be something for you.

Katherine Kilpatrick from

Bliss recommends going in

with a "broad spectrum of

desired PR sectors. Test

them out and read up on

each," adding that you

probably won't be able to

choose your one ideal sec-

tion.

Eventually, you’ll start to

understand the jargon and

find your niche. Keep your

contacts and take advan-

tage of agency tours, and

you’ll be well on your way.

Some advice from Matthew

Kirdahy, account director at

Bliss Integrated: “Be hun-

gry. Be curious. Be driven.

Show an interest in an

agency by asking questions,

as many as time allows. A

job interview is just as

much about your interest in

an employer, as it is about

their interest in you. And

always remember to say,

thank you.”

Bliss Integrated Commu-

nications and Ruder Finn

PR opened their doors to

16 lucky PRSSA members

for our spring agency tour

on Friday, April 26. Partici-

pants had the opportunity

to speak with industry pro-

fessionals about public rela-

tions as a profession and

the atmosphere of working

in an agency. Visiting the

two firms provided a

glimpse into the real world

of pitches and press re-

leases. There was a notice-

able feel between the two,

Bliss being young, hip, and

integrated, while Ruder

Finn prided themselves on

having creative culture, in-

trapreneurial spirit and

close-knit teams.

The representatives at

Bliss Integrated took us

through a history of the

firm, explaining that they

moved from Bliss PR to

Bliss Integrated because of

the changing industry

through developments in

social media. Members also

learned about client focus

at Bliss Integrated, compar-

ing business-to-business

versus business-to-client

strategies.

Ruder Finn provided

some insight to the ethical

foundations of public rela-

tions which help follow com-

pany policy and ensure cli-

ents are not competing

against each other. A repre-

sentative from Ruder Finn’s

RFI Studios spoke to mem-

bers about the innovative

web design they do for cli-

ents both independently

and through the main firm.

I personally had a great

time at the spring agency

tour and enjoyed comparing

it to my experience as one

of two freshmen to go in the

fall 2012 semester. I no-

ticed the differences in en-

v i r o n m e n t b e t w e e n

Ketchum and Edelman ver-

sus this year’s firms, of

course learning more along

the way. I find it interesting

how each PR firm has its

own personality, so to

speak, based on the clients

they serve and accounts

they handle.

A note to all freshmen:

it’s OK to feel overwhelmed

(I know I was)! But with the

many sectors of PR in the

industry, there’s bound to

Successful NYC agency tour leaves

members excited for the future

esPResso M A Y 1 , 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 4

Your Shot of Industry Insight

By Jaclyn Hockenbury

Page 2

News from North

Road Communica-

tions and Mentor Pro-

gram

Page 4

A look at Pampadour,

the new social media

site for beauty

Page 6

A roundup of PR

news from the stars

of Hollywood

Page 8

Meet the 2013-2014

E-Board!

Page 10

Members explain how

companies should fix

their #PRFails

Page 12

The continuing woes

of Carnival cruise

lines

PRSSA Members gather around the table at Bliss Integrated

Communications HQ

Source: Meredith Krim

inside this issue:

P A G E 2

N o r t h

R o a d

Communi-

c a t i o n s

had an

e x c i t i n g

past few weeks. Our ac-

count teams have been

hard at work, doing every-

thing from writing feature

new stories and press

releases to visiting Sprout

Creek Farm to work on

some event planning

ideas! Our publicity team

has been working on our

marketing materials, in-

cluding a brand new logo

that we are all thrilled

about. They also hope to

have a new blog under-

way by the end of the se-

mester.

Election results were

announced and a big con-

grats goes to Mary Kate

Mullhauser, our fall 2013

firm director and Maria

Gironas who will take her

place for the Spring 2014

semester while Mary Kate

is studying abroad. They

worked extremely hard on

firm activities this semes-

ter, and we’re excited for

them to take on their new

roles.

By Charlotte Catania

Firm Director

Mentor program through the eyes of “mentee”

The PRSSA Mentor Pro-

gram allows freshmen or new

members to be paired with

older, experienced members.

This helps them develop their

public relations skills and

become involved in every-

thing PRSSA has to offer.

Mentors can give advice, help

with schedules, introduce

mentees to other members,

professors, and much more.

Mentor program meetings are

held a few times a semester

and each one has a specific

agenda designed for the men-

tor to help his or her mentee

with something new.

The first meeting was the

most helpful. Mentors and

mentees that had signed up

for the program reviewed

their “Degree Works” infor-

mation, which includes all

the requirements needed

before the student gradu-

ates. Mentors showed men-

tees what classes they took

and gave advice on what

courses were helpful, in

what order those courses

should be taken, etc.

The Mentor Program's

LinkedIn workshop was also

very helpful and interesting.

This meeting helped men-

tees who did not have a

LinkedIn profile make one

and mentors showed them

how to effectively use the

network. This was a great

program because many

students are unaware of the

benefits of having a LinkedIn

profile.

There are many benefits

to joining the mentor pro-

gram and mentees have

been very pleased with their

experience. Freshmen can

feel comfortable knowing

they have an older friend

and mentor that they can go

to with questions about

PRSSA, classes, or Marist in

general.

By Haylee Caravalho

A word from

North Road

Communications

Taking NYC by storm, Marist PRSSA style

Source: Meredith Krim

Get a glimpse of our spring 2013 PR agency tour!

A great time was had by all future PR pros

P A G E 3

L a s t

year, I

remember

f inal iz ing

our last

i s s u e

of esPResso and formatting

Alexis Murphy's farewell

letter from the president. At

the time, I thought how diffi-

cult it must have been for

her to say goodbye to some-

thing on which she devoted

her entire academic career.

Now, that difficulty is real-

ized as I end my time at

Marist, and in turn, my ser-

vice to PRSSA.

It's been an exciting jour-

ney watching this Chapter

transform and enhancing

my leadership skills in the

process. From the begin-

ning, I never wanted to

make PRSSA about myself,

how I could get ahead or

how this would look on a

resume. Truly, I wanted to

connect with my peers, be-

come more involved in the

School of Communication

and the Arts, and learn as

much about public relations

as possible. Therefore, our

Chapter didn't benefit be-

cause of me; it benefitted

because of the work of a

collective whole.

Erica: I watched you blos-

som from a nervous wreck

haphazardly planning an

agency tour into a confident

PR pro ready to lead (in pure

Elle Woods fashion). You'll do

amazing things in the future

and I'm anxious to see it in

action!

Jackie: I've admired your

dedication, attention to de-

tail, and stellar Photoshop

skills, and I'm almost certain

you'll be my boss one day.

Meredith: My work wife, you

have been my counterpart

through all of this and I can't

wait to see our next PR jour-

ney unfold (hopefully in the

direction of Olivia Pope).

Deanna: My selfless chauf-

feur, you always managed to

be on the same page as me,

whether it's planning a com-

munity service event or

drowning our unemployment

woes in a round of

Charlotte: Your radiant per-

sonality set the tone of nearly

every guest speaker this year,

and I couldn't be more proud

of the work you and the North

Road team set forth.

Chelsea: Despite our con-

stant financial frustrations,

you stepped up to the plate

right when our Chapter

needed you and I couldn’t be

more grateful.

Abbey: You’ve been my

PRSSA buddy from the very

beginning and I’ve enjoyed

rising up together over the

past four years.

Liz: You always lent a help-

ing hand whenever needed,

and your big ideas for our

Chapter laid the stepping

stones for what’s ahead.

Jennie: Your dedication to

helping guide my leadership

skills is something that will

follow me for years to come.

Also, I don't know how you

put up with my endless pop

culture references in weekly

meetings for the past two

years, but thank you.

All of our members: You're

what keeps our Chapter

running. Although I might

not know all of your names

or faces, without you, I

would have no one to email

on a bi -daily basis.

I know we are leaving the

Chapter in great hands with

Chapter President Erica

Conover and her fearless

and enthusiastic e-board. I

wish all of my peers the

best of luck in the future,

and I'll always check my

inbox for an invitation to be

a guest speaker.

Always my best,

Michael

Photo Courtesy of Brian Apfel, Marist Pinterest

A Farewell Letter from the Chapter President By Elizabeth Odachowski

It has been

an exciting

time for our

Chapter as

we con-

clude the

spring se-

mester! Next week, we will

are focused on passing the

torch to our new members

as well as saying goodbye to

our graduating seniors.

We recently held our an-

nual elections and have a

fantastic e-board of eager

students excited to broaden

the Chapter. Our Chapter

also took part in Marist’s

Open House and met with

many prospective public

relations students. We also

introduced our Chapter to

incoming communication

students at the Open House

PR breakout session.

Our semester concluded

with events to help our sen-

iors shape their career

paths and further our mem-

bers’ public relations knowl-

edge. We hosted an event in

which students had profes-

sional head shots taken for

use on their social media

sites. The Chapter also

hosted a Skype session with

Leslie Walden, a highly in-

volved professional in the

political PR arena. Leslie

has worked with presiden-

tial candidates such as

Barack Obama and John

Kerry. Additionally, the men-

tor program conducted a

mock interview workshop.

Our induction ceremony

will take place next week in

the Cornell Boat House. We

will congratulate graduating

seniors, induct new mem-

bers and honor our Chap-

ter’s accomplishments for

this year. Be sure RSV

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 4

Trying to keep up with

the latest beauty trends

can be hard, especially

when you’re not sure how

to get your hands on the

latest nail polish, shampoo-

or whatever your favorite

item may be. Now it’s all at

the click of a mouse with

Pampadour, a fun, new way

to share everything beauty.

Founded by brother and

sister-in-law, Roy and Jenni-

fer Hakimian, Pampadour is

a family affair. Jennifer was

looking for a place to share

her beauty wisdom. Rather

than annoying everyone

else on her Facebook feed

and sifting through endless

products online, she real-

ized sharing beauty could

be a lot easier and fun, with

a social network of its own.

A mix between familiar

social networks tailored

toward beauty lovers, Pam-

Latest social networking trend calling all beauty junkies!

By Kerry Haggerty

Blog:

www.maristfoxesprssa.blogspot.com

Pinterest:

Marist PRSSA

Email:

prssa.marist@gmail.com

Twitter:

@MaristPRSSA

post and tagging the prod-

ucts you used, get advice

on the latest products and

tutorials, or simply Pamp

(share) a photo to your

friend that you know she’ll

“Adour”.

All products that are fea-

tured, tagged or shared are

linked to the retailer’s web-

site allowing “pampers” to

make immediate pur-

chases. Making connec-

tions with professionals,

padour allows users to vir-

tually store their favorite

beauty products. You’ll

never forget the name of

that lip-gloss you always

wanted to try, or even how

to create your favorite braid

because it’s all right on

your Pampadour profile.

The Pampadour feed

helps users discover new

looks, products, tutorials

and so much more. Show

off your look by creating a

Love beauty products and social media? Then Pampadour is the

site for you!

Source: fmvmag.com

brands and friends helps

you keep up with the

quickly changing beauty

trends.

Not only is Pampadour

convenient, it’s fun! I’m

sure you never thought

you’d be getting beauty

advice from professionals

such as Matin Mau-

lawizada, artistry director

and brand ambassador for

Laura Mercier and makeup

artist for Claire Jones. Now

you can learn to perfect

their red-carpet looks with

tutorials and advice from

famous makeup artists all

in one place.

Maybe you’ll find your

new hair or make-up look

for this weekend’s night out

on Pampadour! Check out

what everyone’s talking

about in the beauty world

right now. Be a beauty en-

thusiast. Join Pampadour

and start ”pumping!”

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 4

My interview for Cashman

+ Katz Integrated Communi-

cations was on a Wednesday

morning. I kept going over

everything I learned in the

portfolio and resume work-

shop. Don’t be late. Look

professional. Don’t talk too

fast. Those 15 minutes I

spent waiting for my inter-

view felt like a lifetime. Once

I was there, conversation

came naturally.

The main topic of conver-

sation was our PRSSA Chap-

ter. Gary Turco, director of

public affairs at Cashman +

Katz, was so impressed with

everything I had to say about

our Chapter and all that

we’ve accomplished. The

interview was going great.

However, once he told me

they are only taking two in-

terns out of the 16 that he’s

interviewing, my heart sank.

On my drive home, I felt dis-

couraged. I didn’t even think

I had a chance. I emailed

Gary the next day, express-

ing my gratitude for giving

me the opportunity to inter-

view.

The first day of classes

back from spring break, I

remember sitting in class

and seeing an email flash on

my phone. It was Gary Turco.

My nerves started to kick in.

I grabbed my phone and

walked out of class, prepar-

ing myself for the worst. I

didn’t even read the whole

email at first. One word

stood out. Congratulations.

Honestly, I might have

screamed I was so excited. I

felt a huge weight lift off my

shoulders. As soon as I got

out of class, I contacted

Gary and gladly accepted his

offer to become a summer

intern.

Now that I’m done with

the dramatics, I can talk

about what Cashman + Katz

Integrated Communications

is all about. Their disciplines

include research, production,

PR, social media, and crea-

tivity. The coolest part is that

they have their own produc-

tion studio where they film

commercials for some of

their clients like the Con-

necticut Lottery.

As an intern, I will have a

variety of tasks including

writing pitches and press

releases, maintaining con-

tact with the media, working

at client events, and keeping

up with the news. I am look-

ing forward to the summer

and gaining real world experi-

ence that will prepare me for

my post grad life after Marist.

Future President takes on internship interview

By Erica Conover

I N T E R N S T Y L E B R O U G H T T O Y O U

B Y P I N T E R E S T

Michael Bernardini

Chapter President

@mrBERNARDINI

Erica Conover

Vice President

(President-Elect)

@vivalaerica

Jackie Mucilli

VP of Chapter

Development

@YackieYacks

Meredith Lowe

Director of PR

@merekaylowe

Charlotte Catania

Firm Director

@charcatania

Deanna Morosoff

National Delegate

@Deanna_Morosoff

Chelsea Conroy

Treasurer

@ccon27

Abbey Scalia

Secretary

@abbeyscalia

Elizabeth Odachowski

Historian

@LizOda27

Jennie Donohue

Faculty Adviser @JennieDonohue

Don’t know what to wear

on the first day of

interning? Have no fear.

We’ve scoured the

Pinterest universe to bring

you the best styles to

model all summer long!

For more inspiration visit

The Marist PRSSA

Pinterest and the Marist

Career Services Pinterest

boards. Happy styling!

Sources: pinterest.com/maristprssa,

pinterest.com/maristcareer

P A G E 6

Hollywood’s favorite playboy

John Mayer seemed like a

changed man when he spoke on

Ellen about ending his relation-

ship with superstar Katy Perry,

saying, “it was a very private re-

lationship going in, it was a pri-

vate relationship during and it’s

a private relationship still.”

While we’d all like to believe

Mayer has abandoned his bad

boy ways, could his new de-

meanor and recent breakup with

Perry be simply to garner some

buzz before he kicks off his Born

and Raised Tour in July?

Since a throat surgery in Au-

gust 2012 left him on indefinite

vocal hiatus, Mayer has been

virtually off the map in the music

world. A relationship with pop’s

biggest and most beautiful su-

perstar was just the fix to get

him back in the spotlight. Has

Mayer really changed? Looks like

we’ll have to examine his next

relationship to find out.

By Casey Galasso

J O H N M AY E R

By Amanda Orzo

On April 1, 21 year-old MTV reality star Shain Gandee was

found dead in his truck at a nearby “mudding” site in Sisson-

ville, WV. What was once a common recreational activity for

the cast of the hit MTV series Buckwild became a deadly at-

tempt at fun. MTV took measures to protect and honor Gan-

dee’s short life by turning his Twitter account into a special

tribute for the star. They also scheduled a Buckwild marathon

leading up to an episode strictly dedicated to Gandee’s cheer-

ful life.

On April 10, MTV also announced the network would put an end to filming the second

season of Buckwild because it “was not appropriate to continue without him [Gandee]”.

This news stirred up controversy with his fans nationwide. While some think this was the

proper decision, others are lashing out with criticisms. Fans have posted on various so-

cial media sites that Shain would have wanted the show to go on. Despite objections,

MTV is standing by its decisions as they strive to create a “meaningful way to pay tribute

to his memory on air and privately.” When all is said and done, however, honoring Gan-

dee’s life is what matters most.

S H A I N F R O M B U C K W I L D

Source: nydailynews.com

By Monica Couvillon

The recent Twitter posts and public appearances of Amanda Bynes have the online

community abuzz with rumors. Will Bynes follow in the steps of other child stars, like

Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears? Is a trip to rehab in store for the actress? Are her

controversial tweets really her?

With her recent step back into the public eye, the media is having a field day. Bynes

has pierced her cheeks and continuously posts “selfie” shots of the piercings on her

Twitter. She is known to vaguely tweet at media outlets for targeting her and making a

spectacle of her career. One of her most famous tweets, a shout-out to rapper Drake,

has appeared on websites, television shows and magazines. Many are making a spoof

of the tweet while others are seeing it as a cry for help. Her public image is being se-

verely tarnished. Amanda Bynes was once considered one of the few child stars that

had maintained her adolescent fame while keeping her life in order. Now, she is head-

ing down a dark spiral that has landed stars like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears in

rehab, jail, and on the cover of every tabloid.

A M A N DA B Y N E S

Source: people.com

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 4

By Briana Flynn

After constant rumors and speculation, NBC an-

nounced on April 3 that Jimmy Fallon would be taking

over for Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show. As the

current host of NBC’s Late Night, Fallon seemed the

obvious choice for Leno’s successor, considering his

connection to a younger demographic.

Following media reports of bad feelings between

the two hosts, Fallon instigated a skit where he and

Leno sing a parody of “Tonight” from West Side Story,

which addressed all the rumors and showed the two

were friends. A key humorous line in their amicable

duet was “Who cares who hosts Tonight? People just watch online the next day,” which points at Fallon’s successful

Internet presence.

Fallon is known for his popular viral videos, including “History of Rap” with Justin Timberlake, which fans hope he

will carry over to Tonight. Fallon also has a large Twitter presence and gets his followers involved in his show using

various hashtags. He made a point to thank his followers for their tweets following the announcement, and also Insta-

grammed several photos recognizing his supporters. NBC executives expect Fallon to successfully compete with ABC

competitor Jimmy Kimmel when he takes over in 2014.

By Briana Flynn

No one can deny the

excellent work that Justin

Bieber’s PR team has done

in the past, from clearing

up paternity rumors to se-

curing an image of the typi-

cal, harmless teen pop

star. Recently, however, it

seems Bieber has become

more independent, and the

media attention directed at

him has been less than

positive.

His problems started in

January, when a photo cir-

culated of Bieber smoking marijuana. He apologized for this

when he hosted Saturday Night Live, but it was nearly a

month later.

Bieber received bad press following an incident allegedly

involving getting Bieber’s friend, Will Smith’s underage son

Jaden, into a club. Bieber has complained about the bad

press on his personal Twitter and Instagram accounts, usu-

ally blaming his problems on the media rather than ac-

knowledging his own actions.

Further issues have included showing up to a concert

hours late, cursing at paparazzi, and an odd incident involv-

ing his pet monkey getting detained in Germany. Bieber so

quickly losing his image that some are even dubbing his

new haircut “PR bangs,” which might be a way of reminding

people of his younger, more innocent self.

J U S T I N B I E B E R

By Monica Couvillion

One of the most popular televi-

sion shows of our generation,

Glee, is bound to go under some

major character reconstruction.

This season’s change from a high-

school centered plot to a flip-

flopping storyline between Ohio

and New York City has hurt its

credibility among fans and critics. It appears that more

changes are in store for the musical comedy as actor

Cory Monteith, who plays one of the main male charac-

ters, has checked into rehab for substance abuse. Sea-

son regular Heather Morris has also announced her

pregnancy.

It was reported that Monteith was slated to film the

final two episodes of the season but is now written out

of both of them and his absence will be explained. It is

likely that Heather Morris’s pregnancy can be hidden

from view during the last two episodes and her charac-

ter’s story will not change this season, but what does

this mean for her character next season? Glee will have

to minimize her importance which could anger many

fans of thew himsical character Brittany S. Pierce.

Without Monteith in the season finale, fans may give

up on his character’s on-again, off- again relationship

that drives a majority of the show. With the ratings down

this season, the popularity of Glee hangs a great deal

on Monteith’s and Morris’s roles.

G L E E

J I M M Y FA L L O N

Source: foxnews.com

Source: popdust.com

Source: ryanseacrest.com

P A G E 8

Erica Conover, Chapter President

Class Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: East Haddam, CT

Leadership Experience: Treasurer PRSSA, Vice President

PRSSA, PR Chair ΣΣΣ

Favorite TV Show: How I Met Your Mother, Mob Wives

Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese

McKensie Saldo, Vice President

Class Year: Class of 2015

Hometown: Pittsfield, MA

Internship Experience: Communications Intern at Zogics,

North Road Communications

Favorite Book: The Things They Carried

Favorite Movie: Elf

Marguerite Pinheiro, Director of Public Relations

Class Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Wayne, NJ

Leadership Experience: Coach at Marist Poll

Internship Experience: Thrillist

Favorite TV Show: Scandal

Amanda Orzo, Director of Member Services

Class Year: Class of 2016

Hometown: Deer Park, NY

Favorite Thing About Marist: Its sense of community

Favorite Movie: 21 Jump Street

Favorite Book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 4

Ashley Hellberg, Director of Chapter Programming

Class Year: Class of 2016

Hometown: Wantagh, NY

Favorite Book: The Catcher in the Rye

Favorite TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy

Favorite Food: Pickles

Kate Hardcastle, Director of

Finance

Class Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Providence, RI

Internship Experience: Harvard Communications

Dept., Matter Communications, Fashaddict

Favorite TV Show: Criminal Minds

Favorite Food: All types of seafood

Jaclyn Hockenbury, Director

of Chapter Advancement

Class Year: Class of 2015

Hometown: Somerville, NJ

Favorite Thing About Marist:

Opportunities to try new things

Favorite Movie: School of Rock

Favorite TV Show: How I Met Your Mother,

Modern Family

Mary Kate Mulhauser, Co-Firm Director

Class Year: Class of 2015

Hometown: Westwood, NJ

Internship Experience: 360 Degrees PR

Favorite Book: One Day

Favorite Food: Mashed potatoes

Maria Gironas, Co-Firm Director

Class Year: Class of 2016

Hometown: Corona, CA

Internship Experience: ACUI social media coordinator,

media coordinator for Dalmastro Inc.

Favorite Thing About Marist: The support system

Favorite Food: Bacon Pizza

P A G E 1 0

PR CRISIS HOTLINEPR CRISIS HOTLINEPR CRISIS HOTLINE

By Lizzy Peper

After numerous complaints in pre-

vious years, LuLuLemon Athletica

found itself in a full-on yoga pant

scandal in early March. The com-

pany was forced to recall 17% of

their legging stock due to the prod-

ucts’ see-through quality. The sheer-

ness of the pants was blamed on

their manufacturer in Taiwan, The

Eclat Textile Company. However, this

did not prevent the firing of Lu-

LuLemon’s Chief Product Officer

S h e r e e W a t s o n o v e r t h e

“unacceptably sheer pants”. The

company has also responded by

promising more rigorous and effective testing methods for their products,

making it unclear if the athletic company is still using Eclat as their scapegoat

or assuming partial blame for their oversights.

Sheer LuLuLemon leggings reveal more

than what yoga-lovers paid for

By Cassie Yettru

The CEO of Apple made a

public apology to China in re-

gards to the one-year warranty

coverage that they provide

which goes against the Chi-

nese law that allows for two-

year coverage, in addition to

mediocre customer service.

Chinese trails the United

States as China’s second-

market, and therefore has

significant influence over how

well Apple does as a company.

Apple should have recognized

the influence of the Chinese

market on their company and

immediately responded to the

accusations made, instead of

waiting for a brief period.

By Cassie Yettru

The sneaker company Reebok

dropped their endorsement of ce-

lebrity rapper Rick Ross after his

recently released song, “U.O.E.N.O”

contained lyrics about drugging

and raping a woman. While Reebok

handled the crisis with grace by

immediately responding to the

complaints and cutting all connec-

tions to Ross, the rapper re-

sponded with a simple tweet say-

ing that he doesn’t condone rape. If Ross did not want his reputation to suffer,

he should have done far more than post an eleven word tweet, but because

he did not he is being addressed as insincere and disrespectful to women.

Rick Ross provides “lackluster” apology

By Amanda Fiore

Macy’s is known for their “One Day Sales” and mark-

downs, but the price reduction listed in their recent cata-

log was too good to be true, even by Macy’s standards. A

14K gold and sterling silver necklace was featured in

their catalog as a “Super Buy”. Originally $1,500, the

catalog printed the new price as $47, but meant to list it

as $479 (forgetting to add in a 9). People immediately

bought the necklace for $47 and that’s when Macy’s

caught their typo. After realizing they had incorrectly

listed the price,

Macy’s placed

signs in the jewelry

department, and

on store doors,

alerting customers

of their mistake.

Macy’s let those

who bought the

necklace at the

$47price keep it,

taking responsibility for their typo. Macy’s handled the

situation seamlessly, admitting to their mistake, while

letting customers keep the necklace. Macy’s image will

not be harmed by this incident but perhaps just labeled

as a bad proofreader.

Macy’s mistake provides customers

with more than a hot buy

Source: yoganonymous.com

Source: foxnews.com

EsPResso analyzes the latest #PRFails in the media

and how savvy PR skills were used to mend the issues

China calls out

Apple on

warranty woes

Source: forbes.com

P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 4

By Amanda Fiore

Macy’s is known for their “One Day Sales” and mark-

downs, but the price reduction listed in their recent cata-

log was too good to be true, even by Macy’s standards. A

14K gold and sterling silver necklace was featured in

their catalog as a “Super Buy”. Originally $1,500, the

catalog printed the new price as $47, but meant to list it

as $479 (forgetting to add in a 9). People immediately

bought the necklace for $47 and that’s when Macy’s

caught their typo. After realizing they had incorrectly

listed the price,

Macy’s placed

signs in the jewelry

department, and

on store doors,

alerting customers

of their mistake.

Macy’s let those

who bought the

necklace at the

$47price keep it,

taking responsibility for their typo. Macy’s handled the

situation seamlessly, admitting to their mistake, while

letting customers keep the necklace. Macy’s image will

not be harmed by this incident but perhaps just labeled

as a bad proofreader.

Macy’s mistake provides customers

with more than a hot buy

By Amanda Fiore

Rutgers Uni-

versity has fallen

victim to another

scandal. This

past November

a video leaked

of Rutgers men’s

b a s k e t b a l l

coach, Mike

Rice, physically

beating his play-

e r s w h i l e

screaming gay

slurs at them. After the video leaked, Rutgers Director of Athlet-

ics Tim Pernetti claimed that this abuse was not a fire-able of-

fense and decided to only suspend Rice.

Recently there has been an increase of public scrutiny and

extreme pressure on Rutgers to fire Rice, who finally succumbed.

Rutgers should have fired Mike Rice immediately after seeing

the mistreatment on the video. Their weak decision to keep Rice

around illustrates that the college is taking the situation lightly

and values their employers over their players. The inaction dem-

onstrated by RU, demonstrates that they are a college tolerant of

abuse, giving the school a negative image.

Public’s reaction to Rice’s rage

leaves Rutgers no choice

Source: mashable.com

Source: yahoo.news.com

Target’s plus-size customers take

offense to whale reference

By Lizzy Peper

On April 3, Target customer Susan Clemons tweeted a

color discrepancy she noticed when shopping for maxi

dresses on the company’s website. The standard sized

dress’s grey color option was labeled as “dark heather grey”

while the same grey plus-sized dress was labeled as

“manatee grey”.

After over 400 retweets, Target representatives tweeted

in response apologizing for the mistake and promising to

make the needed changes. Target spokesperson Joshua

Thomas explained to Forbes that two different teams were

involved in the naming of the dresses and each used differ-

ent standard color names used by Target. A spokesperson

told Today.com that they are using the scandal as a learning

experience to “do better moving forward”. Source: sambranstner.blogspot.com

P A G E 1 2

Carnival’s sinking reputation steers cruisers to competitors

The Carnival Corpora-

tion has found itself

amidst a public relations

circus. After having several

incidents over the past few

months, the Carnival

brand has found itself in

trouble as passengers are

wary to climb aboard.

The drama first began

for Carnival back on Feb

10 when a fire started

aboard the Carnival Tri-

umph in the engine room.

This caused the ship to

lose mobility and power,

stranded in the Gulf of

Mexico. Passengers faced

rough conditions including

no air conditioning, little

running water, limited ac-

cess to bathroom, long

lines and long waits for

small amounts of food.

Many guests also ended

up sleeping in tents on the

deck of the ship due to the

horrid smells in the boat

caused by the lack of re-

frigeration. The 3,143 pas-

sengers and 1,086 crew-

members were stuck on

the Triumph for five days

while it was towed Mobile,

AL.

Passengers received

full refunds for the cruise,

a free future cruise and

$500 compensation. Car-

nival’s CEO and president

Gerry Cahill was there in

Alabama as soon as Tri-

umph arrived. He gave a

sincere apology and

thanked every person in-

volved in the return of the

ship. Carnival handled the

crisis well by compensat-

ing the passengers and

fully acknowledging their

mistakes

However, the trouble for

Triumph did not end there.

The ship broke away from

the dock due to 80 mph

winds. The two men in-

side were blown to the

water and one man is still

missing. The ship became

further damaged after it

drifted away.

Carnival also had prob-

lems with two other ships.

One of the propulsion

units malfunctioned on

the Carnival Legend,

causing it to skip two

planned stops and go

back to Tampa at a re-

duced speed. Carnival

Dream had difficulties

with its emergency back-

up generator while in St.

Maarten and had to end

the cruise early and fly

passengers home.

Because of the mal-

functions, prices for Car-

nival cruises have been

down 20% while Royal

Caribbean Cruise Lines

and Norwegian Cruise

By Caroline Ferrari

Line Holdings have bene-

fitted from Carnival’s trou-

bles and have experience

price increases.

Carnival ‘s reputation

is sinking fast and will

only continue to do so

unless they act fast.

Though they already can-

celled some cruises in

March, Carnival has to

take the time to do thor-

ough safety checks in

addition to their standard

procedures. Even if no

errors are found, this will

reassure customers that

the ships will be safe

enough to travel again.

Unless active safety

measures are taken, not

many people are going to

be keen to sail Carnival

any time soon. Hopefully

they take active meas-

ures to improve their

reputation and stay

afloat.

The Carnival Triumph faced scrutiny on its return to Mobile, AL

after fire caused power outages and unsanitary conditions

Source: Aljazeera.com

A woman kisses the ground after landing in Mobile, AL after

the disastrous Carnival Triumph cruise

Source: Aljazeera.com