit an expenditure which can be difficult to justify when the big bosses may have only heard the word uttered in brief conversations with their 15-year-old daughter.

From February to March, as countries went into lockdown one by one, Tiktok saw an increase in engagement of 27%.[1] It's seen as a fun, feel-good and less promotional platform than Instagram, which has become intrinsically linked to paid influencer activity. However, with a meaty percentage of Tiktok users being savvy Gen Zs, influencer content on the platform must be authentic and enjoyable to watch, or it's likely to be scrolled past without a second's dwell time. In other words, it's not worth trying to capitalise on economies of scale by bolstering influencer content from Facebook and Instagram for the sake of spreading bets - An influencer campaign on this platform should have Tiktok in mind from the very start.

The topical Dettol has led by example in this field. Riding the surge in demand for their products, the Reckitt Benckiser brand's recent Tiktok #handwashchallenge in India has been recognised as one of their most successful campaigns ever. The campaign, which comprised a branded filter, catchy song and accompanying dance, was launched with a handful of Tiktok stars; each with millions of followers. While addressing the pandemic head-on, the campaign wasn't explicitly promoting their products but instead aiming to correct misinformation spread on hygiene practises. The activity was a true viral success that saw a whopping 18 billion views in a week.[2] The reason behind the campaign's success? It was reactive, real and relevant, alongside being entirely tailored to platform; a strong and steadfast direction to head in on the complex influencer landscape.

Despite Instagram being somewhat less authentic than Tiktok, for many it's as much of an online shopping tool as a way to keep up with friends. As a platform where people tend to show their 'best self', the aspirational aspect enables users to see brands, products and services being advocated by those they admire in a seemingly idealistic setting; in turn helping them to build their own personal brand. Micro-influencers, which some sources argue to include those with as few as 1000 followers, are increasingly being recognised as an effective way to drive cost-efficient, trustworthy brand awareness which, perhaps unsurprisingly, has been seen to drive higher engagement rates than when using influencers with millions of followers.[3] However, the typical aspirational content posted by influencers - think Kylie Jenner lying by the pool at her LA mansion shamelessly flogging her body lotion - is at risk of being met with more negative than positive sentiment within the current climate. Here, the relatable and creative Tiktok can fill this void, and there's no reason for brands not to get involved.
So, to do or not to do influencer marketing during a global pandemic?
There is no easy answer and you certainly won't find the solution in any textbook. The most effective way to make an informed decision is to be a consumer yourself. Sign yourself up to Tiktok (beware - it's a slippery slope), get scrolling through Instagram and see for yourself how consumers respond to influencer marketing. Through engaging with the platforms with your brand-hat off, you'll gain a better understanding of influencer activity than from any presentation or article.

When looking to conduct influencer marketing in the current landscape, question the reactivity, realness and relevance of what is being planned. Would the influencer really buy your products, and do they represent everything your brand stands for? If the answer to all these questions is yes, you're likely to be heading along the right path.

[1] https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/coronavirus-sparks-huge-jump-social-media-use-study-finds/1677276

[2] https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/ad-tech/news/tiktok-is-giving-dettols-hand-wash-challenge-the-needed-push-as-it-records-18-billion-views-in-a-week/articleshow/74771022.cms

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/06/24/why-you-should-care-about-micro-influencers-and-three-tips-on-working-with-them/#6c4e10aa7c08

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School of Marketing: The way marketing education should be | schoolofmarketing.co

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By Imogen Beschi - Founding 50 Member of the School of Marketing At a time when most markets are significantly down, swerving influencer marketing may seem like a simple way to cut marketing spend and avoid the wrath of any negative publicity. This may be an easy path but is it necessarily the right path?

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SHIQI SHAO W11 Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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SHIQI SHAO W11 Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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Abstract

Executive Summary
Pandemics like COVID-19 result in a disruption in the lifestyle and buying pattern of a consumer and adversely impact the global economy. Consumer purchase of country's own brand and the products manufactured in their own country plays a vital role in the GDP of that country and help in revival of the country's economy. This study focuses on understanding the factors that influence consumer's buying behaviour and model these factors to understand the causal relationship using partial least square-structural equation modelling. An online survey which was carried out between 30 March 2020 and 18 April 2020. A total of 367 responses were collected during this period. Findings of the study indicate that economic nationalism, lockdown sentiments and sustainable approach (LSSA), and product-specific ethnocentric behaviour (PSEB) tendency significantly influence the willingness to buy country's own brands and products. Present study results reveal that during pandemic consumers have realized the importance of hygiene products, environment-friendly products, regional (local) products, and satisfaction beyond shopping; these factors determine their willingness to buy Indian brands (WBIB)/made-in-India products. Further, post lockdown and post COVID era, consumers feel that buying Indian-made products and encouraging others to buy them would impact and revive the Indian economy constructively. It was also found that the influence of factors such as economic nationalism, LSSA, and PSEB on the WBIB is mediated by attitude towards foreign products. The findings of the study can aid marketing managers in planning appropriate promotion strategies to stimulate ethnocentric tendency, and cues can be provided to invoke a sense of economic nationalism in consumers when they buy products or services.

The world faced a unique challenge due to the COVID-19 pandemic. China was the first country to face the mass spread of novel Coronavirus ( Bennett, 2020) and promptly, the virus started spreading across the world. On 11 March 2020, the coronavirus epidemic was declared a 'pandemic' by the Director-General of the World Health Organization ( WHO, 2020). In the absence of a vaccine to curb the spread of the highly contagious virus COVID-19, countries around the world were forced to take preventive measures in the form of imposing social distancing and declaring country-wide lockdowns ( Kaplan et al., 2020). This restricted cross border travel, suspended production, and the global supply chain came to a halt. Social distancing was a very challenging task in India as it is the second most populated country in the world. To protect the population of 1.3 billion from infection, the Prime Minister of India announced 21 days of nationwide lockdown on 24 March 2020. The decision taken after 14 hours of voluntary public curfew on 22 March 2020, known as Janata (people) Curfew ( The Economic Times, 2020).

The behavioural responses during epidemic outbreaks such as EBOLA, SARS, MERS, swine flu and dengue have been studied in the past ( Balinska & Rizzo, 2009). Such changes were noted during pandemics and outbreaks such as SARS because of motivated individuals and government policies ( Wen et al., 2005). The areas affected by pandemics generally witness unemployment, uncertainties, and economic recession. Individuals take safety measures to reduce the perceived risk during pandemic situations due to ambiguity and unpredictability ( Brug et al., 2009). An increase in the purchase of food, face masks and sanitizers was reported during the outbreak of swine flu ( Goodwin et al., 2009). During the first phase of coronavirus lockdown in India, citizens experienced unprecedented situations, leading to an unparalleled preference shift among consumers. Goods were classified into essential and non-essential goods; only essential goods were available to citizens, and there was no demand for lifestyle products ( Enormous, 2020). Another unique behaviour was noticed when people across the world expressed their emotions against China because of their belief that China had not undertaken adequate preventive measures to avert the pandemic from spreading around the globe. In addition, China was reopening its businesses while other regions of the world, including India, were forced to follow lockdown, which adversely affects the economy.

Moreover, Indians became apprehensive of losing their jobs due to the economic slowdown ( Ganesh, 2020). A feeling of nationalism was observed across many countries globally. People started talking about the importance of being self-reliant and reducing dependency on China, which is considered the global manufacturing hub. Even before this pandemic, the world seems to have started shifting from globalization to localization ( Oba, 2020). Global incidences such as Brexit have seen the rise of populism, accompanied by anti-foreigner sentiments in multiple European countries. Earlier, this was seen more in China when corporate houses such as Amazon had to quit the Chinese market as the Chinese government always believed in China First policy; in the US also, the Trump administration policy of America First resulted in the rest of the world starting to look inward and strengthening their economy, giving rise to nationalism ( Oba, 2020).

Changes in the choice of purchase destination, type of goods purchased and adoption of digital payment, especially in developing countries such as India, were observed during the nationwide lockdown ( Enormous, 2020). Consequently, there is a need to understand the new consumer behaviour in terms of new theories, marketing strategies in the post-COVID-19 situation and factors influencing consumers while buying goods or services post lockdown. Since there is the uncertainty about when the world would be free from this contagious virus, the current study included both COVID-19 and post COVID-19 periods. The study is an attempt to answer research questions based on three notable changes during the lockdown: first, economic activities came to a complete halt, indicating the adverse effect on the economy. Hence, there is a need to study what citizens feel about the economic situation and who they think should contribute to the revival of the economy. Second, considering the economic impact, would consumers continue their impulse buying or shift towards planned behaviour? Would consumers be more willing to buy country-of-origin products, displaying their ethnocentric behaviour? Third, has the stay-at-home mandate influenced how they think about the environment and sustainable living?

The next section of this research paper focuses on the literature review and observed behaviour during the lockdown period, thus building the conceptual model. The third section focuses on the objective of the study and methodology, followed by results and discussion. The concluding section comprises the managerial implication, limitations of the study, and future scope.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Through various updates from different parts of the world, it was observed that people started expressing their gratitude towards healthcare workers ( Lane, 2020) and neighbourhood kirana (grocery) stores for providing them with essential goods for survival. A feeling of nationalism was reflected in the behaviour of citizens. The emphasis was on saving money during the pandemic ( Holz, 2020) because of increased fear of unemployment due to a major downfall in the global economy. The following section presents the literature review of consumer ethnocentrism and attitude towards foreign products (ATFP), nationalism, and impulse buying.

The concept of consumer ethnocentrism is based on three views: first, the consumer's fear of economically harming his/her own country by buying foreign products; second, the morality in buying imported products; and third, a personal prejudice against imports ( Sharma et al., 1995). Thus, ethnocentric consumers believe that purchasing imported products is unpatriotic, causes loss of jobs, and hurts the domestic economy. On the other hand, consumers who are non-ethnocentric judge foreign products based on their merits, without consideration of where those products are made ( Shankarmahesh, 2006). To measure consumer ethnocentric tendency, which refers to consumers' preference for their own country-of-origin products, the 17-item consumer ethnocentrism tendencies scale (CETSCALE) developed by Shimp and Sharma (1987) is widely used and validated from multinational perspectives. A 6-item version of the CETSCALE was developed to measure the construct of consumer ethnocentrism in which domestic products are preferred to foreign products ( Klein et al., 2006). The demographic profile of Australian consumers and the threat of losing their jobs have been correlated to ethnocentric sentiments ( Josiassen et al., 2011).

Consumer ethnocentrism plays a significant role in the purchase of domestic brands but has a moderate effect on consumer purchase intentions for foreign brands. Product advertisements that display ethnocentrism may not encourage the purchase of domestic brands but can discourage foreign brand purchases ( Han & Guo, 2018). Some studies reveal a positive attitude towards domestic products ( Bannister & Saunders, 1978; Baughn & Yaprak, 1996; Shimp & Sharma, 1987; Batra et al., 2000) and some towards foreign products ( Bartsch et al., 2016; Cleveland et al., 2009). In developing and emerging economies, consumers prefer foreign brands because of their attraction towards foreign countries and self-identification with global consumers; a cosmopolitan consumer who seeks novelty and wishes to be globally connected shows affinity towards foreign products ( Bartsch et al., 2016; Cleveland et al., 2009; Strizhakova & Coulter, 2015; Zeugner-Roth et al., 2015). The preference for products of foreign origin has been reported in durable consumer products and luxury products as they are associated with higher perceived quality and symbolic value than domestic brands ( Batra et al., 2000; Zhou et al., 2010). While less affinity has been reported for low-involvement products, especially food ( Özsomer, 2012). The context plays an important role in behaviour towards the foreign product.

Taking cues from these past studies to measure the influence of ethnocentrism on purchase decisions during the pandemic and post-pandemic situations, in the present study, two questions were asked on the willingness to buy Indian brands (WBIB), two questions on ATFP and six questions on product categories where consumers would prefer to buy Indian brands or made-in-India products. Based on this, the following hypotheses were framed to study the willingness to purchase Indian brands:

Though researchers have widely explored consumer ethnocentrism, consumer nationalism has received relatively very little attention in marketing literature. Wang (2005) refers consumer nationalism to consumers' invocation of collective identities based on their nationality to accept or reject products or brands from other countries. Consumer nationalism also refers to efforts to define buying and using it as a political statement through the non-consumption of things from an offending country or countries and consuming one's own nationally produced goods and services ( Gerth, 2011). Castelló and Mihelj (2018) classified consumer nationalism into political consumer nationalism and symbolic consumer nationalism.

Stern (1962) termed impulse buying as unplanned buying-purchasing a new product without any prior experience. Impulse buying behaviour is a complex behaviour and is influenced by factors such as consumer's demographic characteristic ( Dittmar et al., 1995) and in-store stimuli in the form of point of purchase posters and other elements of the retail store environment that create a positive emotional response ( Abratt & Goodey, 1990; Zhou & Wong, 2004). Emotions at the time of shopping ( Youn & Faber, 2000) and product-specific impulse buying are affected by involvement in the product. Peck and Childers (2006) found that at the point of purchase, signs, displays and packaging encourage a touch of the product, which play a crucial role in impulse purchase and the availability of money. Individuals who seek variety show more inclination towards impulse purchase ( Sharma et al., 2010). During the pandemic, impulse buying could be seen in panic buying, resulting in stockpiling of goods including food ( Wang & Na, 2020), cleaning and hygiene products and medicines in many countries ( Islam et al., 2020). In a survey done to study the stockpiling behaviour of Danish and British shoppers during the early stage of the pandemic, it was found that only four out of ten buyers did not do any extra shopping ( Dammeyer, 2020)

The initial cases of panic buying were reported in China and Italy, the counties badly affected in the early stage of the pandemic ( Bennett, 2020) and also in the United Kingdom ( Barr, 2020). Among US citizens also, factors such as fear of a complete lockdown, pressure due to buying behaviour exhibited by peers, scarcity of essential products on shelves, US stimulus checks, limited supply of essential goods, and panic buying were found to have a compelling and affirmative influence on the sharp swings in the impulse buying patterns ( Ahmed et al., 2020).

Looking at the emerging behaviour due to the pandemic where 'touchless or contact less' shopping is becoming more relevant due to the social distancing norms ( Chhabra, 2020) and frequent washing of hands to prevent infection, impulse buying may need to be studied with new dimensions. Based on the study by Ganesh (2020), it can be assumed that consumers may not have high disposable incomes or maybe very cautious in using disposable incomes. Thus, consumers may not opt for impulse buying immediately after the lockdown is lifted. Instead, they may choose need-based planned shopping in the short term. However, in the long run, they may again shift to aspirational buying. With this assumption, the present study delved into three questions related to need-based and planned purchase post lockdown (NBPPL). Also, to measure the impulse purchase behaviour of consumers before lockdown, five questions were asked to check if the lockdown has resulted in any behavioural change. The stay-at-home mandate has given adequate time for people to think about the environment. Thus, through this study, an attempt was made to measure if the lockdown sentiments and sustainable (LSSA) living have influenced the WBIB. This leads to the following hypotheses:

Based on the observations and the literature, it was noticed that due to the pandemic, consumers are more inclined to help the government in reviving the country's economy and may look for 'made in India' or Indian origin brand cues before making purchase decisions. With this understanding, the conceptual framework was developed ( Figure 1). The study focuses on measuring the willingness of consumers to buy products of native country origin, which is influenced by ethnocentric behaviour (referring to the preference for domestic products or country-origin products). It also explores the feeling of economic nationalism that their purchase would play a role in boosting the nation's economy post the COVID-19 pandemic ( Figure 1). The framework also includes the influence of the impulse buying tendency of consumers before the pandemic, whether they would be more inclined towards need-based planned purchase and its influence on the willingness to buy country-origin products. Due to globalization, the Indian market offers a wide range of foreign origin products. Hence, the framework also includes the influence of ATFP during the pandemic and its effect on the willingness to buy country-origin products.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY AND METHODOLOGY

The study aims to understand if the stay-at-home mandate has resulted in any change in consumer buying behaviour due to the COVID-19 crisis and the factors that would influence purchase decisions post lockdown, once economic activities resume.

Data was collected online using a structured questionnaire under a unique environment during the second and third weeks of the lockdown, between 30 March 2020 and 18 April 2020. The respondents had already experienced the lockdown and were also aware of the possible impact of this pandemic on the world's economy and its consequences on the Indian economy. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: the first section comprised questions related to the demographic profile of the respondents; the second consisted of questions related to economic nationalism; the third section comprised questions related to planned and unplanned purchases before and after the COVID-19 situation, followed by the next section in which questions were related to ethnocentric purchase behaviour in various product categories; the last section consisted of questions related to willingness and advocacy for buying Indian brands and Indian origin products. A 5-point Likert scale was used to get responses for all the questions from second to fifth sections.

Simple random sampling and snowball sampling were used to collect data, and the respondents were contacted by sending survey links through email and social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. A total of 367 responses were collected; however, the response rate was only 50%, which is a limitation in doing an online survey.

DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELLING

Out of the 367 respondents, 56.9% were male, and 43.1% were female. The majority of the respondents, that is, 49.3%, were in the age group of 25 to 35 years; 35.7% were between 18 to 25 years of age; only 6% were between 35 to 40 years, and the remaining 9% were above 40 years. Most of the respondents (43.9%) had a monthly family income above ₹80,000; 13.4% had an income of ₹60,000-80,000; 18.3% had an income between ₹40,000 and 60,000; 16.9% respondents earned ₹20,000-40,000 per month and only 6.6% earned below ₹20,000. Regarding occupation, 52% of the respondents were employees of private organisations while 27% were students, 11.2% were self-employed, 4.4% had government jobs, 4.6% were homemakers, and only 0.8% were retired from their work.

The authors opted for partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) since it is considered appropriate for examining complex cause-effect relationships ( Henseler et al., 2009; Lowry & Gaskin, 2014). It is widely accepted in business management research, including marketing ( Hair et al., 2016).

Figure 2 depicts the PLS-SEM measurement model with influencing factors, namely PSEB, IPPL, economic nationalism (EN), NBPPL, LSSA, as exogenous variables. The WBIB was considered as the endogenous variable. The factor related to ATFP was considered as the mediating variable between influencing factors and WBIB. The thickness of the paths between latent variables indicates the strength of significant impact on mediating and exogenous variables by the endogenous variables. The constructs and description of respective items are presented in the Appendix.

As shown in Table 1, composite reliability (CR) values of all the latent variables used were found to be >0.70 ( Hair et al., 2006); this establishes the internal consistency of the constructs. The average variance extracted (AVE) values were more than the prescribed value of 0.50 ( Hair et al., 2006) and therefore establish convergent validity.

Table 1. Construct Validity.

In PLS-SEM, the structural model assessment includes path coefficients to evaluate the significance and relevance of structural model relationships ( Anderson & Gerbing, 1988; Hair et al., 2013).

f 2(effect size )=(R 2(incl )-R 2(excl )) (1-R 2(incl )) .

VAF=(p 12*p 23) (p 13+ p 12*p 23)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

From the findings of the study, it is evident that the COVID-19 outbreak has prompted consumers to exercise economic nationalism by buying Indian brands in electronic household products, electronic products for personal use, fashion products, and cosmetic products. These findings are in accordance with the results of the Castelló and Mihelj (2018) study, which argues that individual consumers start engaging in the consumption of nationalized goods when they have feelings of nationalism. Also, it strengthens the statement that economic and socio-psychological motives play a vital role in a consumer displaying favourable behaviour towards domestic brands ( Verlegh, 2007). Adding to this, the present study results reveal that consumers have realized the importance of hygiene products, environment-friendly products, regional (local) products, and satisfaction beyond shopping; these factors determine their WBIB/made-in-India products. Further, they feel that buying Indian-made products and encouraging others to buy them would impact and revive the Indian economy constructively. A similar argument is seen in the study by Castelló and Mihelj (2018) study, which highlights that national products and services are designed to make profit for the nation and impact the country's economy. The current study reveals that consumer ATFP, such as avoiding foreign-made products and propagating the same, positively influences the buying pattern of Indian-made products, reflects ethnocentric behaviour, and displays economic nationalism among Indians.

Interestingly, factors such as NBPPL and IPPL do not significantly influence the WBIB. It can be interpreted that post-COVID-19, consumers may not necessarily indulge only in planned and need-based shopping. Further, consumers' shopping behaviour before the COVID-19 outbreak does not influence buying of made-in-India products or Indian brands post COVID-19 era, which indicates that the buying pattern would be different, and consumers may be inclined towards buying products that would help the country revive its economy. To a certain extent, these findings also relate to the results obtained by Gerth (2011) and Castelló and Mihelj (2018).

It was found that the influence of factors such as economic nationalism, LSSA, and PSEB on the WBIB is mediated by ATFP. This indicates that negative feelings towards foreign products cause consumers to buy more Indian-made products and Indian brands. Further, the findings are in line with the concepts of nationalist boycotts and nationalist boycotts as explained by Castelló and Mihelj (2018). Schooler (1971) and Baughn & Yaprak (1996) have also made similar arguments.

CONCLUSION AND MANAGERIAL APPLICATION

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the world and led to a new normal lifestyle. To contain the spread of the virus, most countries declared a lockdown, resulting in unemployment, uncertainties and economic recession. Countries started thinking about producing goods and services indigenously and reducing excessive dependency on other countries. India is not an exception and started promoting the production and purchase of Indian-made goods and services. This influenced the purchasing behaviour of consumers, to a great extent. The present study concludes that the lockdown due to COVID-19 has triggered economic nationalism among Indian consumers, and there is an increased WBIB. This was primarily influenced by the pandemic-triggered ATFP. The findings of the study can aid marketing managers in planning appropriate promotion strategies to stimulate ethnocentric tendency, and cues can be provided to invoke a sense of economic nationalism in consumers when they buy products or services.

LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE

The study was carried out in India during March-April 2020 and revealed the sentiments of Indian consumers. However, due to the relatively small sample size, the results cannot be generalised for the entire nation. Since the lockdown continued until May 2020 in many parts of the country, the sentiments may have changed during the period; this may also be reflected in behaviour changes. In June 2020, the lockdown was removed, and markets started reopening; this may have led to additional behavioural changes. Similar studies can be done in future to measure the actual change in behaviour. These are unprecedented times, and further studies from different countries are required to obtain insight into consumer feelings and understand if the behaviour displayed by consumers in different countries is the same or different. This can aid marketing managers of country-origin products and brands and be a good point of reference for managers of international brands to sustain their market share.

APPENDIX

Table A1. Items and Its Description.

Notes

FUNDING

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

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COVID-19 Impact on Buying Behaviour - Meghna Verma, B. R. Naveen, 2021

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Abstract Executive Summary Pandemics like COVID-19 result in a disruption in the lifestyle and buying pattern of a consumer and adversely impact the global economy. Consumer purchase of country's own brand and the products manufactured in their own country plays a vital role in the GDP of that country and help in revival of the country's economy.

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Qing Hu_W11_Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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Qing Hu_W11_Global Pandemic and Marketing Communication

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The new Heineken campaign encourages people to #SocialiseResponsibly without compromising on the fun elements of a nightout in bars.

Heineken has launched a global campaign, #SocialiseResponsibly, with an aim to support the re-opening of HoReCa around the world, whilst reminding consumers to behave responsibly. Created by Publicis Italy for Heineken, the campaign ad film shows people in bars, socialising via air hugs, elbow bumps and 1.5m cheers.

Sharing insights into the campaign, Bram Westenbrink, Senior Director Global, Heineken Brand says, "We were inspired by real-life experiences that everyone can relate to. Whilst the new bar experience can be awkward and may take time getting used to for customers and bar staff, we wanted to celebrate their return and remind people that respecting the new rules is important. After all, there's one thing better than the first night out, another night out."

The call to action for the Heineken campaign is 'socialise responsibly to keep the bars open'. It has been released in 60 seconds, 30 seconds and 15 seconds version ad films along with digital, social assets and multiple trade initiatives to help bars remind consumers about social distancing in the very moment of consumption when they are more likely to 'forget' about it while having fun with friends. The campaign is being launched in multiple countries.

On the brand's India page, most of the recent posts are about #Connectioff, highlighting network and other logistical issues faced by people while trying to have a beer with friends, virtually. It's a part of the #SocialiseResponsible global campaign.

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Heineken imagines new normal with Back to the Bars campaign - Social Samosa

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Heineken has launched a global campaign, #SocialiseResponsibly, with an aim to support the re-opening of HoReCa around the world, whilst reminding consumers to behave responsibly. Created by Publicis Italy for Heineken, the campaign ad film shows people in bars, socialising via air hugs, elbow bumps and 1.5m cheers.

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Summary

Alipay is one of the world's most popular online payment and lifestyle platforms. Hailing from China, the platform serves over one billion users worldwide in partnership with its local e-wallet partners.

Alipay's online and mobile payment platform is used by more than a billion people to pay for everything from groceries, to bike rentals, to wealth management products. In August 2016, the Chinese company turned the power of its digital technology to promote climate action. The Alipay Ant Forest project, launched on the company's mobile app, rewards its users with "green energy points" each time they take a step to reduce their emissions, such as by biking to work, going paperless and buying sustainable products. These green energy points grow into a virtual tree on the user's app, which Alipay matches by planting a real tree or protecting a conservation area, in partnership with local NGOs.

Since its launch, Alipay Ant Forest has attracted over 500 million users, planted 100 million real trees in Northwest China covering a total area of 112,000 hectares, and protected a total area of 12,000 hectares of conservation land. Alipay Ant Forest has also helped create around 400,000 job opportunities and RMB 60 million (USD 8.4 million) in income by working with farmers to plant trees, develop organic agricultural products, and connect them with e-commerce platforms.

Key Facts

The Alipay app is one of the world's most used mobile applications - over a billion users.

Over 500 million people have joined the Alipay Ant Forest green initiative, planting over 100 million trees, which as of August 2019, now cover a total area of 112,000 hectares in Northwest China.

Alipay Ant Forest shows how technology can be applied to foster massive individual efforts to tackle climate change, which represents a meaningful step towards the Sustainable Development Goal 13 - "taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts."

The Problem

The world faces daunting environmental challenges. Increasing pressure on the environment is causing serious damage to ecosystems and threatening the lives of millions of people. Bottom-up approaches are needed to engage people directly in behavioral change and green financing, to complement the top-down climate action initiatives led by governments and non-state actors.

The Solution

Emerging digital technologies can provide a bottom-up approach to address climate change, by providing a measurable, tradable and allocable platform to shift people's daily behavior towards a low-carbon lifestyle. At its core, Alipay Ant Forest encourages people to live a greener lifestyle by integrating a range of low-carbon activities into daily life-such as paying utility bills and purchasing tickets online via a mobile device and walking to work instead of driving.

These behaviors are recorded and converted into "virtual green energy" on the Alipay Ant Forest platform. Once a user's virtual tree has fully grown, Alipay and its philanthropic NGO partners plant a real tree in Northwest China or commit to protect a particular conservation area.

Helping the Planet

Alipay Ant Forest has a double-counting carbon reduction effect-and is a key example of innovative environmental protection in the Internet era. Accumulating points to grow a virtual tree helps facilitate a low-carbon lifestyle, energy savings, and emission reductions. And, planting real trees can help prevent soil erosion and control desertification, while playing a key role in the fight against climate change.

In addition to planting trees, Alipay is exploring other innovative corporate social responsibility models. In September 2017, Alipay Ant Forest launched a land protection project, where users can "adopt" or virtually claim to protect five square meters of conservation land with the support of Alipay and local NGO partners.

Helping People

Alipay helps local farmers generate income from the green economy. The Alipay Ant Forest app has created around 400,000 job opportunities as of August 2019. Alipay hopes to increase farmers' income not only by planting trees, but also by developing organic agricultural products and helping connect partners directly to Alibaba e-commerce platform.

Spillover Effect

Ant Forest has exceeded Alipay's expectations by attracting large numbers of users in a short period of time and eliciting significant behavioral change. Early results indicate a strong potential to use digital technology in collective efforts to safeguard the planet for ourselves and future generations.

The Alipay Ant Forest model could be extended to other regions to encourage more people to adopt low-carbon activities. In June 2019, the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines, GCash has introduced GCash Forest on its app. Inspired by Alipay Ant Forest, GCash Forest enables local users to contribute to reforestation and environmental preservation by adopting low carbon activities in their daily lives. Digital technology innovations, such as Alipay Ant Forest, as part of a wider digital eco-system, could be deployed in addressing many other environmental challenges, in collaboration with governments and other stakeholders.

The Alipay Ant Forest app offers a new way to mobilize people to engage in solving local and global problems. With the accelerating growth of mobile services used by young adults, who are typically most concerned by the impact of climate change, the potential to scale up the impacts of Alipay's Ant Forest app is promising.

Images owned by the activity partners, all rights reserved.

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Alipay Ant Forest: Using Digital Technologies to Scale up Climate Action | China | UNFCCC

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Summary Alipay is one of the world's most popular online payment and lifestyle platforms. Hailing from China, the platform serves over one billion us...

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What is corporate social responsibility?

Corporate social responsibility is a type of business self-regulation with the aim of social accountability and making a positive impact on society. Some ways that a company can embrace CSR include being environmentally friendly and eco-conscious; promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace; treating employees with respect; giving back to the community; and ensuring business decisions are ethical.

CSR evolved from the voluntary choices of individual companies to mandatory regulations at regional, national and international levels. However, many companies choose to go beyond the legal requirements and embed the idea of "doing good" into their business models.

There is no one way a company can embrace CSR, but one thing is certain - to be perceived as genuine, the company's practices need to be integrated into its culture and business operations. In today's socially conscious environment, employees and customers place a premium on working for and spending their money on businesses that prioritize CSR. They can detect corporate hypocrisy.

To ensure CSR authenticity, a company should look at its values, business mission and core issues and determine which initiatives best align with the business's goals and culture. The business can do this internally or hire a third party to conduct an assessment.

Reviewing the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals is a good place to start. While goals like Good Health and Well-Being or Gender Equality can apply to most businesses, specific goals like Life Below Water or Affordable and Clean Energy may be relevant to select industries like water technology or energy providers.

Why CSR is important

There are many reasons for a company to embrace CSR practices.

1. It improves customers' perception of your brand.

It's increasingly important for companies to have a socially conscious image. Consumers, employees, and stakeholders prioritize CSR when choosing a brand or company, and they hold corporations accountable for effecting social change with their beliefs, practices, and profits.

"What the public thinks of your company is critical to its success," said Katie Schmidt, founder and lead designer of Passion Lilie. "By building a positive image that you believe in, you can make a name for your company as being socially conscious."

To stand out among the competition, your company needs to prove to the public that it is a force for good. Advocating and raising awareness for socially important causes is an excellent way for your business to stay top-of-mind and increase brand value.

The Kantar Purpose 2020 study demonstrated a direct correlation between perceived positive impact and brand value growth. Companies that the public considers highly impactful demonstrated a brand value growth of 175% over 12 years, while businesses with a low positive impact showed only 70% growth.

Schmidt also said that sustainable development could help a business financially. For example, using less packaging and less energy can reduce production costs.

2. It attracts and retains employees.

Consumers aren't the only ones drawn to businesses that give back. Susan Cooney, head of global diversity and inclusion at Symantec, said that sustainability strategy is a big factor in where today's top talent chooses to work.

"The next generation of employees is seeking out employers that are focused on the triple bottom line: people, planet and revenue," she said. "Coming out of the recession, corporate revenue has been getting stronger. Companies are encouraged to put that increased profit into programs that give back."

According to Deloitte's 2021 Millennial and Gen Z Survey, the modern workforce prioritizes culture, diversity, and high impact over financial benefits. An estimated 44% of millennials and 49% of Gen Zers rely on their personal ethics in determining the type of work and companies they'd join. The respondents of the Porter Novelli Purpose Tracker 2021 report go even further, with 70% saying they wouldn't work for a company without a strong purpose.

What's more, employees that share the company's values and can relate to its CSR initiatives are much more likely to stay. Deloitte's 2020 Global Marketing Trends Report shows that purpose-driven companies retain talent up to 40% more than their competitors. Considering that the estimated cost of losing an employee averages 40% of their annual salary, according to a report by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, offering your team a sense of purpose and meaning in their work is worth the effort.

3. It increases your appeal to investors.

By demonstrating a developed CSR program and initiatives, your company is bound to become more appealing to both current and future investors. CECP's influential 2021 Giving in Numbers report shows that investors play a growing role as key stakeholders in corporate social responsibility. Almost 80% of surveyed businesses were open to providing them with data and considering their perspectives on sustainability. Just like customers, investors are holding businesses accountable when it comes to social responsibility.

At the same time, a company that takes CSR seriously signals to both investors and partners that it's interested in long-term as well as short-term gain. CSR goes hand in hand with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics that help external analysts quantify the company's social efforts, and becomes a key factor for investors' consideration and continued interest.

4 types of corporate responsibility your business can practice

In recognition of how important socially responsible efforts are to their customers, employees and stakeholders, many companies focus on four broad CSR categories.

1. Environmental efforts: One primary focus of CSR is the environment. Businesses have large carbon footprints, regardless of size. Any steps a company can take to reduce its footprint is considered good for both the company and society.

2. Philanthropy: Businesses can practice social responsibility by donating money, products or services to social causes and nonprofits. Larger companies tend to have plentiful resources that can benefit charities and local community programs; however, even as a small business, your efforts can make a difference. If you have a specific charity or program in mind, reach out to the organization. Ask them about their specific needs and whether a donation of money, time or your company's products would best help them.

3. Ethical labor practices: Companies can demonstrate CSR by treating employees fairly and ethically. This is especially true of businesses that operate in international locations with labor laws that differ from those in the U. S.

4. Volunteering: Participating in local causes or volunteering your time (and your staff's time) to community events says a lot about your company's sincerity. When your company does good deeds without expecting anything in return, you express concern (and support) for specific issues and social causes.

Building a socially responsible business

While startups and small companies don't have the deep financial pockets that enterprises have, their efforts can have a significant impact, especially in their local communities.

"Even 5%, though it might not sound like a lot, can add up to make a difference," Schmidt said. "When thinking of ways to donate and give back, start local, and then move from there."

When identifying and launching a CSR initiative, involve your employees in the decision-making process. Create an internal team to spearhead the efforts and identify organizations or causes related to your business or that employees feel strongly about. You'll increase engagement and success when you contribute to something that matters to your employees. Involving your employees in the decision-making process can also bring clarity and assurance to your team.

"If decisions [about CSR] are made behind closed doors, people will wonder if there are strings attached and if the donations are really going where they say," Cooney said. " Engage your employees [and consumers] in giving back. Let them feel like they have a voice."

Whichever strategies you use for sustainable development, be vocal. Let your consumers know what you are doing to be socially conscious. [Related read: PayPal's Mission for Corporate Social Responsibility]

"Consumers deserve to share in the good feelings associated with doing the right thing, and many surveys have found that consumers are inclined to purchase a sustainable product over a conventional alternative," Cooney said. "Announcing these benefits is a win-win from both a commercial and sustainability perspective."

What to avoid when creating a socially responsible business model

Becoming a socially responsible business can be simple, but there are a few caveats.

1. Don't choose unrelated initiatives.

Avoid participating in charitable efforts that are not related to your core business focus or that violate your company's ethical standards in any way. Instead of blindly sending money to a completely unrelated organization, find a nonprofit that your company believes in or invest in a project in your community.

2. Don't use CSR as a marketing scheme.

Don't use CSR opportunities solely for marketing purposes. Schmidt said running a corporate responsibility campaign as a quick marketing scheme can backfire if your business doesn't follow through. Instead of trying a one-time stunt, adopt socially responsible business practices over time. Schmidt said employees and consumers react positively to companies that embrace long-term social responsibility.

3. Don't wait for the industry to catch up.

If you are considering sustainable activities that aren't legally required yet, don't wait. By adopting socially responsible norms early on, you set the bar for your industry and refine your process. [Related read: 14 Examples of Socially Responsible Businesses]

Undertaking CSR initiatives is a win for everyone involved. The impact of your actions will not only appeal to socially conscious consumers and employees, but can also make a real difference in the world.

CSR certifications

While many companies self-assess their CSR efforts, often the most practical and trusted way to prove your company's social accountability to the public is to undergo a third-party social impact assessment.

These three corporate social responsibility certifications can help you achieve public recognition for your sustainability and CSR efforts.

B-corp certification

Certified B corporations, or B-corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. To become a B-corp, a company must undergo a rigorous and holistic verification process every three years, integrate B-corp commitments to all stakeholders (rather than only shareholders) into its governing documents, and pay a sales-based annual fee.

While B-corp status is mainly associated with multinationals like Patagonia or Ben & Jerry's, small businesses and startups that strive for social and environmental excellence can also receive this CSR certification. The first step is to complete the free and confidential B Impact Assessment on the B Lab website and receive a minimum score of 80. If you meet the baseline, you can submit the impact assessment for review and start the verification process.

ISEAL code compliance

ISEAL Alliance is a global membership organization for credible sustainability standards whose members include Fairtrade International, Gold Standard, Alliance for Water Stewardship and more. An assessment from ISEAL is carried out by an independent third-party verification provider that determines whether a business meets Codes of Good Practice and can be deemed ISEAL Code Compliant. This assessment offers a reputable seal of approval for companies that emphasize sustainability.

In some circumstances, verifications from ISEAL members can directly impact business continuity. For example, the absence of a certification from the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil can effectively close down a supply chain for some consumer brands.

SASB standards

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board is one of the most established environmental, social, and governance (ESG) guidance frameworks, providing standards for disclosing the financial impact of a company's sustainability efforts. In other words, it allows businesses to communicate the financial outcomes of their CSR and ESG measures to investors and other stakeholders.

SASB Standards are evidence-based, cost-effective, market-informed, and industry-specific, covering 77 industries. These standards help produce structured, comparable, and standardized data that is perfect for both internal and external communications of CSR and ESG impacts.

Examples of CSR companies

If you're looking for CSR inspiration for your business, here are six companies practicing corporate social responsibility on a large scale.

LEGO: The toy company has invested millions of dollars into addressing climate change and reducing waste. LEGO's environmentally conscious efforts include reduced packaging, sustainable materials, and investments in alternative energy.

TOMS: TOMS donates one-third of its net profits to charities that support physical and mental health as well as educational opportunities. During the pandemic, the brand directed all charitable donations to the TOMS COVID-19 Global Giving Fund.

Johnson & Johnson: The brand Johnson & Johnson focuses on reducing its environmental impact by investing in alternative energy sources. Globally, Johnson & Johnson also works to provide clean, safe water to communities.

Starbucks: The global coffee chain has implemented a socially responsible hiring process to diversify its workforce. Its efforts are focused on hiring more veterans, young people looking to start their careers, and refugees.

Google: Google has demonstrated its commitment to the environment by investing in renewable energy sources and sustainable offices. CEO Sundar Pichai is also known to take stands on certain social issues.

Pfizer: The pharmaceutical company's focus on corporate citizenship is reflected in its healthcare initiatives, which include spreading awareness about non-infectious diseases and providing accessible health services to women and children in need.

Corporate social responsibility FAQs

Corporate social responsibility is a modern approach to running a business. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about it.

What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)?

Corporate social responsibility is a way of describing how companies measure and control their impact on society. This includes a company's contributions - both positive and negative - to the economy, environment and greater community.

Who is CSR for?

Businesses of all sizes can choose to introduce a comprehensive CSR program or selected initiatives and reap the associated benefits. No matter the size or maturity of your business, an investment in ethical behavior and sustainable practices can improve your brand value, build customer trust, grow your company, and improve the bottom line.

What are the benefits of CSR for companies?

CSR can be beneficial to a company in several ways. The first is by improving its brand image. When customers or clients see evidence that a business is socially responsible, they tend to respond positively.

The second benefit is improving employee morale. Morale tends to be higher at companies that invest effort and resources into ethical and socially responsible behavior.

The third involves appealing to new talent. Modern employees often choose purpose-driven and environmentally conscious companies over financial benefits.

Lastly, CSR-active companies attract investors and partners. A company that is willing to invest in long-term policies and improvements offers security to potential investors.

What are examples of CSR initiatives?

Some examples of CSR components are reducing carbon footprint and energy consumption, engaging in wildlife conservation initiatives, encouraging charity and volunteer work, supporting local communities, improving labor policies, ensuring diversity and equality in the workplace, investing in nonprofit organizations, and guaranteeing ethically sourced materials.

Whichever practices you employ, make sure they are authentic and match your corporate values. Otherwise, your business might be accused of greenwashing.

How do you monitor CSR?

There are a few key ways to measure CSR. The first is to break CSR goals into categories, such as philanthropy, labor practices, and environmental efforts.

To track the success of these investments, look for measurable key performance indicators. How much has your company's carbon footprint changed? How many people did you reach with a charitable effort? Monitor new developments and keep a pulse on general public perception of issues associated with your company's social causes.
Skye Schooley, Nicole Fallon and Sammi Caramela contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.

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What Is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

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Corporate social responsibility is imperative for businesses that want to appeal to modern consumers. Learn what it is and how to maintain it.

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As you probably know by now, WhyWhisper is focused on supporting organizations and companies that care about making a positive social or environmental impact.

Recently, we've been thinking about how impactful different companies' programs are. Are they really making a difference, or are they just there for PR purposes?

While discussing a friend's employer's CSR strategy recently, she said that they "provide a discount on a gym membership and incentivize us to challenge ourselves in different ways with the reward of company shout outs and prizes. It's just enough for them to check off the social responsibility box before going public."

This got us thinking. How many companies are just "checking off the box" when it comes to social responsibility, and how many are actually making an impact?

To give you a sense as to what we mean, we took a look at one of the most comprehensive CSR strategies we've seen to date: Starbucks. Here's what they're doing, and why it works:

Who are they?

As most of us know, Starbucks is an international coffee company, with over 20,000 stores in over 60 countries to date. But just five years ago, the company was doing poorly. This was partially as a result of the financial crisis and internal restructuring; but, generally, the company's future was "bleak." As a result of this slump, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz launched a "Transformation Agenda," aimed at investing in the company's people. The series of initiatives launched under the agenda were centered on people, the environment, and the community. As a result of these initiatives, which we'll dive into in a minute, Starbucks recovered financially, and even exceeded its prior revenue, by 2013.

What are Starbucks' CSR initiatives?

Starbucks' social responsibility strategy is based on three pillars: Community, Ethical Sourcing, and the Environment. Here's what the company does to have a positive impact in each of those areas:

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Corporate Social Responsibility: How Starbucks is Making an Impact - WhyWhisper Collective

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As you probably know by now, WhyWhisper is focused on supporting organizations and companies that care about making a positive social or environmental impact. Recently, we've been thinking about how impactful different companies' programs are. Are they really making a difference, or are they just there for PR purposes?

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Ally Tochner W10 - relationship building

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Ally Tochner W10 - relationship building

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https://www.campaignasia.com/article/facebook-is-once-again-failing-at-crisis-response-will-it-matter-this-time/472976

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Media investigations of Facebook's business practices are nothing new, but the social media giant has failed to learn lessons from crises past in its response, say experts.

Crisis comms pros contend Facebook continues to miss the big picture and displays a lack of humanity and empathy in its combative response to negative coverage.

"This time [Facebook has] waded into an area of universal concern: the well-being of children. And once again, their response is a form of corporate gaslighting: telling us not to believe what we've read and seen," says Scott Monty, principal at Scott Monty Strategies.

What people are reading in this case is The Wall Street Journal's investigative series, The Facebook Files, so-named because it is based on internal documents, including research reports, online employee debates and drafts of presentations to senior management. The newspaper's series includes both written articles and podcast episodes.

Among the revelations: Facebook's own research has repeatedly shown that its image-sharing app, Instagram, is "toxic" for teen girls. Internal research cited by the Journal shows 32% of teen girls said that when they feel bad about their bodies, Instagram makes them feel worse.

Facebook restricts its products to people 13 years of age and older, but it had been working on an Instagram version aimed at children before pausing the project this week, and, according to an internal presentation, was even " exploring playdates as a growth lever."

Facebook has responded to the Journal's coverage with written posts, including from VP of global affairs Nick Clegg, titled " What the Wall Street Journal Got Wrong." A post headlined What Our Research Really Says about Teen Well-Being and Instagram from Pratiti Raychoudhury, Facebook's VP and head of research, challenged the Journal's reporting and interpretation of the research numbers.

Evan Nierman, CEO of Red Banyan, says Facebook was right to frame the research, such as the fact it had a small number of study participants, in its rebuttal posts. However, those posts made the claim that Instagram is overwhelmingly good for teens' well-being, and most parents will have a very hard time buying that.

"Rather than defending the WSJ research, Facebook pushed too far in the other direction by assuring the public that their platforms are extremely positive for users," he says. "It would sit better with parents if they would not be so quick to produce data positing that social media helps, not hinders, issues of personal well-being."

"The right answer is somewhere in between those extremes," asserts Nierman.

This is especially true given that during the pandemic, parents are reporting "dealing with problems stemming from mental health and body image issues relating from social media," as it relates to their children.

Facebook is expected to lead with that teens-are-better-with-Instagram message when its global head of safety, Antigone Davis, testifies at a Senate hearing on Thursday.

Sarah Evans, founder and CEO of Sevans Strategy & Sevans Digital PR, says by getting into the weeds of the research methodologies, Facebook "forgot to show humanity" in its response.

"Parents don't feel comfortable reading what Facebook or Instagram has to say about their own research, when they can see how social media impacts their own children, contrary to whatever the company might say," she says. "The fact is, this is about children, and humanity should be the most important topic of discussion, not taking all this time to combat what was said and offer a different opinion on the research."

"At the end of the day, the research specifics don't matter," she concludes. "If I were advising them, I'd say double-, triple- and quadruple-down on the humanity side."

Monty says Facebook also shows a disturbing lack of self-awareness, which undermines most of what it claims.

"They go so far as to paint Instagram as beneficial to society. After all of the trust and credibility issues they've had, it's laughable that they'd be so contrarian in their analysis of the data," says Monty, who wrote about the topic in his Timeless & Timely newsletter.

"Rather than cancel their 'Instagram for tweens' project, they've merely put it on hold," he adds.

"Facebook's pugnacious response indicates no remorse, no desire to do better for society, and no admission of a role in the billions of lives they touch, other than the positive," says Monty.

Richard Levick, chairman and CEO of Levick, agrees that Facebook's strategy is misguided because people simply don't trust the company or its executives, led by CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg.

"They have been battling the facts, and picking them up apart, arguing that the Journal got this wrong or that wrong, but the bottom line is, they are losing the perception war. Overwhelmingly, people don't trust Facebook," notes Levick. "And the people they don't trust most of all are Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg."

"Remember, she came in to be the adult in the room, and make [Zuckerberg's] brand better, and instead he has made hers worse," he adds.

Facebook did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Bulletproof no more?

Andy Cunningham, founder and president of Cunningham Collective, says "whenever a respected media outlet like the WSJ criticizes a company, it definitely escalates the issue for the company being covered."

Of course, Facebook is used to scrutiny from mainstream media, but because of its popularity, it is also used to coming out unscathed.

"There is a tension between 'old media' like the WSJ and 'new media' like Facebook. One is journalism, the other entertainment. And unfortunately for old media, new media is winning today's hearts, minds and advertisers," says Cunningham.

"I think keeping the fight alive is important. Democracy needs real journalism, and we need democracy," she adds. "But the people have spoken and they want social media. So Facebook will do what Facebook does regardless of the negative effects it may have on its audience."

Facebook has also caused politicians on both sides of the aisle to find a rare point of agreement: too much Facebook is bad. While it might not bleed users, it could eventually lose the regulatory battle in Washington.

Legislators have been likening Facebook's business practices and PR strategy to how Big Tobacco hid the addictive and harmful nature of its products. "Big Tech has become the new Big Tobacco. Facebook is lying about how their product harms teens," tweeted U.S. Rep Ken Buck (R-CO).

"Facebook has been blatantly deceptive and misled Congress about the heinously destructive impact of its platforms on teens," wrote Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on Twitter. "It's time for them to come clean about what they're doing to our kids."

Most experts interviewed for this story say the comparison is apt, and it's a nightmare scenario for any industry or company to be compared to cigarette makers.

At this point, Cunningham says Facebook would be best served by admitting that its platforms are addictive.

"They should respond not with their own research or with an attempt to tell people that social media is good for people, but with an admonition to 'consume responsibly,' just like the alcohol industry does - a little is good, a lot is bad," she says. "We all know, regardless of the research, that social media can become addictive and dangerous if too much is consumed."

"It's like everything else, including tobacco, alcohol, sugar, etc. Bad stuff will always be available and our democracy demands that we allow it to continue to be the case. And so social media is here to stay," says Cunningham. "But it is our social responsibility to provide warnings to those who fall under the influence."

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Facebook is once again failing at crisis response. Will it matter this time? | Digital | Campaign Asia

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Media investigations of Facebook's business practices are nothing new, but the social media giant has failed to learn lessons from crises past in its response, say experts. Crisis comms pros contend Facebook continues to miss the big picture and displays a lack of humanity and empathy in its combative response to negative coverage.

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As the final winners, Claire Ernst of Nashville, Tenn., Andrew Music Williams of Long Beach, Calif., and Jake Chapman of Los Angeles, Calif. won the sought-after opportunity to create as song coached by the acclaimed 23-year-old artist, H.E.R. During a series of virtual rehearsals, the youthful quartet shared their ideas and experiences, and used their collective talents as composers and performers to craft an inspirational new track with a universal message of positivity.

Despite not being able to meet in person, the four quickly formed a strong bond, united by their passion for music and desire to encourage others through song. Even over video call, the excitement and energy were palpable, with the connection between the young performers obvious in the harmonies they created with their voices and instruments.

"Life may come with some obstacles, but don't you give up," they sing. "Just keep holding on, because I believe you will make it." Just as the lyrics are uplifting, the new song itself is a soothing reminder to its listeners that life is still good, "living with the door wide open".

"This campaign has given me motivation, hope, and a desire to encourage the world one song at a time," said Andrew Music Williams. "As a participant, I've realized the importance of believing wholeheartedly in the chances you take. As a winner, the response from H.E.R. along with the advice she gave me will forever be applied to my music career."

"This experience with LG and H.E.R has been absolutely surreal and a dream come true," echoed Claire Ernst, "I had a blast collaborating with the other artists and meeting the LG team. I'm incredibly honored to have been chosen for this one in a lifetime opportunity; life's really good!"

"This campaign was so much fun! I had a great time making my entry, and I'm flattered that H.E.R. liked it so much that she chose me as one of the winners," said Jake Chapman, "This is something I'll never forget! Thanks LG and H.E.R.!"

"[The project] was a dope kind a thing to bring some joy to the musician world. I know that everybody else that participated in this had a great time doing it," commented H.E.R., who acted as a mentor for the creation of the final song. "Everybody did a great job. Everybody made it their own."

"We're thrilled to release this fantastic song as a culmination of our global Life's Good Music Project," remarked Kim Jin-hong, head of LG's Global Marketing Center. "The song by our three young winners guided by H.E.R. is full of strength and passion, and we're awed by both the talent and determination they all possess."

More information on the Life's Good campaign can be found on the LG Global YouTube channel ( www.youtube.com/GlobalLG) and Instagram ( www.instagram.com/lg_global). Listen to the final song by Andrew, Claire, and Jake with guidance from H.E.R. for the Life's Good Music Project here ( https://youtu.be/TOevcfPvfgs ).
About LG Electronics Inc.
LG Electronics is a global innovator in technology and consumer goods with a presence in almost every country in the world and a diverse workforce of 74,000. LG is composed of five companies - Home Appliance & Air Solution, Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Vehicle Component Solutions and Business Solutions. With 2019 global sales of USD 53 billion, LG is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of products from TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, mobile devices, digital signage and automotive components. LG is also known for its premium LG SIGNATURE and advanced LG ThinQ brands, which feature the company's artificial intelligence technology. For more news on LG, go to www.LGnewsroom.com.

SOURCE LG Electronics

Related Links

http://www.LGnewsroom.com

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LG Releases Uplifting 'Life's Good' Song by Aspiring Young Musicians With Guidance From H.E.R.

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As the final winners, Claire Ernst of Nashville, Tenn., Andrew Music Williams of Long Beach, Calif., and Jake Chapman of Los Angeles, Calif. won the sought-after opportunity to create as song coached by the acclaimed 23-year-old artist, H.E.R.

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Disney’s Stakeholders & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy - Panmore Institute

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Disney’s corporate social responsibility strategy, citizenship programs, sustainability, managing stakeholders, media entertainment case study and analysis.

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Author: Tireni Odubiyi | Theme: Defining Sustainability | Week: 2

Source: Euro News

This post is an analysis of Ikea's buy back furniture scheme as presented in the article, "Is Ikea's New 'Buy Back' Furniture Scheme Greenwashing?" (Frost, 2020) In the article, Frost highlights the ' buy back' initiative presented by IKEA on their site. This initiative which coincides with Black Friday discourages the usual excessive consumption that takes place on the holiday by allowing "customers in 27 countries to sell back fully assembled drawer units, tables, chairs, cabinets, desks, shelving and cupboards" (Frost, 2020).

IKEA ranks the furniture received and those "graded as new" will be given a 50% voucher which allows customers to buy new items in the store. In contrast to regular vouchers, these ones will not have an expiry date. The open voucher is intended "to encourage people to only buy furniture when they really need it." According to the company's sustainability officer for the U.K & Ireland, Peter Jelky, through the initiative IKEA wants to give 'a second life' to its products, thereby promoting sustainable consumption. The scheme has already been tested out for over a year in stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Using Ramsey's arguments presented in Defining Sustainability (2014) and On Not Defining Sustainability (2015), it is clear that IKEA's efforts are commendable as it clearly addresses the environmental pillar of sustainability by promoting re-using and recycling furniture whilst also integrating the other 2 pillars of society and economy. Moreover, the initiative provides an incentive for people to recycle by providing a gift card of the cash equivalent of the furniture while also encouraging people to not then in turn engage in wasteful consumption by removing the voucher expiry date. Thus, customers shopping during Black Friday are able to benefit from the usual reduced prices during the holiday but not contribute to fast, wasteful consumption by buying recycled furniture.

However, as Frost highlights in the article, a significant drawback of the initiative is that it is not consistent with other "green" practices currently implemented at the store. For example, IKEA's "most sustainable store" in Greenwich, London where the company chose to develop not on brownfield land but displace an sustainable supermarket which was already in operation at that site. This brings up accusations of 'faux sustainability' (Farley and Smith, 2014) or "greenwashing" because of the hypocrisy involved which undermines IKEA's stated goal of sustainability, specifically sustainable development in this case. As quoted by Ramsey in On Not Defining Sustainability, "Sustainability often gets reduced to a slogan that results in few meaningful efforts or achievements.''

IKEA is able to capitalise off the concept of a sustainable store and use it in its advertising and marketing to encourage consumption from consumers looking to lead a more eco-friendly life while simultaneously being complicit in the closure of another sustainable business which had only operated at that location for 17 years. This story leads us to question whether it is now profitable for businesses to present themselves as environmentally conscious to exploit the moral judgements consumers are now making about where they spend their money.

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Ikea's New Buy Back Scheme: A Case of 'Greenwashing'?

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Author: Tireni Odubiyi | Theme: Defining Sustainability | Week: 2 This post is an analysis of Ikea's buy back furniture scheme as presented in the article, "Is Ikea's New 'Buy Back' Furniture Scheme Greenwashing?" (Frost, 2020) In the article, Frost highlights the ' buy back' initiative presented by IKEA on their site.

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Business is about more than just making a profit. Climate change, economic inequality, and other global challenges that impact communities worldwide have compelled companies to be purpose-driven and contribute to the greater good.

In a recent study by Deloitte, 93 percent of business leaders said they believe companies aren't just employers, but stewards of society. In addition, 95 percent reported they're planning to take a stronger stance on large-scale issues in the coming years and devote significant resources to socially responsible initiatives. With more CEOs turning their focus to the long term, it's important to consider what you can do in your career to make an impact.

Free E-Book: How to Be a Purpose-Driven, Global Business Professional
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What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a business model in which for-profit companies seek ways to create social and environmental benefits while pursuing organizational goals, like revenue growth and maximizing shareholder value.

Today's organizations are implementing extensive corporate social responsibility programs, with many companies dedicating C-level executive roles and entire departments to social and environmental initiatives. These executives are commonly referred to as a chief officer of corporate social responsibility or chief sustainability officer (CSO).

There are many types of corporate social responsibility and CSR might look different for each organization, but the end goal is always the same: Do well by doing good. Companies that embrace corporate social responsibility aim to maintain profitability while supporting a larger purpose.

Rather than simply focusing on generating profit, or the bottom line, socially responsible companies are concerned with the triple bottom line, which considers the impact that business decisions have on profit, people, and the planet.

It's no coincidence that some of today's most profitable organizations are also socially responsible. Here are five examples of successful corporate social responsibility you can use to drive social change at your organization.

5 Corporate Social Responsibility Examples

1. Lego's Commitment to Sustainability

As one of the most reputable companies in the world, Lego aims to not only help children develop through creative play, but foster a healthy planet.

Lego is the first, and only, toy company to be named a World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers Partner, marking its pledge to reduce its carbon impact. And its commitment to sustainability extends beyond its partnerships.

By 2030, the toymaker plans to use environmentally friendly materials to produce all of its core products and packaging-and it's already taken key steps to achieve that goal.

Over the course of 2013 and 2014, Lego shrunk its box sizes by 14 percent, saving approximately 7,000 tons of cardboard. Then, in 2018, the company introduced 150 botanical pieces made from sustainably sourced sugarcane-a break from the petroleum-based plastic typically used to produce the company's signature building blocks. The company has also recently committed to removing all single-use plastic packaging from its materials by 2025, among other initiatives.

Along with these changes, the toymaker has committed to investing $164 million into its Sustainable Materials Center, where researchers are experimenting with bio-based materials that can be implemented into the production process.

Through all of these initiatives, Lego is well on its way to tackling pressing environmental challenges and furthering its mission to help build a more sustainable future.

: What Does "Sustainability" Mean in Business?

2. Salesforce's 1-1-1 Philanthropic Model

Beyond being a leader in the technology space, cloud-based software giant Salesforce is a trailblazer in the realm of corporate philanthropy.

Since its outset, the company has championed its 1-1-1 philanthropic model, which involves giving one percent of product, one percent of equity, and one percent of employees' time to communities and the nonprofit sector.

To date, Salesforce employees have logged more than 5 million volunteer hours. Not only that, but the company has awarded upwards of $406 million in grants and donated to more than 40,000 nonprofit organizations and educational institutions.

In addition, through its work with San Francisco Unified and Oakland Unified School Districts, Salesforce has helped reduce algebra repeat rates and contributed to a high percentage of students receiving A's or B's in computer science classes.

As the company's revenue continues to grow, Salesforce stands as a prime example of the idea that profit-making and social impact initiatives don't have to be at odds with one another.

3. Ben & Jerry's Social Mission

At Ben & Jerry's, positively impacting society is just as important as producing premium ice cream.

In 2012, the company became a certified B Corporation, a business that balances purpose and profit by meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

As part of its overarching commitment to leading with progressive values, the ice cream maker established the Ben & Jerry's Foundation in 1985, an organization dedicated to supporting grassroots movements that drive social change.

Each year, the foundation awards approximately $2.5 million in grants to organizations in Vermont and across the United States. Grant recipients have included the United Workers Association, a human rights group striving to end poverty, and the Clean Air Coalition, an environmental health and justice organization based in New York.

The foundation's work earned it a National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Award in 2014, and it continues to sponsor efforts to find solutions to systemic problems at both local and national levels.

: How to Create Social Change: 4 Business Strategies

4. Levi Strauss's Social Impact

In addition to being one of the most successful fashion brands in history, Levi's is also one of the first to push for a more ethical and sustainable supply chain.

In 1991, the brand created its Terms of Engagement, which established its global code of conduct regarding its supply chain and set standards for workers' rights, a safe work environment, and an environmentally-friendly production process.

To maintain its commitment in a changing world, Levi's regularly updates its Terms of Engagement. In 2011, on the 20th anniversary of its code of conduct, Levi's announced its Worker Well-being initiative to implement further programs focused on the health and well-being of supply chain workers.

Since 2011, the Worker Well-being initiative has been expanded to 12 countries and more than 100,000 workers have benefited from it. In 2016, the brand scaled up the initiative, vowing to expand the program to more than 300,000 workers and produce more than 80 percent of its product in Worker Well-being factories by 2025.

For its continued efforts to maintain the well-being of its people and the environment, Levi's was named one of Engage for Good's 2020 Golden Halo Award winners, which is the highest honor reserved for socially responsible companies.

5. Starbucks's Commitment to Ethical Sourcing

Starbucks launched its first corporate social responsibility report in 2002 with the goal of becoming as well-known for its CSR initiatives as for its products. One of the ways the brand has fulfilled this goal is through ethical sourcing.

In 2015, Starbucks verified that 99 percent of its coffee supply chain is ethically sourced, and it seeks to boost that figure to 100 percent through continued efforts and partnerships with local coffee farmers and organizations.

The brand bases its approach on Coffee and Farmer Equity (CAFE) Practices, one of the coffee industry's first set of ethical sourcing standards created in collaboration with Conservation International. CAFE assesses coffee farms against specific economic, social, and environmental standards, ensuring Starbucks can source its product while maintaining a positive social impact.

For its work, Starbucks was named one of the world's most ethical companies in 2021 by Ethisphere.

The Value of Being Socially Responsible

As these firms demonstrate, a deep and abiding commitment to corporate social responsibility can pay dividends. By learning from these initiatives and taking a values-driven approach to business, you can help your organization thrive and grow, even as it confronts global challenges.
Do you want to gain a deeper understanding of the broader social and political landscape in which your organization operates? Explore our three-week Sustainable Business Strategy course and other online courses regarding business in society to learn more about how business can be a catalyst for system-level change. This post was updated on April 15, 2022. It was originally published on June 6, 2019.

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5 Examples of Corporate Social Responsibility | HBS Online

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Here's a look at five successful corporate social responsibility examples that can inspire you to influence social change at your organization.

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In airline circles, it's called "Bloody Sunday."

On Sunday, Oct. 11, a technical glitch grounded 800 Southwest Airlines flights, delaying thousands of passengers. Lines stretched for miles, and the complainers were out in full force on social media.

It could have been worse. The airline kept things moving. It responded to every single tweet and every post, which numbered in the "tens of thousands." When people started complaining of hunger, employees were dispatched to start handing out pizza at Los Angeles International Airport. The airline was praised for how it handled what could have been catastrophic brand crisis - and it had social media to thank. Many customers tweeted about it:

#airportnightmare @SouthwestAir Airlines technology kaput.board but employees da bomb- luv you Southwest despite growing pains

- Christine Fuentes (@reoqueens) October 12, 2015

One year ago, Southwest started a 30-person "social business" department that would be at the center of the entire company's operations. The people in the unit also work with every single other department at the company, including operations, logistics and even human resources.

In most companies, social media is connected with marketing or communications functions, dedicated to solving customer problems or listening for issues.

The organizational chart at Southwest puts social business as the "hub," with spokes extending into every other department, said Curtis Midkiff, a senior adviser for social business strategy at Southwest. That means social is at the center, not off to the side, and has relationships with other departments. For example, one of the more unique relationships is with Southwest's people department, meaning social supports recruitment, employee advocacy and internal culture as well fielding complaints from grumpy passengers.

But social business still includes, well, social. Southwest's listening center, which started operations shortly after the social business team was created, rotates between providing customer care and other things. On Tuesday, it ran a "surprise-and-delight" operation called #FeesDontFly, a marketing campaign that rewarded people who were talking about other airlines' hidden fees with gift cards or Southwest tickets.

Midkiff said that on a daily basis, the listening center is a hub for various groups of the organization. There are tour groups that come by from HR, sales, operations, IT or anywhere else to see how it works and how it can help them - making clear that social media and social listening aren't just going to be a brand communications function, but for everyone in the company.

A report by Crimson Hexagon about airlines' social media presences said that social has a rising significance for airlines, possibly more than any other industry, since the stigma around flying is so prevalent. Negative sentiment at Southwest specifically was just under 40 percent - below the airline average of 47 percent. (The airline that receives most negative tweets is American Airlines, about 55 percent.)

The company also recently used SocialRank, a platform that lets brands find and analyze followers, to find the most active Southwest followers on Twitter and give them access to a concert series or meet with celebrities.

"Finding those relationships is the hard part," said Midkiff. "You find them, and the revenue will come with it."

Other than the listening center, the social business team has also created social customer care departments that work with airline operations and a community management team who works on content on social.

"Social business" is a unique concept - it dovetails with the idea of the "social employee." In a book about the concept, author Cheryl Burgess describes it as a way to bring "social" into parts of the business beyond the media and the communications. (Other companies that have successfully put social in the center, according to Burgess, are Adobe and Cisco.)

As for platforms, Midkiff said the company has focused on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but it is also increasingly looking at Periscope as a way to connect with people who want to experience, for example, a day in a life of a ramp agent or a baggage handler. The brand is also keeping an eye on Snapchat and even Medium.

"The litmus test, of course, is the bandwidth," said Midkiff. "There are three times as many social platforms as resources, so the worst thing would be to get somewhere and not have people to be on it full time."

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How Southwest Airlines turned social media into social business - Digiday

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In airline circles, it's called "Bloody Sunday." On Sunday, Oct. 11, a technical glitch grounded 800 Southwest Airlines flights, delaying thousands of passengers. Lines stretched for miles, and the complainers were out in full force on social media. It could have been worse. The airline kept things moving.

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The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) today launched its annual Breast Cancer Campaign under the call to action #TimeToEndBreastCancer.

Under its 'Beauty Inspired, value driven' mantra, ELC puts people, positive impact and inclusivity at the forefront of its business, with its fight against breast cancer as one of the core pillars of its CSR-mission.

Since 1992, The Estée Lauder Companies has been uniting people around the mission to create a breast cancer-free world. The beauty company has been inspiring action and helping to fund research that will bring a cure closer.

ELC's call to end breast cancer is more important than ever, with the disease now the most diagnosed cancer around the world, surpassing lung cancer for the first time in 2020 with an estimated 2.3 million new cases.

The Moodie Davitt Report is once again turning pink throughout October to support The Estée Lauder Companies' annual Campaign.

We have turned our homepage and other media platforms pink in support of one of the world's most remarkable and sustained Corporate Social Responsibility projects. All captions, cross-heads, sub-heads, links etc are also taking on a bright pink hue to underscore our support for this magnificent example of Corporate Social Responsibility. At the Virtual Travel Retail Expo (11-15 October), we are even turning the main Retailer Emporium pink.

The Estée Lauder Companies has been a corporate leader in the global breast cancer movement since Evelyn H. Lauder co-created the Pink Ribbon and started The Breast Cancer Campaign (The Campaign) in 1992.

A year later, she founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the highest-rated non-profit breast cancer organisation in the US, dedicated to advancing research to eradicate breast cancer.

"As a Beauty Inspired, Values Driven company, we strive to make meaningful social investments toward issues that matter to our employees, customers, and partners around the world," commented The Estée Lauder Companies Executive Chairman William P. Lauder [ Click here for an interview with Mr Lauder].

"Family values are and have always been at the core of The Estée Lauder Companies. When my mother, Evelyn H. Lauder, started The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign and co-created the Pink Ribbon, she had a vision of a breast cancer-free world. The Campaign remains unwavering in its mission to help end breast cancer."

The Campaign is ELC's largest corporate social impact programme and supports more than 60 non-profit organisations around the world. It has raised more than US$99 million to support global research, education and medical services through the collective support of consumers, employees and partners worldwide, with more than US$80 million funding 321 medical research grants through BCRF.

In addition, ELC Travel Retail will commit US$250,000 for the funding of a research grant with the BCRF to support The 2021 Campaign.

Commenting on the donation, The Estée Lauder Companies Travel Retail and Retail Development Global President Olivier Bottrie said: "The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign is a reflection of our incredible employees' commitment to help create a world without breast cancer and since BCRF's founding in 1993, they have shown the true impact research has on saving lives. On behalf of all our travel retail employees, we are so proud to partner with BCRF to take this important step towards ending this disease and creating a new legacy of research together."

BCRF's mission to prevent and cure breast cancer by supporting the world's most promising research. BCRF-funded researchers have been involved in every breakthrough, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

The Campaign's key creative is centred around the Pink Ribbon, a universally recognised symbol for breast cancer. Breast cancer affects everyone it touches, from patients, to loved ones, doctors, caregivers, advocates and more. Therefore this year's campaign features different shades, textures and designs of the pink ribbon to signify the diversity of breast cancer in the hopes of uniting the breast cancer community around the world.

The awareness-raising campaign features several key elements:

The launch of a new social media campaign to encourage engagement and raise funds for BCRF. The campaign encourages people grab their favourite pink lipstick, draw a ribbon, and share their own personal breast cancer story using the hashtags #TimeToEndBreastCancer and #ELCdonates and tagging and inviting up to five people to participate and pay the message forward.
For every public, in-feed Instagram, or Facebook post during the month of October featuring both #TimeToEndBreastCancer and #ELCdonates together, ELC will donate US$25 to @bcrfcure up to US$150,000.

To reinforce the company's legacy of breast cancer awareness and its commitment to promoting Racial Equity, ELC and the Lauder Family will invest US$1 million over two years to fund research that seeks to eliminate breast cancer disparities. Through grants with BCRF, two important new initiatives will be supported.

The Illumination of buildings, monuments and landmarks worldwide in glowing pink lights to raise awareness of breast health - including the Empire State Building in New York City and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The distribution of informational brochures and pink ribbons at The Estée Lauder Companies' beauty brand counters worldwide.

The mobilisation of employees to positively impact communities and unite in action and support more than 60 breast cancer organisations around the world

A donation drive to BCRF through ELCompanies.com/BreastCancerCampaign.

The Estée Lauder Companies President and Chief Executive Officer Fabrizio Freda commented, "The Estée Lauder Companies' success is deeply rooted in our core values and the positive impact we have on our employees, our communities and the planet. The Breast Cancer Campaign is an authentic cornerstone of our commitments to being a Beauty Inspired, Values Driven company and we will continue our work to drive positive change for the breast cancer community and beyond."

The Campaign's long-time Global Ambassador Elizabeth Hurley added, "My role as Global Ambassador for The Breast Cancer Campaign continues to be my life's most meaningful work. I joined Evelyn to work on The Campaign shortly after she started it in the early 1990's.

"Over the years, I've seen the powerful impact The Estée Lauder Companies has had on the global breast cancer community, including groundbreaking progress made through the research The Campaign has funded to advance science, treatments, and care. We must carry on Evelyn's legacy and come together in support of The Campaign and help to find a cure for this disease."

This year, 19 of The Estée Lauder Companies' beauty brands will support The Campaign's mission: AERIN, Aveda, BECCA, Bobbi Brown, Bumble and bumble, Clinique, Darphin, DKNY, Donna Karan, Estée Lauder, GLAMGLOW, Jo Malone London, La Mer, Lab Series, Origins, Prescriptives, RODIN olio lusso, Smashbox, and Tom Ford Beauty. Each will contribute by selling Pink Ribbon Products or making donations to BCRF and/or other charitable organisations around the world. The assortment differs by country and organisation.

Through the collective efforts of ELC's employees, stakeholders and partners, The Campaign remains at the forefront of driving real progress in the fight against breast cancer, bringing it ever closer to achieving its mission of creating a breast cancer-free world for all.

To learn more about The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign, visit ELCompanies.com/BreastCancerCampaign

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#TimeToEndBreastCancer: The Estée Lauder Companies launches 2021 Breast Cancer Campaign - The Moodie Davitt Report

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The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) today launched its annual Breast Cancer Campaign under the call to action #TimeToEndBreastCancer. Under its 'Beauty Inspired, value driven' mantra, ELC puts people, positive impact and inclusivity at the forefront of its business, with its fight against breast cancer as one of the core pillars of its CSR-mission.

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As you probably know by now, WhyWhisper is focused on supporting organizations and companies that care about making a positive social or environmental impact.

Recently, we've been thinking about how impactful different companies' programs are. Are they really making a difference, or are they just there for PR purposes?

While discussing a friend's employer's CSR strategy recently, she said that they "provide a discount on a gym membership and incentivize us to challenge ourselves in different ways with the reward of company shout outs and prizes. It's just enough for them to check off the social responsibility box before going public."

This got us thinking. How many companies are just "checking off the box" when it comes to social responsibility, and how many are actually making an impact?

To give you a sense as to what we mean, we took a look at one of the most comprehensive CSR strategies we've seen to date: Starbucks. Here's what they're doing, and why it works:

Who are they?

As most of us know, Starbucks is an international coffee company, with over 20,000 stores in over 60 countries to date. But just five years ago, the company was doing poorly. This was partially as a result of the financial crisis and internal restructuring; but, generally, the company's future was "bleak." As a result of this slump, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz launched a "Transformation Agenda," aimed at investing in the company's people. The series of initiatives launched under the agenda were centered on people, the environment, and the community. As a result of these initiatives, which we'll dive into in a minute, Starbucks recovered financially, and even exceeded its prior revenue, by 2013.

What are Starbucks' CSR initiatives?

Starbucks' social responsibility strategy is based on three pillars: Community, Ethical Sourcing, and the Environment. Here's what the company does to have a positive impact in each of those areas:

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Corporate Social Responsibility: How Starbucks is Making an Impact - WhyWhisper Collective

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As you probably know by now, WhyWhisper is focused on supporting organizations and companies that care about making a positive social or environmental impact. Recently, we've been thinking about how impactful different companies' programs are. Are they really making a difference, or are they just there for PR purposes?

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"Green Claims Code" is published today to help businesses comply with the law.

CMA to carry out a full review of misleading green claims early next year and stands ready to take action against offending firms.

To help businesses understand how to communicate their green credentials while reducing the risk of misleading shoppers, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published the Green Claims Code. This focuses on 6 principles which are based on existing consumer law. It is clear that firms making green claims "must not omit or hide important information" and "must consider the full life cycle of the product".

The Code is part of a wider awareness campaign which the CMA has launched today ahead of COP26.

The CMA is concerned about people being misled by environmental claims and also wants to ensure that businesses feel confident navigating the law in this area.

Following an initial bedding-in period, the CMA will carry out a full review of misleading green claims, both on and offline (e.g. claims made in store or on labelling), at the start of 2022.

The CMA will prioritise which sectors to review in the coming months, which could include industries where consumers appear most concerned about misleading claims - textiles and fashion, travel and transport, and fast-moving consumer goods (food and beverages, beauty products and cleaning products). However, any sector where the CMA finds significant concerns could become a priority.

Where there is clear evidence of breaches of consumer law, the CMA may also take action before the formal review begins.

Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:

"More people than ever are considering the environmental impact of a product before parting with their hard-earned money. We're concerned that too many businesses are falsely taking credit for being green, while genuinely eco-friendly firms don't get the recognition they deserve.

"The Green Claims Code has been written for all businesses - from fashion giants and supermarket chains to local shops.

"Any business that fails to comply with the law risks damaging its reputation with customers and could face action from the CMA."

Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, Greg Hands, said:

"Millions of UK households are rightly choosing to switch to green products as they look to reduce their carbon footprint. But it's only right that this commitment is backed up by transparent claims from businesses.

"The competition regulator's new code will help to ensure this with advice on how best to communicate and understand environmental claims.

"Government is also currently reviewing green energy tariffs to ensure consumers can be confident they are choosing companies that make a conscious choice to invest in renewable energy."

Last year, the CMA announced that it was investigating the impact of green marketing on consumers, in line with its annual plan commitment. Working alongside other global authorities, it found that 40% of green claims made online could be misleading - suggesting that thousands of businesses could be breaking the law and risking their reputation.

The Green Claims Code has been published following extensive consultation with businesses of all sizes and consumer groups. Businesses should check their green claims against the Code and seek legal advice if they are unsure whether their claims comply with the law.

More information can be found on the misleading environmental claims case page.

Notes to editors

1. The key piece of consumer protection legislation relevant to the CMA's guidance is the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs). The CPRs contain a general prohibition against unfair commercial practices and specific prohibitions against misleading actions and misleading omissions.

2. For relevant figures and statistics, please read the CMA's 'Making environmental claims: a literature review'.

3. Examples and case studies can be found in the CMA's The Green Claims Code: Environmental Claims on Goods and Services.

4. To read more about the CMA's campaign, please visit: gov.uk/green-claims-code

5. Read more about how the CMA is supporting the transition to a low carbon economy in its 2021/22 Annual Plan.

6. Media enquiries should be directed to press@cma.gov.uk or 020 3738 6460.

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Greenwashing: CMA puts businesses on notice

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"Green Claims Code" is published today to help businesses comply with the law. CMA to carry out a full review of misleading green claims early next year and stands ready to take action against offending firms. To help businesses understand how to communicate their green credentials while reducing the risk of misleading shoppers, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published the Green Claims Code.

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Starbucks Case Study; It is the world's largest and most popular coffee company. Case Study; Since the beginning, this premier café has aimed to deliver the world's finest fresh-roasted coffee. Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee, Case Study; Today the company dominates the industry and has created a brand that is tantamount to loyalty, integrity, and proven longevity. Starbucks is not just a name, but a culture.

Case Study in Corporate Social Responsibility of Coffee Starbucks!

It is obvious that Starbucks and its CEO Howard Shultz are aware of the importance of corporate social responsibility. We try to explain the case study of Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee; Every company has problems they can work on and improve in and so does Starbucks. As of recent, Starbucks has done a great job showing their employees how important they are to the company. Along with committing to every employee, they have gone to great lengths to improve the environment for everyone.

Ethical and unethical behavior is always a hot topic for the media, and Starbucks has to be careful with the decisions they make and how they affect their public persona. The corporate social responsibility of the Starbucks Corporation addresses the following issues: Starbucks' commitment to the environment, Starbucks' commitment to the employees, Starbucks' commitment to consumers, discussions of ethical and unethical business behavior, and Starbucks ' commitment and response to shareholders. The following Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee few explain below are;

Commitment to the Environment.

The first way Starbucks has shown corporate social responsibility is through its commitment to the environment. To improve the environment, with a little push from the NGO, Starbucks' first main goal was to provide more Fair Trade Coffee. What this means is that Starbucks will aim to only buy 100 percent responsibly grown and traded coffee. Not only does responsibly grown coffee help the environment, but it also benefits the farmers as well. Responsibly grown coffee means preserving energy and water at the farms.

In turn, this costs more for the company overall, but the environmental improvements are worth it. Starbucks and the environment benefit from this decision because it helps continue to portray a clean image. Another way to improve the environment directly through their stores is by "going green". Their first attempt to produce a green store was in Manhattan. Starbucks made that decision to renovate a 15-year-old store. This renovation included replacing old equipment with more energy-efficient ones.

To educate the community, they placed plaques throughout the store explaining their new green elements and how they work. This new Manhattan store now conserves energy, water, materials, and uses recycled/recyclable products. Twelve stores total plan to be renovated and Starbucks has promised to make each new store LEED, meaning a Leader in Energy and Environmental Design.

LEED improves performance regarding energy savings, water efficiency, and emission reduction. Many people don't look into environmentally friendly appliances because the upfront cost is always more. According to Starbucks, going green over time outweighs the upfront cost by a long shot. Hopefully, these new design elements will help the environment and get Starbucks ahead of their market.

Commitment to Consumers.

The second way Starbucks has shown corporate social responsibility is through their commitment to consumers. The best way to get the customers what they want is to understand their demographic groups. By doing research on Starbucks' consumer demographics, they realized that people with disabilities are very important. The company is trying to turn stores into a more adequate environment for customers with disabilities.

A few changes include: lowering counter height to improve ease of ordering for people in wheelchairs, adding at least one handicap accessible entrance, adding disability etiquette to employee handbooks, training employees to educate them on disabilities, and by joining the National Business Disability Council. By joining the National Business Disability Council, Starbucks gains access to resumes of people with disabilities.

Another way Starbucks has shown a commitment to the consumers is by cutting costs and retaining loyal customers. For frequent, loyal customers, Starbucks decided to provide a loyalty card. Once a customer has obtained this card, they are given incentives and promotions for continuing to frequent their stores. Promotions include discounted drinks and free flavor shots to repeat visitors.

Economy talk:

Also, with the economy being at an all-time low, Starbucks realized that cheaper prices were a necessity. By simplifying their business practices, they were able to provide lower prices for their customers. For example, they use only one recipe for banana bread, rather than eleven!

It doesn't end there either! Starbucks recognized that health is part of social responsibility. To promote healthier living, they introduced "skinny" versions of most drinks, while keeping the delicious flavor. For example, the skinny vanilla latte has 90 calories compared to the original with 190 calories. Since Starbucks doesn't just sell beverages now, they introduced low-calorie snacks. Along with the snacks and beverages, nutrition facts were available for each item.

Also, one big way to cut costs was outsourcing payroll and Human Resources administration. By creating a global platform for its administration system, Starbucks is able to provide more employees with benefits. Plus, they are able to spend more money on pleasing customers, rather than on a benefits system.

One way Starbucks has demonstrated its commitment and response to shareholder needs is by giving them large portions. By large portions, Starbucks is implying that they plan to pay dividends equal to 35% or higher of net income. For the shareholders, paying high dividends means certainty about the company's financial well-being. Along with that, they plan to purchase 15 million more shares of stock, and hopefully, this will attract investors who focus on stocks with good results.

Starbucks made its commitment to shareholders obvious by speaking directly to the media about it. In 2004, Starbucks won a great tax break, but unfortunately, the media saw them as "money-grubbing". Their CEO, Howard Shultz, made the decision to get into politics and speak to Washington about expanding health care and the importance of this to the company. Not only does he want his shareholders to see his commitment, but he wants all of America to be able to reap these benefits.

In order to compete with McDonald's and keeping payout to its shareholders high, Starbucks needed a serious turnaround. They did decide to halt growth in North America but not in Japan. Shultz found that drinking coffee is becoming extremely popular for the Japanese. To show shareholders there is a silver lining, he announced they plan to open "thousands of stores" in Japan and Vietnamese markets.

Commitment to Employees.

The first and biggest way Starbucks shows their commitment to employees is by just taking care of their workers. For example, they know how important health care, stock options, and compensation are to people in this economy. The Starbucks policy states that as long as you work 20 hours a week you get benefits and stock options. These benefits include health insurance and contributions to the employee's 401k plan.

Starbucks doesn't exclude part-time workers, because they feel they are just as valuable as full-time workers. Since Starbucks doesn't have typical business hours like an office job, the part-time workers help to work the odd shifts. Another way Starbucks shows its commitment to employees is by treating them like individuals, not just number 500 out of 26,000 employees. Howard Shultz, a CEO, always tries to keep humanity and compassion in mind.

When he first started at Starbucks, he remembered how much he liked it that people cared about him, so he decided to continue this consideration for employees. Shultz feels that the first impression is very important. On an employee's first day, he lets each new employee know how happy he is to have them as part of their business, whether it is in person or through a video.

His theory is that making a good first impression on a new hire is similar to teaching a child good values. Through their growth, he feels each employee will keep in mind that the company does care about them. Shultz wants people to know what he and the company stand for, and what they are trying to accomplish.

Ethical/Unethical Business Behavior.

The last way Starbucks demonstrates corporate social responsibility is through ethical behavior and occasional unethical behavior. The first ethically positive thing Starbucks involves itself in is the NGO and Fair Trade coffee. Even though purchasing mostly Fair Trade coffee seriously affected their profits, Starbucks knew it was the right thing to do. They also knew that if they did it the right way, everyone would benefit, from farmers to the environment, to their public image.

In the fall of 2010, Starbucks chose to team up with Jumpstart, a program that gives children a head start on their education. By donating to literacy organizations and volunteering with Jumpstart, Starbucks has made an impact on the children in America, in a very positive way.

Of course, some negatives come along with the positives. Starbucks isn't the "perfect" company like it may seem. In 2008, the Starbucks mobile app decided to close 616 stores because they were not performing very well. For Starbucks to close this many stores in one year, they had to battle many landlords due to the chain breaking lease agreements. Starbucks tried pushing for rent cuts but some stores did have to break their agreements.

Other thing:

On top of breaching lease agreements, Starbucks was not able to grow as much as planned, resulting in their future landlords were hurting as well. To fix these problems, tenants typically will offer a buyout or find a replacement tenant, but landlords are in no way forced to go with any of these options. These efforts became extremely time-consuming and costly, causing Starbucks to give up on many lease agreements.

As for Starbucks ethical behavior is a different story when forced into the media light. In 2008, a big media uproar arose due to them wanting to re-release their old logo for their 35th anniversary. The old coffee cup logo was basically a topless mermaid, which is Starbucks' opinion is just a mythological creature, not a sex symbol.

Media critics fought that someone needed to protect the creature's modesty. Starbucks found this outrageous. To end the drama and please the critics, they chose to make the image more modest by lengthening her hair to cover her body and soften her facial expression. Rather than ignoring the media concerns, Starbucks met in the middle to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Maybe you definitely understand above the information and case study of Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee.

Case Study in Corporate Social Responsibility of Coffee Starbucks!

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Case Study Corporate Social Responsibility of Coffee Starbucks

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Starbucks Case Study; It is the world's largest and most popular coffee company. Case Study; Since the beginning, this premier café has aimed to deliver the world's finest fresh-roasted coffee. Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee, Case Study; Today the company dominates the industry and has created a brand that is tantamount to loyalty, integrity, and proven longevity.

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The LEGO Group is to invest up to $400 million over the next three years in its sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, covering both long-term investments and ongoing costs that includes its ambition to make all of its packaging sustainable by the end of 2025.

The company has made a series of moves over the course of the last 10 years to step up its efforts in the sustainability movement, but has since underlined how 'increasingly urgent and important' it now is to prioritise environmental and social activity.

The LEGO Group will, as a next step, begin to phase out single use plastic bags used in LEGO boxes to package the loose bricks. From 2021, Forest Stewardship Council-certified recyclable paper bags will be trialed in boxes.

CEO, Niels B Christiansen, said: "We cannot lose sight of the fundamental challenges facing future generations. It's critical we take urgent action now to care for the planet and future generations. As a company who looks to children as our role models, we are inspired by the millions of kids who have called for more urgent action on climate change.

"We believe they should have access to opportunities to develop the skills necessary to create a sustainable future. We will step up our efforts to use our resources, networks, expertise and platforms to make a positive difference.

"We have received many letters from children about the environment asking us to remove single-use plastic packaging. We have been exploring alternatives for some time and the passion and ideas from children inspired us to begin to make the change."

A lengthy process to find the right kind of alternative, several prototypes made from a range of different sustainable materials have so far been tested with hundreds of parents and children. Children liked the paper bags being trialed in 2021 as they were environmentally friendly and easy to open.

In addition to developing and implementing sustainable materials, the $400million investment will also focus on a range of social and environmentally focused actions to inspire children through learning through play, making the business more circular, and achieving carbon neutral operations.

The activity will drive meaningful, long-term change aligned to two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Number four Quality Education and Number 12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

By 2022, the LEGO Group aims to reach 8 million children around the world annually with learning through play through a range of activities with partners, in collaboration with the LEGO Foundation. It will build on its work with organisations such as UNICEF, Save the Children and local partners to scale up programmes that give children-in-need access to play and opportunities to develop life-long skills such as problem solving, collaboration and communication.

Meanwhile, programmes will be put in place to encourage people to donate their pre-loved bricks to children in need of play. LEGO Replay, which was successfully trialed in the United States in 2019, will be rolled out in two additional countries by the end of 2022. So far, LEGO Replay has donated bricks to over 23,000 children across the United States.

On top of this, work will continue on the company's Sustainable Materials Programme, which employs more than 150 experts, to create sustainable products and packaging. In 2015, the Group set a target to make its products from sustainable materials by 2030. It will expand its use of bio-bricks, such as those made from sugar cane, which currently account for almost two per cent of its element portfolio.

It will continue research into new, more sustainable plastics from renewable and recycled sources, and join forces with research institutes and other companies especially those developing new recycling and bio-based material production technologies to find materials which are as durable and high quality as those used today.

The planned investments include both costs associated with the development of new sustainable materials and the investments in manufacturing equipment.

The Group has also underlined that its manufacturing operations will be carbon neutral by 2022. To achieve this, additional solar panels will be installed on all its factories and onsite capacity will be supplemented with the procurement of renewable energy. Further investments will be made to improve energy usage, for example by installing new systems that use ambient air in cooling processes during LEGO brick production.

Improved waste handling and reduction in water consumption will further reduce the Group's operational impact on the environment. No waste will be diverted to landfill by 2025 and water use will drop by 10 per cent by 2022.

LEGO will continue to work with organisations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, World Wild Fund for Nature, RE100, UNICEF and Save the Children in order to create the greatest impact.

Christiansen concluded: "At a time when the world is facing numerous challenges, companies must take action to create a lasting positive impact on the environment and society. No one can do it alone. I urge companies, governments, parents, children and NGOs to continue to join forces to create a sustainable future for our children, the builders of tomorrow."

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LEGO to invest $400m over next three years in its sustainability and social responsibility drive - ToyNews

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The LEGO Group is to invest up to $400 million over the next three years in its sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, covering both long-term investments and ongoing costs that includes its ambition to make all of its packaging sustainable by the end of 2025.

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Always #LikeAGirl Campaign Ad: "Keep Playing"

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Over 185 million dollars. That is the amount of money Patagonia donated to nonprofit environmental groups and conservation efforts since the company was founded in 1973. Additionally, 38 million dollars have been invested in socially responsible companies and ventures. This doesn't even begin to include countless volunteer hours and priceless results of their activism. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been built into their DNA since day one.

What a bunch of granola eating hippies, right? As generous as this company is, there is no way that Patagonia is profiting! Actually, this could not be farther from the truth. The company has scaled to nearly $1 BILLION dollars and shows no signs of stopping. Let's break down some of their social good marketing strategies and why they work.

First and foremost, Patagonia's CSR efforts are transparent. What good is transparency when it comes sales? It creates trust. If your customers don't trust you, you don't have customers.

Today's consumer is well-educated with limitless investigative resources. If they detect that your company's CSR isn't all you've hyped it up to be, they will not only walk away from you, but they will also be sure to announce it to the world.

How Patagonia Tells The Story of Their CSR Efforts

It is easy to pinpoint Patagonia's textile mills, factories, and farms, via their FootPrint Chronicles, an interactive map which gives a detailed description of each location. The company also publishes an Environmental and Social Initiative Report, as well as provides an online database which gives the breakdown of grants, campaigns, events, sustainability and fair trade efforts, materials selection, etc.

This gives transparency to Patagonia, but also doubles as creative content and establishes them as an authority on corporate social responsibility; driving people to look at their business for answers. Patagonia has honed in on social media and grown a strong online community to deliver this content. They utilize hashtags, such as #ProtectBearsEars, to create awareness for their company, the activism that they are involved in, and ethics that they stand for.

Rose Marcario, CEO and President of Patagonia, is even engaged in content creation. She writes articles on movements that she is passionate about. This is a brilliant way for their customers to emotionally connect at the highest level of the company.

Telling Customers to Buy Less Drives Sales?

Patagonia has developed their Common Threads Initiative, which promises that they will "make great stuff, fix it when it breaks, and recycle it when you're done with it" free of charge. Patagonia asks for a pledge in return to "buy only what you need, repair it when it breaks, and recycle it when you're through." They started this initiative because they know that by keeping their clothing in use for 9 additional months that they can reduce their carbon, waste and water footprint by 20-30%.

This seems counter intuitive, to ask your customers to buy less of your product, but Patagonia debunked that when they ran their "Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign around Thanksgiving 2011. The ad prompted consumers to not buy their wares if they truly didn't need them, then went on to discuss the environmental cost of producing these products. The next year, the company saw its revenue grow around 30%, and an additional 6% in 2013.

It's All About The Why

Why did this work? It reinforces the fact that Patagonia stands behind it's product and gives a sense of ease to their customers that if something breaks on their product it will be repaired. After they have received excellent customer service and gotten more usage out of the product, they can turn in their used clothing for credit, to buy more Patagonia product!

Patagonia has done all these things (and many, many more!) while being sincere about their commitment to change. This is the key to corporate social responsibility. Sincerity instantaneously strengthens the connection with customers, as well as global communities. It instills a sense of loyalty and camaraderie. In his TedTalk, Simon Sinek summed this up beautifully:

"People don't buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. The goal
is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have,
the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe".

These strategies work because people are willing to pay for a high-quality product that aligns with their values, resulting in an engaged loyal community and repeat buyers. When people rally behind what you sincerely believe in, you can't fail. How are you communicating the values you believe in?

For more corporate social responsibility marketing strategies check out this ChuckJoe blog post, 11 Awesome Social Good Marketing Strategies!

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How Patagonia Became a Pioneer of Corporate Social Responsibility

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Over 185 million dollars. That is the amount of money Patagonia donated to nonprofit environmental groups and conservation efforts since the company was founded in 1973. Additionally, 38 million dollars have been invested in socially responsible companies and ventures. This doesn't even begin to include countless volunteer hours and priceless results of their activism.

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Combat police brutality with a can of Pepsi. Sounds like a joke, right? Well, it wasn't.

Although the since pulled Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad, titled "Live for now," went live two years ago, it feels like yesterday when the internet exploded with public relations backlash about this distasteful and misguided commercial.

After the ad was released, there was no going back. They couldn't change the spokesperson, the messaging, or do what many suggested- hire an out-of-house agency to create the campaign. Pepsi and Kendall Jenner were facing a major brand crisis and PR teams suddenly felt the pressure, knowing their brand's reputation was on the line.

Two years later, Pepsi and Jenner have made a comeback but that wasn't magic. Public relations professionals had to put in the hard work of crisis communication in order to recover these brands' reputations.

So what can other brands learn from the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad?

More aspects of this ad went wrong than went right. Above all, the message trivialized the Black Lives Matter movement, making the protest seem like a fun block party that Kendall Jenner randomly joined.

As famous brands, Pepsi and Kendall Jenner don't have strong affiliations with fighting for justice. Kendall Jenner can't diffuse tension by handing a cold Pepsi to a police officer. It's insensitive and doesn't align with these brands' personas.

Photo courtesy of YouTube

No one is exempt from making these mistakes, even if you know you're incredible at what you do. Mistakes happen, but luckily we can learn from this PR crisis.

Prioritize market research

Pepsi failed in understanding their target audience and the protest movement it was trying to embody. They needed to do a deep dive into social trends at that time and figure out what this activism really means to people.

They've targeted millennials for years now, and probably were holding onto the fact that their target demographic appreciates diversity and togetherness. This, of course, was lost in translation.

Pepsi needed to reach out to people involved with the protest movement and gather data. Marketers and advertisers have access to tools that assist them in social listening and market research. Instead of hanging onto a general idea, vetting their idea through the proper channels is necessary for avoiding this misstep.

And then there's Kendall Jenner. Is she involved with social activism at all? No. The celebrity brands use must fit within the brand and its messaging. Through market testing, Pepsi would've determined that she was not the celebrity for this movement. Believe it or not, a white supermodel and reality star cannot end racism in America with a Pepsi.

Tread lightly with political messages

As a brand, there is little to no need to get involved with controversial topics unless your product or service directly relates. It polarizes your audience and you'll always lose out on customers.

If you're going to take the risk and go in the direction of political messaging, then you have to be clear and take a stand. In the Pepsi Kendall Jenner ad, the protest sign said, "Join the conversation." What conversation? What was that perfectly contrived group of diverse individuals protesting?

So either take a stand or don't get involved at all. My advice if you choose to do so, research better be your best friend.

Respond immediately

Pepsi responded immediately with a statement that was released on all of their social media platforms. This is step one in crisis management, and they nailed it. They were clear, showed empathy, and promised action.

Quick and effective responses help reduce long-term effects and decrease the odds of backlash spiraling out of control.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s youngest daughter tweeted about the ad as well, calling out Pepsi. Pepsi replied that same day with an apology, further showing responsibility for their misstep.

Photo courtesy of Twitter

Make no excuses

Often times when faced with a crisis, or PR nightmare, brands tend to shove responsibility onto others and make excuses for mistakes. Pepsi did not do that, they showed the right way to react when facing a brand crisis.

Of course, if they had taken the right steps to avoid publishing this "tone-deaf" ad, then they wouldn't have to apologize, but they can't take back what's already happened. In the above statement, you see that Pepsi mentions their intent, that they were wrong, and that they are going to do everything they can to remove the ad.

They could've blamed the creative director on the project, the strategist, or the director of the film, but they simply owned up to the glaring mistake without making excuses.

Take action

Having worked in advertising, it's really hard to kill a project, like... extremely hard. With all the money and time spent making that ad, I can imagine there were thoughts of riding it out. But Pepsi ultimately made the right call and pulled the ad within 24 hours of releasing.

This action proves that Pepsi was remorseful for their actions and are doing anything they can to solve the problem at hand. The "wait and see" method does not work in crisis communications or reputation management.

Promptly removing this ad from rotation showed the world that they were taking the backlash seriously and the quicker you act, the better.

Where are they now?

Effective crisis communication strategies and reputation management helped Pepsi and Kendall Jenner avoid lasting backlash. Pepsi's bottom line wasn't negatively impacted in the long run, and Kendall Jenner continued doing all that she does.

Pepsi

Pepsi has since taken a step back to their roots. Most recently, they created a Super Bowl LIII ad called "More Than Ok," with Steve Carrell, Cardi B, and Lil Jon. This spot received positive attention and returned to Pepsi's typical approach of being light-hearted, bold, and playful, plus featuring celebrities we all know and love.

They also poked fun at a human truth- that when ordering a Coke, restaurants who don't carry it reply, "Is Pepsi OK?" It seems like they learned from their mistakes and moved forward doing what they know works.

Kendall Jenner

Where isn't she? She's on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, on the cover of every gossip magazine, on fashion ads, and one of the most followed people on Instagram.

Although she's had a few more PR nightmares than most (Proactiv and Fyre Festival), she still manages to keep her followers engaged and likeability high.

Lesson learned

Don't use cultural movements to sell soft drinks. You may laugh, but seriously, don't do it. Simply apply these lessons to your PR strategies so you can avoid being in the middle of a social media storm.
Looking for more? Learn the top public relations tips from crisis management professionals to ensure industry best practices are in your PR strategy.

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Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad: 5 Lessons on Crisis Communications

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Combat police brutality with a can of Pepsi. Sounds like a joke, right? Well, it wasn't. Although the since pulled Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad, titled "Live for now," went live two years ago, it feels like yesterday when the internet exploded with public relations backlash about this distasteful and misguided commercial.

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16 Brands Doing Corporate Social Responsibility Successfully | Digital Marketing Institute

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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) allows businesses large and small to enact positive change. Here are 16 great examples of brands doing CSR successfully.

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LOS ANGELES -The tech community has been the most vocal business sector opposing President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and immigrants from mostly Muslim nations.

Sunday, Airbnb took its stance to the highest profile platform on television, with a Super Bowl ad.

" No matter who you are, where you're from, who you love, or who you worship, you deserve to belong," wrote Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky in a link to the #WeAccept campaign, announced Sunday.

Airbnb says its goal is to provide short-term housing for 100,000 people "in need" over the next five years.

"We'll start with refugees, disaster survivors, and relief workers, though we want to accommodate many more types of displaced people over time," says the advertisement, which shows an evolving overlay of people of various races, ages and religious backgrounds.

"To help people around the world facing displacement, we'll work with our community of hosts to find not just a place to stay, but also a place to feel connected, respected, and a part of a community again," it says.

It also says Airbnb will contribute $4 million over four years to the International Rescue Committee to support the most critical needs of displaced populations globally.
More from the Super Bowl: Google's Home TV ad makes Google Home systems go crazy Verizon admits it's into BDSM in T-Mobile Twitter battle
The ad never mentions Trump or the executive order, perhaps to steer clear of advertising guidelines barring spots that weigh in on controversial issues. But like several others airing during the championship, its message focuses on the value of embracing differences - particularly ethnic and religious, or the characteristics critics say the Trump administration is unfairly and illegally targeting with its executive order.

The president and his counselors have rebuffed that criticism and say "extreme vetting" will keep those with bad intentions out of the country.

Chesky said the company bought the ad spot Thursday morning and made it Thursday evening using Airbnb employees.

The company had previously publicly stated its opposition to Trump's executive order that barred Syrian refugees indefinitely, all refugees temporarily, and placed a halt on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations. Last weekend, as airports and business leaders came to grip with the implications of the order, the San Francisco-based startup offered free housing for refugees.
Airbnb makes changes to halt racist, discriminatory practices 127 companies now support brief opposing Trump ban
"Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we must stand with those who are affected. Open doors brings all of US together. Closing doors further divides US. Let's all find ways to connect people, not separate them," said Chesky last week.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder and former Secretary of State John Kerry both tweeted their support of the #WeAccept campaign.

Executives with Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Uber and Lyft and other tech firms have publicly stated their opposition to the ban, which has been stayed temporarily by a federal judge.

Last year, Airbnb faced charges of racism on its platform as African-American renters shared stories of getting turned down by hosts once their race was known, a trend that spurred the #AirbnbWhileBlack hashtag. It's responded with a series of anti-discrimination policies.

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Airbnb aims #WeAccept Super Bowl ad at refugees, immigrants

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LOS ANGELES -The tech community has been the most vocal business sector opposing President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and immigrants from mostly Muslim nations. Sunday, Airbnb took its stance to the highest profile platform on television, with a Super Bowl ad.

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Fengling Liu-Week 10 Relationship Building

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Fengling Liu-Week 10 Relationship Building

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Melboune Metro video marketing campaign: Dumb ways to die

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In 2012 Melbourne Metro needed to promote rail safety in a campaign that had to resonate with their rail users. Dumb ways to die was born.

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In the wake of India's success at the 2016 Olympics, the phrase 'Like A Girl' is going through a positive transition and has ensued heartening conversations such as - "They fought #LikeAGirl" or "They played #LikeAGirl", but we still seem to have a long way to go before each and every girl can do things "Like A Girl" and Be Proud of it. A survey, conducted recently by Nielsen in association with the country's leading Feminine Care Brand - Whisper, revealed that 1 in 2 girls in India agree that the phrase 'Like A Girl' is still used as an insult. "You run like a girl", "you throw like a girl", "you fight like a girl", "you play like a girl" are common insults heard or said that can have a significant effect on girls' self-confidence, especially during puberty.

According to the survey, girls in India were found to be facing a considerable drop in self confidence, especially after having reached puberty, due to the various societal norms and restrictions that they are expected to conform to. At such a stage, phrases such as 'Like A Girl' being used in a mean and hurtful manner add to the feeling of being pressurized.

The survey has also revealed the following shocking findings:

As Indian girls challenge this perception of the phrase 'Like A Girl' everyday, by excelling and rewriting the rules in sports, business, arts and so many other fields, Whisper India released a moving video to empower girls to reclaim the phrase, and proudly continue doing things 'Like A Girl'. Whisper believes that 'Like a Girl' should represent the strength, talent, character and downright amazing-ness of every girl. With the #LikeAGirl video, Whisper hopes to bring India's attention to the impact such phrases can have on a girl's confidence.

https://youtu.be/tIMOPLQbg94

Sharing an insight on how the incorrect usage of the 'Like A Girl' phrase affects young girls self confidence, versatile Bollywood actress Radhika Apte, said, "Young girls go through many changes on attaining puberty. Not just physical, but even societal changes. They are suddenly expected to behave in a certain manner or abide by certain restrictions. In fact, every girl at some point in time has been told that there is something not quite right with the way she does things. A common phrase that only adds to this self doubt is 'Like A Girl'. I am happy to see Whisper India taking a lead towards bringing attention on the kind of adverse impact that such a phrase, when used as an insult, can have on a girl's self confidence. I feel doing things "Like a Girl" should only mean doing it with strength and character."

Talking about the importance of the phrase 'Like A Girl' undergoing a positive transformation, ex-Roadie turned VJ, Bani J said, " It's imperative for girls in our country to continue doing things that they truly believe in. Especially when society tells them that there are things they can't do- just because they're girls. They shouldn't let it affect their self- confidence, their sense of self. Girls should feel confident and proud when told they do things 'Like A Girl'. I've experienced this first hand, where I've been told - on countless occasions that 'Girls shouldn't lift weights, lifting is for guys' or that 'Riding a bike is not for girls', 'baggy clothes and short hair are so 'Tom boyish' but guess what? I have continued to do the things that I love #LikeAGirl, and I am extremely proud of that. Major props to Whisper India for the amazing 'Like A Girl' video. It's truly inspiring for us girls and an eye opener for everyone in our country, I hope it helps women and girls see the 'Like A Girl' tag in a new perspective and take it forward."

Actress Soha Ali Khan further added, "It's amazing that recent happenings such as the very heartening conversations around Shah Rukh Khan's beautiful poem 'Fight Like a Girl' and the outstanding display of Girl Power by the Indian contingent at the Rio Olympics, have given a positive spin to the phrase 'Like A Girl'. Having said that, I do believe that this is just the beginning and there is a still a long way to go before we can truly reclaim the phrase 'Like A Girl' and make it mean amazing things. I'm happy to be associated with a brand like Whisper India that has been empowering girls in our country and continues to do so with their movement towards encouraging girls to be unstoppable #LikeAGirl."

The 'Like A Girl' movement was launched by 'Always - the global brand name for Whisper, outside India' in the USA and select global markets in 2014. It has been widely supported by organizations such as UN Women, as well as celebrities such as Masie Williams from the Game of Thrones and accomplished athletes like British cyclist Laura Trott (winner of two gold medals in Rio 2016) as well as the popular USA Soccer star Alex Morgan among others. With the perception of the phrase Like A Girl undergoing a positive change, Whisper truly believes that it's time that the campaign strikes remarkable synergies with this resolve in India as well.

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Whisper kickstarts a movement to make 'Like A Girl' mean amazing things

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In the wake of India's success at the 2016 Olympics, the phrase 'Like A Girl' is going through a positive transition and has ensued heartening conversations such as - "They fought #LikeAGirl" or "They played #LikeAGirl", but we still se

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Leading up to the high-profile meeting of world leaders, Unilever is hoping to raise awareness of deforestation, one global warming's primary culprits. The global corporation, home to brands like Dove, Lipton, Ben & Jerry's, and many more, has created a new ad to bring what many perceive to be a faraway problem into the context of our everyday lives.

In "Farewell to the Forest," created by agencies DAVID Buenos Aires and Ogilvy & Mather London, we see a rainforest tree, pull up roots and move to the city. The tree wanders the urban streets like a homeless Groot, believing it may be safer there than in the forest, where the film says trees and plant-life are being destroyed at the rate of more than 36 football fields every minute.

In a statement, the company said in partnership with WWF, Unilever has pledged to help protect 1 million trees in two of the most threatened forest areas in the world, Brazil and Indonesia.

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Unilever Makes Like A Tree, And Leaves The Forest For The Streets

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Leading up to the high-profile meeting of world leaders, Unilever is hoping to raise awareness of deforestation, one global warming's primary culprits. The global corporation, home to brands like Dove, Lipton, Ben & Jerry's, and many more, has created a new ad to bring what many perceive to be a faraway problem into the context of our everyday lives.

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Skip to content We develop mass-media campaigns to help people understand the harms of smoking and support smokers to quit. Find support to quit smoking at iCanQuit.com.au. Browse the current and past campaigns and find out more about reducing smoking in NSW.

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International Federation for Human Rights

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Communities Demand Justice for Polluting Companies' Contribution to Climate Change

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(Bogota, Paris, Quito, Santiago) 23 September 2021 - Communities affected by environmental crises across Latin America-accompanied by FIDH and its member organisations*-announced the filing of a series of lawsuits. Two are filed today in Chile and Colombia against companies for their harmful and polluting activities and for contributing to climate change.

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Welcome to February in America. You're no doubt aware that this is HIV/ AIDS awareness month and Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. February also includes Singles Awareness Day, American Heart Month, AMD/ Low Vision Awareness Month, National Children's Dental Health Month, International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month, African Heritage & Health Week, Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, Condom Week, Eating Disorders Awareness and Screening Week, National "Wear Red" Day for women's heart health, World Cancer Day, and Give Kids a Smile Day, to mention just a few.

Unsure what to do with all your awareness? You're not alone. Or maybe you're still catching up on all the calls to action from January's days of awareness: What with it being Co-dependency Awareness Month, Glaucoma Awareness Month, National Mentoring Month, Poverty in America Awareness Month, Radon Action Month, Self-Help Group Awareness Month, Stalking Awareness Month, Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Volunteer Blood Donor Month, and Weight Loss Awareness Month all at the same time, your to-do list is probably full.

For those working on a cause they care about, the first instinct is often to make sure that as many people as possible are aware of the problem. When we care about an issue or a cause, it's natural to want others to care as much as we do. Because, we reason, surely if people knew that you're more likely to die in an accident if you don't wear a seat belt, they'd wear their seat belt. And if people only knew that using condoms is critical to preventing the spread of disease, then they would use one every time.

That instinct is described by communication theory as the Information Deficit Model. The term was introduced in the 1980s to describe a widely held belief about science communication-that much of the public's skepticism about science and new technology was rooted, quite simply, in a lack of knowledge. And that if the public only knew more, they would be more likely to embrace scientific information.

That perspective persists, not just in the scientific community but also in the world of nonprofits, marketing, and public relations. Public relations texts frequently cite awareness, attitude, and action objectives. Marketing students learn that awareness precedes action. And many of the foremost public relations and advertising agencies still report results to clients in the form of impressions-the number of people who were exposed to the message.

If the goal is solely to increase knowledge of an issue, then an awareness campaign can work just fine. But is it ever enough for people to simply know more about something? If, for example, the goal were to raise awareness among new parents of the importance of immunizing their children, you wouldn't be satisfied if parents were simply aware. You'd want to be sure that they were also having their children immunized for the right diseases at the right age.

Or say you want people to be aware of the importance of being prepared for a hurricane. There's a potentially life-threatening gulf between being aware of the importance of being prepared for a hurricane and actually having several cases of water set aside and an escape plan that your entire family knows and understands. Maybe your awareness goals are attached to something more abstract or where the solutions are less clear-such as the effect of implicit bias on workplace diversity or the growing threat of global warming. But in each of those cases, specific actions are available that can overcome both of those threats.

Because abundant research shows that people who are simply given more information are unlikely to change their beliefs or behavior, it's time for activists and organizations seeking to drive change in the public interest to move beyond just raising awareness. It wastes a lot of time and money for important causes that can't afford to sacrifice either. Instead, social change activists need to use behavioral science to craft campaigns that use messaging and concrete calls to action that get people to change how they feel, think, or act, and as a result create long-lasting change.

How Awareness Campaigns Fail

Making the public more aware of an issue can, of course, be a critical step in creating an environment where change is possible. Would there have been so much discourse around income inequality this past US presidential election if the Occupy movement hadn't stirred up national attention in 2011? Would we have known the meaning behind #blacklivesmatter if there hadn't been a consistent effort to make known racialized police brutality? Or would there be a discussion about transgender rights without exposure to stories through television shows such as Orange Is the New Black and Transparent?

Raising awareness about something that wasn't known before can be a useful tactic when it's part of a larger effort to drive social change. But to truly drive change, we have to consider the science that shows there is a more strategic, effective, and focused way to drive social change. In fact, research suggests that not only do campaigns fall short and waste resources when they focus solely on raising awareness, but sometimes they can actually end up doing more harm than good.

Before exploring the most effective ways to create awareness, it's important to understand the ineffective and even harmful effects that awareness can have. When done wrong, an awareness campaign carries four specific risks: it might lead to no action; It might reach the wrong audience; it might create harm; and it could generate a backlash. We will examine each of these risks in turn.

When Awareness Campaigns Lead to No Action

It's easy to assume that sharing information in an engaging way is enough to motivate people to adopt new behaviors. However, research suggests that this is not the case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Zombie Apocalypse campaign provides an instructive example.

In May 2011, Dave Daigle, who leads communications for some of the CDC's preparedness work, released a campaign to raise the public's awareness about the need to prepare for a potential emergency, such as a terrorist attack, flood, or earthquake. He was frustrated that the CDC had used the same messages every year to promote awareness of the importance of being prepared with little effect. "We have a great message here about preparedness, and I don't have to tell you that preparedness and public health are not the sexiest topics," he said in an interview with The Atlantic at the time. ¹ So he took a bold and creative approach to gain attention for a serious problem: humor.

The CDC started with a blog post, " Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse," that made the case that if you can protect yourself from the living dead, you can also survive a fire or earthquake. ² It was smart, funny, relevant, and connected-all the things a great campaign aspires to. Within minutes of its publication, more than 30,000 people tried to read the post, causing the CDC's website to crash. The post trended on Twitter worldwide and was covered by CNN and The Wall Street Journal.

Not only do campaigns fall short and waste resources when they focus solely on raising awareness, but sometimes they can actually end up doing more harm than good.

Following its viral success, the CDC launched a social media campaign informing people of how to prepare for a disaster by creating an emergency kit. The campaign had the tagline "Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Prepared." In this case, the CDC wasn't simply trying to raise awareness. There was a clear call to action-to make a kit. Using comedy and pop culture, the CDC was able to reach hundreds of thousands of people, and it certainly raised awareness-at least about the campaign.

But did extensive awareness and exposure lead people to actually make a kit? Julia Fraustino, a strategic communication and public relations scholar at West Virginia University, would say no. Fraustino wondered whether a campaign like the CDC's could change behavior, so she designed a study to see whether campaigns that used humor to get people's attention and increased awareness would also get them to act. ³ Fraustino discovered what she called "a zombie dilemma." In her paper, Fraustino wrote, "The CDC health communicator ... and secondary campaign evaluation materials revealed that the campaign aimed to create buzz and awareness rather than behavioral change. Consistent with this goal, the campaign was found to facilitate a sense of community and support, be effective in garnering viewership, and be cost effective."

But in her experiment, Fraustino found that people exposed to similarly humorous messages were less likely to get prepared than those who saw messages that weren't funny. Fraustino believes that may be due to the very thing that made the campaign so popular: comedy. She believes that the zombie messaging actually led people to take disaster preparedness less seriously. Hence the "zombie dilemma": The very humor that made the campaign popular may also have diluted its effectiveness.

When Awareness Campaigns Reach the Wrong Audience

The second risk that poorly devised awareness campaigns have is that they reach a different audience than the one that was intended. This might be an audience that is unsympathetic to the campaign's goals or one that might already be convinced of its goals.

In the paper "The rise of seafood awareness campaigns in an era of collapsing fisheries," Jennifer Jacquet, an environmental studies professor at New York University, and Daniel Pauly, a marine biologist at the Institute for the Ocean Fisheries at the University of British Columbia, examined the effectiveness of seafood awareness campaigns that used food labels to reduce consumers' consumption of certain overfished seafood. ⁴

Food labels that help buyers determine when they are making an environmentally conscious choice seem like a smart way to help consumers make better choices at the time they are purchasing the item. Unfortunately, in this instance, labeling certain fish as ecofriendly had little effect on most consumers. The labels did not diminish the demand for overfished seafood. In fact, the only people who were found to be influenced by the labels already belonged to environmental organizations.

What's even more troubling is that eco-friendly labeling has produced an economic incentive for seafood companies and fishermen to deceive consumers by changing the names of their products and co-opting the eco-friendly label. "Sharks, considered undesirable in Ecuadorian city markets, are filleted, relabeled and sold instead as weak fishes or even tuna," wrote the authors. "Using DNA testing, [researchers] found that three-quarters of the fish sold in the US as 'Red snapper' belong to a species other than Lutjanus campechanus, 'the' Red snapper (in the United States)." The researchers also found that more than 50 percent of environmental advertising on seafood products is misleading. In this instance, the awareness campaign reached consumers who were already likely to avoid overfished species, and it actually created an incentive for unethical fisheries to mislabel their products.

When Awareness Creates Harm

If the aim of a campaign is to encourage people to behave in new ways, it is important to take a look at behavioral science that can lend insight into how a particular audience might perceive a message, lest you do more harm than good. Take, for instance, the Dumb Ways to Die campaign in Australia. ⁵

In November 2012, it seemed like the lyrics "Dumb ways to die, so many dumb ways to die" were leaking out of the iPad of every teen. The song was created for the campaign by Victoria Rail to reduce the number of people who died by stepping in front of Metro trains out of Melbourne. The video and accompanying game are charming, with an indie-style earworm and characters that make macabre deaths adorable. The strangely cheerful and catchy song topped iTunes lists of most-downloaded songs in 28 countries, and the video has more than 144 million YouTube views. That's impressive reach by any standard.

The campaign is also one of the most awarded in the history of advertising, receiving five Grands Prix at the 2013 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The strategy was to create an ad that was entertaining and didn't repel people with a sad message as so many public service announcements do. In terms of awareness, the campaign knocked it out of the park. Advertising Age reported that the campaign earned more than $60 million in media impressions and that millions signed a pledge to be safer around trains. Metro said the campaign resulted in a 21 percent drop in deaths the following year. ⁶

But there's one coveted award the campaign didn't earn: the one for creative effectiveness. The Cannes judges weren't convinced that the campaign was responsible for the decline in rail accidents that followed the campaign's launch. Those millions of views may not have translated to specific behavior change. In fact, only one of the campaign's four stated objectives included any specific change in behavior, which was to "See a reduction of near misses and accidents at level crossings and station platforms over 12 months by 10 percent."

One juror in the effectiveness category told Mumbrella Asia, "The numbers the case study put forward, including 'extraordinary views on Facebook,' didn't really correlate with the period they were measuring against or have anything significant against people around that vicinity." ⁷

This campaign was explicitly focused on reducing the number of rail accidents by raising awareness of safety and getting people to be more careful around trains, but accidents account for only 25 percent of the deaths associated with heavy rail in Victoria. The Melbourne newspaper The Age reported that between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, there were 46 rail deaths in Victoria, the majority of which were suicides. A 2010 article in the journal Injury Prevention cites a rate of rail suicide in Victoria that was higher than the rate for the rest of the population in Australia, and The Age reported that from 2012 to 2014, more than one person was struck by a train every week. ⁸ The TrackSAFE Foundation, an advocacy group focused on reducing rail-related deaths throughout the country, reports that there are 150 rail suicides in Australia each year, and nearly 1,000 attempts. In June 2014, The Age reported, "Suicide by train has become so common Metro plans to build a dedicated train wash, called a 'biopit,' to clean train exteriors after a person is hit."

It is worth considering that the video's charming figures and catchy hook may have actually made death seem more appealing or normal to those already at risk. Death in cartoon form is certainly temporary and painless. At a minimum, the campaign does little to address a context that included an already abnormally high suicide rate, much to the concern of public health and mental health officials in the country.

In fact, one Metro official's comments about the campaign suggest that concerns about suicide weren't among the risks that she and her team contemplated pre-launch: "Before the 'Dumb Ways to Die' concept was presented, there was a pre-sell phone call. 'We're doing a song,' said our group account director. My response: 'I'm hanging up.' Fearing a tacky jingle, I was pleasantly surprised that this 'song' concept was exactly what we were looking for. Sure, it was different and had the words 'dumb' and 'death' in the headline, but it just worked, the warmth of the creative balanced out the negativity of the consequences," Leah Waymark, general manager, corporate relations for Metro told Advertising Age a year after the campaign launched.

This is worrisome given that communications science scholars, public health officials, sociologists, and psychologists have reported on the influence that media can have in normalizing death, suicide, and violence as something common, cool, or even charming, but most important, not permanent. A much-cited paper by David Phillips in the American Sociological Review supports what scholars call the "Werther Effect"-that newspaper coverage of suicide is associated with higher suicide rates in their communities. ⁹ Later work shows a clustering of suicides after television news coverage of suicide.

Unfortunately, it is uncommon for practitioners to conduct a review of academic literature as part of the early stages of any effort. Campaigns rooted in research are far more likely to conduct new research by testing their messages or surveying a target audience about their likelihood of acting. The gulf between scholarship that could help practitioners avoid harm, reduce risk, or increase the effectiveness of their efforts and practice is common and wide.

When Awareness Leads to Backlash

Raising awareness also gets dicey when issues have the potential to generate controversy. When issues are complicated by partisan politics, for example, the message may be vulnerable to backlash and slow down or halt progress on an issue. This was the case in a public policy initiative in support of the HPV vaccine.

In 2006, the CDC recommended a national requirement that adolescent girls get vaccinated against human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer. The recommendation, and the national lobbying campaign that followed, pushed for a state mandate that required the HPV vaccine for school enrollment. It followed US Food and Drug Administration approval earlier that year for Gardasil, an HPV vaccine. Gardasil, produced by Merck, was the first drug to hit the market, due to a concerted and highly public effort to fast-track the drug so that it could establish Merck's dominance in the market.

A mandate that preteen girls be vaccinated against HPV became a political battleground because some social conservatives believed that the legislation was a gateway to sexual promiscuity. Prior to the controversy, 90 percent of children received the vaccine, but in the years that followed, only 33 percent of girls received it, and just 7 percent of boys did.

Research tells us that people believe information about vaccine risks and benefits that supports their cultural and political values. Political polarization increases as the news media report on the topic and advocates raise its profile. When this happens, people are exposed to cues that signal "sides" of the issue and that either resonate with their beliefs or threaten how they see themselves and the world. So it's not surprising that a public campaign for a government-mandated vaccine to protect adolescent girls from a sexually transmitted disease would create cultural controversy. Government regulation, check. Reproductive rights, check. Children and sexuality, check and check.

Could this story have turned out differently? Yale University professor Dan Kahan, who researched the program, says yes. If there had not been a high-profile lobbying campaign to fast-track Gardasil, the vaccine would have slowly been introduced to boys and girls through their personal physicians and existing programs that provide access to childhood vaccinations, a more traditional path for introducing new vaccines, similar to the introduction of the hepatitis B vaccine (HBV). ¹⁰ In the end, the HPV campaign probably did more harm than good by leading to a reduction in the number of children who received the vaccine.

Creating Awareness That Leads to Action

To move the needle on the issues we care about the most, research and experience both show that we must define actionable and achievable calls to action that will lead a specific group of people to do something they haven't done before. That is the approach that the communications consulting firm Spitfire Strategies takes when working with its clients.

To move the needle on the issues we care about the most, research and experience both show that we must define actionable and achievable calls to action.

In every consulting project that Spitfire works on, Spitfire President Kristen Grimm and her team work to get nonprofit leaders to identify concrete goals for their work. Grimm is convinced that by focusing on what you want changed, you can identify a call to action whether you are working to make teens stop texting and driving, helping people make healthier choices, or working on issues where solutions are less obvious, such as addressing implicit bias or income inequality.

Here at the University of Florida College of Journalism, we're building an academic discipline called "public interest communications," which we define as the development and implementation of science-based, planned strategic communication campaigns with the goal of achieving significant and sustained positive behavioral change or action on an issue that transcends the particular interests of any single organization. ¹¹

There are four essential elements to creating a successful public interest communications campaign: target your audience as narrowly as possible; create compelling messages with clear calls to action; develop a theory of change; and use the right messenger. We will explore each of these four elements in the following sections.

Target Your Audience as Narrowly as Possible

One of the most important tasks in crafting a public interest communications campaign is to identify your target audience-the individuals or groups whose action or behavior change will be most important to helping you achieve your goal. One of the best examples of this approach is a case that didn't begin as public interest communications but certainly had lasting implications for freedom of speech.

In 1932, Bennett Cerf, cofounder of Random House Publishing, acquired the rights to publish James Joyce's Ulysses in the United States, believing that the book would be as successful as it had been throughout Europe. But Cerf had a problem. The book was banned in the United States and would be seized as soon as it came off the printing press, which would lose Cerf millions of dollars. And because of the ban, there were several pirated versions of the books floating around that threatened the original text.

Cerf and his attorney, Morris Ernst, could have launched a campaign to raise Americans' awareness of the literary significance of the book or the harms of censorship. They could also have printed the book in the face of the ban, which might have generated headlines. But that would have brought them no closer to getting the ban removed. They chose a different path.

Ernst identified a US District Court judge in New York City, John Woolsey, who was known for his support of the First Amendment and who had struck down several rulings on obscenity. Then Cerf and Ernst hired a man to board the Aquitania ocean liner in Europe with a copy of Ulysses in his bag and disembark in New York City, where the book would be impounded by customs, and the smuggling case would make it to Woolsey's courtroom. Cerf and Ernst knew that no additional documents would be considered in the case and that only what was contained between the book's covers would be admissible as evidence. So they stuffed a copy of the book with every piece of literary critique they could find-including an essay by writer Ezra Pound-citing the book's contribution to literature.

As expected, the man and his copy of Ulysses were detained at customs, and the case went to court in fall 1933. In his decision, United States v. One Book Named Ulysses, Woolsey wrote, "Each word of the book contributes like a bit of mosaic to the detail of the picture which Joyce is seeking to construct for his readers." Cerf and Ernst won the case, and the book was on the press within 10 minutes of the ruling. Their sophisticated approach to the problem not only brought one of the world's most important pieces of literature to the United States, but also resulted in what Ernst called "a bodyblow for the censors."

Cerf continued to fight against censorship of important literature, and Ernst went on to become one of the founders of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Their story provides a critical lesson for social change: When you are clear about your goal and find the right strategy, your target audience may be as narrow as a single person.

Create Compelling Messages With Clear Calls to Action

It's important to develop a comprehensive understanding not only of the audience you are trying to reach and what will resonate with them, but also of the complexity of the issue you are trying to affect and its context. It is particularly important to craft campaign messages, stories, and calls to action that do not threaten how an audience sees itself or its values. Research into how your target audience forms opinions and who influences them will also drive your communication strategy, directing you toward potential partnerships, messages, and stories.

For Cerf and Ernst, focusing on their audience meant identifying and swaying a single judge. It's easy to look at that case as an outlier, but consider social issues that have a much larger audience. Take the "Let's Move" campaign, launched by former first lady Michelle Obama. ¹² This highly strategic campaign is rooted in the deep body of research about the causes of childhood obesity and driven by the social science about how to communicate effectively on health issues. A campaign that could have focused solely on getting kids to eat less instead looked at research on the underlying causes of obesity.

Identifying the right target audience and delivering a clear call to action that people will act on isn't dark magic. It requires having a theory of change.

The first lady started with policies that would ensure that kids got healthier meals at school. Rather than promoting the health dangers of soda and sugar-sweetened beverages, she focused on getting kids to drink more water. Rather than vilifying the food industry, Obama worked with industry to reduce fat, sodium, and sugar in foods such as breakfast cereal and macaroni and cheese. And she's changing how people see what they eat, with new food labeling laws that will increase transparency and will start appearing in 2018. It appears that the campaign is working. Childhood obesity is no longer increasing, and among children between the ages of 2 and 5, it's dropped by nearly half.

Compare that approach with the "Just Say No" campaign launched by former first lady Nancy Reagan. ¹³ Just Say No was essentially an education program, as solid an example of a campaign rooted in the information deficit model as one could hope to find. Just Say No supported programs like DARE, which brought police officers into schools to educate kids about the dangers of drugs. Today the program is effective because it emphasizes helping kids role-play the kinds of conversations they might have when confronted with the opportunity to use drugs. But in its original version, which was more focused on generating fear of the consequences of using drugs, evaluations showed that kids who went through the program were actually more likely to use drugs and alcohol as they got older, not less. Fortunately, external evaluation made it possible to course-correct the program.

Part of the reason Let's Move is working is because of the specific calls to action for each audience. Telling people what you want them to do is critical, but an effective call to action is not just a restatement of an overarching goal. Denver Water's " Use Only What You Need " campaign did this brilliantly. The purpose of that campaign was to get residents to reduce their water use. Dozens of groups have tried and failed to get people to conserve water. But Denver Water's call to action to "use only what you need" doesn't feel like a sacrifice. It's a positive way to urge people to avoid waste. And they backed their campaign up with precise calls to action, such as "Water two minutes less."

In addition, the city of Denver created a context for success by replacing 10,000 public school toilets with more water-efficient ones and moving to tiered pricing to reward lower water use. After nine years, Denver residents' water use dropped to a 40-year low, equaling what people were using in 1973 when the city had 350,000 fewer residents. ¹⁴ While we were unable to find any external evaluation of the campaign, we can see why it might have worked: a clear and compelling call to action delivered in an appealing way to a carefully considered target audience.

Develop a Theory of Change

Identifying the right target audience and delivering a clear call to action that people will act on isn't dark magic. It requires having a theory of change-a methodology or road map for how you will achieve change that includes objectives, tactics, and evaluation- and knowing the issue well enough to know where change will have its greatest effect.

Tying a communications strategy to a theory of change helps ensure that your communications efforts are tied to overarching goals, not simply focused on promotion or awareness. Building a strong theory of change requires the same elements that a solid, action-oriented communications plan does: a clear goal, a clear understanding of what will be different and what will cause it to change, and an understanding of what will influence people to act.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott provides just such an example. Most people know about Rosa Parks's role in that story. But there was another woman behind the boycott whose understanding of strategy, message, and messengers was critical to the boycott's effectiveness. Jo Ann Robinson was a faculty member at Alabama State College in Montgomery. Just before Christmas in 1945, Robinson boarded a Montgomery, Ala., city bus to head to the airport to visit family up north for the holidays. The bus was nearly empty, and Robinson chose one of the seats toward the middle of the bus-seats that were designated for white riders if the bus was full, but that blacks could use when the bus was empty. As she sat, the driver came toward her with his arm raised. Humiliated, Robinson ran from the bus.

Robinson never forgot the pain of that day. When she became president of Montgomery's Women's Political Caucus, she wrote a letter to the mayor, urging him to address three specific issues faced by black riders. "Mayor Gayle," Robinson wrote, "Three-fourths of the riders of these public conveyances are Negroes. If Negroes did not patronize them, they could not possibly operate. More and more of our people are already arranging with neighbors and friends to ride to keep from being insulted and humiliated by bus drivers."

Robinson's letter went unanswered, and so she waited for the right moment for the threatened boycott. It seemed as though the moment arrived in spring 1955 when 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to surrender her bus seat, but Colvin swore at the police as she was arrested, and Robinson feared that the community would not rally around her. Later that year, another young woman was arrested for the same offense, and still Robinson waited. But on Thursday, December 1, 1955, when Rosa Parks quietly declined to give up her seat, Robinson knew the moment had come. Parks was highly regarded in Montgomery, and her long history in the civil rights movement had won her both credibility and affection.

Identifying the right target audience and delivering a clear call to action that people will act on isn't dark magic. It requires having a theory of change.

As soon as Robinson heard that Parks had been arrested, she went to her office and typed up a flyer calling on blacks to boycott the city's buses. Robinson and her students made 50,000 copies of the flyer and stayed up most of the night cutting and bundling them. The next morning, she and her students got the bundles into the hands of influential and well-connected blacks throughout the city. On Saturday, Martin Luther King Jr., released his own flyer. The boycott on the following Monday was so successful that civil rights leaders voted to continue the boycott until a US Supreme Court case on the topic was decided. The boycott lasted 381 days, starting the day of Parks's court hearing and ending the day that the Supreme Court decided in favor of ending segregation on public transportation.

Robinson had a theory of change: She knew that a boycott would provide critical pressure because blacks made up 75 percent of bus riders, and that if she could get all of them to participate, the company would have to accede to their requests or suffer huge financial losses. She also understood that the boycott had to have the right emotional impetus-one that would be powerful enough to sustain the protests for months. Because Parks was known and beloved, Robinson knew that her arrest for failing to give up her seat would inspire others to boycott in a way that Colvin's would not. It was a theory of change that worked.

Use the Right Messenger

Robinson intuited something else that research would bear out decades later. Successful public interest campaigns need a narrowly defined audience, clear calls to action, and a theory of change. But they also need one more thing-the right messenger. Robinson knew that the community would support Parks in a way that they would not support Colvin. In order to inspire and persuade people to adopt a new behavior or a new way of thinking, having the message come from people who have authority and credibility in your audience's world matters.

Who is influential in a community is tied to whom people trust for information. And whom people trust is very much connected to how people see themselves, their values, and their identities. Social psychology tells us that if a call to action asks someone to do, believe, or represent something that runs counter to how they see themselves, or poses a risk for maintaining that vision of themselves, then they are not going to even entertain the idea.

David Sleeth-Keppler, a social psychologist at Humboldt State University, and his colleagues at ecoAmerica conducted a study to examine whom people turn to for information on climate change. ¹⁵ They found that participants who were more skeptical of climate change or who had little trust in official messengers, such as scientists or politicians, turned instead to informal communicators for information about climate change. Skeptics placed their trust in religious leaders, coworkers, family, friends, and neighbors for information and solutions for climate change.

Chasing Ice, the Academy Award-winning climate change documentary that is dressed up as an action-adventure film, understood this and utilized community influencers to reach skeptical audiences. Following the release of the film, director and producer Jeff Orlowski and his team at Exposure Labs worked with a team of strategists to launch the Chasing Ice Ohio tour, a social impact campaign, in spring 2014.

The campaign sought to shift the political conversation in two ways: First, it encouraged audience members to use their voice through social media to influence friends, family, and community. Second, the campaign sought to foster a national social media campaign targeted at the Ohio congressional district of Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi, who openly denied climate change, with the goal that he would change his position on the issue (which he eventually did).

From the beginning, the team targeted a particular segment of Ohio residents: constituents from Tiberi's district, faith leaders, the agricultural community, recreational sports enthusiasts, and politicians. They understood that they would need to partner with community influencers to reach audiences that would otherwise not see the film and participate in the campaign. They held 90 screenings and Q&A sessions across Ohio with Orlowski and the Chasing Ice team. These sessions sought to connect the dots between climate change worldwide and the impact of these changes on Ohio communities.

A report on the film's impact notes, "Faith-based groups such as the Evangelical Environmental network, Catholic Climate Covenant, and Interfaith Power and Light were extremely important strategic partnerships due to their large number of conservative members. ¹⁶ Cultivating these partnerships meant getting the film to members of the district who might not normally have been open to a film on climate change. By working with these faithbased groups, the team members were able to collaborate with local religious leaders who already had established language to reach out to congregations in order to share the film and the local call to action. One screening movingly resulted in a pastor leading a prayer for Tiberi to acknowledge the science of climate change." By working with influencers in these traditionally skeptical communities, the campaign was able to reach a new audience and saw success in shifting climate beliefs.

Put Accelerant on the Fire of Change

Effective and strategic communication is fundamental to any effective campaign. It's a bit like gasoline poured on a flame. The fire flares, and you can no longer separate the flame from its fuel. But the flame becomes large enough to spread. If your idea, your goal, or your plan is a flame, effective and strategic communication will make that idea spread.

How lucky the world is that Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and the suffragettes recognized the role that strategic communications plays in driving change. And how lucky we are to be alive in a moment when we can bring together the best of what we know from academic research and behavioral science, along with an extensive history of practice to craft campaigns that move beyond simply raising awareness of an issue to getting people and organizations to drive lasting change and build a better world.

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It’s time for activists and organizations to adopt a more strategic approach to public interest communications.

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The radiation crisis in Japan worsens for two reasons: one that we've heard about, one that we haven't but which may in the end do far more harm. The Japanese government, and the company in charge of the crippled nuclear complex, are struggling with their risk and crisis communications, and their missteps are fueling mistrust and anger, which magnifies fear and stress, which may do more health damage than the radiation itself.

Some efforts have been outstanding. The constant presence of Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, providing updates several times an hour, dressed in the work clothes of an emergency responder, not the suit and tie of a bureaucrat, and responding to questions without a script and with concern, has been very important. But Tokyo Electric's (TEPCO) apology, days into the crisis, even though made by company President Masataka Shimizu, seemed insincere against news that the company had to be ordered by Prime Minister Naoto Kan to keep it's workers at the site, despite radiation danger, to try to bring the nuclear reactors under control. Further, it took four days for the government and TEPCO to coordinate communications, and the disjointed and incomplete information released in those first few critical days created grave mistrust in both the company and the government. Edano himself said yesterday "In hindsight, we could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation and coordinating all that information and provided it faster."

It is impossible and unfair to criticize specifics. At this distance it is hard to know exactly how things are playing out, what's being said, and harder still given that a lot is lost in translation. We also must respectfully remember this is an extraordinary crisis, with profound changes happening minute-by-minute, and the people fighting the fires can't stop what they're doing to pick up the phone and update headquarters on the latest developments moment-by-moment.

But it is clear than not nearly enough attention has been given to the importance of risk communication as a key part of managing the overall risk from these events. And that bears squarely on the health and safety of the public. Risk management in a crisis has to include not just the threat itself but also how people perceive and respond to the threat. Risk communication is a vital tool; for managing that part of the overall risk. How would you feel if messages about possible danger are inconsistent, and you learn things from the press that the government or company knew but didn't tell you?

How does it feel when the Japanese government says radiation levels outside the plant are low and safe but experts from around the world sound more worried, or when the head of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, has to scold the Japanese government by publicly asking them to share more information with the IAEA itself. How does it feel to know that TEPCO, and to a lesser degree the government, has a history of being less than forthright and open about problems at other nuclear facilities? Press reports have revealed that the company has frequently been purposefully deceitful about nuclear problems at other sites in the past. See " Japan Disaster Caps Decades of Faked Reports, Accidents". Stunningly, all these mistakes have been made in a country which has the most horrific first-hand experience with the frightening risks of radiation, albeit two generations ago, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In a word, that sort of poor risk communication will make you feel mistrustful. And mistrust in the people who are supposed to keep you safe translates into anger and worry, which causes all sorts of serious health risks. The likelihood of Post Traumatic Stress disorder, depression, and anxiety goes way up. Biologically, fear produces chronic stress, which increases blood pressure and raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, suppresses the immune system and raises susceptibility to and severity of infectious disease, increases the likelihood of Type 2 diabetes, suppresses growth, memory, and fertility. The risk from how people perceive risk, is as real as the physical danger itself, perhaps more.

We know that from previous nuclear crises. In "Chernobyl's Legacy", a sweeping review of Chernobyl at the 20th anniversary in 2006, the UN found that "The mental health impact of Chernobyl is the largest public health problem unleashed by the accident to date." In a review of how the government handled Three Mile Island, a senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission official who had been involved said of the poor communication "What we had done to these people was just outrageous. We had frightened them so bad, they thought they were going to die." Stunningly, tragically, a similar inattention to effective risk communication seems to be happening in Japan.

A NY Times story " Radiation Fears and Distrust Push Thousand From Homes" quoted a citizen who fled his home, which was outside the mandated evacuation zone, "We might be overreacting, but we also know Tokyo Electric" - the plants' operator - "is not telling us everything," and reported that another ,"Hitoshi Suzuki, a 34-year-old construction worker, said that he thought the problem at the nuclear plants was twice as bad as the government let on. He produced a cellphone with Web sites that claimed the government was covering up the real damage at the plants."

A Bloomberg news story " Conflicting Information Drives Anxiety in Japan Nuclear Crisis" quoted another citizen saying "We're furious about a lack of information from both the government and TEPCO. We also noticed there are conflicting accounts from the parties. Foreign media is reporting the impact of the nuke accident would be disastrous while Japanese media play it down. The gap also urged us to leave."

A New York Times article " Dearth of Candor from Japan's Leadership said "...an increasingly angry and rattled Japanese public (is) frustrated by government and power company officials' failure to communicate clearly and promptly about the nuclear crisis. Pointing to conflicting reports, ambiguous language and a constant refusal to confirm the most basic facts, they suspect officials of withholding or fudging crucial information about the risks posed by the ravaged Daiichi plant." There is "...a lot of frustration among the public...demanding government to be more forthcoming. Not knowing is their biggest fear." (my emphasis)

There are many reasons for this poor risk communication; Arrogance and institutional self-protection and engineering/scientific hubris on the part of the company, the tendency by risk managers to avoid being honest with people about scary news for fear that it will make people afraid (which is a common but thoughtless mistake, since people are already afraid and the lack of openness and the mistrust it produces make things FAR worse), and a combative/defensive relationship with an aggressive, alarmist news media.

But the biggest mistake is an obvious failure to recognize that risk communication is a vital part of overall risk management. Far too little respect has been paid to the risk caused by the way people perceive and respond to risk. The peril is not just the radiation. It's people's fears of radiation. Whether those fears are consistent with the evidence of the actual physical risk (they aren't) doesn't matter. Fear is real, and does real harm. Tragically, though history has taught us these lessons, they don't appear to have been learned, and the health of the Japanese public is at risk as a result.

About the Author: David Ropeik is an Instructor at the Harvard Extension School and author of How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don't Always Match the Facts.

Statement of potential conflict of interest: I covered nuclear issues as a environmental reporter in Boston for 22 years, then wrote a book, RISK A Practical Guide for Deciding What's Really Safe and What's Really Dangerous in the world Around You which includes a chapter on nuclear radiation, (paid for by the publisher, Houghton Mifflin). It floored me to learn what science knows about the carcinogenicity of ionizing radiation. In my teaching and consulting career I have worked for the IAEA to help them prepare communications materials for emergencies, and helping their member states do the same, and I have lectured to communications officers of nuclear companies and their trade association, on how to communicate to the public more honestly. The full list of my clients is on my website, www.dropeik.com

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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Poor risk communication in Japan is making the risk much worse

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The radiation crisis in Japan worsens for two reasons: one that we've heard about, one that we haven't but which may in the end do far more harm. The Japanese government, and the company in charge of the crippled nuclear complex, are struggling with their risk and crisis communications, and their missteps are fueling mistrust and anger, which magnifies fear and stress, which may do more health damage than the radiation itself.

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Our anti-smoking campaigns | Make Smoking History

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Make Smoking History has been airing anti-smoking campaigns in WA since 2000. The campaigns are a mix of WA-made, national and international advertisements.

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"There are two ways to avoid alcohol harm to your baby: don't drink while pregnant or if you're not ready to give up alcohol, make sure you don't get pregnant and are using an effective form of contraception.

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New campaign urges women to avoid alcohol in pregnancy

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"There are two ways to avoid alcohol harm to your baby: don't drink while pregnant or if you're not ready to give up alcohol, make sure you don't get pregnant and are using an effective form of contraception.

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The new digital campaign highlights the newly launched 'Cal Scan' (calorie scan) feature in its IL TakeCare App, designed to track one's calorie intake and recommend healthy calorie count and tips.

It is conceptualised by Ogilvy Mumbai.

2021 saw a sea shift of people changing their lifestyles and adopting healthy life choices due to the ongoing pandemic. This has given birth to a new cohort of consumers who are proactive in staying healthy through wellness-oriented products and apps. These include demand for regular engagement regimes to monitor their physical and mental health, choosing technology-powered apps and wellness coaches in virtual or physical forms to guide them. Keeping the spirit of a healthy lifestyle alive, this World Heart Day, ICICI Lombard introduced a new campaign to unveil its new feature 'Cal Scan' on their signature health and wellness app 'IL TakeCare'. Through this unique campaign, the company brings to life World Heart Federation's theme for 2021, which focuses on harnessing the power of digital health to improve awareness, prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases. The campaign, containing two ad films, encapsulates the significance of eating the right amount of calories on the backdrop of a busy lifestyle characterised by faulty food habits, high-calorie intake and a sedentary lifestyle, partially aggravated by the pandemic lockdown.

In its bid to get the audience fit and healthy through this campaign, the first ad film opens with a scene from a typical halwai shop where a person is buying samosas. Upon packing the samosas, the shopkeeper tells the customer the calorie count instead of the price of the food items. He then goes on to suggest making the calorie count a round figure by adding two more samosas. To this, the customer declared a specific calorie count, took the samosa and walked away happily. The second ad shows a food delivery guy delivering food and affirming the accurate calorie score to the customer according to his food order. Both the ad films end with the thought that our food vendors will not be able to tell us the exact calorie count of the food consumed, hence with the IL TakeCare app's new feature 'Calorie Scan', consumers can now get a personalised recommendation of their calorie intake and the tips to burn those extra calories. Through these films, the insurer guides the audience towards a behavioural change wherein they see the value of the food not in terms of money, but also the number of calories consumed.

Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director at ICICI Lombard General Insurance: "While the pandemic has turned people towards a holistically healthy lifestyle, it is equally important to add the element of measurement to all our health endeavours. Considering the significant increase in the usage of wellness and health-oriented apps recently, we have introduced this new feature of 'Calorie Scan', which will act as a counter and encourage the user to stick to their recommended calorie budget. ICICI Lombard aims to offer not only comprehensive coverage to our consumers but also innovative solutions to them, thereby serving as a partner in the customer's wellness journey."

The insurer launched the IL TakeCare App in accordance with their resolve to bring about a positive and long-lasting change in the way people view their health. So far, the app has benefited over 8.5 lakh customers and facilitates support on services like IL Hello doctor, online medicines delivery, buy policy, virtual doctor (for corporates) and so on. The company has always strived to provide the best offering on its health and wellness front, and with this new feature, the insurer is encouraging its customers to take charge of their health. This year, as people showcased a new consciousness towards fitness and overall wellness, ICICI Lombard addressed the severe subject of cardiovascular diseases through light-hearted films. The ad films are being promoted on the company's social media channels.

Conceptualised by Ogilvy, ICICI Lombard's Creative agency, the ad films are being promoted across ICICI Lombard's social media assets and digital platforms.

Talha Bin Mohsin & Mahesh Parab, Executive Creative Directors, Ogilvy Mumbai: "The ICICI Lombard World Heart Day campaign has had a long history of great work aimed at making people conscious of the challenges to their good health. This year, we sought to open a new chapter by going a step further and joining them in their journey towards holistic wellness. Not just by helping them count their calories, but giving them tips on how to burn them and stay fit on a regular basis too."

Client: ICICI Lombard
Agency: Ogilvy
Chief Creative Officers Ogilvy India:

Kainaz Karmakar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Sukesh Nayak

Ogilvy Mumbai Creative Team:
Executive Creative Director: Talha Bin Mohsin, Mahesh Parab

Group Creative Director: Vilsen Gonsalves
Creative Team: Arnab Choudhury, Ajit Sahoo, Hari Rawat

Account Management
Executive Vice President - Harsh Bhatt
Client Servicing Director - Amritesh Kumar Bakshi
Account Director - Swati Agnihotri
Senior Account Executive - Shreyoshee Gupta

Production House: Chrome Pictures
Director: Debanjolie Producer: Abhishek Notani

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ICICI Lombard's new campaign urges consumers to start tracking their calories to prevent cardiovascular diseases

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The new digital campaign highlights the newly launched 'Cal Scan' (calorie scan) feature in its IL TakeCare App, designed to track one's calorie intake and recommend healthy calorie count and tips. It is conceptualised by Ogilvy Mumbai. 2021 saw a sea shift of people changing their lifestyles and adopting healthy life choices due to the ongoing pandemic.

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The damaging effects of smoking on our health are well known, and governments are curbing tobacco advertising to reduce the number of smokers. But, in Indonesia, the number of teens and adults who smoke continue to grow at a rate higher than any other country.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) survey of nearly 6,000 respondents found almost 60% of Indonesian teenagers (aged 13-15) are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke at home, and that only 24.5% of adult smokers believed smoking tobacco could cause serious illness.

To increase public awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure, and to discourage the use of tobacco in any form, the WHO and global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) every year on 31 May.

Indonesia's Health Ministry has carried out anti-smoking campaigns to reduce smoking; the latest was launched in 2018. But the campaign messages are not persuasive enough.

I argue that designing anti-smoking campaign messages based on tried and tested health communication theories will make the messages more powerful.

Problem of anti-smoking campaigns

Anti-smoking campaigns in Indonesia are presented as public service announcements on national television and digital media. The Health Ministry launched the latest anti-smoking social media campaign with the hashtag #SuaraTanpaRokok, which translates as voices without cigarettes.

From my observation of #SuaraTanpaRokok, the campaign only focused on attitudes of fear and sadness to indicate disapproval of smoking and perceived risk of smoking.

The campaign tells stories of people who had cancer due to smoking, such as Zainal Arifin Nasution, who underwent surgery for laryngeal cancer, and Ranap Simatupang, who died from lung cancer. The campaign also shows the risk of smoking through images of lung disease.

Persuasive campaign: reasoned action

We need a variety of approaches to designing health messages. Aside from the type of health campaigns the government currently uses, which highlight fear and sadness due to risks of smoking, several social influence theories can be used to develop compelling messages.

Health communication research has demonstrated that health messages that challenge people's perception of social norms are effective in changing behaviour and in building people's confidence to stop smoking.

Health campaigns on cancer, anti-smoking and HIV/AIDS awareness often use the theory of reasoned action developed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975).

This theory assumes that a person who wants and intends to avoid getting sick will carry out preventive health care. A person's intention is influenced by their attitude towards behaviours relating to preventive health care as well as by how others view those behaviours.

Based on this theory, persuading someone by targeting their attitudes and social norms can change their behaviours.

Take anti-smoking advertisements in the US, for instance, where campaigns often provide reasoned arguments or messages focusing on what other people think about smoking (social norms) or on individual attitudes toward smoking (personal attitudes).

In " Addicted Ashtray ", a girl who is addicted to smoking finds the cigarette vending machine is out of order. She then takes a half-smoked cigarette from an ashtray. This type of health message aims to show that smoking leads to disgusting behaviour.

This approach challenges someone's attitude towards smoking because they would not want to associate themselves with the appalling behaviour presented in the campaign. This could also make smokers think about how their family and friends view smoking behaviour.

Anti-smoking advertisements can also attempt to influence attitudes by providing information about the toxic content of a cigarette.

Trying to quit

Smoking is addictive, so quitting is difficult for those who are hooked. Designing campaign messages based on social cognitive theory might make people who are struggling to quit feel represented.

Based on this theory, when people see that the message is directed toward their behaviour, the message gains greater representational meaning. So anti-smoking campaigns might provide a story of someone who has quit smoking or is trying to.

Showing benefits of quitting

We can also use the health belief model (HBM) to design anti-smoking campaigns.

HBM posits that an individual will make behaviour changes by assessing not only the risks of their behaviour but also barriers and benefits.

Anti-smoking campaigns can thus also focus on the benefits of not smoking. For example, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention give a list of health benefits of being smoke-free: you can enjoy a healthy heart, healthy lungs and lower risks of cancer and erectile dysfunction.

Indonesia's anti-smoking campaign still focuses on the severe harm that smoking causes. Various communication theories exist and using them to design anti-smoking campaigns can lead to a more effective variety of messages targeting new and young smokers.

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How to make anti-smoking campaigns more persuasive

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The damaging effects of smoking on our health are well known, and governments are curbing tobacco advertising to reduce the number of smokers. But, in Indonesia, the number of teens and adults who smoke continue to grow at a rate higher than any other country.

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Drug control efforts across the world are a threat to human dignity and the right to life.

In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from a drug overdose in the US. Among the reasons for these deaths are the lack of access to health and harm-reduction services, as well as the fear of legal repression, which often dissuades people who use drugs from asking for help.

More than two-thirds of these deaths were linked to opioids. At the same time, millions of people across Africa have been unable to access opioids for pain relief because of decades of fear of these drugs being diverted to the illegal, recreational market, forcing people there to endure - and often die in - serious pain.

In the Philippines, thousands of people have been killed extrajudicially in a brutal anti-drug campaign that began in 2016. And in Colombia, two years after a historic peace agreement, and the promise of better livelihoods, rural communities are braced for a return to crop eradication by aerial spraying with the chemical glyphosate.

These stories reflect just some of the harmful consequences of drug control. But why are these violations still taking place? In several declarations and documents, governments have committed to "respecting, protecting and promoting all human rights, fundamental freedoms and the inherent dignity of all individuals" in the development and implementation of drug policies. What is happening in Colombia, in Africa, in the Philippines and in the US tells us that something is very wrong with this global commitment.

Aiming for a 'drug-free world' means hoping to eradicate a near-universal human impulse

The first problem lies with the founding aspiration of the international drug system: to create a "drug-free society", which countries have sought to achieve through prohibition, enforced by repression. We believe this is an illusion.

Almost all civilisations and cultures throughout history show evidence of the use of some mind-altering substance or other. Aiming for a "drug-free world" means hoping to eradicate a near-universal human impulse. The result can only be, as we have seen in the past decades, a war whose costs can be counted in the loss of life and dignity of millions of people.

This war has demonstrably failed. Ten years ago, the international community established this month as a target date "to eliminate or reduce significantly and measurably" the illegal cultivation, production, trafficking and use of controlled drugs. During these same 10 years, opium poppy and coca cultivation have in fact increased, and a large number of potent synthetic drugs were designed. Nor have harsh drug control policies worked to address the harms associated with addiction.

Instead, drug control efforts have taken a harsh toll on the health and human rights of some of the world's poorest and most marginalised people. These policies have stripped our most vulnerable fellow citizens of their basic dignity.

This human rights failure is the product of political choices made of several factors, including fear, moral panic, lack of pressure of public opinion for reform and denial of facts. Unfortunately, in Vienna this month, these same choices will lead the international community to renew the global response to the "world drug problem" based on prohibition and repression.

We know this is preventable and avoidable. The world deserves drug policies that are respectful of human rights and dignity, and more effective at reducing drug-related harm.

The past four UN high commissioners for human rights have repeatedly asked countries to address the violation of fundamental rights in drug control. On 15 March in Vienna, a coalition of UN agencies, human rights experts and a few progressive governments, led by the United Nations Development Programme and the International Cent re on Human Rights and Drug Policy at the University of Essex, launched the international guidelines on human rights and drug policy. It provides practical recommendations for better ways for the global community to manage the risks related to the presence of drugs, and restore human dignity to millions of people harmed by decades of drug prohibition.

The guidelines shift the conversation from the eradication of drugs to the nourishment of human development. Beyond merely highlighting the fundamental rights that are violated by repressive drug policies, they focus on providing better solutions for drug control. These include the right to benefit from scientific progress, particularly in risk reduction, pain relief and addiction treatment, the right to an adequate standard of living, the right to a fair trial, the right to privacy, and the freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression and information.

Several countries have started to usher in reforms based on these principles. These include the decriminalisation of low-level drug offences in at least 26 countries, the use of legal exemptions to enable traditional communities to maintain their sacred relationship with plants in several Latin American and Caribbean nations, and more than 117 safe injection facilities in 11 countries around the world.

We challenge the rest of the global community to join them.

Louise Arbour is former high commissioner for human rights. Mohamed El Baradei is director-general emeritus of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nobel peace prize laureate. They are both members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy

Topics

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The campaign for a 'drug-free world' is costing lives | Louise Arbour and Mohamed ElBaradei

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Drug control efforts across the world are a threat to human dignity and the right to life. In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from a drug overdose in the US. Among the reasons for these deaths are the lack of access to health and harm-reduction services, as well as the fear of legal repression, which often dissuades people who use drugs from asking for help.

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The Use of Social Media in Risk Communication during COVID-19: An Analysis of Stakeholders' Messages on Social Media

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Introduction: As a global health crisis, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected various aspects of life. Unlike previous global pandemics, individuals nowadays are more interconnected with instantaneous access to a flow of information, including access to social media.

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Our anti-smoking campaigns | Make Smoking History

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Make Smoking History has been airing anti-smoking campaigns in WA since 2000. The campaigns are a mix of WA-made, national and international advertisements.

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Executive and Continuing Professional Education

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by Lisa D. Ellis

There has been growing awareness in recent years about the risks of serious injuries associated with playing football. But exactly how can organizations best communicate that risk to the people who care about this issue, such as parents of youngsters on little league teams, college football players, and professional athletes?

One common element most effective risk communication strategies share is that they are customized to meet the specific interests, concerns, and habits of the target audiences. This means that parents would require different types of messaging, as well as different distribution channels, than professional athletes to inform them about the risks football poses, according to Kasisomayajula "Vish" Viswanath, PhD, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Viswanath is also the program director of Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century through the Harvard Chan School, where he educates experts and other professionals working in corporations, medicine, government, and nonprofits about the need to manage risk communication properly to achieve a variety of public health and safety goals, garner support for key issues or causes, and handle damage control or reputation management.

"Risk communication is a part of everyday life. It's something we take for granted," Viswanath explains. "To communicate risk effectively, we need to understand who the target audiences are and the challenges they are likely to face in assessing the risk and acting on it," he adds.

Risk communication is a part of everyday life. It's something we take for granted.

Navigating the Complex Information Environment
This is a tall order to fill, especially with the steady stream of information immediately available today around key issues such as public health risks, environmental concerns, and natural disasters. With the ever-broadening array of traditional, alternative, and digital outlets that exist, some of the information flowing through these channels may not be filtered for accuracy, or may not be put into the proper context for the recipients so they can act on it properly. As a result, there's the very real danger that people may miss critical facts to guide their decision making, or may take specific actions based on misinformation, which can ultimately lead to unwanted outcomes.

That puts the onus on health professionals, business leaders, elected officials, and others to be proactive in designing effective risk communication strategies. These strategies also need to be implemented in a timely manner at the first sign of any danger that exists in order to reach the right audiences in today's complex information environment, Viswanath says.
The Need to Develop Effective Strategies
The reality is that risk communication is essential in most sectors and industries today-both for routine situations and also in times of crisis, Viswanath points out. Therefore, professionals must be well-versed in the principles of effective risk communication so they can determine how best to apply them to their own situations and needs, amidst all of the challenges that exists.

In the current complex communication environment with a multitude of platforms, it becomes difficult to communicate risk in a controlled and coordinated way.

"At one time, we were able to communicate risk in a much more controlled fashion," he explains. "But in the current complex communication environment with a multitude of platforms, it becomes difficult to communicate risk in a controlled and coordinated way." This means that competing opinions can enter into the mix, making it essential for professionals to steer the people they serve around various landmines that exist to find credible sources of information. What the best sources are, and how people will access them, can vary depending on different circumstances.
Examples of Risk Communication Efforts
For example, Viswanath refers to the H1N1 flu (also referred to as Swine flu) global pandemic in 2009-2010 as an example of a crisis that required the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to apply emergency risk communication principles to educate Americans about the importance of taking preventative measures to avoid getting sick. The messages included encouraging people to get flu vaccines, obtain anti-viral medications at the first sign of symptoms, and stay home while sick to avoid the spread of the illness. (For more details about the CDC's communication response to the crisis, see its website at https://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/cdcresponse.htm.) One striking fact is that the CDC's efforts hinged on strategic partnerships with key public and private agencies, health care providers, and the media in order to reach a very broad audience.

Similar types of broad risk communication responses have been critical to respond to natural disasters, such as the danger Hurricane Harvey posed to the greater Houston, Texas area in the fall of 2017. With serious flooding and high winds forecast, public officials used local, state, and national news outlets and social media to advise residents in danger zones to evacuate their homes and seek shelter in safer areas.

It is essential for professionals to steer the people they serve around various landmines that exist to find credible sources of information.

"When Harvey and other hurricanes happened, people were able to take precautions to move to higher ground and shelters to protect themselves. But some people did not pay attention to the warnings and did not evacuate," Viswanath says. In some cases of these types of natural disasters, people who initially failed to respond to evacuation orders ultimately put themselves and rescuers at increased risk when conditions because extreme.
Key Steps to Develop a Risk Communication Strategy
While every situation is different and needs a different type of response depending on the specific circumstances, there are five common elements Viswanath identifies that can serve as a good starting point for developing any applied risk communication plan.

1. Prepare for the crisis and be ready for it ahead of time, regardless of what type of crisis it is or whom it will affect. Planning for various scenarios can help you be ready to act when needed, he says.

2. It's essential to know your clients or your audience and understand who they are, what they care about, and what their personal situation is. "For instance, you can't talk about evacuating if people don't have the means to access a car. You have to be sensitive to the conditions under which the information you share can be acted upon," Viswanath says.

3. Sometimes saying less is more. "Being measured in one's communication of risk, especially in times of uncertainty, is especially critical," he points out. For instance, this step can be particularly important to save face when you have to change your guidelines or recommendations midway through the process.

4. Be open about what you know-and also what you don't know. Telling people you are still waiting to find out more and will share the latest findings as they become available is important to maintain your credibility over the long term.

5. It's important to practice and learn from experience. Every situation will be different, so take the time to debrief after a crisis situation and assess what you did well and what areas you may be able to strengthen in the future.

Risk Communication is an Ongoing Process
Regardless of what type of risk you are communicating, or who your audience is that you are trying to inform, it's important to view your risk communication efforts as an ongoing process that may shift over time but will never go away.

"Remember that risk communication is not a one-time concern," Viswanath says. "Rather, you'll need to continually evaluate your efforts and improve on them as you go along."

Dr. Viswanath directs Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

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The Need for Effective Risk Communication Strategies in Today's Complex Information Environment

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by Lisa D. Ellis There has been growing awareness in recent years about the risks of serious injuries associated with playing football. But exactly how can organizations best communicate that risk to the people who care about this issue, such as parents of youngsters on little league teams, college football players, and professional athletes?

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https://www.acsh.org/news/2021/09/29/covid-vaccine-roll-out-model-cutting-tobacco-use-and-teen-vaping-15839

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"Adults can do what they want, even though there's simply no evidence that vapes help them to quit smoking. But our kids are not for sale. Their lives deserve our protection." So wrote US. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, the author of legislation that would drastically increase the taxes consumers pay for purchasing e-cigarettes and related vaping products. Krishnamoorthi penned that sentence in response to Reason Magazine senior editor Jacob Sullum, who argued in a recent Chicago Sun-Times piece that "Bureaucrats and politicians seem determined to cripple a lifesaving alternative to smoking."

In a subsequent story, Sullum added that vaping, though relatively unpopular among teenagers, has nonetheless helped drive down teenage smoking rates. Moreover, he explained, a growing body of evidence shows that e-cigarettes help adult smokers abandon combustible tobacco, which is undeniably far more harmful than vaping. I made many of the same points in this recent story: Farewell E-Cigarettes? FDA Effectively Bans Millions Of Vaping Products:

...[T]he evidence is clear that most junior-high and high-school students have no interest in vaping; those who do are already smokers trying to quit. Studies going back to at least 2016 back up this conclusion, and the evidence continues to accumulate ... When we factor in the evidence that vaping helps adult smokers give up cigarettes in significant numbers, we have a sound scientific case that the smoking alternative meets the FDA's standard for protecting public health.

There's nothing else to say about the science; Krishnamoorthi just got the facts wrong in his letter to the editor. However, what deserves a little more scrutiny is the assumption that protecting children from nicotine necessitates limiting adult access to vaping products. We should be skeptical of this prohibition-inspired approach to tobacco control because it unnecessarily puts the lives of millions of smokers at risk.
Let's prevent teen vaping and promote smoking cessation
First things first. Everybody agrees that children shouldn't be using nicotine-containing products. Federal law rightly prohibits tobacco sales to anyone under 18, as well as marketing aimed at children. Companies that violate these regulations can be ( and have been) severely penalized. The fact that teenage smoking and vaping are declining suggests that these regulations are working.
COVID vaccine roll out as a model
With those restrictions in place and the data on declining teen nicotine use in mind, it's reasonable to say that anti-vaping campaigns focused exclusively on children distract us from a serious and unresolved public health threat: adult tobacco use-which causes one out of every five deaths in the US annually, more than 480,000 every year. Writing in Nicotine and Tobacco Research in January, Rutgers University ethicist Monica Magalhaes outlined the severe costs that come with our misplaced emphasis on teen vaping:

The bulk of the disease burden caused by smoking happens later in life, not at the young ages when nicotine users become dependent: smokers die earlier (according to the CDC, smokers' life expectancy is at least 10 years shorter than that of nonsmokers), and most diseases strongly linked to smoking, such as cardiovascular diseases, COPD, and several types of cancer, tend to not affect smokers in their youth.

I stress again that we need to do everything we can to prevent nicotine dependence in teenagers, but it's possible to do that while simultaneously protecting adult smokers, the group most vulnerable to tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. This isn't a novel approach either; we followed the same principle as we rolled out the COVID-19 vaccines last year.

On December 1, 2020, the CDC recommended: "that healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents be offered COVID-19 vaccination first." The next phase included "people aged 75 years and older and non-healthcare frontline essential workers," followed by "people aged 65-74 years, people aged 16-64 years with high-risk medical conditions, and essential workers not included" in the preceding phase.

Public health officials didn't implement this plan because they were uninterested in protecting children from infection. Instead, they correctly recognized "that severe illness due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children," as the American Academy of Pediatrics put it. From a public health perspective, it made sense to prioritize those most vulnerable to severe disease and death for vaccination-to follow a harm reduction approach to infection control. The same principle should guide our efforts to promote smoking cessation and prevent teen vaping.

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COVID Vaccine Roll Out: A Model For Cutting Tobacco Use And Teen Vaping

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Many tobacco control advocates have attacked vaping by emphasizing the risk it poses to teenagers. While children should never use any nicotine product, there's a strong case to be made that the campaign against teen vaping has distracted us from tackling a critical public health threat: adult smoking.

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People are encouraged to wash hands frequently, use antiseptics to clean household items, wear masks in public places, avoid meeting people with colds and coughs, observe physical distance, avoid crowded places, and stay home as much as possible.

Shukria was invited to attend the local public awareness sessions. So far, the Citizen's Charter has held meetings for Councils members and mullahs in some 12,000 communities in 124 districts across Afghanistan.

In turn, village leaders share this life-saving information with the rest of their community during small gatherings, where attendees observe strict social distancing and other prevention measures. Mullahs also disseminate messages through mosque loudspeakers to reach all residents.

"We have communicated to people to refrain from shaking hands, kissing, and hugging for the safety of their loved ones, family members, and the broader community, as these measures will help us defeat this global pandemic," says Faqiri, who heads a neighborhood council in the Balkh province.

Faqiri also reports that his fellow council members have sprayed their mosques and neighborhoods with disinfectant, distributed sanitation packages, and raised awareness about self-quarantine and social distancing.

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womens leadership in small and medium enterprises (wlsme)

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Awareness Campaigns Help Prevent Against COVID-19 in Afghanistan

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People are encouraged to wash hands frequently, use antiseptics to clean household items, wear masks in public places, avoid meeting people with colds and coughs, observe physical distance, avoid crowded places, and stay home as much as possible. Shukria was invited to attend the local public awareness sessions.

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WHO EPI-WIN Webinar - Science Communication

Tuesday 14 September 2021
14:00-15:00 Geneva, 17:30-18:30 Delhi, 08:00-9:00 New York

Helping people understand the potential benefits and harms to their health from different actions and treatments they might take, and the evidence behind it, is a difficult task. During a public health emergency it becomes even harder. The Winton Centre in the UK and the Harding Center in Germany are two sister centres that work on how best to communicate these sorts of risks - from helping someone understand their risk from COVID-19 to communicating the potential benefits and harms of a vaccine. In this webinar the two centres will present some of the empirical work that they have done, testing different kinds of communication on these topics, and there will be a chance to discuss the implications for practice and areas that need further research.

Speakers:

Dr Alexandra Freeman, Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, University of Cambridge, UK, Presentation

Dr John Kerr, Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, University of Cambridge, UK, Presentation

Dr Gabriel Recchia, Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, University of Cambridge, UK, Presentation

Ms Christin Ellermann, Harding Center for Risk Literacy, University of Potsdam, Germany, Presentation

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Communicating risks and evidence in a public health emergency

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Helping people understand the potential benefits and harms to their health from different actions and treatments they might take, and the evidence behind it, is a difficult task. During a public health emergency it becomes even harder.

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It is often easy to dismiss viral charity campaigns as "slacktivism", which lacks in real-world impact (we never did catch the warlord Joseph Kony, after all) but a breakthrough discovery bankrolled by 2014's ALS ice bucket challenge may give the lie to that cynicism.

The ice bucket challenge was a phenomenon in the summer of 2014 in which people dunked a bucket of iced water over their heads in order to solicit donations before nominating others to do the same.

Scores of celebrities including Mark Zuckerberg, Anna Wintour, Tom Cruise, Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr and hundreds more made videos, but the campaign was criticised by some.

Slate wrote that "for most of the people posting ice bucket videos of themselves on Facebook, Vine, and Instagram, the charity part remains a postscript", while Time called it "problematic in almost every way", going on to say that "most of its participants ... didn't mention the disease at all. The chance to jump on the latest trend was an end in itself. In fact, the challenge's structure seems almost inherently offensive to those touched by ALS."

But the proof of the pudding was in the eating: the campaign raised more than $100m in a 30-day period, and was able to fully fund a number of research projects.

One of these was Project MinE, a large data-driven initiative funded by the ALS Association through ice bucket challenge donations, as well as donations from the organization's Georgia and New York chapters. The project's researchers announced on Monday that they have identified a new gene associated with the disease, which experts say could lead to new treatment possibilities.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a neurological disorder in which the motor neurons that control muscle function slowly die. The disease can be either sporadic or inherited, and in either case there is currently no cure.

"It's very exciting because it shows everyone who contributed to the ice bucket challenge that their donation had an impact on the research," said Brian Frederick, executive vice-president of communications and development at the ALS Association. "The work that Project MinE is doing is really important, and the discovery of this new gene will help us better understand ALS."

The newly discovered gene, NEK1, is only associated with 3% of ALS cases, but it is present in both inherited and sporadic forms of the disease, which researchers say gives them a new target for the development of possible treatments.

Project MinE has been working to sequence the genomes of 15,000 people with the disease, and the discovery, which was described in a paper published on Monday in the journal Nature Genetics, involved more than 80 researchers in 11 countries.

The discovery was significant, Frederick said, "because it helps us understand what's triggering this and can help us better find a treatment," though he added that "it's still very early in our understanding of this particular gene, and we still have a ways to go with understanding ALS generally."

Topics

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Remember the ice bucket challenge? It just funded an ALS breakthrough

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It is often easy to dismiss viral charity campaigns as "slacktivism", which lacks in real-world impact (we never did catch the warlord Joseph Kony, after all) but a breakthrough discovery bankrolled by 2014's ALS ice bucket challenge may give the lie to that cynicism.

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Listen to the podcast:

How do companies and individuals use social media during such crisis?

Broadly, there are two opposing logics. Companies can use social media for commercial purposes or for communal purposes. In other words, companies use social media to brand, sell, market their business (which is close to traditional marketing efforts using mass-media) versus using social media to connect with and co-create with customers and - more importantly - to provide a platform to customers to bond together. You can see this as the distinction between using social media to talk to your customers versus using social media to talk with your customers and have them talk to each other through your brand.

You can see this as the distinction between using social media to talk to your customers versus using social media to talk with your customers and have them talk to each other through your brand.

For individuals, the same axe translates into using social media to self-present - that can turn into the very narcissistic self-exposure that we sometimes see on social media versus using social media to connect with friends, family and likeminded others for socialization and emotional support.

What particular strengths of social media are highlighted during such difficult times?

For me, this crisis highlights the particular strengths of social media in how they can be used for the second type of purpose; that is community and emotional support.

Just like we have seen with other crises, such as the earthquake and following tsunami that caused the nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, the terrorists attacks in Paris and elsewhere in Europe over the past years, we see today that people all over the world reach out to each other - close by and far away - through social media to make sense of what is happening.

Just like we have seen with other crises, people all over the world reach out to each other through social media to make sense of what is happening.

I am thinking of the many funny videos about how people creatively deal with the lockdown, of the neighborhood Facebook groups that organize entertainment and practical support to help neighbors who need assistance with grocery shopping or childcare, and the quick rise of apps and functionalities that allow for live chat and video sessions with multiple people.
This is social media in its core and at its best.

People turn to social media not only for support and entertainment, but also use it as a source of information... and fake news.

This is where we need to warn for the dark side of social media and its role in spreading fake news. Platforms have been slow in acknowledging their responsibility in helping platform users distinguish fake news from facts, but they are taking steps in the right direction. Instagram, for example, announced to only include COVID-19 related posts and stories in their recommendation section that are published by official health organizations. In general, my advice is to crosscheck information that you get through social media with at least two other information sources such as government websites and high-quality news outlets. In addition, we also all have a role to play by not further spreading rumors through our social media accounts.

How should marketers adopt their social media strategies in this extraordinary time?

It is a tricky question. Typically, I teach my students that marketers should relate their social media contributions to the real-time context. Indeed, at the start of the crisis I kept receiving long-before planned brand posts that did not refer at all to the situation, and thus, seemed misplaced. At the same time, trying to leverage a sanitary crisis for branding purposes in your social media posts can quickly be perceived as distasteful.

The best examples I have seen come from companies that offer free resources to their customers to face the crisis. For example, many academic publishers have made online content available for free to support teachers and students worldwide with distance learning. Closer to home, the Pilates teacher at HEC Paris has started a YouTube channel where he posts videos on how we can keep fit while confined at home.

Instead of self-glorifying social media brand posts, brands will be forced to embrace the communal logic of social media during the COVID-19 crisis.

Instead of self-glorifying social media brand posts, brands will be forced to embrace the communal logic of social media during the COVID-19 crisis. More than ever, social media posts should be user-centric and not producer-centric. Brands that will be able to deliver messages and engage in conversations that are considered valuable because they provide helpful information, relevant advice or that simply make you laugh will come out of the crisis stronger.

Stay safe and keep sharing!

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What is the Role of Social Media During the COVID-19 Crisis?

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Today, social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, have become primary sources of information. They are also vehicles for fake news and disinformation. During a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, how should social media be mastered and employed in a responsible way?

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When it comes to COVID-19, complexity has taken the place of simplicity. Convoluted and confusing terminology is used to explain available data on the virus. Intentional or not, the result is the dissemination of conflicting and often misleading information being put forth by government agencies, independent scientists and other experts, and few people know how to accurately interpret it.

As a scientist for many years, I've come to realize the significance of differentiating what has proven to be true and that there are areas that need further study. This is critically relevant if one is going to effectively address risks associated with COVID-19. Further, effective communication of risks needs to consider imparting information in a format that the public can clearly understand.

Not only is it counterproductive to explain information in a way that is difficult to decipher, but misleading graphs and charts of every sort have been used to manipulate information, leaving those listening angry, scared, unsure of what to do, and turning to unreliable sources for their health information.

Even the U.S. president and surgeon general have warned the public about the threat of misinformation. Recently, a critical care physician at Baton Rouge General said, "We have two pandemics. We have a pandemic of a Delta virus that's ravaging our community. And, we have a pandemic of misinformation."

While it seems apparent to everyone that communication associated with COVID-19 risks needs to be more effective, the attainment of these goals and objectives, a "path forward," has not been elucidated. The question is why. There is some concern that the messaging about COVID-19 is not straightforward because it is tinged with a political agenda. Whatever the reason, the results are clear - poor health, fear and in some cases, unnecessary death.

Let's go back to the significance and importance of simplicity. And let's acknowledge that individuals have the right to make their own decision about how to respond to COVID-19 risks. The hope is that if people understand the risks and ramifications, they will be able to make appropriate health decisions. To that end, I've proposed an approach for the government, agencies, and anyone speaking about COVID-19:

Effective communication to the public, associated with COVID-19, should primarily come from familiar images and graphics (analysis shows that 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual) to folks in the U.S. and throughout the world. Text should be minimized.

Erik Rifkin, Ph.D. is an environmental scientist who has had over 35 years of experience in characterizing human health and ecological risks from exposure to contaminants in soil, aquatic ecosystems, air and sediments. He has provided assistance and guidance to federal and state regulatory agencies, corporations, NGOs and the public in assessing risks associated with metals and organic pollutants in environmental media. Dr. Rifkin is a coauthor of the book, "Understanding COVID-19 Risks." His professional activities have underscored the importance of the communication of health risks and benefits to impacted groups.

Our experience has shown that using theaters and stadiums is effective in communicating health-related results. They allow the use of what is called absolute risks - critical to understanding the level of risks. For example, we can visualize by using these "theaters," that the risk of dying from COVID-19 in people who live in long-term care is 85 out of 1,000 people (imagine that in a theater with 1,000 seats, 85 of those seats would have black dots to symbolize someone died from COVID-19). The risk of dying in all those not in long-term care is one of 2,000 people (only one seat would have a black dot for every two "theaters," each having 1,000 seats). By looking at these graphics, people may have a better sense of their own risk, and policymakers can focus their efforts where it most counts.

The people and agencies selected by the federal government to present results should understand that " Those who do know, say that they don't know." In other words, it is crucial to acknowledge what we know and what we don't know in an honest way, because only then can we proceed down a rational scientific path. To date, in our estimation, acknowledging temporary ignorance about aspects of COVID-19 seems to be absent.

This is difficult to say but it is necessary - The focus on political party, religion, gender, race, age and lifestyle needs to take a temporary back seat when compared to the significance of deaths from COVID-19. Living, is perhaps, a tad more relevant and noteworthy. So, let's call a peace. Let's stop using convoluted, difficult-to-understand statistics and charts that confuse people into believing a certain narrative.

Let's move toward simplicity. Let's not conceal our own ignorance about certain aspects of COVID-19 behind manipulated numbers. Let's be honest and constructive so that we can get through this pandemic as a nation. Let's acknowledge that we are all hurting and need to work together. Let's not focus on our differences and, instead, work together to eliminate COVID-19 and its analogs. After we succeed, maybe we can have a broader perspective of the world and a better way to communicate and act as one people.

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Misguided communications are almost as damaging as COVID

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When it comes to COVID-19, complexity has taken the place of simplicity. Convoluted and confusing terminology is used to explain available data on the virus. Intentional or not, the result is the dissemination of conflicting and often misleading information being put forth by government agencies, independent scientists and other experts, and few people know how to accurately interpret it.

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But rather than run around like headless chickens, KFC's marketing and communications team, with the help of their agencies Mother and Freuds, turned an epic cock-up into an Cannes Lions award-winning communications campaign - one that has been described as a "masterclass in communications" by Frank founder Andrew Bloch.

While it was virtually impossible to escape the scandal and the press frenzy it caused in February, very little has been publicly revealed about how KFC handled the corporate crisis internally - that is until now.

On Tuesday, KFC UK and Ireland head of brand engagement Jenny Packwood provided Cision's CommsCon with a rare insider's view into how the famous fried chicken chain handled the PR disaster and events leading up to that infamous FCK bucket.

The story began on Valentine's Day, when KFC switched over to new distribution partner DHL to "improve the efficiency and performance of supply chain" to its 900-plus restaurants in the UK and Ireland.

It's fair to say the change didn't get off to a great start. A major logistical disruption led to a nationwide shortfall of chicken and the subsequent closure of all KFC's UK restaurants.

Packwood explained this wasn't a mere corporate comms disaster, but a "full-blown operational crisis" that provided a baying press with a seemingly endless gravy train of chicken puns, succulent headlines and crossing-the-road jokes.

"It was a bad day at the office," Packwood bluntly summed up. "We took 321 media enquiries over the first seven days - that is half of our annual average. There were over 1,000 pieces of coverage globally across print, online and broadcast and 80 per cent of all UK adults were exposed to this story, although I always question what the other 20 per cent were doing."

'A self-fulfilling PR beast'

At the peak of the crisis, 750 KFC restaurants temporarily shut doors, affecting 19,000 staff, and countless more unhappy punters, including one disgruntled KFC fan who now had to go to Burger King for her fast food fix.

Packwood said there were many factors that heaped "rocket fuel" onto a chicken-less KFC bonfire. Primarily, it's down to the fact that it is household brand and the scale of the closures due to delivery delays is unprecedented in the UK.

"Another reason that made this so compelling as a story was there was actually no easy fix or end in sight. For the first few weeks, we literally didn't have an answer, so the media smelt blood," Packwood said.

Staff pay, food wastage, unions and inquisitive MPs were just some of the comms problems KFC had to deal with. Perhaps some of the hardest were angry customers. Packwood recalled some customers even called the police to complain that they were unable to get their favourite KFC bucket.

"It becomes a self-fulfilling beast you cannot control, and the social response then became fuel for the media; consumers and other brands were getting involved and there were memes," Packwood recalled.

Taking back control

So how did the embattled chicken shop chain turn it around?

Packwood said the key lesson KFC learnt is the importance to "remain true to its brand voice". KFC positioned itself in a self-deprecating and human way - admitting it screwed up and taking a light-hearted dig at itself.

"So often when crisis hits, the easy and most comfortable thing is to retract into that safe corporate space where you do a terribly formal statement and everything sounds like it is written by a lawyer," Packwood said.

"We actively decided not to do that. We know who we are as a brand and what our tone is and we stuck to it, which is light-hearted, honest, authentic and a little bit irreverent."

KFC tackled the issue head-on and made no attempt to deflect blame onto anyone else, even though there was an obvious scapegoat.

"We just put up our hand and said this is a massive cock-up, and that gave us huge credibility and won us goodwill among the media and our customers," she added.

An important part of KFC's crisis comms approach was using social media as a channel for proactive communications. This allowed the brand to deal with the concerns of consumers and the media effectively and, importantly, to wrest back a perception of control over a situation it had no control over.

"The most powerful thing about this is that it enabled us to take back control of the narrative," Packwood explained.

"Those of you who have worked in the thick of a crisis know that you often feel like you have completely lost control, and the story has its own momentum. This totally shut it down; all of the attention was focused on our response, as opposed to whether we were paying our staff, which we were doing, or what we were doing with the wasted chicken."

The FCK bucket

The goodwill KFC built from its social media strategy provided it and agency partners with the confidence and platform to launch a paid media campaign that introduced the world to the FCK bucket.

This brave apology campaign only ran in print, but quickly went viral on social media and put a human face to that time KFC's chickens literally got lost while trying to find the road.

"It gave us a way of saying sorry in a bold and human way, and in a way that felt true to our brand. Basically, this is what we were all saying in the office all the time - 'fuck' - it also resonated with consumers and disarmed the issue a bit."

Packwood doesn't encourage all brands to respond to corporate crises by printing expletive-laden ads in newspapers, but for the irreverent fast food company the communications strategy proved a finger lickin' recipe even Colonel Sanders would be proud of.

'Don't let sorry get beaten out of you'

Teneo Blue Rubicon MD of crisis communications Ed O'Brien said KFC's proactive approach is an important lesson for brands that feel the need to apologise for an incident.

"For me the key thing about the 'sorry' word is don't let it get beaten out of you. Quite often you will see an organisation refusing to say sorry, there's then four headlines about them refusing, and week later they are humiliated and thrashed into it," O'Brien said.

"Look ahead and predict the fact you are going to have to apologise and take the hit early rather than having to be wrestled."

Gumtree head of communications Fergus Campbell said it was vital that companies project the right tone when it comes to saying sorry.

"If there is a situation that relates to personal loss or safety then you have to get that emotionally intelligent response right. People obsess about the word (sorry) but the key thing is the emotional [delivery]," he said.

Gumtree's comms turnaround

Earlier in the session, Campbell explained how a corporate crisis doesn't have to be a full-blown disaster for it to damage a company's reputation.

The 18-year-old online classifieds platform suffered reputational damage through "death by a thousand paper cuts".

"We have not done enough communications in the past and let a vacuum of communications emerge and have paid the price historically for that," he explained.

Specifically, Gumtree has been called out by the media on many occasions over failing to support its customers during a transaction, which provided plenty of "clickbait" fodder to the media.

High-profile examples include unscrupulous sellers committing fraud or even violence against buyers and even Gumtree being used to market sex for rent.

A few years ago, Gumtree decided to adopt a more proactive approach to external communications.

"We needed to create reasons to be reappraised," Campbell explained. "We are now working with police, stakeholders, government and being present at industry events and talking to partners.

"We have done a lot of stuff which we feel is important to allow us to have a counter-narrative to some of the death by 1,000 paper cuts and tell the story of the business."

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The crisis comms lesson behind KFC's 'FCK bucket'

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But rather than run around like headless chickens, KFC's marketing and communications team, with the help of their agencies Mother and Freuds, turned an epic cock-up into an Cannes Lions award-winning communications campaign - one that has been described as a "masterclass in communications" by Frank founder Andrew Bloch.

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You probably still remember public service ads that scared you: The cigarette smoker with throat cancer. The victims of a drunk driver. The guy who neglected his cholesterol lying in a morgue with a toe tag.

With new, highly transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 now spreading, some health professionals have started calling for the use of similar fear-based strategies to persuade people to follow social distancing rules and get vaccinated.

There is compelling evidence that fear can change behavior, and there have been ethical arguments that using fear can be justified, particularly when threats are severe. As public health professors with expertise in history and ethics, we have been open in some situations to using fear in ways that help individuals understand the gravity of a crisis without creating stigma.

But while the pandemic stakes might justify using hard-hitting strategies, the nation's social and political context right now might cause it to backfire.

Fear as a strategy has waxed and waned

Fear can be a powerful motivator, and it can create strong, lasting memories. Public health officials' willingness to use it to help change behavior in public health campaigns has waxed and waned for more than a century.

From the late 19th century into the early 1920s, public health campaigns commonly sought to stir fear. Common tropes included flies menacing babies, immigrants represented as a microbial pestilence at the gates of the country, voluptuous female bodies with barely concealed skeletal faces who threatened to weaken a generation of troops with syphilis. The key theme was using fear to control harm from others.

Library of Congress

Following World War II, epidemiological data emerged as the foundation of public health, and use of fear fell out of favor. The primary focus at the time was the rise of chronic "lifestyle" diseases, such as heart disease. Early behavioral research concluded fear backfired. An early, influential study, for example, suggested that when people became anxious about behavior, they might tune out or even engage more in dangerous behaviors, like smoking or drinking, to cope with the anxiety stimulated by fear-based messaging.

But by the 1960s, health officials were trying to change behaviors related to smoking, eating and exercise, and they grappled with the limits of data and logic as tools to help the public. They turned again to scare tactics to try to deliver a gut punch. It was not enough to know that some behaviors were deadly. We had to react emotionally.

Although there were concerns about using fear to manipulate people, leading ethicists began to argue that it could help people understand what was in their self-interest. A bit of a scare could help cut through the noise created by industries that made fat, sugar and tobacco alluring. It could help make population-level statistics personal.

NYC Health

Anti-tobacco campaigns were the first to show the devastating toll of smoking. They used graphic images of diseased lungs, of smokers gasping for breath through tracheotomies and eating through tubes, of clogged arteries and failing hearts. Those campaigns worked.

And then came AIDS. Fear of the disease was hard to untangle from fear of those who suffered the most: gay men, sex workers, drug users, and the black and brown communities. The challenge was to destigmatize, to promote the human rights of those who only stood to be further marginalized if shunned and shamed. When it came to public health campaigns, human rights advocates argued, fear stigmatized and undermined the effort.

When obesity became a public health crisis, and youth smoking rates and vaping experimentation were sounding alarm bells, public health campaigns once again adopted fear to try to shatter complacency. Obesity campaigns sought to stir parental dread about youth obesity. Evidence of the effectiveness of this fear-based approach mounted.

Evidence, ethics and politics

So, why not use fear to drive up vaccination rates and the use of masks, lockdowns and distancing now, at this moment of national fatigue? Why not sear into the national imagination images of makeshift morgues or of people dying alone, intubated in overwhelmed hospitals?

Before we can answer these questions, we must first ask two others: Would fear be ethically acceptable in the context of COVID-19, and would it work?

For people in high-risk groups - those who are older or have underlying conditions that put them at high risk for severe illness or death - the evidence on fear-based appeals suggests that hard-hitting campaigns can work. The strongest case for the efficacy of fear-based appeals comes from smoking: Emotional PSAs put out by organizations like the American Cancer Society beginning in the 1960s proved to be a powerful antidote to tobacco sales ads. Anti-tobacco crusaders found in fear a way to appeal to individuals' self-interests.

At this political moment, however, there are other considerations.

Health officials have faced armed protesters outside their offices and homes. Many people seem to have lost the capacity to distinguish truth from falsehood.

By instilling fear that government will go too far and erode civil liberties, some groups developed an effective political tool for overriding rationality in the face of science, even the evidence-based recommendations supporting face masks as protection against the coronavirus.

Reliance on fear for public health messaging now could further erode trust in public health officials and scientists at a critical juncture.

The nation desperately needs a strategy that can help break through pandemic denialism and through the politically charged environment, with its threatening and at times hysterical rhetoric that has created opposition to sound public health measures.

Even if ethically warranted, fear-based tactics may be dismissed as just one more example of political manipulation and could carry as much risk as benefit.

Instead, public health officials should boldly urge and, as they have during other crisis periods in the past, emphasize what has been sorely lacking: consistent, credible communication of the science at the national level.

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Why using fear to promote COVID-19 vaccination and mask wearing could backfire

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You probably still remember public service ads that scared you: The cigarette smoker with throat cancer. The victims of a drunk driver. The guy who neglected his cholesterol lying in a morgue with a toe tag.

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The CDC Tips campaign begins its 10th year of telling hard-hitting, real stories to help people quit smoking.

You may have already noticed some familiar commercials on TV about smoking. These commercials feature real people living with the long-term damage caused by smoking. They're part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) tobacco education campaign, called Tips From Former Smokers® ( Tips®).

But these commercials aren't just about people who smoke - they also show how smoking affects their loved ones.

Stories such as Asaad and Leah M's. Leah started smoking as a teenager and was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 45. Leah's son, Asaad, was 19 at the time. He became Leah's full-time caregiver. He cooks meals, manages a household budget, schedules doctors' appointments, and keeps his mother's spirits up.

Jessica S. is a single parent. When her son Aden was 3, he was diagnosed with asthma. Jessica's mother, who watched Aden during the day while Jessica was at work, used to smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke triggered many of his life-threatening asthma attacks.

CDC first launched the Tips campaign in 2012 to lower smoking rates and save lives. As Tips enters its 10th year, it's been proven to be a very effective campaign. The CDC estimates that a million people successfully quit smoking, and over 16 million tried to quit between 2012-2018, thanks to Tips.

"While some of these ads can be difficult to watch, they show the challenges that real people face every day as a result of smoking in a way that statistics cannot," said Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, PhD, MPH, director of CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "By providing information, resources, and motivation, the Tips campaign has proven to be highly effective in helping people across the country quit smoking."

Not only does Tips highlight the deaths related to smoking, but the lives affected by it. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. And with COVID-19, smoking only adds to the complications that can arise.

"Quitting smoking is more important than ever, as smoking increases risk of severe illness from COVID-19," said Nick Fradkin, tobacco treatment consultant at DOH. "We are committed to helping Washington state residents understand the reality of smoking-related disease and death - and to prevent these realities from happening to them."

The Washington state Quitline has helped people quit smoking for 20 years. Visit Quitline.com to get started.

If you want to quit smoking, Fradkin points to the Washington State Quitline as a great resource for help. Trained Quit Coaches can provide free, one-on-one, personalized counseling. To get started:

Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)

Text READY to 200-400

Visit Quitline.com

For more information about the Tips campaign and resources for quitting smoking, visit CDC.gov/tips.

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What's up with these new smoking commercials?

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You may have already noticed some familiar commercials on TV about smoking. These commercials feature real people living with the long-term damage caused by smoking. They're part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) tobacco education campaign, called Tips From Former Smokers® ( Tips®).

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Demarketing: Efforts aimed at discouraging (not destroying) the demand for a product which (1) a firm cannot supply in large-enough quantities, or (2) does not want to supply in a certain region where the high costs of distribution or promotion allow only a too little profit margin. Common demarketing strategies include higher prices, scaled-down advertising, and product redesign.

The term came to me as I was reviewing the New York City Health Department campaign 'Are You Pouring on the Pounds.' The health communication campaign is using outdoor signage and other elements of the communication Ps (PSAs, pamphlets, posters and publicity - oh, and a blog that I am delighted to see has comments turned 'on'!) to raise awareness of sugars in popular beverages and urge New Yorkers to cut back on sugary beverages and quench their thirst with water, seltzer or low-fat milk instead.

I have talked about obesity prevention many times here and have outlined how social marketing approaches can be used to address the obesity epidemic beyond the 5% solutions offered by communications programs such as this one.

The NYC project is a start, but if pubic health practice wants to move from simple communication campaigns to more complex and effective marketing ones, they might learn from the tobacco experiences and target the marketing mix, not the people. I am looking forward to reading a new article, Demarketing tobacco through governmental policies - The 4Ps revisited in the Journal of Business Research. As the authors note in their abstract (unfortunately all the information that is available online)
. ...governments use anti-smoking advertising to highlight the health risks of smoking and regulatory measures to dissuade consumers from consuming tobacco. In the past, governments tended to take these steps in isolation, now they are more likely to combine these strategies as part of a demarketing mix.
Sounds shockingly (?) familiar to ideas I have talked about with respect to needing Perhaps the obesity community could start learning how to develop comprehensive demarketing programs rather than focus on recycling new ways to think about and solve wicked problems. evidence based practices which more often than not stifle innovation and demonstrate how truly behind the times in strategy AND action they really are.

And the Institute of Medicine released a report today with a list of actions that hold the greatest potential to curb obesity rates among children.

Many of these steps focus on increasing access to healthy foods and opportunities for active play and exercise.They include providing incentives to lure grocery stores to underserved neighborhoods; eliminating outdoor ads for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks near schools; requiring calorie and other nutritional information on restaurant menus; implementing local "Safe Routes to School" programs; regulating minimum play space and time in child care programs; rerouting buses or developing other transportation strategies that ensure people can get to grocery stores; and using building codes to ensure facilities have working water fountains.

Gosh that sounds so...marketing (I added the underlines in case you missed them). Better products and services, accessibility and opportunities, incentives, promotion efforts (or reducing the industry's) - that about covers it.

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Demarketing: Efforts aimed at discouraging (not destroying) the demand for a product which (1) a firm cannot supply in large-enough quantities, or (2) does not want to supply in a certain region where the high costs of distribution or promotion...

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Yueyang Liu_W8: Marketing to children (YouTube video)

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Yueyang Liu_W8: Marketing to children (YouTube video)

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Popular child influencers are generating millions of impressions for fast food and candy brands in YouTube videos targeted at kids, a report in the Pediatrics journal has found.

Videos of children playing with McDonald's toys and pretending to work at drive-thrus could potentially reach millions of viewers, which "may increase poor dietary behaviors," researchers from New York University, who worked on the study, said.

Hershey's, Kinder, and M&M's were among brands featured on the channels, but McDonald's topped the list, accounting for more than a quarter of all food or drink references in child YouTuber videos.

The New York University researchers called for stricters regulations to address fast food and beverage brands promoted by young influencers.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some of the world's most popular child influencers are generating millions of impressions for fast food and drink brands, through product placement in their videos, a new study in the Pediatrics journal has found.

Researchers from New York University found dozens of videos targeted at children that explicitly referenced McDonald's and other fast food brands.

Food and beverage companies spend $1.8 billion a year on marketing campaigns targeted at children, the researchers found - and these companies have "dramatically increased" their online advertising as younger users increase their social media use, say the researchers.
Read more: Just 0.4% of channels on YouTube get the bulk of views and subscribers, a new study suggests
More than 80% of parents say they allow their children to watch YouTube videos - and this has created an easy way for companies to advertise their products to children, the researchers said.

"Putting ads on these platforms gives food and drink companies a new and 'fun' way to push ads to children," Omni Cassidy, a post-doctoral psychology research fellow who worked on the study, told Business Insider. "And they can do so at a fraction of the cost of placing ads on TV."

But across social media, brands don't always have to pay for adverts to market their products. Sometimes, influencers can unknowingly do this work for free.

This includes child influencers, whose videos of them innocently playing with McDonald's toys and pretending to work at drive-thrus mean that their child viewers view potentially hundreds of hours of content related to fast food each year.

Children are filmed by their parents playing with toys and discussing hobbies and interests. The parents then upload these videos to YouTube. These children become influencers if their channel has lots of subscribers and views - and as a result, they can influence viewers' buying behavior by endorsing products in their videos, which can make sales jump by up to 28%, the researchers said.

Consumers perceive influencers as more relatable and trustworthy than mainstream celebrities because they are "everyday people," the scientists said. When these influencers are children, brands can reach younger audiences and their parents.

After realizing how much their own relatives watched child influencers on YouTube, and noticed the food and drink product placements in the videos, the team of researchers from New York University began their project.

The researchers identified the five most-watched child influencers, aged between three and 14 years, on YouTube in 2019. Between them, Ryan's World, Sandaroo Kids, TheEngineeringFamily, Daily Bumps, and The Tube Family had 38.6 million subscribers by June 2019 and more than 10,000 videos.

The researchers took a sample of 179 videos from those channels that featured food or drinks, including 123 that featured food or drinks in the video thumbnail. Across these videos, the children and family on screen made 291 food or drink references in total - and 90.3% were to unhealthy, branded items.

Fast food appeared the most, followed by chocolate and soda. McDonald's dominated the videos, accounting for more than a quarter of all food or drink references at 81. The researchers also found 16 references to Hershey's, 13 to Kinder, 12 to M&M's, 11 to Skittles, nine to Oreo, and eight each to Coca-Cola and Kellogg's Froot Loops.

Toys related to food or drink brands also appeared more than 100 times in the videos. For example, the family-run channel Sandaroo Kids features videos of the family playing with McDonald's toys and creating pretend drive-thrus at home, and even has a tutorial on how to get the most candy at Halloween.

TheEngineeringFamily has similar play-based food videos, and some of the thumbnails heavily feature McDonald's branding.

Videos of pretend drive-thrus and McDonald's toys also feature on Ryan Kaji's channel. The eight-year-old was YouTube's highest earner in both 2018 and 2019, according to Forbes, and now has 27 million subscribers on his channel Ryan's World.

Daily Bumps and The Tube Family, meanwhile, both uploaded videos of a challenge where they have to spend a day ordering what the previous customers ordered at various drive-thrus. The drive-thru videos almost exclusively feature fast food chains, including Starbucks, McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Baskin Robins, and Taco Bell.

A 2019 study by the University of Liverpool, meanwhile, found that 92.6% of a pool of 380 YouTube videos by influencers popular among children referred to food and drinks, although these were mostly unbranded and usually didn't lead to consumption.

The scientists recorded visual displays of food or beverage products and brands, known as cues, such as food held in the YouTuber's hand or a beverage clearly displayed on a table in front of the YouTube.

Among the 380 videos the researchers analyzed, cues appeared at a rate of 29.9 per hour of content watched. This rate was "considerably higher" than the 14.3 per hour in TV product placements and 3.5 per hour in TV advertisements, the scientists said.

Of the 29.9 food and drink cues per hour in YouTube videos, around half were to "less healthy" products, predominantly cake and fast food, though a third were to fruit and vegetables, which are hardly ever featured in TV ads, the researchers noted.

The researchers estimated children in the UK who watch YouTube vloggers for an average of an hour per day are exposed to more than 5,000 less healthy food cues a year.

Of the videos analyzed in the study, only 5.6% of those that reference food or drink stemmed from brands "gifting" the product to the YouTuber. In 0.6% of videos, the YouTuber was paid to feature the brand. The overwhelming majority were unpaid.

The University of Liverpool study also suggested that the frequent references to eating out in YouTube videos could have long-term effects on children's food consumption. This is a concern, the study said, because adults typically consume around 200 more calories per day when eating at home.

"As online media use increases among young children, kid influencers carry the potential to increase children's exposure to unhealthy food promotions that may increase poor dietary behaviors," the researchers from New York University said.

Because of the growing power that influencers and social media have, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued guidelines saying that influencers should disclose endorsements. But these "may easily be disregarded or not understood by children," the New York University researchers added.

Efforts by the food industry, such as the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, also try to reduce the harmful effects of child-targeted advertisements. However, their guidelines don't refer to the role of child influencers, the researchers noted, and these efforts have failed to reduce the amount of fast food television marketing aimed at children.

"The FTC should enact regulations that more adequately address unhealthy food and beverage brands promoted by kid influencers," the researchers said.

YouTube told Business Insider: "Protecting kids and families is a top priority for us. Because YouTube is not for children we've invested significantly in the creation of the YouTube Kids app, a destination made specifically for kids to explore their imagination and curiosity on a range of topics, such as healthy habits.

"We don't allow paid promotional content on YouTube Kids and have clear guidelines, which restrict categories like food and beverage from advertising on the app."

"McDonald's USA does not partner with kid influencers under the age of 12 for paid content across any social media channels, including YouTube," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider. "We are committed to responsibly marketing to children - which is a key tenet of the Global Happy Meal Goals we announced alongside the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, in 2018."

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Food brands spend $1.8 billion advertising to kids - but increasingly, child YouTubers are plugging their products for free

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Popular child influencers are generating millions of impressions for fast food and candy brands in YouTube videos targeted at kids, a report in the Pediatrics journal has found. Videos of children playing with McDonald's toys and pretending to work at drive-thrus could potentially reach millions of viewers, which "may increase poor dietary behaviors," researchers from New York University, who worked on the study, said.

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Tao Cui_Week 8_Marketing to Children

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In legal settlements that could reshape the children's app market, Disney, Viacom and 10 advertising technology firms have agreed to remove certain advertising software from children's apps to address accusations that they violated the privacy of millions of youngsters.

The agreements resolve three related class-action cases involving some of the largest ad-tech companies - including Twitter's MoPub - and some of the most popular children's apps - including "Subway Surfers," an animated game from Denmark that users worldwide have installed more than 1.5 billion times, according to Sensor Tower, an app research firm.

The lawsuits accused the companies of placing tracking software in popular children's gaming apps without parents' knowledge or consent, in violation of state privacy and fair business practice laws. Such trackers can be used to profile children across apps and devices, target them with ads and push them to make in-app purchases, according to legal filings in the case.

Now, under the settlements approved on Monday by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the companies have agreed to remove or disable tracking software that could be used to target children with ads. Developers will still be able to show contextual ads based on an app's content.

"This is going to be the biggest change to the children's app market that we've seen that gets at the business models," said Josh Golin, the executive director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a nonprofit in Boston. "On thousands of apps, children will no longer be targeted with the most insidious and manipulative forms of marketing."

The companies in the class-action cases did not admit any wrongdoing.

The settlements come as the Federal Trade Commission has been pursuing children's privacy cases against individual developers and ad-tech firms. But children's advocates said the class-action cases, which involved a much larger swath of the app and ad tech marketplace, could prompt industrywide changes for apps and ads aimed at young people.

Viacom, whose settlement covers one of its children's apps, called " Llama Spit Spit, " Kiloo, a Danish company that codeveloped "Subway Surfers," and Twitter declined to comment. Disney, whose settlement agreement covers its children's apps in the United States, did not immediately response to emails seeking comment.

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Disney and ad-tech firms agree to privacy changes for children's apps.

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In legal settlements that could reshape the children's app market, Disney, Viacom and 10 advertising technology firms have agreed to remove certain advertising software from children's apps to address accusations that they violated the privacy of millions of youngsters.

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The gift underneath the Christmas tree might have been delivered by Santa, but it's possible it was inspired by Ryan.

Ryan of Ryan's World - a social media star whose YouTube videos of unboxing and playing with children's toys quickly captivated children behind their iPad screens - is the quintessential example of the emergent digital media landscape where children are cultivated as child "influencers."

Ryan's YouTube videos, which debuted in 2015, quickly amassed millions of views and subscribers on the social media platform, and catapulted him into a larger spotlight. He now has his own TV show and company, and he's inspired some of the toys that line the shelves of big box stores like Walmart and Target.

"As a child influencer, he's being courted by companies to play with the latest toy so that other children can see it. But now, the child influencer himself has become a brand that is then being put into Walmart, and Target, and Amazon as its own force and influence," said Benjamin Burroughs, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at UNLV who studies emerging and social media trends. "It's pretty shocking."

Ryan has also inspired countless other children and families to take a crack at a new industry - an industry built out of child-created content. And brands are eating it up, with no end in sight.

While toy companies and media producers have always mutually benefited from carefully calculated cross-promotional strategies, Burroughs said this new iteration raises several ethical questions and dilemmas.

"The boundaries between children, and brands, and influencers continue to collapse, and where one begins and where another ends is getting harder and harder to see," Burroughs said.

Here, Burroughs examines this emergent digital ecosystem, the importance of influencers in catering to children, and the ethical dilemmas that arise from this shift in media industries.

How did you become interested in studying this phenomenon?

I became interested in this because my kids were watching these videos and then asking me to do the things that Ryan's family was doing. And I thought, 'Oh, there's something going on here if my kids are expecting our family to look like Ryan's family.' In Ryan's family, they're able to constantly consume content and products. They're opening up a new toy every day, and subsequently playing with that new toy every day, so there's this constant consumerism that's being embedded within these messages for children.

We were interested in the ethics of it, but also in examining the shift in content producer - a child content producer, a child influencer, being able to be a part of the larger media ecosystem.

When did this shift begin?

The child influencer phenomenon helped to build out the prominence of the larger influencer model that we're seeing today. It unfolded with this whole shift in companies turning toward influencers - and they felt that children in particular were the key to connecting with other children.

There's a long history of using children as actors, or as spokespeople for products, and this is a continuation of that. But this is different, because there's a feeling of proximity, of closeness to Ryan, who's just like a regular kid with a regular family. They just have a camera, and they're filming Ryan playing with toys, and it produces this kind proximity to the audience, which I think is unique compared to other iterations of child influencing.

How are brands taking advantage of this shift to child-created content? What does the example of Ryan's World show us about this new ecosystem?

The popularity of Ryan's YouTube videos led to Walmart launching a toy line based on Ryan. Ryan and other child influencers also inspired PocketWatch, a new company that launched in 2017 and is now partnering with the biggest producers of child-created content on YouTube.

I think Ryan's World is the most substantive example of the success of child-created content. Ryan is the first major force. His channel, and his subsequent company, is unique in the number of views, and impact, and the ability to create a larger kind of media empire from just the videos that he and his family posted on social media.

It's kid's entertainment. Children watching other children playing with toys is something that appeals to a mass audience of children. And I don't see it slowing down any time soon. There's been a ton of copycats of Ryan - different families that have begun to film their own kids playing with toys. So, you have hundreds of accounts now that are extremely successful that have copied this formula, and brands haven't stopped or slowed down at all in getting into the space. So there's money to be made with children, and families, and branding opportunities. That's just going to continue into the future.

There's an obvious kind of overlap - between mobile technology, children having access to the technology, and parents offloading parenting practices onto mobile phones - that's emerged. It created this great space for brands to enter right into that equation.

Is YouTube the main social media site for child-created content, or are there other sites that cater to this new phenomenon?

YouTube is the primary platform for child influencers. I'm sure it exists on other platforms, but not on the level of YouTube, which is where we've done all of our research, and will continue to do our research because it's the primary place children are going. I think that's because of the availability of mobile phones, as well as YouTube on mobile phones, and the ability to access the content everywhere you're at.

You don't really have child influencers popping up on Twitter, for example, and tweeting to a child audience. YouTube is visual, it's tactile, and really easy to navigate and to get to new content. My 2-year-old can go through and access content, and get to the content that he wants to watch, which is a little scary if you think about it.

How does the newest iteration of child influencing differ from traditional media like television shows and advertisements? How are brands taking advantage of it?

Ryan and YouTubers and influencers cultivate a relationship with their audience in ways that didn't happen with an advertisement on TV, or a show. YouTubers have a great understanding of their audience and are constantly trying to nurture and build that relationship, because their value is in the perception of their connection to the audience.

And that's what brands value. So, a child influencer is going to make sure that you feel connected to them. I think it is that sense of connection that's different from other forms of media that have intensified in this child influencer moment. They definitely existed before, but right now, I think we can point to that level of intensification of connection with the audience, and intensification of the brand injecting itself into that relationship.

There's also a level of proximity that happens with YouTube where you feel like you could get a camera, and you could be Ryan. That's the kind of allure of YouTube - the allure of thinking that anyone can do it, and that I could be that next big name on YouTube.

Major companies have become more aware of children as their own demographic, and the increased importance of children in driving family purchasing. That's part of the reason why Disney Plus, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have invested heavily in more children's content.

YouTube is the space for child influencers to build up their relationships, channels, and platforms, but from there, they can become larger media players and influencers on a larger scale.

What ethical questions does this raise?

I think for all of us, the question is, is this a good advancement? What does it do to change children's entertainment? What does it mean to have a child that has all this attention, and has all this ability to influence the perceptions of family by other children? And what does it mean to be a child that consumes constantly? I think these are the kind of ethical questions that we need to grapple with.

Children are being targeted by child influencers in ways that parents may not be cognizant of or aware of, and historically, advertising to children has been regulated by the government. We've always had a kind of baseline awareness of how much branding and consumption messaging was good for children. But in the YouTube space, that all has gone away.

There is kind of a pernicious promise of YouTube that's all about consumption. And connecting consumption and play in a way that creates this need for constant consumption, not only of YouTube content, but of the branded content itself.

I think definitely there needs to be a larger discussion about parents having conversations with their children about consumption practices, about what they're watching and how they're understanding what it means to be an influencer, and what it means to be a family. That needs to be balanced with this whole idea of empowerment that's coming through YouTube, which I think is a positive ramification.

YouTube is allowing children to have their own voice, it's allowing them to be an influencer, which means that they and their families have access to opportunities for making money that maybe they didn't have before.

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A Force of Influence: Children as YouTube Stars

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The gift underneath the Christmas tree might have been delivered by Santa, but it's possible it was inspired by Ryan. Ryan of Ryan's World - a social media star whose YouTube videos of unboxing and playing with children's toys quickly captivated children behind their iPad screens - is the quintessential example of the emergent digital media landscape where children are cultivated as child "influencers."

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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/29/health-experts-call-for-action-on-e-cigarette-packaging-aimed-at-children

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Health experts want e-cigarette makers to be banned from promoting them in ways that will appeal to children, including naming their products after sweets and using cartoon characters.

Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and UK public health doctors are urging ministers to outlaw "totally inappropriate marketing techniques" that they fear will lure under-18s into vaping. They are demanding action to stop e-cigarettes and the e-liquids that go into them from being given names such as "bubblegum candy" and "gummy bears", which are types of confectionery, and using cartoon images such as "slushies", ice-filled soft drinks popular with children.

Professor Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical adviser, shares their concern about e-cigarettes being marketed in a way that could encourage young people to try them, even though it is illegal to sell them to under-18s. He warned last year that the government should deal robustly with anyone trying to "push" them at young people.

Deborah Arnott, Ash's chief executive, said: "Branding using cartoon characters, garish colours and sweet names is clearly attractive to children, and it is hard to imagine why it is necessary for adult smokers.

"These are totally inappropriate marketing techniques for manufacturers to be using, given that it is illegal to sell e-cigs to under-18s. These techniques risk luring children into e-cigarette use who otherwise would never have tried them.

The government has a responsibility to do all it can to reduce the appeal of e-cigarette packaging to children."

The call comes after new research by Ash, King's College London and the University of Waterloo in Canada found that children were more likely to find a range of popular vaping brands appealing if the packaging used bright colours compared with those that came in plain packets. However, the type of packaging made no difference to adults' views.

Vaping brands use bright colours that appeal to young people. Photograph: Marshall Ritzel/AP

Professor Maggie Rae, president of the Faculty of Public Health, backed Ash's call for action. "The chief medical officer should take note of this research and urge the government to take powers to regulate e-cigarette packaging. The widely available child-centred packaging of e-liquids in particular, which includes brightly coloured cartoon characters and sweet names such as 'gummy bears', 'cherry cola' and 'bubblegum' is unnecessary, egregious and must be stopped," she said.

Ash hopes that MPs will table amendments to the health and care bill to proscribe the child-friendly packaging and also to ban e-cigarettes being given away to children and young people, after one firm handed them out free in Bath, Bristol and Brighton without age checks.

Whitty said last year: "We need to make sure history does not repeat itself. The test of whether a product is being targeted at children is if it starts to be increasingly used by children, and that will lead to action.

"If e-cigarettes are increasing in children then we should assume that they are being marketed towards them or at least pushed on them in some way, and deal with that very, very strongly."

The number of young adults who smoke rose sharply during the first Covid lockdown, it emerged last week. New research showed a 25% jump in lighting up among 18- to 34-year-olds in England - an extra 652,000 people. The experts behind the study said the spike was probably down to young adults smoking to help them cope with the stress of the pandemic.

The Spectrum alliance of public health academic researchers also wants action. Professor Linda Bauld of Edinburgh University, the group's director, said: "There is little regulation of e-cigarette packaging in the UK, other than the requirement to put a health warning on the pack.

"This new research suggests that taking action to regulate e-cigarette packaging could help decrease the appeal of e-cigarettes to children.

"However, given there is still some confusion between vaping and smoking, it is essential that any packaging requirements make clear the distinction between e-cigarettes and tobacco products."

The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for a response.

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Health experts call for action on e-cigarette packaging aimed at children

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Health experts want e-cigarette makers to be banned from promoting them in ways that will appeal to children, including naming their products after sweets and using cartoon characters. Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and UK public health doctors are urging ministers to outlaw "totally inappropriate marketing techniques" that they fear will lure under-18s into vaping.

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Advertising: how it influences children and teenagers

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The ability to spot advertising and understand how adverts work is an important life skill for kids and teens. You can help your child develop this skill.

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Kamyra L. Harding never gives her son coffee or soda, and rarely opts for treats such as chocolate cupcakes. But about twice a month, the mom does give in to her 4-year-old son Garrett David Brand's request for a Chai tea latte from Starbucks.

"People here already know us," Harding said on a recent visit to a Starbucks on New York's Upper West Side. "They know we want extra milk."

Garrett has been a regular Starbucks customer since "he could hold a cup," his mother says. Now when he passes a Starbucks he says, "I want to buy this tea."

Starbucks, keenly aware of the pitfalls of being seen as trying to lure kids to drink sweet, caffeinated beverages, has for years insisted that it does not market to children - even as stroller traffic jams build outside some stores and teenagers pack others.

Now, however, the company is revising its stance on kids, acknowledging that the under-18 set has become part of the coffee chain's customer base.

Starbucks spokesman Brandon Borrman said there are still no plans to market specifically to children, and grown-ups need not worry that the Cartoon Network will be playing on the flat-panel screen of their neighborhood Starbucks anytime soon.

But Borrman said Seattle-based Starbucks is considering whether to add new drinks or drink sizes that better meet the needs of kids or teens.

Right now, it only lists limited kids' items, such as milk and hot chocolate, in a smaller size, while teenagers have the choice of adult-sized, and often heavily caffeinated, beverages. A 16-ounce Caramel Frappucino coffee drink, for example, has nearly three times the caffeine as a 12-ounce can of regular Coke or Pepsi.

Starbucks lattes, Frappuccinos and other drinks generally come in 12-ounce "tall," 16-ounce "grande" and 20-ounce hot or 24-ounce cold "venti" size. An eight-ounce "short" size is often available but not always listed on the menu.

"We need to be realistic about who comes into our stores, so if we have children who are coming into our stores that are on their own, we want to make sure that we have products that are appropriate to that age group," Borrman said. "Do we have an alternative to a venti-size caffeinated beverage that would be more appropriate?"

Borrman said the company also now recognizes that it is a family destination. That means you might see an ad for the company that features a family - although you wouldn't likely see a Starbucks ad with a child on his or her own.

"What we want to do is recognize the fact that there are people who are under the age of 18 who come into our stores," he said.

The company also is looking at whether other items in the store that might appeal to kids, such as its signature line of teddy bears, should be placed in parts of the store where kids can't get to them as easily.

As of now, however, Borrman said Starbucks is still evaluating how to cater to younger customers and doesn't know when more formal decisions will be reached.

Analyst John Owens of Morningstar said it is pretty clear that teens have become part of Starbucks' regular customer base.

He also admits that even his 3-year-old recognizes the company's logo from frequent trips there with adults. At his local Starbucks, he said, the baristas refer to steamed milk as a "babyccino."

"While Starbucks hasn't actively marketed towards that demographic, I think the Starbucks brand has appealed to teenagers, and so there's certainly an opportunity there for the company to increase business," he said.

But, he said, the company walks a fine line if it is seen as doing anything specifically to appeal to a younger audience.

"There would be concerns about serving up heavily caffeinated drinks to kids, much like the cola companies have had to deal with," he said. "So it's something that they have to be careful about."

In addition to the caffeine in Starbucks drinks, some nutritionists have raised red flags about Starbucks delicacies such as its frozen Frappuccinos, the most indulgent of which are packed with more calories than a McDonald's Big Mac.

"Starbucks has lots of sweetened, cold, high-calorie caffeinated beverages that in some cases will contribute to weight gain, (and) in other cases are replacing healthier foods in the diet," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which advocates for better nutrition.

He notes that the company also has a bakery case full of cookies, scones and other high-calorie baked goods that are likely to tempt kids and teens.

"It's not terribly different from drinking soda pop and eating Hostess Twinkies," he said.

Starbucks' Borrman said the company has healthier options in addition to its higher-calorie drinks.

But Jacobson worries that teenagers aren't necessarily going to make a healthy choice, especially when surrounded by a group of friends. Adell Ahmed, 15, and two friends recently ordered tall Caramel Frappuccinos at a New York City Starbucks.

Asked whether the drink they had ordered contained caffeine, they all said, "I don't know."

But the three did say they were keenly aware of the brand - whether Starbucks has been trying to market to them or not.

"You see it in commercials, sometimes on billboards, and people in movies drink Starbucks sometimes," Ahmed said.

Jacobson, the nutrition advocate, said he would like to see the company list calories more prominently on its menus and more overtly promote its smaller, eight-ounce size. But he doubts adding more nutritional choices, such as fruit juice or carrot sticks, would dissuade young customers from ordering the higher-calorie beverages.

"I don't think anybody's going to pass a law saying you have to be 18 to get into a Starbucks ... so I think it's just a phenomenon we're just going to live with," he said.

Thanks to Starbucks' exploding growth and popularity over the past 10 years, many young customers are essentially growing up with the stores. Starbucks currently has about 10,000 U.S. locations, and the company expects that number to eventually double.

John Huddleston, 9, gets a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino - a non-coffee beverage - every week or two. He has been a regular at the store since he was 7, but for now he snubs the caffeinated beverages.

"I don't like coffee that much," he said.

Melody Esteves, 13, visits Starbucks a few times a week, often with friends. The New York City resident said she has been a regular since she was 11, often opting for white chocolate mochas or flavored iced tea.

"The thing is addictive," she said of Starbucks.

Owens, the analyst, notes that Starbucks also has other challenges as more kids come to its stores, including the fact that Starbucks are meant to be seen as a "third place," between work and home, where adults can relax with a book, newspaper or laptop. That down time can be ruined by a loud group of teenagers or a passel of kids running around while their parents sip lattes.

Borrman said issues such as those are handled at the individual store level.

"Obviously it's of primary importance to us that all of our customers can enjoy our stores," he said.

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Starbucks rethinks stance on young customers

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For years Starbucks has insisted that it does not market to children, even as stroller traffic jams build outside some stores and teenagers pack others. Now the company is revising its stance on kids, acknowledging that the under-18 set has become part of the coffee chain's customer base.

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Advertising: how it influences children and teenagers

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The ability to spot advertising and understand how adverts work is an important life skill for kids and teens. You can help your child develop this skill.

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The German advertising industry, represented by the Central Association of the German Advertising Industry (ZAW), has tightened its voluntary rules of conduct for food advertising aimed at children. The revised code will come into force on 1 June.

Announcing the update, ZAW said the commitment - which applies to TV, radio, print and digital communications - would 'provide even more protection' for minors under the age of 14. The current rules apply only to children under 12. Within digital, the advertising body specified that the rules will cover 'cooperation with influencers', social networks and advertising on video platforms.

The new guidance, ZAW said, takes into account social developments as well as input from manufacturers, retailers and regulators. It does 'well beyond' the legal requirements, ZAW noted.

"The advertising industry takes responsibility: Because the world is constantly evolving, we are continuously revising the self-regulation both with regard to the area of application - from advertisements to influencers - as well as the need for protection of individual target groups," ​ noted ZAW President Andreas F. Schubert.

The move was hailed as a victory by Federal Minister of Food Julia Klöckner, with the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) suggesting that ZAW implemented changes to 'comply' with requests from Klöckner for stronger rules.

"For me there was no question that the rules of conduct must be tightened. What is important is that it happens quickly and effectively. Because advertising must not induce children to eat unhealthily. This applies to all channels - on television , on online platforms or social media. It was particularly important to me that the scope of protection be expanded. Therefore, it was overdue for the age limit to be raised to 14 years. Children are now significantly better protected, ​" Klöckner commented.

What's changed?

The rules have been strengthened on a number of fronts:

The age covered by the code has been raised from children under 12-years-old to those under 14, in line with the federal states' Youth Media Protection Treaty

The advertising of high fat, sugar and salt foods to children has been restricted by stopping positive nutritional properties, which may no longer be emphasised.

The scope of channels has been extended to include video sharing platforms and social media, including YouTube and TikTok.

Does this go far enough?

In what can be read as a warning shot across industry's bow, Klöckner stressed: "I expect the modified rules of conduct to be applied consistently in practice - we keep an eye on that." ​

The BMEL declined to rule out 'stricter state regulation' if the new rules 'prove inadequate'.

"Basically, the responsibility here lies with the federal states, they have to check the effectiveness of their existing regulations and, if necessary, readjust them. To this end, the Federal Minister calls on the federal states to consistently fulfil their responsibility in terms of media policy implementation and review." ​

But while Klöckner might be talking tough, campaigners - who have long critiqued what they characterise as an ineffective voluntary approach - were not impressed.

FoodWatch was particularly damning in its assessment. The consumer watchdog said that while advertising of HFSS foods aimed at children has been restricted, the marketing of unhealthy children's food is not prohibited per ce - and packaging is not included in the update.

FoodWatch expert Luise Molling explained: "Federal Minister Klöckner is deceiving the public by selling the marginal adaptation of a voluntary commitment as a big hit. Manufacturers of sugar bombs and greasy snacks can still legally advertise their products directly to children - contrary to the demands of the World Health Organization, medical associations and consumer advocates."

Indeed, FoodWatch noted, a report by the scientific advisory board of the Federal Ministry of Food showed that in countries with legal restrictions on child marketing, the consumption of junk food fell by 8.9% between 2002 and 2016. In countries with voluntary business commitments, consumption rose by 1.7% over the same period.

Molling concluded: "Voluntary self-regulation has been shown to be unsuitable for protecting children from abusive junk food advertising. Even Ms. Klöckner's own scientific advisory board therefore recommends legal restrictions on advertising aimed at children." ​

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Germany tightens rules on marketing food to children: 'Advertising must not induce children to eat unhealthily'

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The German advertising industry, represented by the Central Association of the German Advertising Industry (ZAW), has tightened its voluntary rules of conduct for food advertising aimed at children. The revised code will come into force on 1 June.

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Dr Mimi Tatlow-Golden is a lecturer in Developmental Psychology and Childhood Studies at The Open University (UK).
Children's food preferences, what foods they ask for, and how much they eat, are all affected by advertising and promotion of unhealthy foods and drinks - highly processed items that have little or no nutritional value. This is shown by research evidence that the World Health Organization has declared "unequivocal".

This advertising and promotion is a concern given the very high worldwide rates of children who are overweight or obese. In the UK, for example, nearly a third of children between the age of two and 15 years are overweight or obese. Obesity has been linked to 11 types of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes used to only affect adults, but are now increasingly seen in children and young people.

Action is needed

To address this global health challenge, United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization have called for urgent measures, including effective limits on food marketing to children and young people. However, few countries have policies limiting marketing of unhealthy food and drinks and even fewer have any limits at all on marketing to children in the digital sphere.

Targeted advertising in social media

In the new digital media landscape, children and young people are more vulnerable than they are to television advertising effects. This comes as a surprise to many parents who are not aware of the extent and nature of advertising in social media, and the ways it is spread through children's communities, because of the way digital media encourages children to engage with their advertising, and extracts data from them.

When children use digital media, they largely use sites aimed at mixed age audiences including social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. These platforms collect extensive personal data from their users to deliver targeted behavioural advertising. This is their primary business model. Accessing extensive data within social media, on each and every one of us, enables brands wishing to sell unhealthy items to target audiences with precision. They target those who are most interested in unhealthy items and therefore most vulnerable to its advertising effects. There is little, if any, regulation to protect children and young people, as the audiences on these platforms are predominantly adults. In this way, children's phones have become a gateway for junk food marketers.

The algorithms used by the major platforms - the way they select the ads and other content that their users see - give preference to ads that are less overt, and allow brands to sell ads to those users who look at their content for longer, thus bypassing any media literacy children might have and amplifying the power of practices in traditional media.

Digital marketing effect

Digital marketing for unhealthy food and drinks presents children with emotional, entertaining experiences and encourages them to share these with their friends. Brands, marketers and social media companies report that digital marketing (including for unhealthy food and drinks) amplifies the advertising seen in traditional media. Digital marketing achieves greater ad attention and recall, greater brand awareness and more positive brand attitudes, greater intent to purchase and higher product sales.

For children and young people vulnerable to its effects, unhealthy food marketing in digital media presents a heightened risk to their health and wellbeing, and therefore policymakers must prioritise regulations setting limits on the digital marketing of unhealthy food and drinks to children.

For examples of policies that restrict the advertising and promotion of unhealthy food, see our NOURISHING policy database - a free online tool with examples of implemented policies from around the world.

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How the media markets junk food to kids | WCRF International

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Dr Mimi Tatlow-Golden is a lecturer in Developmental Psychology and Childhood Studies at The Open University (UK). Children's food preferences, what foods they ask for, and how much they eat, are all affected by advertising and promotion of unhealthy foods and drinks - highly processed items that have little or no nutritional value.

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HOUSTON - A study looked at the top kid influencers on YouTube and found they're making millions of dollars to advertise unhealthy products to your kids.

In a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, they looked at 418 YouTube videos, 179 of the videos featured food and drinks which popped up almost 300 times in those videos.

Anyone searching for children and teen videos can easily be bombarded by social media stars playing with toys, fast food, coffee, etc.

Even though for decades, TV characters haven't been allowed to do things like this but there are no regulations for social media. For example, in one viral video of Jojo Siwa, she said she's eating 100 Happy Meals as part of a "challenge."

Your kids under 8-years-old, according to Dr. Lindy McGee from Harris Health System in Pasadena, are not developmentally able to recognize ads.

"For those kids, we really should be limiting their access to media and making sure that the media that they're absorbing is educational and ethical," Dr. McGee said.

For older children and teenagers, she said to set strict parental controls on social media accounts and teach them by pointing out ad placement (even if it doesn't look like a commercial), which isn't easy even for educated adults.

"Even when you spot it, it works, it works in adults! Adults know that it's going on, but we're influenced by social media influencers who are paid to get endorsements," Dr. McGee said.

This is dangerous to kids' health because Dr. McGee said adult diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes and liver disease are on the rise.

KPRC was not able to personally verify that these stars received endorsements for these videos.

Dr. McGee said policymakers should consider banning all kinds of product placement in any children's videos. Plus, she said laws need to be written that are flexible enough so when new media platforms pop up, it always remains against policy and unethical to advertise to children.

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'Kidfluencers' are targeting your children with junk food ads

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HOUSTON - A study looked at the top kid influencers on YouTube and found they're making millions of dollars to advertise unhealthy products to your kids. In a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, they looked at 418 YouTube videos, 179 of the videos featured food and drinks which popped up almost 300 times in those videos.

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Ethical Marketing to Children & Teens: Best Practices

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Explore ethical guidelines for marketing to children and teens, emphasizing transparency, age-appropriate content, and the importance of parental trust.

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In an era of diverse marketing and advertising platforms, entertainment and modern culture, children from all over the world are exposed to a great number of marketing and advertising activities.
Children represent a huge market for advertisers. In addition to the purchasing spend they represent and the influence they exert on their parents' shopping decisions, children who have not yet formed their tastes, desires and preferences become an ultimate target for advertisers and remain as such throughout adulthood.

Children today enjoy wide access to technology and marketing communications and it is evident that children are increasingly media literate. Due to their vulnerability, inexperience and lack of ability to critically reflect on the received information, advertisers should be especially diligent in protecting these young consumers from harmful, potentially deceptive and offensive information.

For example, marketing and advertising to the young generation must not encourage children to be involved in dangerous activities or undermine the authority of their parents. Therefore, advertisements must be regulated in terms of both the language and images they use and all the topics that might potentially cause negative effects on children must be excluded from both the programmes and the advertisements that might be watched by children.

Marketing communications need to be responsible and sensitive to children's needs and levels of understanding. The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communication Practice (www.codescentre.com) provides guidelines with respect to marketing communication addressed to children to ensure responsible marketing communications. The rules take into consideration the inexperience and credulity of children as well as the social and cultural values of society.

The Code advocates the basic principles that marketing communication should be legal, decent, honest and truthful and further delves into the aspect of data protection and privacy related specifically to children's personal information. These issues are covered in the general provisions of the Code as well as Chapter D which focuses on Digital Interactive Media.

One particular point of concern is childhood obesity. In the US, for example, children are exposed daily to more than sixty advertising messages of which about 50% are on food, and they are not necessarily prepared to understand the health risks associated to malnutrition. Hence, children become especially vulnerable to food marketing, and this leads to problems such as child obesity, which is growing alarmingly among this segment of the population, as well as other deceases connected to unhealthy eating habits.

To address these issues and help advertisers and marketers to comply with the principles of responsible marketing communication, ICC sets forth the Framework for Responsible Food and Beverage Marketing Communications setting out the principles for regulation of responsible food and beverage marketing communication related to children.

ICC encourages marketers and advertisers to follow these principles and meet their obligation towards responsible, honest and decent marketing communication to children.

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Marketing and Advertising to Children - ICC - International Chamber of Commerce

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In an era of diverse marketing and advertising platforms, entertainment and modern culture, children from all over the world are exposed to a great number of marketing and advertising activities. Children represent a huge market for advertisers.

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A complaint to the European Commission accuses TikTok of exposing users to inappropriate content.

Consumer group BEUC also alleges TikTok misleads people about how it uses their data.

"Given a large proportion of its users are children, this is even more concerning and dangerous," BEUC said.

TikTok breaches consumer rights and "fails to protect children from hidden advertising and inappropriate content," a consumer-rights group said in a complaint against the platform to the European Commission filed on Tuesday.

The BEUC, which styles itself as the European Consumer Organization, also claims TikTok is infringing EU law by misleading users in how it processes personal data, preventing young people from making informed decisions about their data rights under EU data rules.

"Given a large proportion of its users are children, this becomes even more concerning and dangerous," David Martín, senior legal officer at the BEUC said.

"We're concerned they're not respecting EU law on the consumer rights part but also we've found a lot of concerning around data protection rights and privacy."

It asked authorities to launch an investigation into the app, saying TikTok was failing to "prevent hidden advertising from proliferating on its platform" or limit children's exposure to it.

The consumer rights group also said the app's terms of service were not transparent.

The BEUC also raised concerns about multiple identifiers the app uses to track smartphones whenever people open it.

Hannah Smethurst, a Scottish data protection researcher, said the app's method of processing personal data was a concern.

She told Insider: "If you want to process personal data, for example, for providing personalized advertising, you need to fall within one of the six legal bases within the GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation].

"TikTok's privacy policy suggests it's relying on consent, but the standard for this is high - it needs to be freely given, sufficiently informed, genuine, explicit consent. It's about control."

Smethurst added: "TikTok know this is wrong. They've been fined $5.7 million by the US Federal Trade Commission and 168 million won ($168,000) by the Korea Communications Commission for how they handle children's data, and there's potentially an England-based challenge coming up. They don't seem to care."

Frederike Kaltheuner, who has previously worked at the Oxford Internet Institute and Privacy International, said BEUC's complaint was not surprising.

"If several terms in TikTok's Terms of Service are unfair and favor TikTok to the detriment of its users, this is something the company needs to change," she said.

"People love TikTok. This is about making sure the platform plays by the rules and doesn't expose people to invasive hidden advertising when they are just trying to get through lockdown and have fun."

TikTok is already under investigation by the European Data Protection Board (EPDB), with a taskforce from the European Union-affiliated body launched in June 2020.

The BEUC has written to the EPDB about its latest findings.

A TikTok spokesperson told Insider: "Keeping our community safe, especially our younger users, and complying with the laws where we operate are responsibilities we take incredibly seriously.

"Every day we work hard to protect our community which is why we have taken a range of major steps, including making all accounts belonging to users under 16 private by default.

"We've also developed an in-app summary of our Privacy Policy with vocabulary and a tone of voice that makes it easier for teens to understand our approach to privacy.

The spokesperson added: "We have contacted BEUC as we would welcome a meeting to listen to their concerns."

The BEUC's Martin confirmed TikTok had contacted them. "We will be happy to hear what they say, but really they should start with reading everything we have put out," he said.

"The reaction so far is not really addressing most of the issues we are putting on the table."

Martin added: "There are already several investigations ongoing. We're happy to hear them out, and happy to see they want to improve, but really their focus should be on getting in touch with the authorities at this stage."

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TikTok breaches users' rights and fails to protect children from hidden advertising, according to a consumer group's complaint to the EU

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A complaint to the European Commission accuses TikTok of exposing users to inappropriate content. Consumer group BEUC also alleges TikTok misleads people about how it uses their data. "Given a large proportion of its users are children, this is even more concerning and dangerous," BEUC said.

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Even during tough times, parents need to continue to purchase "essentials" for their babies and children, but they may cut back on non-essential items. If you want to start a business that caters to parent consumers, you should stay away from novelty baby items until the economy is stronger. If you are already in business and sales are slumping, consider changing your products or services to roll with the (hard) times.

Sell What People Need

Solid business ideas are timeless business ideas. They encompass product ideas that cover need or constant demand. For children, this includes quality clothing, educational games, books, music, art projects, and books. Keep in mind, though, that what particular products are selling better at any given time may change with trends. "Enrichment" products, in general, are always popular among affluent parents. For babies, "essentials" are timeless: diaper bags, burping pads, and crib bedding. These are things parents need and would ordinarily purchase for a new baby.

Create a Gold Standard

Novelty items may sell for a while, but consumer fads are unpredictable and cannot sustain a business long-term. Finding a niche and keeping up with trends is important, but even more important is to have a "gold standard" product line built on slow and steady sales that will last the lifetime of your business.

For example, think Lenox China. They set trends and have made a fortune on selling fads and novelties to the affluent (they even provide new china to the White House for every new president), but their gold standard of basic quality dinnerware has made Lenox one of the oldest and most profitable China businesses in the world.

What Parents Are Buying

When families are cash-poor, parents are more likely to invest in educational toys, books, games, and interactive toys than they are flash-in-the-pan toy items. Parents who are strapped for cash want to feel as though they have contributed something to the child's well-being, rather than just to their toy box.

Family spending cuts have led to a decline in travel and going to movies, amusement parks, and dinners out. How can you fill this void? Do you have a game or service to help families spend more time together at home? To learn about other cultures or in some way emulate the experiences they are not getting through travel?

In good times, purchases are often seen and felt like rewards. These purchases can feel like "you deserve it." In tough times, purchases seem more like sacrifices, more along the lines of "I really shouldn't."

This is not an economy where you should be asking "How can I sell a gimmick to parents?" Instead, you should be asking yourself "How can I convince the market that my product will add value to someone's life?" and "Why should a parent not feel guilty spending money on my product when they cannot set aside college savings?"

If you can answer that question for parents in your advertising and marketing campaigns, your sales are likely to pick up.

Change in Product Liability Laws

For the most part, product liability laws are governed at the state level, and your state may require you to obtain special permits and liability insurance to sell children's products. However, recently, the US Supreme Court has ruled that federal law preempts state law. Before you start selling children's items, be sure to read about the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. The law, enacted in 2009, requires certain hand-made items intended for children under age 12 to be tested.

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Even during tough times, parents need to continue to purchase "essentials" for their babies and children, but they may cut back on non-essential items. If you want to start a business that caters to parent consumers, you should stay away from novelty baby items until the economy is stronger.

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NOTE: The FTC hosted an IN-PERSON press conference at FTC Headquarters on September 4. Participants included FTC Chairman Joe Simons and Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection Andrew Smith. The news conference was also webcast; view archival video here.
Google LLC and its subsidiary YouTube, LLC will pay a record $170 million to settle allegations by the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General that the YouTube video sharing service illegally collected personal information from children without their parents' consent.

The settlement requires Google and YouTube to pay $136 million to the FTC and $34 million to New York for allegedly violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule. The $136 million penalty is by far the largest amount the FTC has ever obtained in a COPPA case since Congress enacted the law in 1998.

In a complaint filed against the companies, the FTC and New York Attorney General allege that YouTube violated the COPPA Rule by collecting personal information-in the form of persistent identifiers that are used to track users across the Internet-from viewers of child-directed channels, without first notifying parents and getting their consent. YouTube earned millions of dollars by using the identifiers, commonly known as cookies, to deliver targeted ads to viewers of these channels, according to the complaint.

The COPPA Rule requires that child-directed websites and online services provide notice of their information practices and obtain parental consent prior to collecting personal information from children under 13, including the use of persistent identifiers to track a user's Internet browsing habits for targeted advertising. In addition, third parties, such as advertising networks, are also subject to COPPA where they have actual knowledge they are collecting personal information directly from users of child-directed websites and online services.

"YouTube touted its popularity with children to prospective corporate clients," said FTC Chairman Joe Simons. "Yet when it came to complying with COPPA, the company refused to acknowledge that portions of its platform were clearly directed to kids. There's no excuse for YouTube's violations of the law."

The YouTube platform allows Google account holders, including large commercial entities, to create "channels" to display their content. According to the complaint, eligible channel owners can choose to monetize their channel by allowing YouTube to serve behaviorally targeted advertisements, which generates revenue for both the channel owners and YouTube.

In the complaint, the FTC and New York Attorney General allege that while YouTube claimed to be a general-audience site, some of YouTube's individual channels-such as those operated by toy companies-are child-directed and therefore must comply with COPPA.

The complaint notes that the defendants knew that the YouTube platform had numerous child-directed channels. YouTube marketed itself as a top destination for kids in presentations to the makers of popular children's products and brands. For example, Google and YouTube told Mattel, maker of Barbie and Monster High toys, that "YouTube is today's leader in reaching children age 6-11 against top TV channels" and told Hasbro, which makes My Little Pony and Play-Doh, that YouTube is the "#1 website regularly visited by kids."
Settlement with the FTC
Several channel owners told YouTube and Google that their channels' content was directed to children, and in other instances YouTube's own content rating system identified content as directed to children. In addition, according to the complaint, YouTube manually reviewed children's content from its YouTube platform to feature in its YouTube Kids app. Despite this knowledge of channels directed to children on the YouTube platform, YouTube served targeted advertisements on these channels. According to the complaint, it even told one advertising company that it did not have users younger than 13 on its platform and therefore channels on its platform did not need to comply with COPPA.

In addition to the monetary penalty, the proposed settlement requires Google and YouTube to develop, implement, and maintain a system that permits channel owners to identify their child-directed content on the YouTube platform so that YouTube can ensure it is complying with COPPA. In addition, the companies must notify channel owners that their child-directed content may be subject to the COPPA Rule's obligations and provide annual training about complying with COPPA for employees who deal with YouTube channel owners.

The settlement also prohibits Google and YouTube from violating the COPPA Rule, and requires them to provide notice about their data collection practices and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children.

The Commission voted 3-2 to authorize the complaint and stipulated final orderto be filed. Chairman Simons and Commissioner Christine S. Wilson issued a statement on this matter, while Commissioners Noah Joshua Phillips, Rohit Chopra, and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter issued separate statements.

The complaint and proposed consent decree were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. NOTE: The Commission authorizes the filing of a complaint when it has "reason to believe" that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Consent decrees have the force of law when approved and signed by the district court judge.

The FTC would like to thank the coalition of consumer groups represented by Georgetown University's Institute for Public Representation that filed a petition providing valuable information on this matter.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

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Google and YouTube Will Pay Record $170 Million for Alleged Violations of Children's Privacy Law

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NOTE: The FTC hosted an IN-PERSON press conference at FTC Headquarters on September 4. Participants included FTC Chairman Joe Simons and Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection Andrew Smith. The news conference was also webcast; view archival video here.

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Jie Liu - W8 marketing to young consumer.

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Jie Liu - W8 marketing to young consumer.

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The PBS television show Teletubbies targets toddlers so young many of them can't stand on their own two feet or pronounce their own names, still less walk to the neighborhood store and order a specific product. But that doesn't discourage advertisers. Both Burger King and McDonald's have taken turns underwriting the show, and the latter company has distributed plush Teletubby toys to kids through its Happy Meals.

In the U.K., meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline recently sponsored publication of children's book-aimed at kids on slightly older than those who watch Teletubbies-that promoted the use of anti-allergy products. The book, part of the popular Mr. Men series, tells the story of Mr. Sneeze and His Allergies and includes nine pages of story, four pages of allergy advice from the charity Allergy UK, and two pages of information about GSK products Piriton and Piriteze.

Muriel Simmonds, who chairs Allergy UK, says, "Mr Sneeze is the perfect way to help children understand their allergies, and the information at the back will help to reassure parents about some of the suitable treatments available."

Saatchi & Saatchi, one of a growing number of advertising firms with a dedicated youth marketing division, recently hired cultural anthropologists to observe teenage for 50-hour stretches in their native habitats to better understand the way they use media and technology.

Reebok, meanwhile, is building a new marketing campaign around young basketball phenom Mark Walker. How young? Walker is three years old. There's a TV spot, and other clips can be accessed at Reebok's website.

Says Slate's Rob Walker (no relation), "A three-year-old saying 'I am Reebok' strikes me as just about the creepiest and most disheartening image that a company could possibly offer to society. But I suspect that many viewers will have a different reaction-more along the lines of, 'I want in on that. My boy can be Reebok, too.'"

Kids are hot.

Marketers are devoting more time and money to reaching the youth market than ever before, and they're targeting younger and younger kids with ads for an ever-increasing portfolio of products-cars, vacation destinations, financial services products, as well as the traditional candies and games and movies.

The bombardment of commercial messages is turning teens and into the most sophisticated and skeptical consumers in the world, resistant to conventional advertising.

At the same time, all this activity is attracting the attention of children's advocates, who are concerned about defending younger consumers from violent entertainment, bad nutrition, and the pervasive and pernicious influence of commercialism in general.

That creates a double challenge for marketers, who must craft campaigns that don't trigger the hypersensitive bullshit detector deployed by most young consumers while remaining sensitive to the concerns of parents and others worried that vulnerable young minds are being warped by underhanded and manipulative marketing techniques.

How come kids are suddenly so popular?

"Almost every aspect of today's tween-ager is different from what we have seen among past generations," says Martin Lindstrom, author of Brand Child. "They've grown up faster, are more connected, more direct and more informed. They have more personal power, more money, influence and attention than any other generation before them.

"No other generation has ever had as much disposable income as this one. So it's no coincidence that this emerging generation has become powerful enough to have a specific allotment in every marketing director's budget."

Industry spending on advertising to children alone has exploded in the past decade, says Wendy Watson, leader of the youth marketing practice at Porter Novelli in Los Angeles, up from $100 million in 1990 to well over $2 billion today.

"Today's kids have more autonomy and decision-making power within the family than ever before," says Watson, who says teen spending is up 60 percent in the past five years, despite the recession. "Parents are willing to buy more for their kids because of trends such as smaller family size, dual incomes and the postponement of children until later in life, which translates to families having more disposable income."

At the same time, she says, kids are able to buy more stuff for themselves, not only because they have more money, but because they can do so online, "without having to ask mom or dad for a ride to the mall." Kids spent a staggering $1.3 billion online last year, with boys twice as likely to buy over the Internet as girls

And they're not just buying entertainment products.

"More companies are expanding their product lines to appeal to teens," says Doug Dome, president of Chicago-based Dome Communications, which includes a youth marketing practice called Dome Drive. Pottery Barn and Ethan Allen, for example, are now making furniture specifically for teenagers' rooms.

"Pottery Barn has a catalog for teens called PB that's smartly 'disguised' as a glossy magazine. The furniture is cool. But more important, Pottery Barn shows teens it understands them. It's telling teens: We know your bedroom is your sanctuary. We know you're more involved when it comes to decorating and protecting your room; you're outgrowing Hello Kitty and superheroes. We know you don't want your mom's sofa; you want your own sofa."

The health and beauty category is also targeting teens. Helene Curtis, the cosmetics company, is introducing Suave for Kids shampoo in Orange-Splash and Cherry Blast flavors. Other products courting the lucrative teen market include cell phones, mp3 players, computers, hotels and vacation destinations, and even banks and automakers.

"There has been a notable rise in teen-targeted marketing of health and beauty products, which have become huge across both genders, particularly with the recent crop of male styling and grooming products," Watson says. "It's interesting to note that the average teen boy takes as much time getting ready for school as do today's teen girls."

But it's not just teens who are attracting the attention of today's marketers.

"In the 1960s, consumer behavior was seen as starting at age 12," says James McNeal, an academic who has been promoting youth marketing for 30 years. "Our data shows the median age of when children begin influencing parents' choices is 24 months. A child will be in a grocery store and say, 'Tony Tiger, Tony Tiger,' and Mom just delights in loading the shopping cart down. Children are very central decision-makers."

That's probably the biggest reason for targeting kids. While many marketers hope that kids will develop loyalty to products even before they are able to purchase them they recognize that even if they can't make purchases themselves, kids of all ages are influencing the decisions their parents make. They have an influence on all kinds of family purchases.

"Teens today are influencing their parents' spending more than ever before for several reasons," says Dome. "First, teens are marketed to more than ever before, so they are learning about, making connections to, and making decisions about brands at an earlier age. Second, teens feel entitled and are more vocal today about what they want than teens in the past. Whether it's accompanying their parents to the store and asking for a product, encouraging parents to buy a brand they prefer, or asking for gifts, today's teens aren't shy."

In a 2003 survey, RoperASW found agreement among children and their parents that tweens are influencing more and more purchasing decisions. More than four out of five parents (84 percent) and almost as many kids (78 percent) say 8-17 year olds have some influence over food purchases. More than two-thirds say kids have influence over DVD and music purchases. But kids also have influence over which cable or satellite TV service their parents choose, consumer electronics, and even, in about one out of every four households, over home décor.

"Purchasing clout among today's kids has expanded beyond the traditional borders of snack food and video games," says Ed Keller, CEO of RoperASW. "We are beginning to see children as young as eight having an impact on new, more sophisticated areas like home design."

All of this activity has changed the way teenagers in particular relate to brands.

"Brands have become an integral part of the way tweens define themselves," says Brand Child author Lindstrom. "It's the way they express who are they are at home, at school, at parties and even on the Net. Tweens are the most brand-conscious generation yet. Our numbers reveal that it is far more important to wear the right label than it is to wear the right clothes. It is largely through their choice of brands that tweens distinguish themselves from one another."

How do you reach such a skeptical bunch?

"Schoolteachers of the 1970s and 80s spent a fair amount of energy teaching children to be critical of media messages, and how to be sensible consumers," says Lindstrom. "These lessons are now irrelevant. The message filter that most of us did not possess, but had to develop from scratch, is an integral part of the tweens' world.... Tweens have the ability to sift through the cornucopia of ads without appearing to so much as notice them.

"Whether it's a banner ad on the Internet, a jingle on the radio, or a commercial on television, they have the situation under control. They're aware of the intention of the communication, and more importantly they're aware of the downsides."

They are resistant to advertising and sensitive to attempt to manipulate them, but they still want cool products and they are still prepared to give their loyalty to brands that seem authentic.

When it comes to marketing, "teens are not so much as skeptical as they are sophisticated," says Dome. "They see thousands of ads in a given day. They don't know life without ad bombardment. They know what marketing is and when they are marketed to. As a result, they tend to ignore or see through most marketing."

And they are particularly resistant to mass media advertising.

"There is definitely a rising immunity to traditional media among this audience," says Watson, who cites a survey conducted by Yankelovich on behalf of Nickelodeon showing that only 50 percent of kids trust TV reporters, 37 percent trust ads in magazines, 30 percent trust radio ads, and a mere 25 percent believe what they see on TV ads.

For that reason, "You can't work through traditional media," says Alan Rambam, who heads the youth marketing practice at Fleishman-Hillard. Rambam's credentials include work in the Clinton White House, heading a campaign against youth violence, and founding his own youth-oriented non-profit, Shine. "They're not reading newspapers; they're not watching television. What works is anything experiential. We have to integrate products into their lives. And we have to be interactive. Television and radio are passive media. The Internet is their medium."

But of course the message is as important as the medium, and the message has to be right not only in content but also in tone.

"On the one hand, marketers are taking this age group seriously, very seriously, because they know that if you grab the youth, you grab the future," says Ryan Peal, a youth marketing expert at Hill & Knowlton. "On the other hand, a lot of youth marketers only pay lip service. They don't really listen to young people, because they don't really tune in to their soft spots.

"The situation gets even worse when those marketers are thirtysomethings who still feel young themselves and have the arrogance to think that they sill are automatically tuned into what moves young and cool people. If they aren't out and about and really living and breathing this new generation they will be way off their mark with their efforts."

The key to reaching the skeptical youth marketplace, says Watson is to use the 4 Ps: peer-to-peer communication (word of mouth); the power of the web ("word of mouse"); pop culture (working with or through celebrities); and parents.

"Peer-to-peer communication works because it's credible, it's authentic," says Rambam. But he warns that picking the right messenger is not as easy as it looks. "There's a misperception that you need to focus on the influencers, but the cheerleaders and the football players are so concerned about holding on to their status they don't have time to be advocates for your brand. The advocates will vary from product to product. It might be the gamers, but in other groups there are other influencers. You have to know who they are and where you can reach them."

Lindstrom's research, conducted with Millward Brown, identifies four distinct groups of tweens:
 Edges: Independent, rebellious tweens who don't necessarily see themselves as being on the cutting edge. They're anti-fashion and supposedly anti-brand, but they often identify with brands that reflect their rebellious nature.
 Persuaders: The most popular tweens, their decisions are adopted by the group. This is the group marketers are targeting, because they are speedy adopters of new trends. They are conscious of style and substantially more mainstream than the edges.
 Followers: This group represents the mainstream and forms the bulk of today's tweens. They're never the first to try anything. Their self-esteem is not particularly high and they don't consider themselves cool.
 Reflexives: Outsiders who try to increase popularity and acceptance among their peers, generally without much success. They rarely pick up fashion tends and don't go out much.

Each group, not surprisingly, has its own peers. They are likely to adopt new products at a different pace and to be persuaded by a different set of influencers. But in each case they are more likely to respond to other young people than to traditional thought-leaders.

"This is a no-bullshit generation," says Lindstrom. "Tweens put a premium on straight talk and are drawn to brands that display utter confidence and offer full-on accountability.

"Forget the authoritative 'experts' who persuaded the tweens' parents," he advises. "This group won't believe a word they say. In short, tweens insist on drawing their own conclusions, whether about brands, music, film, games, or social choice. Bear in mind the many anti-smoking and anti-alcohol campaigns waged across the globe that get the thumbs-down because they merely dictate a particular opinion. They fail because they do not leave room for tweens to reach their own conclusions. Rather, they tell them what opinion to have-an approach to which tweens simply don't respond."

Authenticity is vital.

"It's important to know that teens are sophisticated when it comes to marketing," says Dome. "You can't trick them. Instead you need to create an emotional but respectful connection with them. The key is to speak to them in an authentic voice. If you can show that your brand embraces teen values, you will earn a place in their world."

As an example, Dome points to Interface FLOR, which makes modular carpet squares, and has traditionally targeted businesses and adults. But the company "recognized teens today have become more sophisticated about their environs and opened a new revenue stream when young, hip designer Todd Oldham used their product on MTV as a decorating idea."

Another example, he says, is PlayStation's presence at popular spring break locations, sponsoring events and offering interactive attractions that resonate well with teens. "PlayStation is going where the teens are...on their turf. They know they'll be looking for something cool to do, and respond to free fun."

While effective peer-to-peer communication can take place face-to-face, more and more of it is occurring over the Internet. Many kids are influenced by others they have never even met, except online. They gather in chat rooms devoted to common interests, or they instant message each other while playing games online.

"The fact that teens have grown up 'digital' has a significant impact," says Dome. "They're spending more time online than watching TV. Therefore, most marketing to teens has some type of online component. And because a lot of teens are online, it's an efficient and easy way for marketers to reach them. Your best bet for reaching teens is through a way they communicate to their friends, like e-mail and instant messaging,.

Dome also suggests "venturing into arenas where teens are not beaten over the head with advertising." Product placement on television is one increasingly popular vehicle; ads in video games are also becoming more common.

Pop culture, of course, remains immensely powerful.

"Teens look for honesty and tangible information in marketing materials," says Tina Vennegaard, a youth marketing expert at Golin/Harris. "As a result, our business has changed. Marketers need to be straightforward, provide useful information, and let young consumers experience the product for themselves. Or we need to work through people they trust: their peers and celebrities. We're online, we're doing peer-to-peer marketing, we're using celebrities more than ever and we're not doing the hard-sell, because we know they don't respond to that."

For the firm's largest client, Nintendo, Vennegaard and her team implemented a celebrity and entertainment industry outreach program that includes participation in awards shows, celebrity parties, and movie sponsorships. The campaign has aligned the Nintendo brand with teen influencers such as Mark McGrath, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and The Osbornes and has generated coverage in outlets such as MTV, Extra, Access Hollywood, People, and Teen People. The firm has also placed product on MTV's TRL and other shows.

Says Vennegaard, "Rather than a 'hard sell,' we align our brand with MTV-a brand teens trust and identify with-and, in turn, gain their trust and peer endorsements through the audience's excitement."

But Alan Rambam warns that companies looking to reach kids through pop culture need to do more than simply attach their name to a favorite artist.

"Music is overdone," he says. "But it's a passion point for young people, if you can cut through the clutter. It's not enough to sponsor a concert. You have to find some way to make yourself part of the experience. Rather than just putting your name up there, you might make the event interactive by saying, 'If you want to vote on what the next song should be, text message Cingular right now.'"

As for parents, "they have more power than you think," says Watson. "With children eight to 12, parents serve as the first line of defense, acting as gatekeepers in categories such as health and beauty, food, toys, and games and entertainment." A recent Harris poll found that 72 percent of kids ages 8 to 12 tell their parents about all their purchases.

"Annually, moms and dads hold top spots on kid's hero lists," says Watson. "Even as children grow into adulthood, parents still play a role in their children's buying habits. With more than half of all 21-year-olds still living at home with their baby boomer parents, research is showing a boomerang reaction in the purchasing influence between parents and their children. Parents are exposing their children to classic movies, music and TV."

There's a fifth way to reach kids, and that's to appeal to their idealism, to find a cause they identify with an make a commitment to it. Today's kids "do not want to change the world," says Peal. Their idealism is tempered with pragmatism. But that doesn't mean they don't want to make a difference. For example, Four out of five kids in markets as diverse as the United States, Germany, Spain, Brazil, China, Japan and India believe products that are bad for the environment should be totally banned, according to the BrandChild survey. Just 5.5 percent disagree.

"This is a cause generation," says Rambam. "They don't vote but they do get involved. They have non-traditional ways of making a difference. And you have to find causes that are personal to them: diversity and respect are big issues. They are most interested in issues that affect their lives today, not 10 or 20 years from now."

A survey by Porter Novelli, for example, found a tremendous interest in eliminating hate crimes and racism, as well addressing the epidemic of school violence.

"Through our work with leading youth-oriented nonprofit organizations and companies, we have found that teens today want to know how companies are supporting causes and do leverage their purchasing power to impact the issues they care about," says Nikki Korn, vice president in the cause branding practice of Boston-based Cone.

"Companies looking to build or strengthen their relationships with the youth market can gain a competitive edge by supporting causes that resonate with teens. Over the years, we have found that when companies support causes that resonate with teens, they can strengthen their relationship with that audience who represent current or future customers for many corporations and also future employees."

In fact, according to a 2000 Cone/Roper Cause-Related Teen Survey, when price and quality were equal, 89 percent of teens said they would be likely to switch brands to one associated with a good cause.

"In today's highly competitive youth marketplace, aligning with causes is no longer a nice-to-do for marketers but a must do. Companies are recognizing the values and intrinsic needs of the teen market to remain competitive in the future. However, this commitment must be genuine. Teens will recognize if programs or initiatives are not sincere and/or substantive."

Korn points to a 10-year-old program run by the Taco Bell Foundation in partnership with The Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Through its TeenSupreme program, the Taco Bell Foundation supports a comprehensive teen development program preparing teens for college and the workforce. TeenSupreme connects 14-18 year-olds with caring mentors and peers to enhance their academic and leadership skills, explore careers, and serve the community.

Similarly, Chevrolet, through a partnership with S.A.V.E. (Students Against Violence Everywhere) and select local grant making, has become one of the country's leaders in addressing the issue of school violence prevention. Chevrolet's program, Chevy R.O.C.K. (Reaching Out to Community and Kids), reaches middle and high-school students with a powerful and relevant message about school safety and the important role students play teaching one another about conflict resolution, teamwork and community service. Chevrolet has helped S.A.V.E. grow nationwide increasing the number of S.A.V.E. chapters by 78 percent and student membership by 58 percent, Korn says.

But the key to a successful cause-related marketing program that targets teens is the same as the key to any successful cause-related program: a genuine commitment (rather than one that is merely skin-deep) and complete transparency.

Says Lindstrom, "Tweens like their brands to be transparent. They want them to incorporate a worldview that represents a responsible corporate attitude to society. Our research confirms that brands need to do more than talk the talk. If their walk contradicts their talk, they will be instantly rejected by the tween generation.

"Previous generations might have bought brand promises that were never delivered. This generation will not. A brand has to deliver on every promise it makes. There are no acceptable excuses. It's almost as if advertising has become self-regulating.... This form of regulation achieves results no formal rules or censure would obtain."

Are we warping their innocent little minds?

According to the Center for a New American Dream, babies as young as six months can form mental images of corporate logos and mascots. Studies show that children begin asking for brand-name products as early as 18 months old. By age 2, half of all kids show a preference for specific brands and by the time children head off to school most can recognize hundreds of brands.

A recent survey in Britain suggested that toddlers are increasingly leading a lifestyle once associated only with moody adolescents. The survey, conducted by Mother & Baby magazine, found that by age three, 42 percent of youngsters have a television in their own room and 50 percent have a CD player. The average toddler spends more than two hours a day watching TV.

Two thirds of mothers said they bought designer clothes for their toddlers and more than a quarter of the little consumers "choose their own haircut. "Today's toddlers act like little teenagers-they've been there, done it and got the T-shirt-but they miss out on good old-fashioned, imaginative fun," says Karen Pasquali Jones, editor of Mother & Baby.

"Many marketers establish consumer loyalty to their brand by appealing to potential customers at a very early age," says Dome. "Doing so allows marketers to create a bond that could last years down the line. However, marketing to very young children-seven years and younger-is questionable at best and unethical at worse because kids that young are vulnerable and cannot tell the difference between the commercials and shows they watch."

If toddlers are acting like teenagers, many parents and activist groups are worried that teenagers are being encouraged to act like adults. Some complain about ads for fashion and beauty products that appeal to tweens with images of sexuality. Others believe entertainment products in particular target teens in inappropriate ways. A recent study by the Federal Trade Commission found that 80 percent of R-rated movies, 70 percent of mature video games, and all 55 music recordings with explicit content labels were marketed to children under 17.

Others are concerned that, regardless of content, the commercial bombardment is a bad thing. They point to surveys showing that kids are feeling pressures previous generations did not have to deal with. Almost three out of four (74 percent) worry that advertising causes trouble between kids and their parents, according to a new study by the Center for a New American Dream, while almost two-thirds (63 percent) express concern that there is too much advertising that tries to get kids to buy things.

Dome echoes those concerns when he says, "All you have to do is look at the nature of advertising to know that it's unethical to market to young kids. Advertising sells angst. It tells you you're not thin enough, you're not strong enough, you're not young enough, you're not old enough, and you're not rich enough. It keeps you longing for stuff that's supposed to fill the gaps and get you 'there,' but never does. Until you're able to know an ad when you see one, it only breeds insecurity, loneliness and fear."

Last year, consumer activists gathered in New York to protest the Golden Marble awards, an advertising competition that honors ads aimed at children. Says Susan Linn, a Harvard Medical School psychologist and assistant director of the media center at the Judge Baker Children's Center at Children's Hospital, "It is appalling to us that creativity is being rewarded in the service of manipulating children for profit. We hope this is the beginning of a cohesive national movement to challenge this."

Linn points out that many winners of the awards-companies like Hostess pastries, Oreo cookies, Pepsi, McDonald's, Burger King, Post and Kellogg's cereals-are among those responsible for the growing childhood obesity epidemic.

These are concerns marketers need to be aware of, and address.

"Marketing to kids places a huge responsibility on you," says Lindstrom. "You're being closely watched by parents, who will not hesitate to criticize anything they consider wrong. So if you fail to maintain an ethical approach, it will soon come to light. And that will undermine the freedom of access that is granted in most countries across the globe. We need to earn and maintain the trust of both tweens and their parents."

If marketers don't, there's a very real possibility that they will lose permission to market to kids. (If not in the U.S., where there's a preference for self-policing rather than government regulation, then certainly overseas. Six European Union countries-Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Norway and Italy-are working to ban advertising to children under 12 throughout the EU.)

"There is a growing concern about the over-commercialization of our life world in general," says Peal. "This concern deepens when it comes to kids. You have to be very careful: open and honest in your communication, and also making sure that you are ' giving back' things to the community you tap into. If you don't-and people discover it, as they very often do-you will be crucified in the contemporary cultural climate."

Are we poisoning their healthy little bodies?

A report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest says food makers are increasingly using powerful advertising techniques to market unhealthy foods to America's youth. "Parents are fighting a losing battle against food manufacturers and fast-food restaurants, which use aggressive and sophisticated techniques to get into children's heads and prompt them to pester their parents to purchase the company's products," says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center. "Kids are exposed to a relentless barrage of marketing from morning until night, wherever they go, or whatever they do."

In fact, about half of all advertising aimed at kids is for food, according to Wootan, and four out of five of those ads are for sugary cereals, soft drinks, fast food or salty snacks, she says. She's particularly troubled by advertising to kids ages 8 and under. "They don't necessarily know the difference between the show and the ad," she says. "They also don't recognize that someone is trying to sell them something. Or that someone might exaggerate. They think Michael Jordan really does eat Big Macs all the time."

Meanwhile, the activist group Consumer Alert has called on Sesame Workshop, which produces the children's television show Sesame Street, to drop McDonald's as a sponsor. In a letter to Sesame Workshop, the group asks, "Is it really the proper role of Sesame Street to seduce young children to nag their parents to take them to McDonald's? Should you not promote healthful eating habits rather than junk-food eating habits?"

And public interest attorney Stephen Joseph has called for a ban on the sale of Oreo cookies to children in California. Joseph says partially hydrogenated oil -the stuff that makes the chocolate cookies crisp and their filling creamy-is so dangerous children shouldn't eat it. He also criticizes that Nabiscoworld website, which includes games for children, including the Oreo On-line Project, which involves stacking Oreos as high as possible without toppling the tower. In 2002, more than 326 schools and classes around the country participated, according to the site.

The CSPI would like to see restrictions placed on the advertising of food products-particularly those of dubious nutritional value-to you children.

Mike Diegel, director of communications for Grocery Manufacturers of America, said CSPI was doing a "disservice to parents" by "offering a simplistic solution to a complex problem." The trade group, like most food companies, says lack of exercise is the main cause of the obesity epidemic, and suggests the issue is one of personal responsibility rather than corporate responsibility.

The GMA and other groups have launched an initiative designed to encourage more exercise-funding athletic programs in schools, for example-but critics say the food industry is sending out mixed messages. The CSPI, for example, has criticized Kraft Foods for a game the company's website in which players' "health" is restored when they capture golden cookie jars. "The nutrition education website for kids that Kraft funds with other food companies, Kidnetic.com, pales in comparison," Wootan says "Its games encourage children to do pushups and jumping jacks in front of their computer."

As for the idea that parents should be responsible for sharing healthy eating messages with their kids, that's fine in principal, say critics, but food companies don't exactly make it easy.

According to Kelly Brownell, chairman of the philosophy department at Yale and director of the university's Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, "The average American child sees 10,000 food advertisements a year on TV alone. This is 10,000 engaging, colorful messages, almost all of which are aimed at encouraging children to eat unhealthful foods.

"Let's say you're a parent. You eat every meal of the year with your child, and at every one of those meals you deliver a persuasive nutritional message. You don't have Michael Jordan on your side, because McDonald's has him. You don't have Shaquille O'Neal on your side, because Burger King has him. And you don't have Britney Spears on your side, because Pepsi has her.

"At the end of the year, that's 1,000 messages for you and 10,000 messages for them. And they have all the brilliance of Madison Avenue on their side."

Should schools be a safe haven from marketers?

"Schools used to be a place where children were protected from marketing messages that permeated their world,". "Today, marketers see the school setting as an opportunity to deliver a captive audience in an environment that brings with it an implied endorsement of teachers and the educational system. Marketers have permeated the schools through educational materials, donated technology, exclusive deals with food companies, advertisements in classrooms and on buses, contests, school event sponsorships, and the list goes on."

Yearbooks and textbook covers have ads. And schools needing money have allowed corporate sponsors to donate computers, install vending machines and advertise on the football fields. And then there are companies like Planet Gruv that have a more subtle approach: marketing to kids at high school events. Plant Gruv brings a cool concert to teens with state-of-the-art sound, lights, video screens and DJs. But it's sponsored by several advertisers looking to reach a captive teen audience.

Says Dome, "The issue of marketing in schools raises many hotly debated questions. How much corporate involvement should be allowed in schools? What kind of marketing crosses the ethical line from informing teens to manipulating and exploiting them as consumers? Who controls public education and who decides what information and what values are communicated? What are students' rights and who, if anyone, has the right to market in public schools, and what exactly do they have the right to market?"

Different marketers are likely to give different answers to those questions-and children's advocates are likely to give even more different answers-but there is a broad consensus that some kids are too young.

"We tend to say be very, very careful here," says Peal. "Never underestimate the intense anger of parents when you touch their kids with the slightest suggestion of malicious intentions."

Vennegaard says she's not comfortable with marketing to kids in grammar school, but "once you get into high school and college, certainly these kids can think and make purchase decisions for themselves and we've designed some very successful initiatives for Nintendo over the years."

For example, Golin/Harris works with the game company to provide product to 100 high schools throughout the country for journalism students to review in high school newspapers. The firm works directly with the high school advisors to ensure this program will help students build valuable journalism and writing skills while giving them the opportunity to write about topics interesting and exciting to the students.

More recently, Nintendo hosted its first ever Nintendo College Media Day, bringing college journalists to tour Nintendo headquarters and get an exclusive inside look at upcoming Nintendo titles. "The students were very excited to have the opportunity to meet with Nintendo representatives to get a sneak peek," says Vennegarrd.

But soft drink companies Coca-Cola and Pepsi have come under fire for placing vending machines in school. The companies get the opportunity to reach a young, captive audience, building brand loyalty at an early age. The schools, typically, get a share of the profits that they can use to buy educational materials and sports equipment.

"Around the nation, there isn't a whole lot of people who are willing to come in and put money toward education," says Jim DiCella, assistant supervisor of an Arizona school district. Arizona has been debating whether to reject soft drinks machines, a decision already taken by schools in Los Angeles and New York. "This is one way to get it."

But Alex Molnar, an Arizona State University professor who studies commercialism in schools, calls soft-drink sales "dirty money" because a school's financial gain comes at a cost to student health.

In November, Coca-Cola responded by published new guidelines for its relationships with schools. Company officials say the company discourages selling soft drinks to elementary students during the day, and encourages schools to offer water, sports drinks and fruit juice in their vending machines. Pepsi, meanwhile, says it does not sell soft drinks to elementary students and discourages large up-front payments to schools.

But most in-school programs exist within a moral grey area. Are efforts to encourage attendance or achievement to be discouraged if they are sponsored by companies whose products are considered part of the problem rather than part of the solution?

A Krispy Kreme promotion that came under fire by the CSPI offers elementary school students one free donut for every "A" on their report cards. The report argues that such techniques teach children to associate unhealthy food products with teachers and other trusted authority figures. But a spokesperson for the company says the donuts are occasional rewards for hard work and did not pose a significant long-term health risk.

"In-school marketing is ethical as long as there is a meaningful message to go along with it," says Watson. "I think sponsoring a curriculum about a beneficial topic is a great way for corporations to lend a helping hand to teachers while passing along an educational message. Ultimately it's up to the teachers to decide if the curriculum is useful anyway, so overly commercial messages usually won't get used." But "school marketing can be a dangerous playground for marketers if they're not supporting education and not appealing to educators and parents in a meaningful way."

Says Dome, "The best defense is media literacy in schools, making kids aware at a very early age to think critically and understand the nature of the relationship that advertising wants to have with consumers."

But in the end that may be only the first line of defense. Kids may be sophisticated, even skeptical consumers of advertising and marketing messages, but they're still kids, and the urge to protection from manipulation and exploitation is strong. If companies aren't sensitive to the concerns of parents and child advocates, they will find themselves first excoriated in the press, and later perhaps regulated and restricted in their youth marketing activities.

Worst of all, they may alienate the very people they are trying to reach. Young people are already appearing in ads telling their peers not to be deceived by tobacco industry propaganda. Will the soda companies, the fast food marketers, the fashionistas or the game companies be next. Don't bet against it?

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As Marketers Target Younger Consumers, Ethical Issues Arise

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The PBS television show Teletubbies targets toddlers so young many of them can't stand on their own two feet or pronounce their own names, still less walk to the neighborhood store and order a specific product. But that doesn't discourage advertisers.

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Fengling Liu: W8-Marketing to Young Consumers

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Fengling Liu: W8-Marketing to Young Consumers

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Health experts want e-cigarette makers to be banned from promoting them in ways that will appeal to children, including naming their products after sweets and using cartoon characters.

Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and UK public health doctors are urging ministers to outlaw "totally inappropriate marketing techniques" that they fear will lure under-18s into vaping. They are demanding action to stop e-cigarettes and the e-liquids that go into them from being given names such as "bubblegum candy" and "gummy bears", which are types of confectionery, and using cartoon images such as "slushies", ice-filled soft drinks popular with children.

Professor Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical adviser, shares their concern about e-cigarettes being marketed in a way that could encourage young people to try them, even though it is illegal to sell them to under-18s. He warned last year that the government should deal robustly with anyone trying to "push" them at young people.

Deborah Arnott, Ash's chief executive, said: "Branding using cartoon characters, garish colours and sweet names is clearly attractive to children, and it is hard to imagine why it is necessary for adult smokers.

"These are totally inappropriate marketing techniques for manufacturers to be using, given that it is illegal to sell e-cigs to under-18s. These techniques risk luring children into e-cigarette use who otherwise would never have tried them.

The government has a responsibility to do all it can to reduce the appeal of e-cigarette packaging to children."

The call comes after new research by Ash, King's College London and the University of Waterloo in Canada found that children were more likely to find a range of popular vaping brands appealing if the packaging used bright colours compared with those that came in plain packets. However, the type of packaging made no difference to adults' views.

Vaping brands use bright colours that appeal to young people. Photograph: Marshall Ritzel/AP

Professor Maggie Rae, president of the Faculty of Public Health, backed Ash's call for action. "The chief medical officer should take note of this research and urge the government to take powers to regulate e-cigarette packaging. The widely available child-centred packaging of e-liquids in particular, which includes brightly coloured cartoon characters and sweet names such as 'gummy bears', 'cherry cola' and 'bubblegum' is unnecessary, egregious and must be stopped," she said.

Ash hopes that MPs will table amendments to the health and care bill to proscribe the child-friendly packaging and also to ban e-cigarettes being given away to children and young people, after one firm handed them out free in Bath, Bristol and Brighton without age checks.

Whitty said last year: "We need to make sure history does not repeat itself. The test of whether a product is being targeted at children is if it starts to be increasingly used by children, and that will lead to action.

"If e-cigarettes are increasing in children then we should assume that they are being marketed towards them or at least pushed on them in some way, and deal with that very, very strongly."

The number of young adults who smoke rose sharply during the first Covid lockdown, it emerged last week. New research showed a 25% jump in lighting up among 18- to 34-year-olds in England - an extra 652,000 people. The experts behind the study said the spike was probably down to young adults smoking to help them cope with the stress of the pandemic.

The Spectrum alliance of public health academic researchers also wants action. Professor Linda Bauld of Edinburgh University, the group's director, said: "There is little regulation of e-cigarette packaging in the UK, other than the requirement to put a health warning on the pack.

"This new research suggests that taking action to regulate e-cigarette packaging could help decrease the appeal of e-cigarettes to children.

"However, given there is still some confusion between vaping and smoking, it is essential that any packaging requirements make clear the distinction between e-cigarettes and tobacco products."

The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for a response.

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Health experts call for action on e-cigarette packaging aimed at children

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Health experts want e-cigarette makers to be banned from promoting them in ways that will appeal to children, including naming their products after sweets and using cartoon characters. Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and UK public health doctors are urging ministers to outlaw "totally inappropriate marketing techniques" that they fear will lure under-18s into vaping.

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Xuexin Wu-week8 marketing to young consumer

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Xuexin Wu-week8 marketing to young consumer

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Barcroft Media via Getty Images

China's regulatory war against its tech giants isn't limited to data. After opening a front in gaming back in 2018, the government is now adding to the restraints the biggest publishers face. Tencent is first on the chopping block. The publisher has been forced to further slash playing time on Honor of Kings for those aged under 18to one hour during regular days and two hours on weekends. The rules, designed to appease the country's all-powerful censors, come into effect today, according to state media outlet the South China Morning Post.

Previously, play time in China was capped at 90 minutes per day during the week and three hours per day at weekends and holidays as part of broader rules introduced in 2019. Additional restrictions banned younger gamers from playing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and curbed how much they could spend on downloadable content.

Honor of Kings is a hugely popular multiplayer online battle arena game developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group, also known for Call of Duty: Mobile and Pokémon Unite. As of November, the mobile title boasted 100 million players. But, its success has also brought with it increased scrutiny. In June, Tencent found itself at the center of a lawsuit that accused it of including "inappropriate" content in Honor of Kings, including characters with low-cut clothes and historical inaccuracies.

The latest crackdown comes amid growing fears in China over the addictive nature of video games. On Tuesday, a state-affiliated media outlet described the products produced by the gaming industry as " spiritual opium." The article continued: "No industry or sport should develop at the price of destroying a generation."

Therein lies the broader issue. China is currently grappling with a generational divide that has seen younger citizens reject the competitive lifestyle pressures heaped upon them. This stance is encapsulated by the "tang ping," or " lying flat," philosophy embraced by a growing number of Gen Z Chinese. In a nutshell, it signifies those who choose not to work hard, not to buy property and not to marry and have children.

Instead of addressing the societal complaints, China is choosing to deflect the blame onto the gaming industry.

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Tencent limits how long kids can play its flagship game, 'Honor of Kings' | Engadget

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China's regulatory war against its tech giants isn't limited to data. After opening a front in gaming back in 2018, the government is now adding to the restraints the biggest publishers face. Tencent is first on the chopping block.

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Weizhen WANG W8: Marketing to Young Consumer

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Weizhen WANG W8: Marketing to Young Consumer

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Opinion: Harmful marketing threatens children’s right to healthy food

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Uber's disclosure that hackers accessed the personal information of 57 million riders and drivers last year, a breach it didn't disclose publicly until Tuesday, adds new potential legal woes for the already troubled company.

At the time of the breach, Uber paid hackers $100,000 to destroy the data and did not tell regulators or users that their information was stolen.

Uber is trying to salvage its reputation following a number of high-profile controversies, including using software called Greyball to evade regulators, a court battle over allegedly stolen secrets from Google's self-driving car division, and a slew of complaints regarding sexual harassment and toxic company culture.

What happened

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said two hackers broke into the company in late 2016 and stole personal data, including phone numbers, email addresses, and names, of 57 million Uber users. Among those, the hackers stole 600,000 driver's license numbers of drivers for the company.

Related: Uber paid hackers $100,000 after they stole data on 57 million users

Khosrowshahi says hackers accessed the data through a third-party, cloud-based service. According to Bloomberg, they got into Uber's GitHub account, a site many engineers and companies use to store code and track projects. There, hackers found the username and password to access Uber user data stored in an Amazon server.

Jeremiah Grossman, chief of security strategy at security firm SentinelOne, says this was not a sophisticated hack. Companies frequently accidentally keep credentials in source code that is uploaded to GitHub, he said.

The $100,000 payment

Instead of alerting users and authorities to the breach as required by law, Uber paid the hackers $100,000.

Uber says it obtained assurances the data was destroyed.

Law enforcement advises companies to not pay hackers and report breaches to the authorities.

According to Andrea Matwyshyn, professor of law and computer science at Northeastern University, if companies help cyber criminals make money off hacks, they will only continue.

"The problem with viewing this as some sort of simple risk management decision is that it underestimates the basis for an attacker's business model," Matwyshyn told CNN Tech. "It doesn't address the underlying problem in your own organization -- your security practices need revision and you're failing to adequately protect your assets including your own proprietary information, and your customers' data."

Paying hackers to return data is common practice. For instance, it's expected ransomware payments -- paying hackers to unlock files after a cyberattack -- will top $2 billion this year, according to new research from cybersecurity firm Bitdefender.

Uber's payoff to prevent hackers from leaking the stolen data is more similar to recent extortion attempts on Netflix and HBO than ransomware campaigns. Hackers threatened to release TV shows unless the companies paid them. Neither firm paid the extortionists.

New legal troubles

Matwyshyn says it's possible Uber will face consequences from both state and federal agencies.

Forty-eight states have security breach notification laws which require companies to disclose when hackers access private information, including California, where Uber is headquartered.

State Attorneys General from New York and Massachusetts have opened investigations into the data breach.

In Washington, D.C., Senator Richard Blumenthal urged the Federal Trade Commission to take action against the company and impose "significant penalties."

"Senate Commerce Committee should hold hearing to demand Uber explain their outrageous breach - and inexplicable delay in informing its consumers and drivers," Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said in a tweet on Wednesday.

An FTC spokesman said in a statement: "We are aware of press reports describing a breach in late 2016 at Uber and Uber officials' actions after that breach. We are closely evaluating the serious issues raised."

In January, Uber agreed to pay $20 million to settle FTC charges it misled drivers about how much they could make using the platform.

The company also settled FTC allegations that it made deceptive privacy and security claims in August. A hacker accessed Uber data on more than 100,000 drivers in May 2014. Further, the FTC said Uber did not properly monitor employee access to customer information.

The agency gave Uber 180 days to obtain an independent audit into its privacy and security practices. Tuesday's data breach notification falls within that time frame.

International attention

Other countries have similar rules regarding breaches. The U.K.'s top data privacy organization slammed Uber on Wednesday.

"If U.K. citizens were affected then we should have been notified so that we could assess and verify the impact on people whose data was exposed," James Dipple-Johnstone, deputy commissioner of the Information Commissioner's Office, said in a statement. "Deliberately concealing breaches from regulators and citizens could attract higher fines for companies."

The Office of the Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner said it was aware of the hack, and had "commenced inquiries with Uber."

The Italian Data Protection Authority said it assessing the scale of the breach. "We are dismayed by the poor transparency shown towards users, which we intend to investigate," authority president Antonello Soro said in a statement.

In the Philippines, the National Privacy Commission summoned local Uber officials to a meeting on Thursday.

Yet another data breach

In terms of scale, Uber's hack doesn't measure up to other major breaches. Cyber criminals targeted Equifax earlier this year, compromising the personal information -- including names, addresses and social security numbers -- of over 145 million people. In 2013, a hack of Yahoo impacted very single account -- 3 billion in total.

Former executives from both of these companies have testified in front of Congress in recent months regarding their security failures and the potential risks to consumers.

But Uber's breach is different -- the company tried to cover it up and did not alert authorities or users of the issue.

Consumers might find this latest Uber scandal more troubling than its other legal or public relations problems now that they're the victims. Fifty-seven million people is a significant chunk of Uber's user base, which hit 40 million monthly active riders last year.

Grossman says the breach may not change consumer behavior, but it will be costly for the company.

"At best, it will impact their bottom line. The cost of dealing with this -- they're going to have lawsuits and legal fees," Grossman said.

He also said the disclosure helps get it out in the open so the company can begin moving toward repairing its reputation.

Uber's future plans

When Khosrowshahi became CEO in August, he inherited a slew of controversial problems. In addition to its legal troubles, Uber has faced criticism for sexual harassment issues, underpaying and deceiving drivers, questioning a rape victim, and surge pricing during times of crisis.

The new CEO wants to improve Uber's reputation and on Tuesday said, "While I can't erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes."

Khosrowshahi said the company fired two individuals who led security response. Joe Sullivan, Uber's chief security officer, is no longer with the company, it said.

CEO Travis Kalanick, who was in charge when the hack took place, is still on the company's board of directors. While Khosrowshahi is promising change, Kalanick's place in a leadership role serves as a reminder they are keeping someone who signed off on controversial issues tied to the company.

Uber is expected to go public in 2019.

CNNMoney (San Francisco) First published November 22, 2017: 2:35 PM ET

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At the time of the breach, Uber paid hackers $100,000 to destroy the data and did not tell regulators or users that their information was stolen. Uber is trying to salvage its reputation following a number of high-profile controversies, including using software called Greyball to evade regulators, a court battle over allegedly stolen secrets from Google's self-driving car division, and a slew of complaints regarding sexual harassment and toxic company culture.

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Comprehensive data privacy laws and new advertising technology standards limit companies' ability to combine their first-party audience information with third-party data. It all started with California passing the nation's first comprehensive data privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act, which allows consumers to opt out of the sale of personal information. This had a significant impact on the adtech ecosystem as many businesses stopped sharing data with third parties to avoid being sellers of personal information under the CCPA. Following the passage of the California Privacy Rights Act, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2023, less data will flow into the adtech environment because consumers can now restrict businesses from sharing their personal information specifically for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Increasingly, other states may follow California's lead and restrict the sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Indeed, Virginia recently passed the Consumer Data Protection Act, allowing consumers to opt out of targeted advertising. At least eight other states are also proposing legislation that could provide similar rights to consumers.

Not only are data privacy laws limiting the sharing of personal information for targeted advertising, but so are tech companies. For example, Apple is trying to position itself as an industry leader to protect users' privacy and will require app developers to obtain opt-in consent before tracking users when it launches iOS 14.5 this spring. Additionally, Google recently announced that in 2022 it would eliminate third-party cookies from its Chrome browser and stop selling ads based on individuals' browsing activity across multiple websites.

Simply put, these developments will restrict the use of third-party data for retargeting as more consumers exercise their opt-out rights and tech companies require businesses to no longer rely on third-party data for targeted advertising.

Data privacy laws restricting the sharing of data for advertising

In 2018, California made history by passing the CCPA, the nation's first comprehensive data privacy law. Under the CCPA, businesses that sell personal information are required to disclose in their privacy policies that they sell personal information and give consumers the right to opt out of the sale through a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link on their homepage. The term "sale" is broadly defined under the CCPA to include all transfers of personal information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. Businesses tried to avoid being sellers of personal information by treating the entities receiving their consumers' personal information as service providers, in which capacity they must agree to certain restrictions regarding what they can do with the personal information. If properly treated as service providers, these entities may receive personal information from businesses without the transfer constituting a sale under the CCPA. Some companies also took the approach that permitting third-party cookies on their websites is not a sale of personal information under the CCPA because there is technically no transfer of personal information in that context. When the CCPA went into effect in 2020, however, that position became uncertain, as the California attorney general appears to take the position that allowing third-party cookies on a business's website constitutes a sale of personal information.

The uncertainty of this position intensified when the final CCPA regulations included a provision requiring businesses to treat browser plug-ins, privacy settings, device settings or other mechanisms that communicate or signal a consumer's choice to opt out as valid requests under the CCPA. Soon after the CCPA regulations became final in 2020, a coalition of organizations developed a browser extension called the Global Privacy Control, which communicates opt-out signals every time a consumer visits a website. Ambiguity regarding whether GPC signals constitute valid opt-out-of-sale requests may have been dispelled Jan. 28, 2021, when then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra tweeted businesses must treat GPC signals as valid opt-out-of-sale requests under the CCPA. Critically, should more consumers choose to use the GPC browser extension, consumers will restrict businesses from sharing their personal information whenever they visit a website as a default setting.

In November 2020, Californians also voted the CPRA into law, which further restricts businesses from sharing personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Cross-context behavior advertising is defined as the targeting of advertising to a consumer based on the personal information obtained from their activity across businesses, distinctly branded websites, applications or services, other than which the consumer intentionally interacts. Under the CPRA, businesses may not be able to avoid being sharers of personal information by entering into service provider agreements with their vendors because transferring personal information to a vendor for cross-context behavioral advertising is no longer considered a business purpose - a requirement to treat the entity receiving personal information as a service provider under the CPRA. This leaves businesses with limited options to avoid being sharers of personal information under the CPRA. The only option available for businesses is to implement a mechanism, such as a pop-up box or tick box, to capture consumers' consent for businesses to disclose their personal information to other entities.

Virginia also passed a data privacy law March 2, 2021. The Consumer Data Protection Act permits consumers to opt out of the processing of their personal data for targeted advertising (defined as displaying advertisements to a consumer where the advertisement is selected based on personal data obtained from that consumer's activities over time and across nonaffiliated websites or online applications to predict such consumer's preferences or interests). California and Virginia are not alone, as other states, including Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma and Washington, are proposing similar comprehensive data privacy laws to further restrict combining first-party and third-party data for targeted advertising.

Changing adtech landscape

Along with the limits placed on the use of third-party data by new data privacy laws, new standards are being set by tech companies, as well, with Apple and Google among the companies leading the way to protect consumers' privacy. For example, Apple announced that with the launch of its iOS 14.5 in early spring, it will require app developers to obtain opt-in consent from users before tracking them. Under Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework, "tracking" is defined in a similar way as in the laws discussed above - that is, as the act of linking user or device data collected from an app with user or device data collected from other companies' apps, websites or offline properties for targeted advertising or advertising measurement purposes. This also includes sharing user or device data with data brokers. Apple has provided some examples regarding what does and does not constitute tracking, which essentially involves linking app developers' first-party data with third-party data.

Examples of tracking include the following:

Displaying targeted advertisements in a company's app based on user data collected from apps and websites owned by other companies.

Sharing device location data or email lists with a data broker.

Sharing a list of emails, advertising IDs or other IDs with a third-party advertising network, which uses that information to retarget those users in other developers' apps or find similar users.

Placing a third-party software development kit in an app that combines user data from the company's app with user data from other developers' apps to target advertising or measure advertising efficiency, even if the SDK is not used for those purposes. One example is the use of an analytics SDK that repurposes the data it collects from a company's app to enable targeted advertising in other developers' apps.

Apple also provides examples of what does not constitute tracking, which includes the following limited scenarios:

When the user or device data from a company's app is linked to third-party data solely on the user's device and is not sent off the device in a way that can identify the user or device.

When the data broker with whom a company shares data uses that data solely for fraud detection, fraud prevention or security purposes and solely on the company's behalf. One example is the use of a data broker solely to prevent credit card fraud.

Similarly, Google announced that in 2022 it would eliminate third-party cookies from its Chrome browser and stop selling ads based on individuals' browsing activity across multiple websites.

With all these changes by major tech companies, businesses are left with limited options for gathering user profiles based on their interactions across multiple owned and operated properties.

What should businesses do?

With this change in landscape, first-party data is king. Major companies are well-positioned to adapt to these developments, as they likely still have a treasure trove of first-party data that they can rely on for retargeting and measuring marketing performance on their owned and operated properties. Businesses can also increase their volume of first-party data through, among other mechanisms, loyalty and rewards programs. Further, businesses can gain a greater granular understanding of their first-party data through synthetic data, which uses machine learning algorithms to provide an in-depth understanding of trends and analytics without revealing the identity of a data subject. By all accounts, synthetic data is considered as effective as using actual data sets for purposes of analytics. Lastly, businesses have the option of utilizing Apple's closed-box SKAdNetwork to measure the success of ad campaigns and Google's Privacy Sandbox technology, the Federated Learning of Cohorts, which is considered an effective alternative to third-party cookies for generating interest-based audiences.

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How expansion of privacy laws, adtech standards limits third-party data use for retargeting

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Comprehensive data privacy laws and new advertising technology standards limit companies' ability to combine their first-party audience information with third-party data. It all started with California passing the nation's first comprehensive data privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act, which allows consumers to opt out of the sale of personal information.

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YOUR ORDER HISTORY. Your credit card information. Even your intimate health data.

Amazon is amassing an empire of data as the online retailer ventures into ever more areas of our lives. But the company's efforts to protect the information it collects are inadequate, according to insiders who warn the company's security shortfalls expose users' information to potential breaches, theft and exploitation.

The warnings about privacy and compliance failures at Amazon come from three former high-level information security employees - one EU-based and two from the U.S. - who told POLITICO they had repeatedly tried to alert senior leadership in the company's Seattle HQ, only to be sidelined, dismissed or pushed out of the company in what they saw as professional retaliation.

The EU-based employee is fighting the terms of their departure from Amazon through European courts. All three spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern they could face retaliation or difficulties in the job market for discussing the details of non-public legal proceedings.

Put together, their accounts paint a picture of a corporate culture at Amazon that they say prioritizes growth over other factors, such as the security of customers' information, compliance with rules designed to safeguard that data and the careers of employees the company hired specifically to flag problems.

"Imagine if a company the size of Amazon had a breach? The issue is millions of people's personal identifiable information is at risk," the first former U.S.-based information-security employee said.

Illustrations by Rupert Gruber for POLITICO

A spokesman for Amazon said that maintaining customers' trust by protecting their privacy and ensuring the security of their data is a "long-standing top priority" for the company.

"These inaccurate, unsubstantiated and dated claims don't reflect our commitment to keeping personal information safe. Amazon has comprehensive, long-established privacy and security policies, procedures and technologies in place. We regularly audit our services to ensure compliance and have zero tolerance for employees at all levels who do not follow our policies," he said.

At a time when lawmakers and government officials are ramping up scrutiny of tech companies on both sides of the Atlantic, the employees' complaints are likely to strike a chord with regulators.

While Amazon has faced plenty of heat over its labor practices - including alleged efforts to suppress union activity at its warehouses - its handling of data has received less attention.

Yet the company is one of Big Tech's most powerful players when it comes to data, thanks to the hoards of customer information it collects via its e-commerce platform, its online advertising business and its gigantic cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services.

Garfield Benjamin, a British academic who has previously written about Amazon's privacy lapses, said that the company's "disregard for privacy and security" was indicative of a "big problem."

Amazon holds reams of user data - and it could be at risk | Image via iStock

"It seems bizarre - although perhaps unfortunately all too common - that a company so intent on making data its primary business should have such poor practices," Benjamin said when shown POLITICO's findings. He added, "Is their hubris so great, their assumed power so unassailable, that they see themselves as completely untouchable?"

The consequence for consumers is more than potential loss of trust in Amazon's privacy and security practices. The company's practices leave it vulnerableto potential breaches or hacks that could put highly sensitive information into the hands of malicious actors.

The data Amazon holds includes order history, payment information, data collected through its advertising business and, for sellers on its platform, forms of identification. In the wrong hands, it could be held for ransom against the threat of online publication; deployed to defraud people; used to get access to other online accounts; or leveraged in phishing attacks in which stolen data is used to trick victims into paying a fee or revealing even more sensitive information.

More broadly, the accounts raise questions about what corporate values are rewarded at a company that has risen quickly to become the world's dominant e-commerce player.

Data labyrinth

ACCORDING TO THE TWO U.S. information-security employees, data is at risk because Amazon has a poor grasp of what data it has, where it is stored and who has access to it.

"If you wanted to do a 'right to be forgotten,' it would be next to impossible for Amazon to identify all of the places where your data resides within their system," said the first former U.S.-based employee. The right to be forgotten, or right to have data erased, is a key tool for citizens under several privacy regimes, including in Europe and California.

The second U.S.-based information-security professional confirmed Amazon's shaky understanding of what reams of personal information it holds. "Amazon has grown so fast, it doesn't know what it owns ... They don't know where their data is at, so they don't know if they are protecting it correctly," the person said.

The company's track record on key data-security principles - controlling who has access to what data, patching vulnerabilities, ability to detect hacks, even whether passwords are changed regularly - came in for particular flakfrom all of the insiders who, together, have decades of experience in the area of information security.

"The quality of the controls that Amazon has in place is appalling. We found hundreds of thousands of accounts where the employee is no longer there but they still have system access," said the first former U.S.-based employee, adding that such a vast number was possible because of Amazon's massive workforce and rapid staff turnover.Amazon said it has strict procedures in place when employees leave the company that remove their access.

Amazon has struggled to patch vulnerabilities in its systems. According to internal security reports from 2016 and 2017 seen by one of the former employees,the company declared that it was managing to patch between 55 to 70 percent of its systems. The first former U.S.-based employee likened that to leaving a house with several windows and doors open.

"Amazon's information technology general controls, considering my experience and where I've been in the past, would not have passed muster with most auditors," the first former U.S.-based employee said. "They were just poorly managed."

Weak controls mean the company may not even detect a hack. An internal Amazon memo seen by one of the former employees from June 2018 deemed there was a "very high" possibility of critical financial loss or reputational damage to the business because of the company's "inability to identify adversarial events."

Amazon said it was not aware of the reports and does not believe the claims to be accurate. It said that any historic concerns that are flagged through routine internal reporting would be fixed, which is the purpose of these processes.

The second former U.S.-based employee confirmed that Amazon fails to properly control access to systems, and that, in a company whose workforce has grown to more than 1 million, reams of personal information are accessible to people who do not have the appropriate role or responsibility.

"You've got tens of thousands of ... teams connecting to big data," said the second former U.S.-based employee. "You should have a way to follow all the different types of data. From a technology point of view, you need to know where the data is going and how it's being protected. That does not exist," they said.

The former employees were careful to distinguish between issues around Amazon's internal approach to data compliance and the company's leading track record in data-security engineering - visible through the products and services developed by AWS.

AWS's cloud computing products are used by the likes of the U.S. government, and are widely seen as world-beating in terms of data security. One ex-employee described the security tools at Amazon's disposal as "second to none," but they said the strength of AWS tools in keeping systems secure is still dependent on how the end user applies them. They also noted that AWS is largely run separately from the rest of the company.

The issue, they said, is that Amazon's data-security capabilities are undermined by the willingness of the company to override internal controls.

For instance, according to two of the former information-security professionals, data needed for new projects was sometimes improperly classified so that it would go through fewer internal checks.

The company said this is false. A spokesperson said it has comprehensive privacy and security policies, procedures and technologies in place that are observed by executives at all levels. The company regularly audits services to ensure compliance and employees may not be involved in decision-making outside of their role's remit.

'Woefully behind'

EUROPE'S DATA-PROTECTION RULEBOOK, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is credited by many for putting privacy on the agenda - especially within company boardrooms, where the fines of 4 percent of global turnover introduced by the legislation are often perceived as an existential threat.

Even so, it was only in late April 2018 - weeks before the regulation came into force - that Amazon created a dedicated team in the information-security department to address the incoming regulation. "The organization was woefully behind," said the first former U.S.-based employee. Amazon said it had long-standing privacy and security teams and made a standard organizational change to centralize privacy resources in 2018.

The former EU-based employee and others had made numerous attempts to highlight Amazon's GDPR risk and compliance gaps well in advance of the May 2018 deadline, only to be knocked back, according to two of the former employees.

Documents and quarterly reports sent to senior executives - including Jeff Wilke, the CEO of Amazon's worldwide consumer business, General Counsel David Zapolsky and Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky - laid out the firm's GDPR risks and gaps, as well as many of the issues detailed in this article. Amazon said the allegations appear to refer to regular reporting that any responsible company would engage in to keep leadership apprised of important issues, and demonstrates that it correctly provides updates to leadership.

Jeff Wilke, the CEO of Amazon's worldwide consumer business | Robert Lever/AFP via Getty Images

The EU-based former insider was among several information-security employees who repeatedly escalated the risks the company faced in failing to meet EU data-protection standards, according to two of the former employees and legal documents seen by POLITICO.

The EU-based employee is currently in legal proceedings about the terms of their departure in a Luxembourg court. Another security professional settled with the company after being told by the senior leadership of the Amazon legal department to "stand down" because that person's efforts to highlight GDPR compliance issues did not meet whistleblower-level requirements, according tolegal documents and the first U.S.-based former employee. Amazon said it can't comment on individual employees but that it disputes that anyone was prevented from sharing concerns.

Those hoping that tough EU regulators stand ready to take Amazon to task over any data abuses risk disappointment. More than two years after GDPR came online, Amazon's lead regulator in Europe, Luxembourg's data-protection authority, has yet to issue a single fine - against anyone.

A commissioner at the Luxembourg authority said in late December that they were barred from saying how many investigations they have against Amazon by local law, but said that the first fines would land before the end of 2020. A spokesperson at the agency said in January the first fines would land "very soon."

Feeling undermined

THE EU-BASED FORMER EMPLOYEE also raised the alarm over Amazon's compliance with myriad other EU and Luxembourg rules.

Amazon leadership in Seattle undermined the former EU employee's ability to act as an internal control function in violation of its regulator-approved governance model for the business unit in Luxembourg, two of the former employees said.

For instance, email chains seen by POLITICO show Amazon leadership in the U.S. saying they would need to approve and have the final say on audit commitments for the Luxembourg-regulated entity, in violation of requirements to retain decision-making within the control functions of the unit.

Other email chains show management in Seattle granting itself permission to review and approve access to data requests for the Luxembourg unit that should have been handled by local employees, according to internal policies and regulatory requirements.

The former EU-based employee also ran into trouble when trying to hire team members. They were first told that they must hire into the Seattle office if they wanted to increase headcount, even though the new recruits would be working on European matters for the Luxembourg regulated entity.

"I thought at first it's a joke ... It's a different time zone and a different culture. The term 'personal data' for instance means something different in the U.S. to Europe," the former EU-based employee said.

In another instance, email chains show that Amazon's Seattle leadership changed an employee's contract so that they would be contractually barred from handling sensitive matters for the Luxembourg unit, against the wishes and without the knowledge of the EU-based employee in charge of the team and in violation of policies and regulatory requirements.

The EU-based employee said they felt action like this was designed to undermine and starve the local team of resources.

Luxembourg's data-protection authority hasn't issued any fines against Amazon | Julien Warnand/EPA

Amazon rejected the claims and said it has strong and appropriate controls that abide by EU and Luxembourg regulations, which it regularly reviews to ensure it has the right teams and resources in place. It said that where appropriate, concerns are escalated to the company's head office, showing how seriously it takes information security. It said there is no requirement that all staff need to be in the EU and where this is required the company abides by relevant rules and regulations.

But, according to accounts by the former U.S. employees, being undermined as a line of control in the e-commerce giant's governance model was not isolated to Luxembourg.

"I was championing a number of issues that my team was raising ... and multiple times, we were overwritten. Sometimes, to the point where ... inaccurate or incomplete reports were sometimes submitted to regulatory authorities," said the first former U.S.-based employee.

The employee added that information was kept from them by senior leadership, hampering their ability to report properly to regulators. In one case, they said they were told only after regulatory filings were completed that the company had been inappropriately monitoring systems for two years.

Both former U.S.-based employees were told at one point by their direct management to "stop looking for problems," even though they were required to do exactly that under multiple laws, regulations and industry requirements and despite the fact that they could be personally liable for issues.

All three employees said they felt they would be kept out of the loop so that they couldn't raise issues or even perform their roles as a control function in Amazon's governance model. They would find that they hadn't been invited to meetings, hadn't been asked to contribute to reports or hadn't been given the right information.

A spokesperson for Amazon said employees were not sidelined, but were expected to work within their agreed remit.

Culture wars

AMAZON PUTS GREAT STOCK in its 14 "leadership principles," which every employee is supposed to follow, and against which they are measured. The principles include "customer obsession," "are right, a lot," "frugality" and "earn trust." All the former employees said they felt those principles were used against them in retaliation for highlighting issues with compliance or security.

For instance, those seeking funding would sometimes come up against senior managers citing the need for "frugality."

All the former employees said that securing resources to fix issues was tough and that projects would sometimes get shut down or deprioritized halfway through because it would be deemed that the problem was too large.

For example, an initiative to automate access to data and system controls was "severely underfunded," said the first former U.S.-based employee. The second U.S.-based employee recounted being told by their manager that the system they were trying to secure was "too big."

Each of the employees who spoke to POLITICO said they had been sidelined or eventually forced out because they had raised concerns about the state of the company's data security or its ability to comply with regulations.

They said reprisals intensified after attempts to use multiple avenues to escalate their concerns.

The second U.S.-based ex-employee flagged an insecure payments encryption protocol in 2014 only to have to re-raise the issue in 2016 and then again in 2018 before it got fixed. In that case, Amazon had successfully lobbied the standards body to get a two-year extension to fix the issue. An internal statement at the time said that to get the fix done on time would have meant stopping payments in a significant number of developing markets.

"We had an insecure vulnerability that we knew about for five years," the second former U.S.-based employee said. "That's unacceptable. I mean, we knew about it."

The employee said that they were told they weren't a "team player" and had not "earned trust" for raising issues.

Other Amazonian cultural keystones were also used against them, all the former employees said. The former EU-based employee was told they were not "customer obsessed" because their insistence that data be encrypted would have delayed a project, even though encryption was a legal requirement.

The second U.S. former employee said they would be put to work on projects that were below their pay grade, only tangentially linked to the role they were hired for, or told to stop working on projects that had identified issues. This mirrored an account of another employee recounted in legal documents seen by POLITICO.

A spokesperson for Amazon said that no employees left the company because they had raised concerns around data-security regulatory compliance. They said the claims appeared to come from employees who had ongoing performance issues at the company and decided to leave.

Management material

ALL THE EMPLOYEES WHO SPOKE TO POLITICO attributed the company being unwilling to fix issues or deliberately hiding them most directly to a strata of management that sits between the highest levels of the company - which includes vice presidents, senior vice presidents and Jeff Bezos himself - and the rest of the company.

They said that a "cut throat" competitive culture meant that there was jostling in the mid-level layer directly above them for promotions and funds. This meant that there was pressure to report wins over losses and downplay issues within the company - as well as to regulators.

"We were seen to be undermining portions of the organization by saying, 'Your baby's ugly,'" said the first former U.S.-based employee. "We were saying we can't meet this regulatory requirement because we know we can't do this, and individuals responsible for those things take offense."

Nevertheless, the former EU-based employee and the first former U.S.-based employees felt their experiences indicate that the problem goes deeper than that mid-level layer of management.

"I gave Amazon every chance to show me it wasn't the case ... by escalating to various internal control functions within the company, by escalating to the global risk-management committee of the company and finally by engaging formal procedures. They could have come back and said, 'Hey look, we agree there's a problem, we will work on solving it,' but they didn't. Instead they asked me to leave the company," said the former EU-based employee.

Amazon engaged in the "systematic eradication" of those who raised compliance issues, said the first former U.S.-based employee. "The organization eats its own to quiet the noise of these issues. And then papers over them," they said.

The second U.S.-based former employee said that a company of Amazon's stature should have top-level data security. "A little slipup in Amazon is losing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people's data," they said. "There's no excuse for a company that is profitable in the numbers we're talking about."
CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to clarify that the EU-based employee is contesting the terms of their departure, not their dismissal.
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'Millions of people's data is at risk' - Amazon insiders sound alarm over security

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YOUR ORDER HISTORY. Your credit card information. Even your intimate health data. Amazon is amassing an empire of data as the online retailer ventures into ever more areas of our lives. But the company's efforts to protect the information it collects are inadequate, according to insiders who warn the company's security shortfalls expose users' information to potential breaches, theft and exploitation.

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A new law gives Australian police unprecedented powers for online surveillance, data interception and altering data. These powers, outlined in the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill, raise concerns over potential misuse, privacy and security.

The bill updates the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 and Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979. In essence, it allows law-enforcement agencies or authorities (such as the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission) to modify, add, copy or delete data when investigating serious online crimes.

The Human Rights Law Centre says the bill has insufficient safeguards for free speech and press freedom. Digital Rights Watch calls it a " warrantless surveillance regime" and notes the government ignored the recommendations of a bipartisan parliamentary committee to limit the powers granted by the new law.

What's more, legal hacking by law enforcement may make it easier for criminal hackers to illegally access computer systems via the same vulnerabilities used by the government.

What's in the law?

The bill introduces three new powers for law-enforcement agencies:

1. "data disruption warrants" allow authorities to "disrupt data" by copying, deleting or modifying data as they see fit

2. "network activity warrants" permit the collection of intelligence from devices or networks that are used, or likely to be used, by subject of the warrant

3. "account takeover warrants" let agencies take control of an online account (such as a social media account) to gather information for an investigation.

There is also an "emergency authorisation" procedure that allows these activities without a warrant under certain circumstances.

How is this different to previous laws?

Previous legislation, such as the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 and the Telecommunications Act 1997, contained greater privacy protections. Those laws, and others such as the Surveillances Devices Act 2004, do permit law-enforcement agencies to intercept or access communications and data under certain circumstances.

Read more: Australia's privacy laws gutted in court ruling on what is 'personal information'

However, the new bill gives agencies unprecedented interception or "hacking" powers. It also allows "assistance orders", which could require selected individuals to assist government hacking or face up to ten years in prison.

Why do police argue this bill is required?

According to the Department of Home Affairs, more and more criminal activity makes use of the "dark web" and "anonymising technologies". Previous powers are not enough to keep up with these new technologies.

In our view, specific and targeted access to users' information and activities may be needed to identify possible criminals or terrorists. In some cases, law enforcement agencies may need to modify, delete, copy or add content of users to prevent things like the distribution of child exploitation material. Lawful interception is key to protecting public and national security in the fight of global community against cybercrimes.

How does lawful data interception work?

"Lawful interception" is a network technology that allows electronic surveillance of communications, as authorised by judicial or administrative order. There are standards (which means regulations and rules) for telecommunication and internet service providers to achieve this, such as those recommended by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

Law-enforcement agencies may require service providers to hand over copies of communications data, decrypted data, or intercepted data without notifying users. Service providers may also have to make available analytical tools such as graphs or charts of target behaviours.

What are the privacy concerns?

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and others have also raised privacy concerns. The bill may impact third parties who are not suspected in the investigation of criminal activities. In particular, the bill can authorise access to third party computers, communication and data.

The Human Rights Law Centre argues the proposed broad powers can potentially compel any individual with relevant knowledge of the targeted computer or network to conduct hacking activities. In some cases this may clash with an individual's right to freedom from self-incrimination.

Read more: How the world's biggest dark web platform spreads millions of items of child sex abuse material - and why it's hard to stop

Enabling law enforcement agencies to modify potential evidence in a criminal proceeding is also a major issue of concern. The detection and prevention of inappropriate data disruption will be a key issue.

The implementation of the new warrants needs to be in line with Privacy Act 1988 which was introduced to promote and protect the privacy of individuals and to regulate Australian government agencies and organisations. Where some agencies may have exemption against the Privacy Act, it is important to balance between public safety and privacy impacts.

What are the security issues and impacts?

The Identify and Disrupt Bill is a part of an extensive set of Australian digital surveillance laws, including the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 (TOLA), and the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Act 2015 (the Mandatory Metadata Retention Scheme).

Under the Identify and Disrupt Bill, access can be gained to encrypted data which could be copied, deleted, modified, and analysed even before its relevance can be determined. This significantly compromises users' privacy and digital rights.

Modern encryption can be very hard to crack, so hackers often exploit other vulnerabilities in a system to gain access to unencrypted data. Governments too are reportedly using these vulnerabilities for their own lawful hacking.

Specifically, they depend on " zero-day exploits ", which use software vulnerabilities that are unknown to software vendors or developers, to hack into a system. These vulnerabilities could be exploited for months or even years before they are patched.

Read more: From botnet to malware: a guide to decoding cybersecurity buzzwords

A conflict of interest may arise if law enforcement agencies are using zero-day exploits for lawful hacking. To protect citizens, we would expect these agencies to report or disclose any software vulnerabilities they discover to the software manufacturers so the weakness can be patched.

However, they may instead choose not to report them and use the vulnerabilities for their own hacking. This puts users at risk, as any third party, including criminal organisations, could exploit these so-called zero day vulnerabilities.

It's not an abstract concern. In 2016, the CIA's secret stash of hacking tools itself was stolen and published, highlighting the risk of these activities. The Chinese government has claimed the CIA was hacking targets in China for more than a decade using these and similar tools.

Government use of hacking tools may result in worse cyber security overall. The warrant powers given to Australian law enforcement agencies may protect public safety and national interests, but they may also provide powerful means for adversaries to access government data.

This includes the data and online accounts of targeted individuals like state officials, which may significantly impact national security. This possibility needs to be considered in light of the passing of the new bill.

Whilst the justification of the bill for public safety over personal privacy can be debatable, there is no doubt that the security aspects should not be undermined.

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Facebook or Twitter posts can now be quietly modified by the government under new surveillance laws

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A new law gives Australian police unprecedented powers for online surveillance, data interception and altering data. These powers, outlined in the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill, raise concerns over potential misuse, privacy and security. The bill updates the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 and Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979.

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An industry group representing the largest American internet companies warned Hong Kong 's government that changes to the city's data-protection laws could impact companies' ability to provide services in the city.

The June 25 letter, which took issue with broad new rules created to curb doxxing - the targeted disclosure of individuals' private information - was the latest sign of the dilemma faced by tech companies in Hong Kong, where the government has created harsh new rules to control what is said online.

Once a haven of internet freedom on the doorstep of China's tightly controlled internet, Hong Kong is home to offices and servers for many major internet companies. Yet under a recent national security law, the city faces a new digital reality in which the authorities have broad surveillance and censorship powers. That has increasingly called into question the viability of continuing operations for major internet companies.

The Singapore-based Asia Internet Coalition, which represents Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and other tech companies, warned in the letter that the new rules would "result in grave impact on due process and risks for freedom of expression and communication."

Of particular concern, according to the letter, was general wording that could give the police the power to impose fines and arrest local employees if the tech companies are not responsive to the new doxxing rules.

"The only way to avoid these sanctions for technology companies would be to refrain from investing and offering their services in Hong Kong, thereby depriving Hong Kong businesses and consumers, whilst also creating new barriers to trade," the coalition wrote.

In a statement, the Asia Internet Coalition said the letter reflected an industry view, and not the policies or plans of any specific company. The Wall Street Journal first reported the existence of the letter.

Since the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests of 2019, debate over online speech has often focused on doxxing. After police officers stopped wearing identifying markers during the protests, a slew of sites and channels cropped up to identify them. Pro-police sites, in turn, released information on protesters.

The authorities have already used the national security law to curb the practice. In January, the first known website to be taken down under the law had posted personal information about police officers. Under the new rules anyone posting personal information intended to harass, threaten or intimidate could face up to five years in jail and a fine in excess of $100,000.

Doxxing is just one part of a continuing proxy fight over internet freedoms in the city. Shortly after the law was enacted, Facebook, Google and Twitter all said they had suspended responding to data requests from the Hong Kong authorities. Last month, police officers in the city invoked the law to briefly pull down a website that called for unity among expatriate Hong Kongers in the pro-democracy movement.

Tiffany May contributed reporting.

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American Internet Giants Hit Back at Hong Kong Doxxing Law

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An industry group representing the largest American internet companies warned Hong Kong 's government that changes to the city's data-protection laws could impact companies' ability to provide services in the city.

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When was the last time you went through your Facebook account and your privacy settings? If you never have or can't remember the last time you did a privacy checkup, it's time. Actually, I suggest doing one every couple of months (it's helpful to set a reminder in your calendar app). Doing so will help you keep up with the constant changes Facebook makes and will help you keep tabs on random apps you grant access to your information.

Facebook, after all, is one of the largest online hoarders of our personal data. Because of that, our private info is a prime target for would-be bad actors. Accessing your information doesn't always mean gaining direct access to your account due to a poor password. Instead, as we learned a few years ago from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, approving a rogue app can do just as much damage.

So while I have your attention and you're thinking about it, take a few minutes to secure your Facebook account. I recommend going through the steps outlined below on a computer -- not your phone. It makes it easier to read all the pertinent information while you make adjustments. Keep reading to learn how to set a strong password, limit how others can search for you and prevent Facebook from keeping your location history.

Use a strong password and two-factor authentication

The first things you should do to secure your Facebook account is to create a strong password and enable two-factor authentication. This might seem obvious, but the importance can't be overstated. You'll also want to make sure you're not using the same password for crucial accounts like your banking app. Use a password manager to help create and, most importantly, remember your unique passwords ( these are our top picks for best password manager). Go to the Security page and change your password.

Once you have a new password, turn on two-factor authentication. With 2FA enabled, you'll need to enter your secure password and a randomly generated code whenever you sign in to your account. (You really should be using 2FA on every account and service that supports it.)

Most password managers have the ability to store your two-factor authentication codes, as well. However, you can always use Google Authenticator to store and provide access to your codes if needed.

Go through Privacy Settings and Tools

Facebook has a dedicated Privacy section for your account. In this section, you can do things like set the default privacy setting for future posts, control who can send you friend requests and decide what information people can use to search for your account.

Go through each and every option on the privacy settings and tools page and adjust each one to your liking. I suggest setting your future posts to "Friends" and limiting the phone number and email address search options to "Friends" or "Only Me" to ensure that anyone with just a piece of your personal info can't find your account.

Remove past posts from the public eye

The way we use social networks has changed quite a bit, especially as we become more aware of just how Facebook, and those on Facebook, can use our personal information.

Thankfully, you can limit your past posts from being visible to anyone who might stumble across your profile.

Go to the Privacy section and find Limit the audience for posts you've shared with friends of friends or Public? and click on it. Next, click the button labeled Limit Last Posts. Facebook will then convert anything you've ever shared publicly or with friends of friends to being visible by only your friends, thus limiting who can see it.

It's an all-or-nothing setting. Meaning, you can't pick and choose which posts you want to change via this setting. If you want to do that, you'll have to manually go through your timeline and make those changes individually.

Audit devices with access to your account

Over the years, we've all signed into our Facebook accounts on different phones, computers, tablets and various other devices. Facebook keeps a log of the devices that have access to your account, and makes it easy to revoke access to a rogue device or one you forgot to log out of.

View a list of all those devices under the Where You're Logged In section of the Security and Login page. If you have several devices, click on See More to view the entire list. To remove a device from the list, click on the three-dot icon to the right of the device's name and then Log Out. You'll be asked whether or not you want all posts that came from that device to be removed from your account as well; a convenient feature should someone have gained access to your account and posted without your permission.

Alternatively, you can sign out of every device linked to your account by clicking See More > Log Out Of All Sessions at the bottom of the list. I found a couple of devices from 2012 that still had access to my account while writing this article -- yikes. I logged out of all devices to start with a clean slate as a result. The few seconds I'll spend logging back in each time I use a device that was revoked is well worth the peace of mind.

Don't forget to look through apps with access

In that same vein, we've all granted countless apps access to our Facebook account. Over time, some apps are abandoned by developers and ultimately become a security risk. Should someone gain access to the app's database of users, they could -- in theory -- gain access to some features and information stored in your Facebook account.

Visit the Apps and Websites page to view the Active apps that have access to your account. If you have an expired app, like I do in the screenshot above, or apps you no longer want to retain access to your Facebook account, click the Remove button to the right of the app's name.

Turn off, delete Location History on your phone

Facebook uses its access to location data from your phone to create a map of your location history. You can delete your location history here, or if you'd rather Facebook not store your location history at all, you can turn off location history on that same page.

On an Android phone, open the Facebook app and then tap on the three-line icon. Under Settings & Privacy select Privacy Shortcuts followed by Manage your location settings on the Privacy card. Next, select Location History > View your Location History and enter your account password when asked. Finally, tap on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select Delete all Location History.

The process is similar on an iPhone. Open the Facebook app and tap on the three-line icon, then Settings & Privacy then select Privacy Shortcuts followed by Manage your location settings on the Privacy card. Select Location History > View your Location History and enter your account password when asked. Finally, tap on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select Delete all Location History.

Not sure you even want to use Facebook anymore? You can delete your account, but it takes some planning on your part. If you just can't get away from Facebook, for whatever reason, here are tips to keep your data secure.

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Facebook privacy checkup time: 6 settings to inspect right now

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When was the last time you went through your Facebook account and your privacy settings? If you never have or can't remember the last time you did a privacy checkup, it's time. Actually, I suggest doing one every couple of months (it's helpful to set a reminder in your calendar app).

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A new service turns your face into a credit card. As futuristic as that sounds, the more compelling story is the nudge it could give consumers to permit its vendor to keep a record of where they go.

Google's new "Hands Free" payments system has been seen live in the wild in the South Bay area of California. According to the company, the system is available now as a pilot in McDonald's, Papa Johns and other local businesses. Hands Free lets users quickly pay using facial recognition, but it's not just about your face. Hands Free double checks you're really present at the store using Google's various location services, Bluetooth Low Energy and other sensors.

A Facebook user named Pavel Cherkashin shared a photo in Sunnyvale, California, of one of the in store cameras on Friday. They look like a white Monopoly house on plastic stilts with a camera lodged in its roof.

Cherkashin saw the system at Off The Stick Kabob in Sunnyvale, California, but not until he'd already paid. He then downloaded the app. "Somehow it recognized my Google profile and suggested to use my existing credit card that I use to pay for Google Apps services (not sure how it worked, but I didn't have to type in password or enter a credit card number)," Mr. Cherkashin wrote the Observer in an email. He has not yet had a subsequent chance to actually pay for something with his face.

First announced last May, the Hands Free app is now available on Google Play or iOS. Once enabled, the consumers can tell the cashier in a participating store that they want to use the system. To make the payment, they only need to look into the camera. The Hands Free FAQ and a post on the Google Commerce blog explains that Hands Free verifies your face against the profile photo you used to set it up and then verifies your mobile's presence.

Google is pitching the function both as increased convenience and increased security. The convenience comes from speeding up in store payments. The increased security can be attributed to the fact that your credit card information never touches the point of sale device in the participating store. Point of sale systems have been vulnerable to malware. For example, the fast food chain Wendy's in-store payments system has been breached, and Krebs on Security reported Thursday that the malicious software might not yet be contained.

While the Hands Free app is separate from the company's mobile payments service, Android Pay, and it is still only an experiment for the company, it stands to reason that a wide deployment would benefit Google's larger business model in two ways. First, it should generate some amount of revenue for arranging the payment. Second, it gives users an incentive to permit Google to monitor their location via their mobile device.

As we previously reported, by volunteering information about everywhere they go to the search giant, consumers make its ad network much more attractive to marketers. Knowing exactly where consumers are and where they spend their days gives Google mobile ads a competitive advantage. If Hands Free really does reduce friction for consumers at retail stores, it will make it that much less likely mobile users will block the company from making a record of where they go.

It's also important that Hands Free is available on iOS. Google may not be able to track iOS users very well, because they may not have downloaded Google Maps in favor of Apple's native wayfinding services. Hands Free would be a new way to give Mountain View information about what places iPhone users visit.

The Hands Free FAQ explains that none of the photos taken by the system are saved, and the sales data is not used to better target advertisements, according to a spokesperson. It's also not clear whether the app requires access to location services (though no doubt it will offer users the opinion that that they should). It might be enough for the user to enable Bluetooth.

If you want to prevent Google from watching where you go, we explained how to do it.

Updated: With comment from Google, June 13, 2016 12:58 PM.

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Google Pairs Facial Recognition With Location Tracking to Make Payments Quicker

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A new service turns your face into a credit card. As futuristic as that sounds, the more compelling story is the nudge it could give consumers to permit its vendor to keep a record of where they go. Google's new "Hands Free" payments system has been seen live in the wild in the South Bay area of California.

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It's a pretty simple question: Do you want a smartphone app to track your digital activity across other apps and websites?

And yet it's a question most apps have never bothered to ask. As of this week, Apple is changing that.

The iPhone maker's smartphone software received an update Monday that is now asking users if they want to allow apps to track their digital activity. And while it might seem like a simple pop-up option, it's a change that has already sent shockwaves through the app economy - including at Facebook and Google, the internet's two biggest ad businesses.

"What Apple's doing is both totally revolutionary in shaking up the mobile app ecosystem, and it's also really normal," said Gennie Gebhart, a privacy researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit in San Francisco that advocates for privacy online.

The internet's evolution gave rise to tracking systems that started simply enough - what websites you visited - and evolved into a vast surveillance system in which just about any web activity is often logged, shared and sold. That includes activity on smartphone apps, and most of the time, this happened without tracking systems asking permission.

What will it mean for the smartphone now that apps have to ask? Let's dive in.

It's centered around a four-letter acronym: IDFA, the Identifier for Advertisers. Consider it a license plate for your phone, Gebhart said. The IDFA is a string of characters that apps on an iPhone can use to watch certain activity without necessarily knowing a user's name.

Now, for any app on an iPhone or iPad, Apple is requiring the app developer to ask your permission before using your IDFA. The question pops up for each app - similar to other privacy prompts.

"This is definitely the most aggressive step because this is changing the defaults," said Justin Brookman, director of consumer privacy and tech policy for Consumer Reports. "That's what really matters."

Apple says the change is about transparency, and it has its own acronym for it: App Tracking Transparency, or ATT.

First, make sure your iPhone's software is updated to iOS 14.5. You can check that by going to the "Settings" app and tapping "General" and then "Software Update."

Once that's done, there are two main options. The first comes with the pop-ups. When you're in some apps, the iPhone will start asking if you want to allow the app to track you. If you say no, the iPhone will make sure that app doesn't get data based on your IDFA. If you say yes, it will allow the app to collect information about your online habits.

The second option is to turn it off at once for all apps. Go to the "Settings" app again but this time tap "Privacy" followed by "Tracking" and then toggling "Allow Apps to Request to Track" to off. That means apps won't even be able to ask you to track your activity.

For people who think personalized ads are creepy, this is a way out - at least part of the way. You may see fewer ads that follow you around your phone, or that are based on your activity online or offline.

"This tracking was designed to be unseen and invisible, and now Apple is adding some visibility," Gebhart said.

Privacy advocates say that some apps hoover up data without needing to, sometimes making money off it. They also argue that less tracking would change the online economy, possibly for the better.

Other than delivering personalized ads or content, the IDFA has no functional purpose, Gebhart said. "This is a feature that was never for users. It's never worked in their favor," she said.

Facebook isn't happy. The company relies on tracking users to serve targeted ads, and this change could mean that's harder for Facebook, the owner of four top iPhone apps. As recently as Wednesday, Facebook warned investors that Apple's change would be a "headwind" for its ads business.

The social network has tried to put a positive spin on the situation, arguing that people would rather see personalized ads rather than random ones and that targeted ads benefit small businesses. It has blasted Apple for the design and wording of the pop-ups, and Facebook says it will display its own "educational screen" pop-up to users before presenting Apple's prompt.

"The fact that Facebook's panicking is a good sign that it's probably going to work," Gebhart said.

Aside from Facebook's objections, the response from the ad industry hasn't been much of a freakout. Apple gave the industry many months to prepare for this, and marketers couldn't exactly come out in direct opposition to transparency. There may have been a sense that a crackdown was unavoidable given regulatory and consumer scrutiny over data generally.

"The way someone's data was being sliced and diced by companies behind their backs just wasn't sustainable," the trade publication Digiday said.

Maybe. That depends in part on how Apple rolls out the feature so that users aren't seeing a flood of notifications, adding to the pop-ups they already see when using a web browser or in other contexts.

"I'm really worried about notification fatigue," Gebhart said. "These notifications come up at the exact moment when you're trying to open an app."

One early indicator came from AppsFlyer, a data firm that studied about 550 apps that used the Apple notifications early. Its preliminary research found that users opted to allow tracking by IDFA 39 percent of the time, but there was variation among apps, perhaps indicating how much people liked or trusted the brand.

Adweek, a trade publication, reported this week that marketers will take several routes, including preserving the information they already have and spending money to gain information directly from consumers, what's known as "first-party data."

Some of China's biggest tech companies are testing their own tool to bypass Apple's changes, The Financial Times reported in March.

"Any anti-tracker initiative is going to set off a cat-and-mouse game," Gebhart said. But, she added, "That's not a reason to not do this."

That remains to be seen. Companies such as Facebook have certainly warned that Apple's changes are a big step away from the ad-supported, often-free internet that has developed over the decades.

But it's also possible that marketers find that mobile ads are still effective even without the targeting bonus provided by a near-universal IDFA.

If formerly free apps do start charging iPhone users, though, at least one company stands to benefit: Apple, which takes a commission on sales made through its app store.

Not yet, but changes may be coming to Android, the Google-owned operating system for phones made by Google, Samsung and others. Android has a counterpart to Apple's IDFA, called Advertising ID, and while Android users can reset their identifier or opt out of personalized ads, they don't get the reminders and prompts that Apple users do.

This month, the European privacy activist Max Schrems filed a complaint over the Android identifier, asking authorities in France to investigate the tracking of users, but any outcome could be a long way away. In the meantime, Google is testing a new way of ad-targeting on web browsers meant to be less invasive.

"To me, a lot of this has a ring of 'Your move, Google' to it," Gebhart said, adding though that she'd be surprised, "pleasantly" so, if Google made a similar move.

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How to take advantage of Apple's new iPhone privacy features

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It's a pretty simple question: Do you want a smartphone app to track your digital activity across other apps and websites? And yet it's a question most apps have never bothered to ask. As of this week, Apple is changing that.

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It has been a rollercoaster week for Didi Global. Last Wednesday, Didi raised $4.4 billion in a behemoth US IPO. Two days later on Friday evening, China's cybersecurity regulator announced an investigation into the company. Then on Sunday night, less than a week after Didi went public on the New York Stock Exchange, the regulator asked app stores in China to remove Didi's app.

The probe of China's dominant ride-hailer follows other large penalties for Chinese tech majors, such as the abrupt suspension of Ant Group's giant $34 billion dual IPO listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong in November 2020 and a $2.8 billion antitrust fine for Alibaba in April.

Authorities at the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), a cyberspace watchdog, said on July 2 that they launched a "cybersecurity review" of Didi to "guard against risks to national data security" and "protect the public interest." Citing national security law and cybersecurity law, they also asked Didi to stop registering new users. Two days later, they ordered operators to pull Didi's app from all app stores for issues concerning user data protection, saying the app "seriously violated Chinese laws and regulation on personal information collection and usage."

The app store suspension, although dramatic, hasn't stopped Didi from operating. Didi's service is still widely available in China. The ban means new users cannot download Didi's app and use its service. Yet new users, at the time of this writing, can still register for the service through Didi's mini-program embedded in apps like WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging app, according to our observations. Also, existing users, which account for most Chinese ride-hailing customers as the company holds 90% of the market share, can still use the service, either through Didi's app or its mini-program on WeChat.

On Monday, the CAC expanded its probe, announcing that it also launched similar cybersecurity investigations into three other companies and asked them to stop registering new users. All these companies have recently debuted on US stock exchanges. Job recruitment platform Boss ZhiPin debuted on Nasdaq under Kanzhun, a Tencent-backed company, on June 11. Partner transport companies Huo Chebang and Yun Manman went public together on the New York Stock Exchange on June 22 as a single company called Full Truck Alliance.

The actions are a notable step up for privacy regulation. But they come as part of a long-term effort to regulate data use during an ongoing crackdown on big tech, experts told TechNode.

Business may be... fine?

Didi said in a June 4 statement that it expects that the app takedown may have "an adverse impact on its revenue in China."

According to a 2020 regulation for the review process, a cybersecurity review should be completed within 45 days. However, it can be extended if "the situation is complicated."

James Hull, analyst and portfolio manager at Hullx Capital, said a suspension of 45 days or longer isn't "that bad for the company," because most Chinese users already have the Didi app and could access Didi through WeChat mini-programs. The Chinese version of the app was downloaded about 900,000 times in June, according to SensorTower, or 30,000 times per day.

Michael Tan, a partner with international law firm Taylor Wessing Shanghai Office, told TechNode that he thinks the investigation could take six months. Didi's stock price is likely to take a hit, but the company is unlikely to be delisted from the US, he added, because Chinese regulators will focus on data security more than the listing.

But Tu Le, founder and managing director of business intelligence firm Sino Auto Insights, told TechNode that he thinks US investors may demand more information. "If I were a US investor in Didi, I'd like to know what Cheng Wei, Jean Liu, and the rest of the management team 'knew,' if anything at all, and 'when' they knew it."

"If there was prior knowledge that Cyberspace Administration of China would block new users due to security issues, then it should've been disclosed prior to the IPO," Le added.

Didi shares on the New York Stock Exchange fell 5.3% on Friday, following the CAC announcement of a cybersecurity review of the company. The US market had not opened on Monday at the time of this publication.

Both Le and Michael Tan say Didi's probe could have broader implications for Chinese data companies planning to raise money in the US.

Le said the Didi probe "should really freak out any data company planning to IPO in the US." Data companies need to make sure that their data management strategy is bulletproof if they decide to list in the US later this year, he said. "I'd say they'll still do it, but this should give them pause, if only for a brief moment," he added.

Why is Didi being investigated?

It's not entirely clear what got Didi in trouble. The notices refer to national security and to "serious problems with illegal and irregular collection and use of personal data." Timing suggests that the recent US IPO could also be a factor. All three firms that were penalized this past week have been listed on US markets since early June 11.

The company says that all information related to Chinese users is stored in China, in response to speculation of Didi sharing sensitive data. Company Vice President Li Meng wrote on Weibo Saturday that the company was willing to sue over speculation that it had shared sensitive information during its IPO process.

Tan said that alleged data privacy abuse is the main reason for Didi's investigation. Didi's US IPO likely accelerated the probe but didn't trigger it.

In 2015, Chinese state news agency Xinhua collaborated with Didi's big data analytics department on a report focusing on commuting patterns of state staff working for different Chinese ministries. "Almost all ministries work overtime," the report said, "The Ministry of Land and Resources is the busiest. There were 298 rides hailed between 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in two days," Xinhua said. China could deem data like this as sensitive.

The investigation targets Didi's potential privacy breach activities in China, Tan said. "US IPO will result in disclosure of much business-related information to the US markets and other third parties in the US," he said. "This will inevitably lead to some speculation, such as Didi being investigated due to national security concerns or providing access to sensitive data," he added.

Legal background

The investigations are based on a relatively new CAC power called a "cybersecurity review." This review process was created by the 2016 Cybersecurity Law, but has never previously been implemented, according to the Beijing News. According to the law and 2020 implementation measures, the review system focuses on operators of "critical information infrastructure," and their purchases of "network products and services that might impact national security." The Cybersecurity Law, along with landmark laws on privacy and data security, is part of an ongoing effort to regulate the use of personal data by companies in China. Cross-border data transfers are a focus of these laws, but the laws also require companies to implement best practices for collecting and storing data.

"That could cover anything from Didi's servers to cloud computing to basic network equipment," said Tiffany Wong, a consultant at research-based consultancy Sinolytics.

Wong said that it's also possible for companies to get in trouble under these laws due to how they store and process important data. "It could be that Didi hasn't segmented their personal information to the CAC's liking, or don't have good data protection mechanisms in place as required, and the state wants Didi to have full compliance before collecting any more personal information," Wong added.

Moreover, Xie Maosong, a senior politics and governance researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told TechNode that he thinks Didi and other internet companies need to develop a better sense of social responsibility in China instead of focusing only on making money. Xie studies Chinese governmental policies and he gave lectures a few weeks ago to the Cybersecurity Administration in Hangzhou on regulating Chinese internet companies.

"In the western society, capital takes priority," said Xie, "but in China, politics always takes priority. Here, politics doesn't refer to the Chinese government, and it refers to the interests of the nation, a collective interest, in contrast to the interests of a few capitalists," he added.

Tech crackdowns in China

The investigation into Didi came as China widened an ongoing crackdown on tech companies. The crackdown started in November when authorities halted Chinese fintech giant Ant Group's plans for a mega dual IPO, citing "changing regulatory environment." Since then, regulators have abandoned their laissez-faire approach to tech firms and put them under the microscope.

In December, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced an anti-monopoly investigation into e-commerce behemoth Alibaba. The probe was closed in April as the market regulator imposed a record RMB 18.2 billion ($2.8 billion) fine on Alibaba.

Anti-monopoly has been the most active area of the campaign, hitting tech titans like Tencent, Alibaba, Meituan, and Didi itself, according to TechNode's Techlash Tracker database. But the campaign also involves privacy protection, data security, and financial de-risking. Over the past year, hundreds of companies have been hit with small fines over privacy and data security violations.

READ MORE: INSIGHTS | Making sense of China's big tech crackdown

The Didi probe is the first major case in the privacy and data security section of the campaign.

In the past, companies like Tencent, search engine Sogou, and smartphone maker Xiaomi were fined small amounts of money for collecting excessive or unnecessary data from their app users. Those enforcements usually cite China's 2017 Cybersecurity Law and regulations on how apps should collect and store user data.

The investigation into Didi, however, probably involves national security issues, according to the CAC. In addition to the Cybersecurity Law, the CAC also cited China's National Security Law in announcing the Didi probe. The 2015 National Security Law has a clause (in Chinese) vowing to "safeguard the nation's cyberspace sovereignty, security, and interests."

"The state attaches great importance to cybersecurity and data security. The Cybersecurity Law passed in 2017, the Cybersecurity Review Measures issued in 2020, and the Data Security Law that is taking effect in September are all signs of the government's determination to protect cybersecurity and data security," said Qi Aimin, a professor at Chongqing University's School of Law.

Recent cybersecurity reviews on tech firms, including probes into Boss Zhipin, Huo Chebang, and Yun Manman announced on Monday, proving that "large-scale cybersecurity and data security investigations of internet companies will become a trend," said Qi.

A timeline of Didi's regulatory woes

Dec. 24, 2020: Chinese transport minister Li Xiaopeng pledges to ramp up antitrust enforcement as one of the ministry's priorities in 2021. The head of Chinese transport watchdog made the comment a month after the release of the draft anti-monopoly guidelines targeting the country's big tech companies by the SAMR.

March 12, 2021: China's top market watchdog SAMR fines (in Chinese) Didi Mobility Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of the Chinese ride-hailing giant, RMB 500,000 ($77,400) for failing to seek antitrust clearance for the establishment of a joint venture with Softbank. In the current antitrust law framework, companies need to receive approval for mergers or acquisitions involving firms with annual revenues of RMB 10 billion and above globally or more than RMB 2 billion in China.

April 30, 2021: Didi is again ordered (in Chinese) to pay a penalty after insufficiently disclosing three acquisitions and investments for antitrust reviews, including a takeover of a Shenzhen-based car rental firm. Chinese gaming powerhouse Tencent and retail giant Suning were also punished for the same reasons, with each fined RMB 500,000, the highest amount stipulated by the law.

May 12, 2021: China's cyberspace administration issues new draft rules on data collection applying to both carmakers and ride-hailing platforms, stipulating that companies need to gain regulatory approval before providing "important and private data" to foreign entities (our translation). Coming after growing concerns about vehicle cameras and where the car data is going, CAC writes in the announcement (in Chinese) that the rules have been drafted to safeguard national security and the public interest.

May 14, 2021: Chinese antitrust regulators order ride-hailing platform Didi and online services giant Meituan to rectify their ride-hailing practices, reports Bloomberg. The two companies were among 10 online on-demand services ordered to make changes to their operations, including increasing drivers' commission fees.

June 17, 2021: Reuters reports that China's market regulator is investigating whether Didi violated antitrust rules. Didi dismisses the report as "unsubstantiated speculation from unnamed sources." However, the company acknowledged that it has just completed a one-month self-inspection to correct monopolistic practices, along with dozens of other companies, as required by regulators, in its IPO prospectus filed last month.

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How did Didi get in trouble with data regulators? · TechNode

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It has been a rollercoaster week for Didi Global. Last Wednesday, Didi raised $4.4 billion in a behemoth US IPO. Two days later on Friday evening, China's cybersecurity regulator announced an investigation into the company. Then on Sunday night, less than a week after Didi went public on the New York Stock Exchange, the regulator asked app stores in China to remove Didi's app.

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We've been taking a look at recent studies about consumer attitudes regarding data use and privacy.

A new study, " Privacy Front and Center," from Consumer Reports' Digital Lab with support from Omidyar Network, found that American consumers are increasingly concerned about privacy and data security when purchasing new products and services, which may be a competitive advantage to companies that raise the bar for privacy. A majority of smart product owners (62%) worry about potential loss of privacy when buying them for their home or family, according to CR's February 2020 nationally representative survey. The study found that the privacy and security conscious consumer class seems to include more men and people of color.

Additional findings from Consumer Reports:

65% of American consumers say they are slightly or not at all confident that personal data is private;

96% of Americans agree that more should be done to ensure that companies protect the privacy of consumers;

42% of consumers believe that companies should be the most responsible for user privacy.

The Cisco 2020 Consumer Privacy Survey, " Protecting Data Privacy to Maintain Digital Trust," found that protecting data privacy remains important to consumers during the pandemic. In fact, one-third of consumers are " Privacy Actives " who have stopped doing business with organizations over their data privacy practices. The survey also found that residents of all 12 countries in the study view their privacy laws very favorably and want more transparency about how their data is being used.

Cisco also found:

40% of respondents felt that the pandemic would strengthen the importance of privacy; only 28% said it would make privacy less important in the future;

Over half (57%) supported employers requesting employee health information to ensure a safe workforce. However, slightly under half supported location tracking, only 37% supported disclosing information about infected individuals, and only a third supported sharing information with private companies for research purposes.

In addition, Deloitte recently released its 2020 Digital Consumer Trends survey, which focused on the growth in smart device use and data in the United Kingdom. It found that UK consumers have become less concerned about the use of their data. In 2018, 47% of respondents stated they were 'very concerned', this has now halved to 24%.

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Exploring Consumer Attitudes About Privacy - Future of Privacy Forum

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We've been taking a look at recent studies about consumer attitudes regarding data use and privacy. A new study, "Privacy Front and Center," from Consumer Reports' Digital Lab with support from Omidyar Network, found that American consumers are increasingly concerned about privacy and data security when purchasing new products and services, which...