Implications
Analyzing an Internet-based communication case through the lens of the five moments of cultural circuit, the present study demonstrates the complexities and opportunities in international public relations when the global interacts with the local, evident in the tension between Starbucks as a global brand and the Forbidden City as a cultural symbol of China. Rather than adopting a linear model, this study interprets a particular case engaged in a meaning-making and -negotiating dynamic, and reveals the implications of this Web-based activist campaign.
First, this case study suggests that the public empowered by the new media receive due attention in public relations research. Traditionally, public relations literature addresses organizations’ concerns whereas the public is more or less regarded as either beneficiaries or victims of organizations’ particular behavior. The present study demonstrates the active role the public plays, and highlights the imperative need of giving voice to the public and taking their perspectives into consideration, as well as the negative consequences when such efforts are not made. What further complicates the situation is the involvement of new media such as celebrity blogs in the present case. Examining public relations nowadays may require us to adopt a holistic approach that considers a broader realm of agents involved in a particular situation.
Recognizing the fluid nature of the public, the circuit of culture model gives credit to the power inherent in consumers’ meaning-making of a given product. Consumers become co-creators during this process when the two moments of consumption and production overlap. In fact, as discussed above, the meanings encoded by Starbucks should not expect to have ready acceptance among the Chinese audiences in the Chinese context. Additionally, the messages that Starbucks tried to deliver universally through its shops in China were not applicable to a particular branch inside the Forbidden City. Curtin and Gaither (2007, p. 47) argue “if shared norms are challenged strongly enough, the group holding them often feels empowered to act, even in the face of corporate power and clout.” In the Starbucks case, activists spread their opinions directly through blog and indirectly through mainstream media; and they succeeded in utilizing the power of mass media to fulfill their goals. In this respect, the circuit model has demonstrated its usefulness in examining public relations campaigns involving cultural complexities, new media, history and political perspectives in a globalized context.
Second, this case exemplifies the interplay of two aspects essential to international public relations: new communication technology and globalization. International public relations practice becomes more complex when new technologies are involved as a democratizing platform for historically excluded publics to voice their concerns (Heath, 1998). As Curtin and Gaither (2007) note, “In the digital world, the roles of producer and consumer collide. … [C]onsumers can use new technology to become producers of texts and transmit, produce, and distribute messages at low cost” (p. 146). Rui and online activists indeed played the double role of both consumers and producers when they are engaged in game playing with a global brand operating in a local market: on one hand, they are the target audience of Starbucks and receive Starbucks’ message when they drink coffee; on the other hand, they decode Starbucks’ meaning in a way that undermines Starbuck's intentions as they refuse to accept Starbucks’ physical existence inside the Forbidden City. They thus took advantage of the popularity of online forums or blogs to re-produce, if not “co-produce” the meaning of Starbucks in the Chinese market as well as the meaning of traditional Chinese culture in the cyber space. Such meaning-making has consequently altered the global brand's marketing strategy. The case vividly illustrates the interaction between brand globalization and individual resistance empowered by Internet-base media. Without blogs, or online opinion leaders or activists, whom we called “new influencers,” this case would not have happened.
Third, this case may prompt public relations practitioners to think more strategically about international brands in similar negative situations, when individual bloggers can demonstrate their mobilizing power and magnify themselves through publicity on the Internet. The private or one-on-one correspondence between Rui and Jim Donald, for example, were quickly on the rise online. Rui successfully inserted his viewpoints into the public agenda. Clearly, dealing with bloggers is different from dealing with traditional media. The Starbucks case underlines what makes consumer blogging particularly challenging for companies in China. One strategy for organizations to handle blog crises may be to monitor blog posts regularly and stem negative trends in the budding stage before they get out of control. That requires organizations to engage in responsive listening, active participation in online conversations, and constant environmental scanning to manage its relations with online communities.
We thus believe that “informal PR” does matter. That is, on one hand, the informal public relations campaign initiated from a personal blog can be influential and affect the business of multinational corporations or organizations. On the other hand, organizations should resort to unconventional approaches or means to counter negative messages, or to deal with individual or informal activist campaigns.
Last but not least, this case invites a reconsideration of international public relations practice amid the tensions between the “coffee culture” and the “museum culture,” and between East and West in a new media environment. Traditional or local culture needs to learn how to get along with or at least in tolerable coexistence with the consumer culture and Western materialism embodied in global brands. A meaningful question to ponder is whether this has to be a zero-sum game wherein either the host country closes the door and says “no” to multinational corporations, or just welcomes them in without hesitation. In other words, local market shall benefit from brand globalization while strategically protecting the integrity of local culture. As Rui asked, “how do we absorb and embrace the Western world without losing our own identity. This is an issue that everybody is thinking about. I just happened to write about it” (Fowler, 2007).
On the other hand, foreign businesses need to learn how to well understand the nuances of local culture and local people's meaning-making toward Western culture symbolized in global brands, especially under the new communication circumstances. When the global meets the local, Starbucks is not alone. Many U.S. brands, KFC, McDonalds, to name a few, have encountered similar challenges due to China's nationalistic sentiment. And likewise they had to wrestle with consumer's resistance or boycott. The “circuit of culture” thus sheds light on the possibility of negotiating a shared identity of global brands among multiple parties with unique cultural attributes. To establish and maintain a healthy relationship between local stakeholders and multinational corporations requires public relations practitioners to play a constructive role as cultural intermediaries (Bourdieu, 1979) to facilitate a favorable flow of information at international settings. By helping to build shared identities, international public relations practice may serve as a cultural bridge in today's globalized and digitized society
ผลกระทบวิเคราะห์กรณีการสื่อสารอินเทอร์เน็ตผ่านเลนส์ของช่วงเวลาห้าของวงจรทางวัฒนธรรม การศึกษาปัจจุบันแสดงให้เห็นถึงความซับซ้อนและโอกาสในการประชาสัมพันธ์เมื่อโลกโต้ตอบกับท้องถิ่น ในความตึงเครียดระหว่างสตาร์บัคส์เป็นแบรนด์ระดับโลกและในเมืองเป็นสัญลักษณ์ทางวัฒนธรรมของจีน แทนที่จะใช้แบบจำลองเชิงเส้น ศึกษาแปลกรณีที่หมั้นในความหมายทำ - เจรจาต่อรองแบบไดนามิก และเปิดเผยผลกระทบของเว็บสจม.แคมเปญนี้ครั้งแรก กรณีศึกษานี้แนะนำว่า ประชาชนอำนาจ โดยสื่อใหม่ได้รับการกำหนดความสนใจในงานวิจัยประชาสัมพันธ์ ประเพณี วรรณกรรมประชาสัมพันธ์อยู่กังวลขององค์กร โดยถือประชาชนเป็นเหยื่อของพฤติกรรมเฉพาะขององค์กรหรือผู้รับผลประโยชน์น้อย การศึกษาปัจจุบันแสดงให้เห็นถึงบทบาทเล่นสาธารณะ และสำคัญจำต้องให้เสียงประชาชน และพิจารณาถึงมุมมองการพิจารณา เป็นผลลบเมื่อไม่ทำให้ความพยายามดังกล่าว อะไรเพิ่มเติม complicates สถานการณ์ที่ได้มีส่วนร่วมของสื่อใหม่เช่นบล็อกดาราในกรณีปัจจุบัน ตรวจสอบการประชาสัมพันธ์ในปัจจุบันอาจต้องเราจะนำมาใช้เป็นแนวทางแบบองค์รวมที่พิจารณาขอบเขตที่กว้างขึ้นของตัวแทนที่เกี่ยวข้องในเหตุการณ์จดจำลักษณะของเหลวของประชาชน วงจรรุ่นวัฒนธรรมให้สินเชื่อพลังงานใหม่ ๆ ทำความหมายของผู้บริโภคของผลิตภัณฑ์ให้ ผู้บริโภคเป็น ผู้สร้างร่วมระหว่างกระบวนการนี้เมื่อเหลื่อมช่วงสองของปริมาณการใช้และการผลิต ในความเป็นจริง ดังที่กล่าวไว้ข้างต้น ความหมายการเข้ารหัส โดยการบริการที่ดีควรจะคาดหวังให้พร้อมยอมรับในหมู่ผู้ชมจีนในจีน นอกจากนี้ ข้อความที่สตาร์บัคส์พยายามส่งแบบของร้านในจีน ไม่สามารถใช้ได้กับสาขาเฉพาะภายในเมือง Curtin และ Gaither (2007, p. 47) ทะเลาะ "ถ้าบรรทัดฐานที่ใช้ร่วมกันจะท้าทายพอ กลุ่มถือมักรู้สึก empowered ทำ แม้แต่หน้าของบริษัทพลังงานและ clout " ในกรณีร้านสตาร์บัค นักเคลื่อนไหวแพร่กระจายความคิดเห็นผ่าน ทางบล็อกโดยตรง และโดยทางอ้อม ผ่าน สื่อหลัก และพวกเขาประสบความสำเร็จในการใช้อำนาจของสื่อมวลชนเพื่อตอบสนองเป้าหมายของพวกเขา ประการนี้ แบบจำลองวงจรได้สาธิตของประโยชน์ในการตรวจสอบการส่งเสริมการประชาสัมพันธ์ที่เกี่ยวข้องกับความซับซ้อนทางวัฒนธรรม สื่อใหม่ ประวัติศาสตร์ และมุมมองทางการเมืองในบริบทโลกาSecond, this case exemplifies the interplay of two aspects essential to international public relations: new communication technology and globalization. International public relations practice becomes more complex when new technologies are involved as a democratizing platform for historically excluded publics to voice their concerns (Heath, 1998). As Curtin and Gaither (2007) note, “In the digital world, the roles of producer and consumer collide. … [C]onsumers can use new technology to become producers of texts and transmit, produce, and distribute messages at low cost” (p. 146). Rui and online activists indeed played the double role of both consumers and producers when they are engaged in game playing with a global brand operating in a local market: on one hand, they are the target audience of Starbucks and receive Starbucks’ message when they drink coffee; on the other hand, they decode Starbucks’ meaning in a way that undermines Starbuck's intentions as they refuse to accept Starbucks’ physical existence inside the Forbidden City. They thus took advantage of the popularity of online forums or blogs to re-produce, if not “co-produce” the meaning of Starbucks in the Chinese market as well as the meaning of traditional Chinese culture in the cyber space. Such meaning-making has consequently altered the global brand's marketing strategy. The case vividly illustrates the interaction between brand globalization and individual resistance empowered by Internet-base media. Without blogs, or online opinion leaders or activists, whom we called “new influencers,” this case would not have happened.Third, this case may prompt public relations practitioners to think more strategically about international brands in similar negative situations, when individual bloggers can demonstrate their mobilizing power and magnify themselves through publicity on the Internet. The private or one-on-one correspondence between Rui and Jim Donald, for example, were quickly on the rise online. Rui successfully inserted his viewpoints into the public agenda. Clearly, dealing with bloggers is different from dealing with traditional media. The Starbucks case underlines what makes consumer blogging particularly challenging for companies in China. One strategy for organizations to handle blog crises may be to monitor blog posts regularly and stem negative trends in the budding stage before they get out of control. That requires organizations to engage in responsive listening, active participation in online conversations, and constant environmental scanning to manage its relations with online communities.We thus believe that “informal PR” does matter. That is, on one hand, the informal public relations campaign initiated from a personal blog can be influential and affect the business of multinational corporations or organizations. On the other hand, organizations should resort to unconventional approaches or means to counter negative messages, or to deal with individual or informal activist campaigns.Last but not least, this case invites a reconsideration of international public relations practice amid the tensions between the “coffee culture” and the “museum culture,” and between East and West in a new media environment. Traditional or local culture needs to learn how to get along with or at least in tolerable coexistence with the consumer culture and Western materialism embodied in global brands. A meaningful question to ponder is whether this has to be a zero-sum game wherein either the host country closes the door and says “no” to multinational corporations, or just welcomes them in without hesitation. In other words, local market shall benefit from brand globalization while strategically protecting the integrity of local culture. As Rui asked, “how do we absorb and embrace the Western world without losing our own identity. This is an issue that everybody is thinking about. I just happened to write about it” (Fowler, 2007).On the other hand, foreign businesses need to learn how to well understand the nuances of local culture and local people's meaning-making toward Western culture symbolized in global brands, especially under the new communication circumstances. When the global meets the local, Starbucks is not alone. Many U.S. brands, KFC, McDonalds, to name a few, have encountered similar challenges due to China's nationalistic sentiment. And likewise they had to wrestle with consumer's resistance or boycott. The “circuit of culture” thus sheds light on the possibility of negotiating a shared identity of global brands among multiple parties with unique cultural attributes. To establish and maintain a healthy relationship between local stakeholders and multinational corporations requires public relations practitioners to play a constructive role as cultural intermediaries (Bourdieu, 1979) to facilitate a favorable flow of information at international settings. By helping to build shared identities, international public relations practice may serve as a cultural bridge in today's globalized and digitized society
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