Assignment Task: Write an 800-1200 word analysis on a current issue situation.
Select an issue that is currently in the news, something that relates to the activities surrounding a major corporate brand. It might be a crisis situation, layoffs, a merger/acquisition, or a major new product.
Hint: You can use this assignment to kickstart discussions for your group's strategic proposal topic and could ultimately be expanded for the proposal (Learn more about the strategic proposal assignment.)
Discuss and analyze the strategic communications issues surrounding this situation for the brand as you perceive it.
- Define the situation: What situation is the company facing?
- What are the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) surrounding this situation?
- How urgent is the situation?
- What communications strategy is the company pursuing? How is it linking various communication channels? Look at what the company is communicating via news releases, social media, and through the new media.
- How effective is the company's communications response? What is it doing well? What could use improvement? Note if the company is going nothing and why you believe they've taken that approach.
- Lessons learned: What lessons can be learned from this scenario? What would you recommend this company do better in its communication strategies? What specific communication tactics should the company be using?
Special Note: This assignment is NOT a case study about a specific brand. Your requirement here is to look for something is currently being covered in the news that has implications for a brand. For example, Groupon had a big problem in Japan with its vendor messing up over 100 New Year's Day meals. Since Groupon had just started expanding into Japan, this made international headlines. Had you been taking this class around that time, that would have been an appropriate subject. It is NOT an appropriate subject to discuss the general communication strategy of Groupon. Press releases alone are not sufficient.
You may NOT use a celebrity or professional athlete for this assignment. There are times when celebrities are like brands and are treated as brands, but they are such a special case that they are not relevant to the issues we deal with in this course.
Please remember:
- Write your assignment with Microsoft Word.
- Include your name and assignment title in your assignment.
- Put your last name in all your assignment file names.
- Assignment should be approximately 1200 word
- Cite all research using MLA. You should have a minimum of three sources in addition to the company's website, but a well-researched analysis should have more.