The SCIENCE BENEATH the ART of PUBLIC RELATIONS ™
June 3, 2015
W. Timothy Coombs, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

This May, The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was rocked by yet another scandal when 14 officials were arrested on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies. The expectation was that Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, would continue his reign for four more years. In a surprise move, Blatter resigned on June 2, 2015.

 

So why had FIFA waited so long for the much needed resignation? The key answer is a lack of accountability. Will media companies still pay millions of dollars for television contracts with FIFA? Yes. Will countries still desperately seek to host the World Cup? Yes. There is no true accountability for FIFA if the organization misbehaves. Read more.
Peter Smudde, Ph.D., Illinois State University

 

Leisure is a topic that can be overlooked as vital to career success. The value of rest is very high, and that is why people look so fondly toward the weekend. But realize, too, that weekends alone are not usually enough.

 

A recent study by the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that sitting long hours undermines health and shortens life. During any day at work you need to relax from the stresses you have endured. Short, frequent breaks that divert your attention to other things give your mind and body the opportunity to refresh. Read more. 
Michele E. Ewing, Kent State University

 

How do you create conversations and preference for an unfamiliar brand in a category of undifferentiated products?


That is the challenge US Cotton presented to its communications team in 2012. With the help of the integrated marketing communications agency Marcus Thomas, the team created a campaign to raise awareness for Swisspers® cotton rounds convincing women to remove their makeup before bed - meaning they would "Sleep Naked." 


The team identified a mix of celebrities, bloggers and peer influencers to kick off the movement. They found that while the celebrities initially attracted attention to the brand, ultimately the beauty experts created the most significant impact on motivating audiences to pledge to Sleep Naked. Read more. 

Dr. Marcia DiStaso Named New Director of IPR's Social Science for Social Media Research Center

   

This week, Dr. Marcia DiStaso, an associate professor at the Pennsylvania State University, was selected as the new Director of Social Science of Social Media Research Center (SSSMRC) at IPR. Dr. DiStaso is also an editorial board member of the Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Journal and Communication Research Reports.

 

"We are thrilled Dr. DiStaso is going to serve as Director of the SSSMRC," said IPR President & CEO Dr. Tina McCorkindale. "As one of the top researchers in social media, she has made tremendous contributions to the field with her benchmarking studies and research on Wikipedia, and we look forward to her continued work with IPR." Read more.