A Food Crisis Worse Than Your Ramen Diet

The Holidays are here, and they are without a doubt the cause of the ‘eat and regret it later’ movement. This is the time when you gain all of the pounds you promise yourself you’ll lose before summer. From Thanksgiving turkey to apple pies, food is a MUST for the Holidays. So in honor of the season of giving, (your mother the nod to pass the salt, that is), here’s a public relations food crisis that has taught us all a valuable lesson in PR crisis management. 

Case study: Wrigleys and the Trayvon Martin tragedy 

The February 2012 death of 16-year-old African American Trayvon Martin who was shot and killed by neighborhood watch captain and former security officer George Zimmerman caused a national outcry that sparked debates on issues of race, discrimination, gun laws, and even police practices.

One of the last things he would ever hold in his hand is a pack of Skittles, which became a national symbol of the tragedy that had occurred. Protestors across the country began to buy Skittles to advocate for equality and justice causing Skittles sales to skyrocket. Many Americans felt Wrigleys, the parent company, had an obligation to donate to Martin’s family and other related charities. 

Wrigley’s did the best thing which was to stay neutral and away from the spotlight saying, “We are deeply saddened by the news of Trayvon Martin’s death and express our sincere condolences to his family and friends. We also respect their privacy and feel it inappropriate to get involved or comment further as we would never wish for our actions to be perceived as an attempt of commercial gain following this tragedy.” 

This is a prime example of how some of the best PR crises are those we never hear of.  Wrigley’s was quick, respectful, and most importantly, unbiased. We can all (including the folks at Chick-Fil-A) definitely learn a lesson or two from the PR folks at Wrigleys. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Antinnea Skipwith.

Social Media Leads Social Activism: Trayvon Martin Movement

Many people weren't aware of Trayvon Martin's tragic death at the young age of 17 in Sanford, Florida earlier this month. After online petitions, tweets and Facebook posts, awareness has skyrocketed and a social movement has formed.

Martin had been shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer while he had only a bag of Skittles on him. The shooter, George Zimmerman, claimed to police that he saw a suspicious black male that had a hooded sweatshirt on with the hood up. He reported to police that he thought he was acting strangely, possibly on drugs. Against police orders, Zimmerman followed the boy and at some point shortly after, shot Martin in the chest at close range. Phone records with the police remain blurry as to what happened.

Outrage and mourning ensued after news of the murder spread, especially because Zimmerman has not been charged. A "Million Hoodie March" to protest Martin's death have been seen in major cities such as New York and Philadelphia. Protestors wear hooded sweatshirts with the hood up to symbolize what Martin was wearing when he was killed. The march was initiated after Trayvon's parents created an online petition for the criminal investigation of Trayvon's murder. After an hour of the event, 973, 065 signatures were obtained. The petition now has over 2 million signatures. Aside from the petition, there have been over 600,000 mentions on Twitter concerning the case and a "Justice for Trayvon Martin" Facebook page with 82,000 "likes".

I can only anticipate that support for the movement will grow as more details on the case are investigated. Have you been involved with the movement on social media?

Photo courtesy of the Time Newsfeed article that can be found here.