#extendedpost

Pick a concept from the chapter 14 reading on cross cultural communication and PR that you have seen exemplified during our time here so far. Perhaps at a cafe you’ve witnessed differences in how space is used (Proxemics). Maybe on a weekend trip you’ve seen ways that people from some countries view time differently than we tend to (Chronemics). Or perhaps you have seen a really clever ad that bridges cultural/linguistic boundaries. Post a photo or video, and explain how it illustrates the concept you choose.

Among the many differences between American and German cultures is out attitude towards food and drink. According to Guth, “For many public relations practitioners, cuisine is the reward for mastering the subtleties of cross cultural communication” (Guth, 434). I have included a picture of McDonalds as a sort of connection between the two cultures, but from here the attitudes change drastically. The German diet is typically full of very heavy and hearty foods designed to fill you up and make you “fat and happy”, while in America the current trend is healthy, vegan, and light food options. In Germany, a typical snack is something like bratwurst or currywurst, which in my experience are always served with fries and mayo; all of which are not super healthy options. (The entire thing is kind of ironic because the level of obesity in America far surpasses that of any other country when our focus is on healthy foods). Although the contents of our diets are extremely different, the real difference comes with portion size, and the manner in which our food is served.

In America, everything is gigantic, while in Germany the opposite is true. When I visited McDonalds I ordered an chicken sandwich meal where I received my sandwich, fries, and a drink. Typically, at an American McDonalds the sheer amount of french fries that comes with a meal is enough to feed two people, but in Germany the fries that came with a meal are equivalent to the American size small, the perfect amount to supplement the meal. This remains pretty standard when it comes to sizing of food and drinks in Germany, everything is much smaller/ promotional to what we should actually be eating. When I go to a restaurant I don’t feel like I need to take a to-go box every-time I have a meal. `

Another trend I have noticed is the fact that in Germany, ice is not typically included in drinks unless you order a cocktail. This is a huge contrast to America because most of the times when you order a drink half of it is actually ice. Maybe this is why we offer free refills, and they don’t? When I ordered my drink at McDonalds I expected a super cold and refreshing cola with a bunch of crunchy ice at the bottom, but the ice in my drink melted before I could even finish my drink.

Another slight cultural difference is that here in Germany you have to pay for every single thing you want, this includes water and condiments. Although it doesn’t seem like a big thing it is definitely something I have noticed. In America if we go to Chickfila and ask for fifteen ranches, twelve water refills, and a couple of mints it will not cost us a thing, but here in Germany I am pretty sure I would have to take out a small loan to have more than two bottles of water at dinner.

Prompt 1 (extended): Pick a concept from the chapter 14 reading on cross-cultural communication and PR that you have seen exemplified during our time here so far. Perhaps at a cafe you've witnessed differences in how space is used (Proxemics). Maybe on a weekend trip you've seen ways that people from some countries view time differently than we tend to (Chronemics). Or perhaps you've seen a really clever ad that bridges cultural/linguistic boundaries. Post a photo or video, and explain how it captures or illustrates the concept you choose. 

This picture is of the closed DM by our hotel. I took it as I walked towards REWE only to find out that it was closed as well. One thing that I have noticed that Germany takes to heart are their national holidays. Unlike the United States, most, if not all stores close on national holidays. While we have been in Germany there have been two national holidays. The first, Ascension Day, occurred while we were in Stuttgart. The second, Whit Monday, happened yesterday. Yesterday, many of us found it frustrating when we could not go into our local REWE due to the holiday and as well as the fact that it was closed the day prior too. Although I frown upon Walmart and other stores being open on Christmas, having limited stores open on national holidays is a major cultural difference between Germany and the United States.

In Germany, some things have more importance to people than they do in the United States. In the United States, which has a capitalistic economy, we are known for assigning money with time. It is more important for stores to stay open during major holidays than it is here in Germany. For instance,“cultures have difference attitudes about time.” (Guth 431). This is known as Chronemics. Like was said in class, money is time and time is money. Americans place such an importance on how we address time that enjoying holidays is not seen in the same way as it is in Germany. Surprisingly, the United States is placed in the middle of 31 different countries when it comes to the amount of importance placed on time.

Prompt #2: Museum Communication meets Metropolis: At the museum, look for two examples of science or technology to relate to the film: 1 - Find an exhibit that suggests the film was accurate in communicating the future. 2 - Find an exhibit that suggests the film was inaccurate in its vision of the future.

To give a little bit of background, the film Metropolis discussed the idea that one day technology would take over the roles of humans and essentially rule us. The example I found in the museum that agreed with the film was the robots in the round square. In the film, evil Maria was a robot and in this exhibit robots were roaming around dressed like people. The exhibit exemplifies the prediction made in the movie as robots are freely roaming and built to function on their own. The robot with the hat on also looks like he has a brain which speaks to the idea that robots will one day be smarter than us and overcome humans for good. 

While a subtle example, I chose the boat exhibit to demonstrate that the film was inaccurate in its depiction of the future. Even with autopilot or cruise control, boats still need humans to function at full capacity. Someone has to steer, perform maintenance, and make the space comfortable for human use. A boat at this time is not able to think on its own or create ideals of the future. It is an object that is put to use by humans, therefore it is not in line with the predictions of Metropolis. One thing that I also think is not in line with the ideals presented in Metropolis is that everyone is susceptible to the ways of the future. While watching the film, every single one of the workers fell victim to the suggestions of evil Maria. 

In our society, I believe enough people are aware of the collusion that went on in our election with robots and see that what is happening in our “future,” isn’t necessarily the best for us moving forward. Overall, the film Metropolis made some very good predictions in regards to how our society functions today. When we look at the 2016 election, we see that another country was able to use the same method, robots, to create turmoil in democracy and deface an election. Something is to be said for how well they predicted such a marginal concept in my opinion. 

Prompt 2: You have now seen the Mercedes-Benz arena & museum, the BMW Motorcycle Factory, and the VW Autostadt. How are these various locations similar in terms of stakeholder engagement? In what ways are they different? As a tourist viewing these locations (rather than as a local fan, a native German, or a customer), which was more effective in creating a compelling experience for you? Think about the Ramshaw reading as you answer, and include specific examples.

Even though Mercedes-Benz Arena & Museum, BMW Motorrad, and VW Autostadt are all car companies, each experience while visiting was way different.  A commonality among all was that each product should be made with care and should provide an experience for the consumer. 

Mercedes Benz differed in that it was a self-guided tour and in addition to an arena tour afterward. The Mercedes Benz museum focused more on the history of the company and their cars and transforming to current day, while the others focused only on the current day with some explanation of the past. Mercedes Benz did a good job with making some parts of it interactive, for instance, the race simulator and the interactive futuristic exhibit, but for the most part it was really based on what interested the tourist the most since you are directing your own path. The tour of the arena was also interesting in that they engaged us to talk and ask questions while learning about their brand. It allowed us to go further than just viewing the stadium, we got to walk throughout the press rooms and the dressing rooms. It was an amazing experience being able “to cross the symbolic boundaries that distinguish the worlds of the audience and the worlds of the performer or privileged” (Ramshaw, pg. 19, 2013). Mercedes-Benz has universal recognizability of their brand, and so it was very cool to see the history of the company and what it is doing to modernize itself.

Of the three BMW had the least amount of products to show. Given this is an actual motorcycle plant rather than a museum it is hard to make the comparison. It was interesting to see the true enthusiasm of each employee over the product. They provided great explanations of their guaranteed quality care. For true motorcycle enthusiast, the BMW plant provided the pinpoint marks of the construction of the bike. In order to be more compelling, I wish that it was a little bit more interactive but because it is a plant it might be hard to do so.

https://www.facebook.com/AudiZentrumEssen/

In the Automobile section of the newspaper “Welt Am Sonntag” I came across the advertisement for the black Audi A5 from the Audi Zentrum Essen dealership in Essen, Germany. The Facebook of the dealer portrays all of the new and exciting Audis that their customers can buy. The platform is the perfect medium of communication between buyer and seller, as it gives consumers a way to ask questions, see products, and review their experiences for other prospective customers to see and decide if they are going to go to the dealership, or even buy the Audi brand car. Okazki and Taylors article offers three different theoretical perspectives that show how a combination social media platform promotion, and advertisement is the optimal way to promote products.

The first perspective is networking capability. “Network technology is at the heart of any open-innovation strategy, allowing large and small firms to reach the largest possible community for their offerings” Essentially social media is the best platform to engage and develop “weak ties” with a large number of people. Social media is cheap, quick, and efficient. “As suggested by network theory, weak ties are networks connected with less personal interaction among members, and act as “local bridges” to parts of the network which would otherwise be disconnected (Ozaki, 61).”  In accordance with the networking capability the Audi facebook page in particular (because it is social media platform) effectively creates weak bonds with the people who choose to view their page, and even more so if they buy ads that expose their page further. 

Image transferability is the second perspective. The Image transferability perspective is all about brand management and creating an image. “Brand image has been a central tenet for many international marketers and advertisers for some time since the image holds the key to attract similar consumer segments across borders (Ozaki, 62).” Audi keeps its brand constant by showing the same ad in the newspaper and on the facebook page, but with different/more in-depth approach on the Facebook page. It is important to maintain a certain level of consistency, but the social media platform allows for expansion and “exciting new opportunities (Ozaki, 62).”

We visited Sachsenhausen this week. The holocaust undeniably was a crisis, and created a series of cascading crises for Germany, Europe, and the world over the following months and years. Thinking about the Guth reading, how does Sachsenhausen function as a response to that crisis? How does the organization utilize Sachsenhausen (and museums/memorials like it) to pursue healing, restoration, and a prospective vision for the future with the various publics affected by the holocaust? Make specific connections to both the Guth reading and the ECC (Effective Crisis Comm) reading - again, quotes are a good way to do this.

Sachsenhausen was a incredibly eyeopening and unique way to remind us to never forget the Holocaust and the lasting effects that is made on the world and the german society. The Holocaust was a tragedy that shook the world and touring Sachsenhausen and other concentration/work camps afford people the opportunity to see what actually happened behind closed doors, so we can make sure that it never happens again. 

Although seeing what happened during the holocaust is uncomfortable and disheartening it is important for our society to not only remember the victims, but to know what actually happened. We must “study crisis communication, so people and organizations are not enveloped in the crisis” (ECC, 4). Sachsenhausen functions as a way for people to remember the tradegy that was the holocaust in a setting that is not the classroom, and to study the crisis that shook the world. The tour guide said that the camp serves a a way of remembering the past so that people can heal, and protect the future from similar tragedy. Some people (particularly Neo-nazis) try to deny, and forget that the holocaust was a thing by burning down, and destroying the memories these museums fight to preserve.

“It is not enough to develop technical contingencies to meet the logistical needs of an organization in crisis. Developing plans for communicating during times of stress is critical to the success, if not the very survival, of organizations.” (Guth,135). In order to ensure the survival of their country and their morale, Germany must actively and openly communicate about the tragedy that practically destroyed them. Since we are (thankfully) no longer fighting in WWII, Germany now has a lot of public relations to maintain. If they tried to hide/cover-up their mistakes it would be like they were denying their role in the demise and pain of millions of people, and would ultimately lead to their downfall. Germany chooses to face their past head on and allow people to see what actually happened, and by doing this (in my opinion) they are restoring their country to its former glory.

Prompt 3: Dimeo, Hunt & Horbury, “The Individual and the State: A Social Historical Analysis of the East German ‘Doping System’” explores a governmental scandal about a sports/medical technology. Compare this to a contemporary sports scandal of your choice, using at least two quotes from the reading. Take a local photo to illustrate the East German doping scandal in some way, and another photo to illustrate the scandal you choose.

Any scandal that involves sports something of the magnitude of Doping is an undeniable crisis that has to be solved immiediately in order to save any face. It is important to handle the scandal in a way where you recognize the wrong doing of what happened and try to work past it while still reprimanding the situation.

One sports scandal that I know very well is the Spygate scandal from the Patriots in the 2000’s. Spygate was was an incident during the National Football League (NFL)'s 2007 season, when the New England Patriots were disciplined by the league for videotaping New York Jets' defensive coaches' signals from an unauthorized location during a September 9, 2007 game.

The similarity these two cases have is that their is this kind of eerily similar “we don't know exactly what happened here” feeling. In the doping scandal it was never proven whether some of the athletes knew (all the wide believe is that they did); in the Spygate scandal it was never proven that there was anything directly that had some sort of impact on the game and the success of the patriots. The main difference is that there were some members of the Patriots who know what was going on, according to the reading “he lack of choice on the part of athletes and the involvement in the programme  of the national secret police” (Dimeo, Page 2). 

Dimeo, Hunt & Horbury, “The Individual and the State: A Social Historical Analysis of the East German ‘Doping System’” explores a governmental scandal about a sports/medical technology. Compare this to a contemporary sports scandal of your choice, using at least two quotes from the reading. Take a local photo to illustrate the East German doping scandal in some way, and another photo to illustrate the scandal you choose.

During the East German regime, women were forced into doping in order to supplement their performance. “the GDR organized doping alongside talent identification and development systems to establish the small country with a population of 17-19 million as a regular top-three finisher in both summer and winter Olympics.” (Dimeo, 220)The athletes were forced into doping, and they were recruited at a young age in order to build the best of the best athletes, and win gold metals for their home country. “the East German ‘regime’ has been widely written about in academic sports research and mainstream non-fiction, and often cited in media sources as the worst example of corruption in the history of competitive athletics” (Dimeo, 219). Instead of just training their athletes, the East Germans just cheated the system to come out on top. 

The athletes, (especially the females) were heavily effected by the testosterone because firstly, they were given the drugs even before they began puberty, and because women do not have high levels of testosterone in their bodies. The men were also given the drugs, but they weren’t as highly effected as the females. The east Germans won a total of 40 gold medals in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.