ADVANCED COURSE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY DATE: JANUARY 22ND 2018 BY: ISABELLE CIJSOUW STUDENT NUMBER: 2571064 TEST CODE: 25XGAM701A TEACHER: JUDITH DE VALK
A STRATEGIC ADVICE FOR VOGUE U.S.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................3 STRATEGIC ADVICE..................................................................................................4 ATTACHMENTS.............................................................................................................5
1. IDENTITY OF VOGUE U.S................................................................................................5 1.1 History....................................................................................................................................5 1.2 Mission....................................................................................................................................5 1.3 Online.....................................................................................................................................5 1.4 Offline.....................................................................................................................................5 1.5 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................5
2. ISSUE ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................6 2.1 The issue..................................................................................................................................6 2.2 General media..........................................................................................................................6 2.3 Fashion industry.......................................................................................................................6 2.4 Social media.............................................................................................................................6 2.5 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................8 2.6 Stakeholders regarding the issue.................................................................................................8 2.6.1 Longlist............................................................................................................................8 2.6.2 (Fashion) Journalists............................................................................................................8 2.6.3 Fashion bloggers.................................................................................................................9 2.6.4 Fashion brands...................................................................................................................9 2.6.5 Fashion magazines..............................................................................................................9 2.6.6 Models.............................................................................................................................9 2.7 Issue life cycle.........................................................................................................................10 3. STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS...............................................................................................11 3.1 Condé Nast Publications..........................................................................................................11 3.2 Vogue employees....................................................................................................................11 3.3 Influencers.............................................................................................................................11 3.4 Photographers........................................................................................................................11 3.5 Models..................................................................................................................................11 3.6 Stakeholder Mapping Tool......................................................................................................12 3.7 Strategic advice.......................................................................................................................12 3.7.1 Goal, message, means and cost.............................................................................................12 4. CRISIS DAY...........................................................................................................................13 BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................................................15
INTRODUCTION This report was made on behalf of the Advanced Course Strategic Communication Management at Fontys Academy for Creative Industries. It contains the visualization of the strategic advice for Vogue U.S., in the issue management of the issue of cultural diversity in the fashion industry. In the attachments of this report, the internal analysis of Vogue U.S. is included. This is followed by a thorough analysis of the issue. This issue analysis will explore different areas and will go into a short social media monitoring insight into the discussion around the issue. After this, several important stakeholders regarding the issue are listed in a longlist. From this longlist, five of the most relevant stakeholders are described and explained based on their positions regarding the issue. The issue analysis ends with a description of which position the issue currently has in the issue life cycle. This is followed by a stakeholder analysis. In this part, the five most important stakeholders regarding Vogue U.S. as an organization are listed and described according to their positions regarding the issue. These five stakeholders are eventually placed into the Stakeholder Mapping Tool, based on their interest and power regarding the issue. This part ends with a strategic advice based on all previous findings. This report also includes a thorough reflection on the last lesson of the course, called ‘Crisis Day’, in which students were asked to form groups and respond to a crisis as if their were the organization.
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STRATEGIC ADVICE IDENTITY
GOAL SHOW CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY BY INCREASING FAIR REPRESENTATION OF DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES.
- NUMBER ONE FASHION MAGAZINE - TREND SETTER - DEFINES CULTURE OF FASHION - FASHION & CULTURE AUTHORITY - EXCLUSIVE AND EDUCATED CONTENT
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
STRATEGIC CHOICES
- CONDÉ NAST PUBLICATIONS - FRAME: to show appreciation of different cultures. - VOGUE EMPLOYEES - CORE MESSAGE: Diversity shapes Fashion. 50% of the printed covers in 2019 (six covers) feature models of color. Each of these models have a different ethnicity. The cover story highlights the model/models as well as the contribution of their culture to the fashion industry.
OPERATIONAL / TACTICAL PART
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- Approach Condé Nast Publications to come to an agreement with this monthly report if necessary (inform) - Approach models that are from different ethnicities that are unrepresented in the fashion industry (inform and collaborate) - Approach employees responsible for cover stories (inform and collaborate) - Optional if needed: approach suitable photographers for these covers (inform and collaborate)
ATTACHMENTS 1. IDENTITY OF VOGUE U.S. This chapter contains an internal analysis of Vogue U.S. It will discuss the history, mission and online & offline activities of the organization. Finally a short conclusion is presented. Vogue U.S. is globally known as the number one fashion magazine. It is one of the first to discuss and set new beauty and fashion trends. To be mentioned or appear in Vogue is very desirable among designers, models, actors, photographers and authors (Condé Nast, n.d.). Vogue U.S. attracts approximately 24,4 million readers globally and 42 million unique monthly website users (Vogue, n.d.). They play a significant role in culture and fashion and places fashion in the context of culture and the world we live in, how we dress, live and socialize, what we eat, listen to and watch, who leads and inspires us. According to Condé Nast, the media company that publishes Vogue Magazine, Vogue U.S. defines the culture of fashion (Condé Nast, n.d.). 1.1 HISTORY
Vogue U.S. was founded in 1892 by members of the social elite of New York (Weber, 2006). The magazine has had a total of seven editors in chief (Vogue, n.d.). It became the number one fashion magazine of the world under the care of current chief editor Anna Wintour (Condé Nast, n.d.). 1.2 MISSION
Vogue U.S.’ mission is to be the ultimate authority and resource for fashion and culture. Their aim is divided into three aspects: producing strong editorial coverage from the point of view of their internationally recognized editors, photographers and writers; engaging Vogue readers in fashion’s most exclusive and educated online community and providing vast outlets and opportunities for advertisers and consumers (Vogue, n.d.). 1.3 ONLINE
Their website is divided into seven categories: Fashion, Beauty, Culture, Living, Runway, Video and Shop. ‘Fashion’ discusses topics such as celebrity style, shopping, street style, models, designers and trends. ‘Beauty’ discusses topics such as celebrity beauty, hair, makeup, nails, health & fitness and skin. ‘Culture’ offers a range of topics, such as opinion, TV & movies, music, arts, books, news and sports. ‘Living’ covers lifestyle-related topics, such as homes, travel, food, weddings, parties and royals (Vogue, n.d.). ‘Runway’ shows which new designer collections have arrived. Vogue frequently shares information about collections that address a (social) issue (Nnadi, 2017). Vogue has an online web shop where they sell magazines, fashion (partly) designed by Vogue and lifestyle items such as art and books (Vogue, n.d.). 1.4 OFFLINE
Vogue Fashion’s Night Out events have been hosted by international Vogue editions since 2009 to restore consumers’ confidence and to boost the economy of the fashion industry (Condé Nast, n.d.). To increase their social responsibility, Condé Nast International invests in emerging talent in the fashion industry through Vogue’s Fashion Fund. In the U.S.A., Vogue Fashion Fund is a yearly competition to cultivate the next generation of American design talent. Winners receive a monetary prize and business mentoring (CFDA, n.d.). 1.5 CONCLUSION
Vogue positions itself as a brand with a great authority. Because of this, there is a possibility that Vogue is not likely to admit mistakes or respond to actions that are seen as mistakes by the public. However, Vogue takes fashion and culture very seriously. They decide which trends are relevant or even invent trends themselves. They cover a wide variety of topics and because of their authority, it should be expected that their content is thoroughly researched before publication.
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2. ISSUE ANALYSIS In this chapter, the chosen issue is presented and thoroughly analyzed. It will provide three main points of view, general media, fashion and social media, to illustrate how the issue is rooted in certain parts of today’s society. 2.1 THE ISSUE
The chosen issue is cultural diversity in the fashion industry, or better yet: a lack of cultural diversity in this industry. Knowledge about cultural groups is mainly mediated and learned through media. Because of this, everyday culture is increasingly becoming media culture. Communication markets have become more global and influential over the years due to their growth. This caused difficulties around cultural representation in the media. The media are diversifying, however the representation of cultures become more transnational at the same time (Bloch & Solomos, 2010). 2.2 GENERAL MEDIA
Commercial interests are the main dominator of American media. Four other factors are influential as well: federal legislation, regulatory bodies, the legal system and influence of voluntary organizations and pressure groups (Frachon, 2009). According to Hall, sociologist and culture theorist, an important aspect of unfair representation is that cultural minorities often appear as part of the ‘immigration problem’, or as crime suspects. The diverse experience of minorities is not reflected in the media, because the media serves as a filtering system for social and political communication and participation (Bloch & Solomos, 2010). The importance of professional responsibility and journalism in the way media portray race has been researched by Hartmann and Husband (1974). They found that (partly) stereotyped and discriminating images are used out of journalistic values, such as newsworthiness (Bloch & Solomos, 2010). Media and entertainment play an important role in shaping our views of others. Popular culture, mainly provided through media, is the primary way we learn about people who are different from us. Because many representations are based on cultural stereotypes, the audience receives a limited and crooked view of others (Perception Institute, n.d.). 2.3 FASHION INDUSTRY
Fashion magazine Elle UK admits that models remain a point of controversy and fascination inside and outside the fashion industry. The industry has not had a good reputation historically since many labels book models of a certain type. Still, fashion nowadays is about celebrating individuality and having open conversations about racial diversity and gender fluidity and these conversations have caused for changes to increase diversity. However, according to the AW16 diversity report, which discusses diversity in the UK, less than a quarter of all models during Fashion Week season in 2016 were people of color (Elle UK, 2016). As one of the top influential brands in the fashion industry, Vogue U.S. responded to this issue with their March 2017 cover, showing seven models with different ethnic backgrounds. Vogue U.S. meant to communicate the revolutionary message that the new beauty norm is to have no norm (Vogue US, 2017). However, this cover attracted many negative comments online. Popular points of critique were that even though Vogue U.S. aimed for a culturally diverse cover, they still used famous models that already receive much media coverage. Others commented that the cover was not diverse enough when it comes to skin color, height and age and that Vogue should have more diverse covers instead of the one in that month (Larkin, 2017). 2.4 SOCIAL MEDIA
Two factors have been a driver of change in the discussion around cultural diversity in fashion: digital media and millennial values. Because of social media and the accessibility of platforms, the public sees the true voice of a brand. Apart from that, bloggers and social media celebrities address inclusive beauty as well. This voice becomes equally important as the voice of the industry itself (Suhrawardi, 2016). Moreover, social media makes it possible to measure audience responses and reactions. It is impossible for fashion brands to not respond to it. The founder of model agency Storm Management, tells that there is a bigger emphasis on personalities, relationships with audiences and communication strategies. Many brands will contact a model only when they have a certain amount of followers, which has made the road to success broader for all models (Elle UK, 2016). On the next page, the level of interest in searching ‘cultural diversity’ is shown. The first picture shows global interest and the one below shows the interest in the U.S., where Vogue U.S. is operating. Both pictures show a similar pattern of interest. Over the years of 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, frequent interest drops can be identified. However, the last
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drop can be considered relatively less compared to the years before. An increase in interest in this topic can be identified after June 2017, both worldwide and in the US (Google Trends, n.d.).
(Google Trends, n.d.)
(Google Trends, n.d.) Some social media posts are shown below as examples of the discussion around the issue on social media. Various popular social media users, such as Buzzfeed, address the issue. It can be concluded that mainstream media considers it to be a serious issue because it seems important enough for them to provide their followers with content about this particular topic (Sprout Social, 2017). More posts express a call for need when it comes to diversity in fashion. The second post, for example, takes on a quite activistic position regarding the issue. Moreover, exposure of fashion brands that do speak to the need for more cultural diversity get applauded by social media users, as is seen in the third example. Inclusion and fair representations seems to be very important (Sprout Social, 2017).
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2.5 CONCLUSION
The issue’s impact on Vogue as an organization is very significant, because Vogue positions themselves as the ultimate authority when it comes to fashion and culture. By not responding to, or ignoring an issue that covers both of these subjects, Vogue U.S. could lose their credibility as a source. Derived from the analysis, Vogue U.S. was praised, but mainly criticized for their diversity cover, partly because they do not often show diversity in the printed magazine and the audience claimed to need more of it. The social media examples confirm this ‘cry for help’ to increase diversity in printed magazines. Many different stakeholders regarding the issue were mentioned in the previous analysis. In the next paragraph they will be more thoroughly described and analyzed. 2.6 STAKEHOLDERS REGARDING THE ISSUE
The most frequently mentioned stakeholders regarding the issue are described below in a longlist. The five most important stakeholders are chosen, explained and further analyzed on their opinions and positions towards the issue. 2.6.1 Longlist (Fashion) Journalists Fashion bloggers Fashion brands Fashion magazines Models Publishing companies
Fashion events Model agencies Photographers Casting agencies Celebrities Fashion consumers
Advertising and marketing companies Fashion magazine readers Sponsors of fashion events
2.6.2 (Fashion) Journalists The Washington Post thinks fashion designers have a tunnel vision of diversity in the fashion industry. They agree that there have been changes, making fashion more inclusive for many ethnicities, genders, and people of all kinds in general. They do not only include fashion designers, but also fashion magazines in this discussion. Regardless of these changes, they do not think that it is enough for the industry to be genuinely called ‘diverse’. However, the awareness that changes must happen is present (Givhan, 2017). This point of view is shared by The New York Times, who adds that the population of the United Stated is represented by African-Americans for at least 13% and that the fashion industry does not reflect a realistic image of different cultures (Friedman, 2015).
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According to Mpinja, a beauty editor and journalist, many brands believe that white models have a broader appeal. Their casting choices say something about the brand’s beauty ideals and who they want as a customer base. Mpinja states that it depends on what the narrative of the campaign is (Suhrawardi, 2016). 2.6.3 Fashion bloggers Fashion blog Manrepeller says Fashion Week is the best example of a disproportionate representation of the global population in the fashion industry. For them, it is humans’ responsibility to notice when something is inappropriate. It mentions the importance of discussing the issue and acknowledging black culture as a big inspiration source for the fashion industry. However, only talking about the issue will not help. What will help is diversifying employees in organizations in the fashion industry, and not only the models (Diamond, 2015). The conversation is primarily driven by other (fashion) bloggers who increasingly write about modest fashion. This has effect on various brands’ attitudes, which led to actions that responded to the lack of cultural diversity. Bloggers are not afraid to speak openly about topics such as ethnicity, body image and sexuality. An increasing amount of bloggers represent a minority group. Fashion site Fashionista thinks their growth is caused by the traditional fashion outlets that ignored them for years. Still, like the majority of journalists, Fashionista thinks that the fashion industry has to make more changes when it comes to diversity (Sherman, 2015). 2.6.4 Fashion brands More fashion designers use the runway as a platform to express opinions on certain issues (Gustafson, 2017). Because famous designers chose to have a more (culturally) diverse range of models in their shows over the last years, more designers are increasingly casting models with a critical eye for diversity (La Ferla, 2016). The creative director of the fashion brand Balmain, said that one cannot expect to build a global fashion brand without embracing global casting. At his Paris Fashion Week show in 2016, the models were all different in heritage and ethnicity (Elle UK, 2016). This is also a consequence of brands who are collaborating with celebrities of various ethnicities, such as Puma and Rihanna. Most brands and designers agree that there should be more inclusivity, as African culture is a source of inspiration for many fashion brands. They find that the issue should not be left alone until sufficient changes have been made (La Ferla, 2016). 2.6.5 Fashion Magazines The magazine Elle U.K. says that the fashion industry, historically, has not had a good reputation with diversity. They highlight that current conversations about this issue has caused many changes for the better (Elle U.K., 2016). The internet was a major driver of change behind this. If consumers do not like the content of a certain fashion magazine, they will make sure to speak up about that. Vogue responded to this by making their website a more diverse and global experience than the actual print magazine. The creative digital director mentions that the goal of this website is that it speaks to more and different people (Givhan, 2017). 2.6.6 Models Through social media platforms, models can more easily express and speak up for themselves. The New York Times revealed the experiences of various models in the industry. Black plus-size model Precious Lee mentioned that she was often the only black model on set. She thinks fashion is supposed to show the ‘next new trend’ and that having models of bigger sizes will add to that progressiveness. Model Ebonee Davis is convinced that models who do not speak up are only participating in the same system that is harming others. She thinks no model should remain silent on this issue. Shivani Persad, talks about her experience with photographers who measured her beauty according to Eurocentric features, rather than her actual origin. Paloma Elsser mentions that, when experiencing insecurity during her job, she has to remind herself that she too matters in order to maintain her confidence as a model (Safronova, Nikas & Osipova, 2018). There has even been a protest related to diversity within the fashion industry: the ‘Black Models Matter’ protest during Paris Fashion Week outside the Balenciaga show. The reason the protest occurred during this show was because it is one of the brands that has a historical lack of diversity in their shows (Feldman, 2017).
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2.7 ISSUE LIFE CYCLE
The issue seems to be approaching its crisis phase soon. It is a present matter that is talked and even protested about in the media, by both mainstream and journalistic sources. There have even been several protests at college institutions across America. The young adults that attend these colleges have taken on the roles of activists. They demand official recognition of their identities. This includes race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, income and origin (Pappano, 2017). Fashion magazines point out that there have been radical changes, enabling more diversity and inclusivity. However, the majority of involved stakeholders are not satisfied and state that, the industry needs to undergo more changes in order for them to become satisfied. On the other side, many are praising the positive changes that have happened in the past but there seems to be a hunger for more. Because of this, the issue can be placed between stage three (active) and stage four (intense). Serious protests are calling for more diversity (in the fashion industry), and diversity issues, in general, affect formal institutions such as politics and the education system. That is why it can be said that this issue is leading up to its crisis phase.
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3. STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS In this chapter, the five most important stakeholders for Vogue U.S. as an organization are mentioned. Their opinions and positions regarding the issue are described. Based on this information, each stakeholder is placed in the Stakeholder Mapping Tool. 3.1 CONDÉ NAST PUBLICATIONS
Condé Nast is a media company that makes quality content for the world’s most influential audiences. They want to support meaningful changes in their community and the world itself through initiatives (Condé Nast, n.d.), such as The Girl Project by Glamour Magazine (Glamour, n.d.), the GQ Gentlemen’s Fund (Idealist, n.d.), SELF Pedal to the Finish (SELF, n.d.), and the CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund. Condé Nast has won several awards, among which are a Pulitzer Prize and a Webby Award (Condé Nast, n.d.). Vogue U.S. is such a major brand in the portfolio of Condé Nast, which is why they hold much interest in how Vogue U.S. responds to issues. Vogue U.S. depends on Condé Nast Publications to have the magazine published, which gives Condé Nast Publications a lot of power. Therefore, this stakeholder is a key player. 3.2 VOGUE EMPLOYEES
Vogue U.S. has 108 employees in different departments: Fashion/Accessories, Beauty, Features, Creative, VOGUE. com, Production/Copy/Research and Special Events/Editorial Development/Communications. The VOGUE.com department has the most employees (Vogue, n.d.). The employees depend on Vogue for their financial situation and career path. Then again, without employees, Vogue could not publish content. The issue can affect the fashion industry itself, and not just fashion magazines. All employees are somehow related to the fashion industry and are likely pursuing a career in this industry due to personal interests. They have a high power because Vogue U.S. has such a prominent status in the fashion industry itself. This is why the employees are another key player for Vogue U.S. 3.3 INFLUENCERS
Influencers, such as celebrities, famous bloggers or models, have many followers on their social media account(s). Highsnobiety examined the four most popular accounts on Instagram: Kylie Jenner (93.4 million followers), Kendall Jenner (80.3 million followers), Rihanna (53,1 million followers) and Gigi Hadid (34.0 million followers) (Dhillon, 2017). Social media give bloggers, models and celebrities a way to grow their fame and influence. To consumers, it feels mote authentic to receive advice from a blogger than from a brand or company. Huffington Post says many fashion houses are worried of losing their control and influence to bloggers (Fateh, 2017). The increasing control of influencers led to an increase in diversity. An example is Ashley Graham, a plus size model, whose Instagram account was among the top three of fastest growing Instagram accounts according to Highsnobiety. The other accounts were of ‘alternative’ models whose looks are yet still unrepresented in the fashion industry (Dhillon, 2017). Because fashion houses are worried of losing control, it is evident that this stakeholder group has a high power. But because not all influencers are interested in fashion of the issue of diversity in fashion, this group should at least be kept satisfied when it comes to managing the issue. 3.4 PHOTOGRAPHERS
Fashion photographers were initially not likely to respond to politics. This changed in the ‘60’s. Women took on a different role in which they were more independent and in control. Finally, in the ‘90’s, gender norms, capitalism and the ideals of social respectability were challenged (Butet-Roch, 2017). Fashion photographers rely on clients to display their work. Vogue U.S. can be seen as another client. Since Vogue U.S. is one of the most popular fashion magazines in the world, it is a desirable, powerful client to them. However, this group has a high interest in this issue since they help create the images of fashion in today’s society. That is why this group should be kept informed in Vogue U.S.’ strategy. 3.5 MODELS
Kendall Jenner, who was a model on the ‘diverse’ March 2017 cover of Vogue U.S. talks about diversity as something very meaningful. She says the cover made an important statement in the discussion around diversity. Famous model Gigi Hadid adds that the world is holding the fashion industry back when it comes to diversity, and not the other way around (Singer, 2017). Again, these are the opinions of famous models who often appear in the magazine. On their
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website, Vogue U.S. featured another plus-sized women, a known blogger, in a swim-suit article (Pike, 2017). This again encourages the amount of evidence that models that are generally ‘different’ than the average look are more likely to be featured online than in the printed edition of Vogue. Since the level of interest of Vogue U.S. models is high and their power is relatively low, since they do not have a large say in what is and what is not featured in Vogue U.S.’ content, they should be kept informed in the strategy. 3.6 STAKEHOLDER MAPPING TOOL
In the Stakeholder Mapping Tool, the previously mentioned stakeholders are potisioned based on their power and interest. Their position will determine how they will be approached in Vogue U.S.’ strategic advice.
LEVEL OF INTEREST
LOW
KEEP INFORMED
KEEP SATISFIED Influencers
KEY PLAYERS Condé Nast Publications Vogue employees
POWER
MINIMAL EFFORT
HIGH
HIGH
Photographers Models
3.7 STRATEGIC ADVICE
Vogue U.S. is an authority in the fashion industry, and a popular source for fashion and culture related subjects and trends. However, they might lose their prominent place, power and credibility if they do not respond to the public discussion about this issue. Vogue U.S. should acknowledge that they have a certain responsibility in shaping the fashion industry according to current changes in today’s society. True, Vogue U.S. is a trend setter, but ignoring the discussions will not place them in a good position in the long term. Because of this, Vogue U.S. should approach the issue with a bridging strategy. A bridging strategy means adapting activities to expectation patterns of stakeholders, and thinking how certain expectations and changes can be implemented in the strategy (TaS, 2016). The advice is to respond to the issue in a way that positively encourages changes that have been made to increase diversity in the fashion industry, adapting to demand for more change by the majority of stakeholders. By actively increasing positive exposure of diversity in fashion, and not just praising positive changes by others online, Vogue U.S. can take on a leading, trend setting role like they have always done, but this time in response to a global discussion. Vogue’s website is more focused on diversity than the magazine, which is why the focus should be on the magazine to have a stronger impact. The issue approaches the crisis phase which is why they should use their most prominent mean: their monthly cover. At least 50% of their covers in the upcoming year (2019) should contain models of color. Additionally each cover of this 50% covers must represent a different ethnicity. With every cover comes a cover story in which the model or models are highlighted, as well as the contribution of their culture to the fashion industry. Vogue U.S. has freedom in considering which way of highlighting this would suit each specific issue and their own identity best: for example a lookbook combined with a story, a report or an interview. This strategy responds to all five important stakeholders mentioned in the previous paragraph. For Condé Nast, meaningful changes will be supported, the employees and photographers still receive creative freedom and it improves satisfaction of influencers. Therefore, an increase of diversity on the covers will likely spark online discussions, which will increase the exposure of these meaningful changes to the entire public, together with the satisfaction of more important (online) influencers. 3.7.1 Goal, message, means and cost
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It is undeniable that different cultures have influenced fashion for the better, but these cultures are not enough represented in the range of models. The goal is to show corporate social responsibility by increasing fair representation of different ethnicities. The core message of the strategy will be: “Diversity shapes fashion”. The reason for this is that the fashion industry is widely influenced by many cultures. It is important that these cultures are appreciated for their contribution to the fashion industry. This strategy will not ask for any drastic additional costs, because an already existing aspect of the magazine will be changed. Apart from the magazine itself, social media will be the main driver of communication around this strategy. The response to this strategy should be monitored during 2019 in order to decide whether Vogue U.S. should implement this strategy as a fixed ‘diversity’ policy in the future.
4. CRISIS DAY
This chapter contains a thorough reflection on Crisis Day, which took place during the final class of the Advanced Course Strategic Communication Management. Process
What did you know beforehand about the situation (facts)? What was your task and role during the crisis day?
What did you want to achieve?
What did you think of your own performance?
What do you think of the team performance?
Output
Before starting the crisis day, I already knew that there had been some deaths caused by drug use during Amsterdam Dance Event.
My main tasks during the crisis day was to do research regarding the stakeholders and to work on the eventual statements.
In a crisis like this it is hard to please everybody. People had died so it is inevitable that there will be negative responses. That is why I wanted to achieve a sense of reassurance with the stakeholders and more transparency communicated from ADE as an organization when it comes to drug-related topics. I think I did well by trying to put myself in our stakeholders’ shoes as much as possible. However, by doing this too much, I blacked out later on during the press conference. I should have spent more time on memorizing ADE’s current approach to drugs and what could be done to make it better. Words will not solve anything, actions will.
I think we did well by making multiple statements for different stakeholders. We tried to empathize with each group as much as possible and we felt that we owed them more than one general statement. However, our statements were fairly short and should have contained more thorough information and facts about the situation and the drug policy.
What type of crisis are you dealing with?
We were dealing with a preventative crisis.
Include the Q&A (based on max 10 questions)
1. What happened? During ADE, two people were taken to hospital for drug use. They died later in the night/morning of the consequences of drug use. 2. What did you do to prevent this? ADE has a drug policy, they try to pursue this as good as possible. 3. Who is responsible? The visitors of ADE choose to use drugs themselves. The visitors are sufficiently alerted to the dangers that the excessive use of drugs entails. When the visitor decides to ignore these warnings, also from the organization, the organization of ADE is completely out of this. 4. What was the cause of death? The hospital has established that these two persons are deceased due to drug use. 5. What are you going to do better next time? We will increase the spreading of knowledge about the negative consequences of drug abuse via all communication channels. Besides that, the possession of drugs among ourvisitors is unfortunately not in our hands so we will keep following our strict drugs policy like we do every year. 6. Does this mean that the Celebrate Safe campaign has failed? No, the celebrate safe campaign is much more than only drug abuse, it is also to raise awareness for hearing damage and staying hydrated for example. We will continue to raise fight for safe celebrations, along with our partners in this campaign.
Did you prepare a Q&A and did it cover all the questions?
Yes
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Include the Q&A (based on max 10 questions)
What was your strategy and how did you follow that strategy? What was your key message/statement?
Who was the ‘spokesmen’ and why? What were the tweets you have been sending?
Experience
What have you learned from this experience?
7. Do you have first aid available everywhere? Yes, we provide first aid at all our event locations. 8. What can we do to make the policy of using drugs better? As friends, family, visitors and citizens in general, we can remind those around us of the consequences of drug abuse. We want to remind our visitors to report anything suspicious at our events. Our security members are professionals but can unfortunately not have their eyes on everyone at once. Apart from that, we will keep following our strict drug policy. 9. Do you work together with the authorities to prevent these situations? Yes, we are working very close with the local police. Our main focus is to catch the drug dealers during the events. We are also working together with organizations such as Unity, to provide information about drug use to our visitors. 10. How are you going to help/respond to the relatives of th victims? We send our deepest sympathies to everyone related to the victims. We are open to any relative of the victims to visit us to ask us questions about the situation and our policy. Our strategy was ‘diminish’, with a focus on justifying the situation. We had three statements, divided for three groups: 1. Sponsors, partners & employees: our organization does not agree to drug use. We do not want ourselves nor our partners to be associated with this. We will keep doing our best to take even stricter measures for our next edition. 2. Police, hospital, first aid & municipality: we are aware that drug abuse or drug dealing is against the law. That is why, during every edition, we have a strict drug policy to prevent these things from happening. 3. Visitors and families: the use and abuse of drugs is, unfortunately, way beyond the dance industry itself. As an organization we take all measures possible to prevent drug abuse. We will never have a 100% control over these situations. That is why we want to keep reminding our visitors of the consequences of drug abuse. Because I had the leading role in making the statements, I was the spokeswoman.
We decided to not send out any tweets. We wanted the press release to be our first way of communicating on this subject. We did decide to include as much answers to the questions that we received through social media in our statements as possible.
From this experience I have learned how important it is to know your organization and their safety policies.
What would you do the same and what would you do What I would do the same is to formulate multiple statements for different stakeholders groups. I felt that differently next time? this made it more personal. What I would do differently, like I mentioned before, is to be more aware of current activities and policies of the organization regarding the crisis. How has this experience contributed to you as a pro- I have never experienced anything related to a crisis in the workfield before. It opened my eyes to the fact fessional? that I should learn more about crisis communication for future benefits. How can you use this experience in your (future) work?
As a communication student I can use this experience to advise future employers, or even for my own business if I ever start one.
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Singer, M. (2017). How Models Like Ashley Graham and Gigi Hadid Are Democratizing Fashion. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/article/model-diversity-ashley-graham-gigi-hadid-kendall-jenner-march-cover?mbid=social_twitter Stoppard, L. (2016). How diversity changed fashion. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from http://www.elleuk.com/fashion/ trends/longform/a31200/diversity-in-fashion/ Suhrawardi, R. (2016). Diversity in Fashion: Are Millennials and Social Media the Answer To Changing Beauty Ideals? Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccasuhrawardi/2016/05/23/diversity-in-fashion-are-millennials-and-social-media-the-answer-to-changing-beauty-ideals/#331402bcb594 TaS. (2016). ReactiestrategieĂŤn bij issues, een introductie. Retrieved on January 17 2018, from http://www.tells-a-story. nl/2016/06/09/reactiestrategieen-bij-issues/ Vogue. (n.d.). Beauty. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/beauty Vogue. (n.d.). Culture. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/culture Vogue. (n.d.). Fashion. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/fashion Vogue. (n.d.). Fashion Shows. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows Vogue. (n.d.). Living. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/living Vogue. (n.d.). Masthead. Retrieved on November 16th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/masthead/ Vogue. (n.d.). Press. Retrieved on November 15th 2017, from https://www.vogue.com/press Weber, C. (2006). Fasion. Retrieved on November 14th 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/books/Weber2.t.html?ei=5070&en=5d41225b4b63d0e4&ex=1170133200&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1170023780-fGHT0CkuDT8kD6V6f4J6Nw
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