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The need for hands-on learning in advertising education has been expressed for decades. With the increasing push toward live tweeting by brands, more attention needs to be given in advertising classrooms to opportunities for students to practice online engagement. In this study, a class "war room" simulation offered an experiential learning opportunity and gave students a taste of how brands and their advertising agencies are handling Twitter and other social media channels during major live events like the Super Bowl. This hands-on exercise could give professors another tool to help reduce the gap between academic knowledge and real-world skills. Through a post-event discussion and survey, students said they learned the importance of teamwork, client relationships and quick thinking. They were able to practice live tweeting on a client's behalf, interacting with followers and working under pressure.

When firms face crisis, the instant and open channels of social media communication create a double-edged sword. While corporations can more quickly communicate with stakeholders, any missteps will have drastic and nearly immediate repercussions. What are the relationships among social media, subjective norms, attitudes, and intentions during corporate crisis? We explore this phenomenon via a study of a crisis faced by Lowe's, an international home improvement store, and how current and potential customers reacted. By utilizing a structural equations model to examine an integrated model of multiple constructs, we find that Facebook usage is associated with behavioral intent, perceptions of ethicality, and attitudes toward the organization. Counter intuitively, we find that an increase in participant Facebook usage is negatively related to felt subjective norms. Our findings indicate that beyond the traditional relationships examined by the Theory of Reasoned Action (e.g., norms, attitudes, and behavioral intent), that social media and subjective norms have a strong relationship with general attitudes and ethical attitudes toward an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lowe's decision to pull advertising fromAll-American Muslimand Susan G. Komen for the Cure's announcement of new granting criteria impacting Planned Parenthood prompted angry outcries, as well as apologies, on social media. Through 2 online surveys, this study gauges people's thoughts about purchasing from or donating toward the organization in crisis and discusses the use of online apologies. Attitudes and social norms held the most sway over respondents’ reported intentions to donate or buy. We suggest a paradigm shift in how social media have expanded the referent others to whom people listen and about whose reactions people care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The need for hands-on learning in advertising education has been expressed for decades. With the increasing push toward live tweeting by brands, more attention needs to be given in advertising classrooms to opportunities for students to practice online engagement. In this study, a class "war room" simulation offered an experiential learning opportunity and gave students a taste of how brands and their advertising agencies are handling Twitter and other social media channels during major live events like the Super Bowl. This hands-on exercise could give professors another tool to help reduce the gap between academic knowledge and real-world skills. Through a post-event discussion and survey, students said they learned the importance of teamwork, client relationships and quick thinking. They were able to practice live tweeting on a client's behalf, interacting with followers and working under pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonprofit organizations are as susceptible to crisis as any organization as exemplified by Livestrong's attempts to outlive Lance Armstrong's downfall and Planned Parenthood (PP) overcoming Susan G. Komen for the Cure's (SGK) policy to defund organizations under investigation. The public battles held on social media during crises such as these have forced organizations onto new battlegrounds. Supporters for each of these nonprofits proudly shared their thoughts via tweets (e.g. #IstandwithPP) and status updates, as the organizations raced to control the situation. PP had tweeted SGK's policy change creating a bevy of support while sending SGK into a reversal that is still costing racers. Surveys were distributed following Armstrong's performance-enhancing drug use confession and SGK's funding policy announcement to determine attitudes toward giving after organizational crisis. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to assess the strength of attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control on the intent to donate to these organizations. The use of TPB expands nonprofit marketing horizons by helping better understand stakeholder intentions and their causes. On the basis of the findings, best practices for nonprofits handling crisis were identified. In particular, organizations need to know their target audiences, know what will make supporters remain, look at crises as opportunities for renewal, be honest, and apologize when appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Lowe's apologized on Facebook after pulling its ads from TLC's All-American Muslim. [•] Online survey results indicate mixed views of the apology and use of Facebook. [•] Young, non-Caucasian, left-leaning subjects more likely to view apology unfavorably. [•] Facebook users are lukewarm about organizational use of their social network. [•] Facebook may not be the best channel when communicating about a controversial issue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]