UnitedHealthcare Ad Tries to Repair Image
Bruised by publicity around the murder of CEO Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare has a new ad focusing on employees. Students can analyze the ad as a strategy for repairing brand image.
With the title “Committed to Care,” the commercial shows a diversity of employees. They speak of their commitment to the company and to serving customers. They look like average people—like one of us—not polished executives in fancy offices wearing fancy clothes. They talk about the heartache and challenges in their own lives of being different and having family members with health problems. They (and their kids) get emotional.
Clearly, the purpose is to humanize UnitedHealthcare—to counter criticism, particularly about denying claims. Critics say the company relies on algorithms, so this ad emphasizes actual people and their feelings.
Students might identify primary and secondary audiences and communication objectives for the ad. They might cite specific objectives, for example, increasing enrollment and lowering cancellation rates, and broader objectives, for example, improving talent acquisition and ensuring executives’ safety.
Given the anger at UnitedHealthcare and support for Thompson’s alleged murderer, the company has a lot of work to do. Students might consider the timing of this ad, about 16 months after the shooting. That’s probably enough time to avoid criticism about reactivity and spin. With an immediate response, the company also might have appeared dismissive, lacking compassion for Thompson’s death. Yet not too much time has passed that the company has missed the moment—the opportunity to present another side of employees’ work.
Comparing Artists’ Statements about Freedom 250
Students might compare how performing artists communicated their decision to withdraw from a Freedom 250 event.
The same day the Great American State Fair concert on the National Mall was announced, several artists changed their mind about participating. Some said they were misled, believing the event wasn’t as non-partisan as initially described to them. Here’s the description on the Freedom 250 website:
Freedom 250 is the national, non-partisan organization leading the celebration of our Nation's 250th birthday. Working together with the White House Task Force 250, federal agencies, and the Commission, Freedom 250 serves as the official public-private partnership that connects, aligns, and amplifies national and local efforts to deliver the defining presidential moments of this anniversary year.
At its heart, Freedom 250 is creating a movement of citizens, organizations, companies, and leaders from across the country to honor our Nation's proud history, cherish our God-given freedoms, and build the Golden Age of Opportunity for the next 250 years. Other signature events include the Great American State Fair, Memorial Day Parade, and Evening Candlelight gathering, Sail4th 250, Salute to America (DC July 4), and the Patriot Games, among others.
Here are statements to compare and a few distinguishing elements. Links to full posts illustrate disconnections in some, jumping from the decision to a global statement without any substantive rationale.
Brett Michaels: Emphasizes concern for fan safety and failing integrity—inconsistency is messaging—of event organizers.
“Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”
“Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be part of.”
Martina McBride: Also emphasizes integrity—in this case, consistency between her actions and her songs.
“It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs.”
Young MC: Also says he was misinformed, although students might question why he and others didn’t know the event was “Trump backed.”
“The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes [it] as Trump-backed.”
Morris Day: Says little but posted this image with jarring colors, an outdated circle-slash, (likely) Cooper-Black font, and the caption, "It's A No For Me.”
The Commodores: Published a statement about their values, as others do.
"Our music has always been our voice, and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans."
Students may find more posts and analyze them for their own illustrations of character as well as inconsistencies and reasoning gaps.
OpenAI Trial: “Stole a Charity” and Other Highlights
Elon Musk’s case against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shows a clever framing and other issues about money and leadership.
Elon Musk repeated versions of the phrase “steal a charity” 17 times when he took the stand. Sam Altman may have made a classic crisis communication mistake by repeating it yet again:
It feels difficult to even wrap my head around that framing. . . It does not fit with my conception of the words '“stealing a charity” to look at what has actually happened.
The phrase seems to be missing a preposition, but it implies that the entire nonprofit organization has been under siege, co-opted for personal (profit) gain. Charity sounds folksy, as though the execs are stealing from the church collection plate or taking money from a food pantry.
Altman also struggled answering a question about his honesty. He was asked repeatedly whether he is honest and whether he lies. Students might analyze this part of the testimony (about halfway down the WSJ page). Altman can’t seem to say that he doesn’t lie. When asked, "You've been repeatedly called deceptive and a liar by people with whom you've done business, right?,” he answered, “I have heard people say that.” The exchange seems like a win for Musk, although he lost the $150 billion claim against OpenAI.
But OpenAI lost too. “Scam Altman” and “stealing a charity” may reverberate in investors’ heads during the pending IPO.
Insults Hurled with Kevin O’Leary in Data Center Fight
Like many communities, Box Elder County, Utah, is debating the development of a local data center. Two young women are in the spotlight, attacked by investor Kevin O’Leary. Students might analyze O’Leary’s claims and the women’s video approach as they attack back. The data center project, dubbed Wonder Valley (“Mr. Wonderful” on Shark Tank), mirrors a smaller Alberta, Canada, project.
On X, Gabi Finlayson and Jackie Morgan posted a video of O’Leary on Fox News. He accuses them of being Chinese operatives, and they interject by commenting on his flip flops and hat. They laugh and curse, and although the video shows many edits, they are authentic—unlikely Chinese shills.
Students may laugh too—the women are funny—but they have stronger arguments. O’Leary has more claims with little evidence. He discounts other protestors ("over 90% of the protesters are actually not people that live in Utah or Box Elder County” . . . “paid by somebody—I don't know who”).
In addition, one of his major arguments is the number of jobs the data center will bring, but Business Insider reports a discrepancy. O’Leary claims 10,000 temporary construction jobs and 2,000 permanent positions, but his own O'Leary Ventures CEO Paul Palandjian said numbers are closer to 4,000 for start-up, and USC Marshall researchers found ongoing jobs to be about 78% of that initial number.
He also dismisses environmental concerns by boosting himself: "I'm actually the only developer of data centers on earth that graduated from environmental studies, so I'm pretty aware of what these concerns are.” His Wikipedia page cites “an honours bachelor's degree in environmental studies and psychology,” which could mean just a few undergraduate courses.” Also, of course, knowing environmental concerns doesn’t necessarily translate into protecting the environment.
The X video did get 3.8 million views so far, so something worked. But students might discuss how else the women can respond to O’Leary’s attacks.
An Argument Against Canvas and Other LMS Use
The recent ShinyHunters Canvas hack exposed vulnerabilities in higher education infrastructure and ignited calls for educators to take protective actions. A blog post by the Digital Rhetorical Privacy Collective (DRPC) offers an example of a persuasive argument for students to analyze and includes recommendations relevant for business communication faculty.
Talk with Students about Data Ownership, Privacy, and Security
Lessons around digital citizenship and data integrity are certainly within our course objectives, although data privacy and security may be less so. Still, the breach is an opportunity to remind students about setting strong passwords, restricting personal information, and practicing skepticism to avoid phishing attempts.
Insist on Transparency and Responsible Technology Use in Classrooms
The DRPC suggests talking with students about what faculty can see and how we track student participation in an LMS. This is one of those situations when it might not be our responsibility, but we may be one of few (or the only) faculty who discuss the breach and LMS vulnerabilities with students.
Reduce, Rethink, Refuse LMS Use
Although well intentioned, blog post suggestions in these categories are rather broad. We might rethink how we use an LMS as we rethink our entire courses and pedagogy because of AI. But the recommendations to move assignments to other platforms and post the bare minimum may work for some content or some faculty but not others.
Students may have their own ideas about LMS use, including whether they would like to see more low-tech options and whether they want to manage new platforms that require separate logins.
UPDATE: Students might compare that blog post to a Chronicle opinion.
Opposition Letter to Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
An open letter signed by movie and TV professionals illustrates persuasive communication and a few sensitive issues.
Students can identify the major arguments in the letter, which are primarily around dangers of consolidation and reduced competition. They might also identify the strongest and weakest arguments. Here are a few examples:
The anti-trust framing is a strong argument, particularly with reference to only four remaining major U.S. studios and planned legal action mentioned at the end.
Discussion of reduced opportunities is a strong argument about the negative effect on jobs and those who rely on the industry.
The “collapse of the international sales market” claim is a big statement without evidence and could be interpreted as a slippery slope fallacy.
Missing evidence is also apparent in claims about the “severe strain” on the industry, although this might be obvious to insiders.
Also notable is the long list of signatories and, particularly, those selected for top billing. In boxes instead of the text list below them are “featured signatories,” and we might wonder how they achieved this status. Do they represent paid supporters, well-known names, or something else? Do those at the bottom know they won’t be featured?
Anyone can sign the Google form and provide a role. We see a few moviegoer, consumer, voter, and citizen” roles, so maybe those “featured” are culled actors and directors?
Regardless of the popularity of the letter, will it work? If the primary audience are the dealmakers, they might have already considered and rejected these arguments. Antitrust challenges may be more likely to determine the outcome.
Communication Strategies to Oppose U.S. Forest Service Changes
In addition to companies’ own messaging that students may compare, a website, SaveUSFS, illustrates a communication campaign to mobilize opposition against changes to the US Forest Service.
SaveUSFS: This website is a great example of a campaign with clear explanations, message examples, and calls to action. Students can identify the communication objective, which is primarily to get brands to speak out and pressure federal action. The site illustrates how to mobilize action by offering specific copy-and-paste language and ways to connect with brands. The clear organization and calls to action are most obvious in the site menu:
The Situation | The Stakes | The Brands | What To Say | Take Action
Patagonia: Not one to shy away from controversy, Patagonia published a statement with strong language:
We commented about this last Wednesday after the news broke, but we want to be clear on our stance about the recent news of the United States Forest Service, because protecting public lands is core to our purpose: Moving the USFS to Utah will gut the agency. By shutting down its research stations, culling its staff, and moving the headquarters to Salt Lake City, it will be surprising if USFS can effectively manage anything at all.
The only beneficiaries of the move and other rollbacks to public land policy from this past year are billionaires and extractive industries.
Patagonia will continue working with our Tribal and nonprofit partners to protect public lands and advocate for more funding for USFS and the Bureau of Land Management.
Conservation Alliance: Consisting of 190 member companies, this group focuses on “protect[ing] lands and waters for future generations” and “business resilience.” Notably, only 77 companies are “signatories” to the group’s statement (below). We are left wondering why others didn’t sign on, and students might guess why, for example, wanting to frame their own messages, time limitations, or concerns about consumer or political backlash, particularly for smaller companies or those dependent on government funding.
As businesses that rely on well-managed, accessible public lands, we expect the U.S. Forest Service to adhere to its legally mandated mission: ‘to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people’. The recent announcement to relocate agency headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah and close regional offices and research facilities raises concerns about the agency’s ability to properly manage its 193 million acres and maintain decades of research and scientific knowledge needed to support them. Recreation on Forest Service lands currently drives $23.3B in economic output annually but local communities, visitors, businesses, and the outdoor economy stand to suffer if the agency doesn’t receive the funding, resources, and staffing that it needs through this transition. We are committed to working alongside the Department of Agriculture and congressional leaders to provide clarity on the priorities of our community, advocate for robust public engagement, and safeguard the future of Forest Service lands.
The Alliance statement is much softer than others and likely illustrates what happens when we try to get multiple perspectives onto the same page: We get a watered-down result.
Additional Brands: SaveUSFS compiled a list of additional brand messages, mostly on Facebook, for students to compare.
Instagram and the “PG-13” Label
Instagram is expanding its Teen Accounts and dropped the “PG-13” language. Students can analyze the communications about these accounts—and explore skepticism about whether these new safety tools work.
After losing two lawsuits about child safety, Meta’s Instagram focuses on Teen Accounts to reassure parents and appease European lawmakers. But the PG-13 label was contested by the Motion Picture Association as a trademark violation and potential cause of confusion.
Meta’s attempts to restrict teen content literally cannot be “guided by” or “aligned with” the MPA’s PG-13 movie rating because Meta does not follow this curated process. Instead, Meta’s content restrictions appear to rely heavily on artificial intelligence or other automated technology measures.
At issue is the degradation of the rating, which is determined by parents who watch the movies. In updated language, Meta said it was “closer to PG-13 movie standards—which parents already know.” In this latest communication, titled, “Instagram Expands Teen Accounts Inspired by 13+ Content Ratings,” Meta refrains from “PG” language entirely, instead saying the “revamped Teen Accounts” are “inspired by 13+ movie ratings criteria and parent feedback.”
Students may have a lot of opinions about the announcement and Teen Accounts. They might explore criticism about age verification and content screening to assess whether parents can trust this classification. They might also assess Instagram’s “Tips for Parents” and “Manage Your Teen Account Settings” for kids.
McDonald’s CEO Leans Into Viral Video
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski explains his mini-bite viral video and other challenges facing the company.
Kempczinski boldly agreed to a Wall Street Journal video interview, and he handles the discussion well, at times laughing about the viral video. Directly addressing why he took what looked like a tiny bite of the new Big Arch burger, he explained:
I blame it all on my mom because she said, don’t talk with your mouth full, and I think probably, in that case, I should have said, you know what, to hell with it, I’m gonna talk with my mouth full.
His explanation makes sense, and he does speak with his mouth full during the WSJ video after taking a human-sized bite of a French fry.
However, for the original video, he obviously didn’t think through the possibilities of editing (which, as I pointed out, removed a crumb from his lip). A too-full mouth of food could have been omitted.
Kempczinski takes a personal approach now, mentioning that he first learned about the viral video from his kids. As in his other videos, he sounds authentic—like his genuine self—and speaks about the competitive market and rising costs as we would expect of a CEO.
New Research About Expressing Emotion and Implications for Students
Business communication faculty have long taught students that emotional appeals—for example, eliciting anger—are persuasive, and that still holds. But new research published in a monograph, “Emotions on Our Screens,” shows that expressing our own emotions online may not change others’ minds. We see parallels with delivering bad news.
Six studies assessed posts about climate change and found that, when people expressed emotion, for example with a sad-face emoji, users viewed the post as “less appropriate and inauthentic.” Talbot Andrews, professor of government at Cornell University, explains, “I think you’re crying crocodile tears to make me feel bad about this, and I see through that ploy.”
I’m reminded of layoff meetings during which managers would cry. These meetings require a delicate balance: neither indifference nor emotional spillage that some employees perceive as performative and attention-seeking—similar to the climate research examples.
From the research about online displays, Andrews clarifies:
Emotional expression can serve an important role, helping people find a community that cares about their issue. Even if it doesn’t achieve any influential goal—persuading others or building your social media clout—expressing emotions often makes people feel better. The takeaway is not that people should keep their feelings to themselves, but that such expression won’t always be taken at face value.
As we might expect, emotions in text messages were found to be more authentic than those on social media. Public posts seemed more like “virtue signaling” or clickbait.
Students might evaluate their own texts and social media posts for displays of emotion. What might they change if their goal is to persuade?
Brands Having Fun
The stolen truck carrying 413,793 packages of KitKat bars launched memes and jokes from Nestlé and other brands. The situation is another example of companies embracing mishaps.
KitKat took full advantage of the incident:
We’ve always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat—but it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 metric tons of our chocolate.
Then other brands got into the game. Pizza Hut claims a new KitKat pizza, DoorDash suggested people add 500-600 KitKats to their order, and RyanAir posted a plane with a mouth full of KitKats. This Del Taco one is cute.
We saw similar brand responses during the McDonald’s mini-bite incident. McDonald’s humbly poked fun of itself, and other brands pounced. The art is responding on-brand and quickly. Some of the KitKat responses are repetitive and feel like copycats. Student could analyze them to see which are most and least effective. RyanAir’s stands out for its weird silliness—definitely on brand.
I expected to see something on the KitKat website. But under “latest news” are progressive muscle relaxation and box breathing videos, perhaps overdoing the “have a break, have a KitKat” slogan. Student will have opinions on this too.
Business Communication Lessons from Meta/Google Trial
Business communication students can learn from the KGM v. Meta and Google case for their own presentations and messages. Three examples are emotional appeal/storytelling, concrete visualization, and document discovery.
Considered a landmark case that opens paths for other suits, KGM v. Meta and Google (Instagram and YouTube) found companies negligent, citing defective product design causing addiction. The plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Lanier, has a reputation of theatrics in the courtroom, which we see in these first two examples. Students need to balance ethics/credibility and effectiveness for their own presentations.
Emotional Appeal/Storytelling
At the heart of this case is how kids are affected by social media, and storytelling was key. Families brought photos and a large banner with names and ages of children who died, blaming social media companies. Plaintiff attorneys also showed a large poster with hundreds of selfies KGM posted of her when she was a child.
These strategies humanized the plaintiff and contrasted Mark Zuckerberg’s stoicism. As NPR reported:
At one point, the family's lawyer brought out an internal document about how Meta's staff has pushed Zuckerberg to be more empathic and relatable and more human in public appearances and, you know, not to be fake and corporate and cheesy—these are their words—you know, during events like court appearance. And Zuckerberg responded by, you know, showing some human vulnerability. He said, quote, "I think I'm actually well known to be very bad at this."
Concrete Visualization
In legal terms, “demonstrative evidence” or a “demonstrative exhibit” “explains or illustrates” testimony; it’s not direct evidence. In persuasion communication, we might call this type of evidence examples rather than, for example, data. We also encourage students to make large numbers concrete.
Lanier illustrated these strategies:
As the punitive-damages phase of the trial got under way in court on Wednesday, the plaintiff’s attorney, Lanier, revealed a jar of M&Ms—415 of them. Each one represented $1 billion of the $415 billion in total stockholders’ equity of Alphabet Inc., he said. As he removed M&Ms one by one, Lanier noted how the jar barely registered a change, symbolizing how inconsequential even a ruling of $1 billion in damages would be to a company of Alphabet’s value.
This type of illustration gets attention and does clarify points but might seem cheesy in business presentations.
Discovery
Once again, this is a good opportunity to talk with students about the legal discovery process, which makes any internal emails, texts, reports, Teams content, etc. public. Perhaps the plaintiff’s strongest evidence was Meta’s own documentation that demonstrated how leaders exploited—actually, built—platform features to increase addiction.
Instead of a lesson warning students about what they put in writing, we might teach them to act with integrity. If social media executives hadn’t build systems that are now proven to be addictive, they wouldn’t have had to censor what they put in writing.
Both Meta and Google are appealing the case. They will not accept responsibility. Together, the companies will pay $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages. That’s .6% of one M&M. How could students visualize that?
Viral Staples Videos
Staples has an employee turned social media star with fun viral videos. The “Staples Baddie” Kaeden Rowland somehow makes office products look interesting.
In this video with 5.7 million views, she explains how to make a signature stamp.
Rowland says she’s autistic and wanted to show her work as a print specialist:
I was like, How can I make people really feel, not just see, the passion I have for these stationery office products?
Staples leadership supports her authentic videos, which we might expect given her following. User comments include, “You are single-handedly saving staples,” and “omg are you the staples baddie i saw someone do a presentation in their class about????” The Staples social account engages on some videos, as you see here.
An engaging class project can ask students to develop a video series relevant to a brand that could go viral. What might make the videos take off? How would they ensure that the series aligns with brand values? What are the risks and challenges?
McDonald’s Video Recovery
A McDonald’s video caused embarrassment and left the company vulnerable to competitors. But the company’s response follows advice about embracing negative reviews.
The video of McDonald’s CEO admiring and tasting the new Big Arch wasn’t a bad idea. Chris Kempczinski sounds authentic and has built almost 100,000 followers on Instagram. But viewers criticized the video, primarily because Kempczinski twice called the burger a “product” and took a small bite while asserting, “That’s a big bite for a Big Arch.”
Interestingly, we see that the video was edited. After the fated bite, Kempczinski has some food on his lower lip, which vanishes in the next shot. Did the editors not notice that the bite looks small and doesn’t match his speech? Or is the bite not really that small and is only exaggerated by the social media response?
Going viral slowly, the video got more attention when Burger King’s and Wendy’s leaders made videos of their own. This might be filed under “no press is bad press.” Although that no longer holds in all cases, a spokesperson said, “We’re glad the Big Arch has everyone’s attention, including competitors’. Early sales are beating expectations.” Students can analyze other companies’ video responses and comments on social media, including those here.
Smartly, McDonald’s stayed engaged in the conversation, posting this image and the comment, “can’t believe this got approved.” The strategy follows guidance about “reappropriating the insult” (embracing a negative comment and turning it into humor) and “stealing thunder” (revealing negative information about the brand before others do)—related ideas about controlling the narrative.
Students can discuss whether Kempczinski should have posted something himself. That would have been riskier.
World Central Kitchen Video on Ukraine for Fundraising
In a World Central Kitchen (WCK) video about Ukraine, on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, students will see illustrations of emotional appeal, compassion, and themes for fundraising.
Here are a few points about the video for our students:
Starts with lessons learned. This approach is consistent with research showing better responses to LinkedIn profiles that balance the writer’s journey with outcomes. Describing learnings demonstrates humility and conveys what the study authors call “warmth,” a word used later in the WCK video. To contribute to a nonprofit organization, funders may want to be part of the journey—part of the story.
Emphasizes “long-term humanitarian aid.” From those lessons, the staff say they were able to adapt from emergency response to a longer-term solutions. They stress their commitment and the ongoing work involved, which requires funding.
Representatives speak Ukrainian. Of course, the spoken language is a practical decision so local staff can tell their own story, but it also conveys being “on the ground,” or as they say in the video, on “the frontline” and with “boots on the ground.”
Includes data. 40 kitchens opened illustrates reach, and 4,000+ vegetables seems like a lot, although that one is tough to comprehend without imagery or comparisons, as we teach for data communication.
Repeats the theme. A theme—”side by side”—shows how WCK staff work alongside those in need to provide not just food but emotional support. Images throughout emphasize this point—few talking heads, rather, people working together.
Showcases José Andrés. About halfway into the video, we hear from the famed chef, restaurateur, and WCK founder José Andrés: “We believe this is the future of humanitarian relief. This is the future of food relief. In the process of helping some people, don’t throw money at the problem; try to invest in the solutions.”
Stresses cultivation. Then we see people growing seeds, a greenhouse project—solutions for long-term self-sufficiency in addition to the hot meals WCK provides.
Balances imagery. We see several short videos of destruction in Ukraine, particularly bombed buildings, but we don’t see other realities of war. The prevailing message is of hope, and the focus is on people and food.
All this to say, WCK needs a lot of funding to achieve its mission. The work of being “on the ground,” working alongside people, and providing hot meals is expensive.
Students might analyze how the website images and text support these messages.
The AI Memo That Caused the Market Downturn
Students can analyze Citrini’s memo about AI to determine why it’s causing fresh concerns about the economy. Why was the memo so influential on the market, and why did it go viral? What are the lessons for students’ own writing?
A Wall Street Journal article summarizes the “doomsday” predictions: “AI coders create software price wars,” “payment companies and other intermediaries get hit,” “agents drive down prices everywhere,” and “a doom cycle in white-collar labor.” Here are a few points students might consider from the memo:
Author credibility: The WSJ article refers to Citrini Research’s “cult following” with its focus on AI and weight-loss drugs. Appropriately, the writers start with a caveat, which improves credibility:
What follows is a scenario, not a prediction. This isn’t bear porn or AI doomer fan-fiction. The sole intent of this piece is modeling a scenario that’s been relatively underexplored.
Futuristic approach: Dated June 2028, the memo reads like science fiction and draws readers in. We’re offered what feels like a peek into another world, and students see lessons in genre and creativity in business writing.
“Memo”: Without a defined audience and with several report features, this is like no memo we taught in the early 2000s. Memo has evolved to mean a written piece with gravitas—something weighty and important.
Conversational tone: Maybe more accurately, the style feels insider, illustrated with the above quote and continuing throughout.
Simple writing style. Students can count the number of short sentences that give the piece punch, particularly at the beginning, for example, “Traders have grown numb,” “The euphoria was palpable,” and “The headline numbers were still great.” These also serve as topic sentences for short paragraphs.
Clear organization: As always, descriptive headings improves comprehension and skimmability—although those interested would likely read it all.
Data: The message includes quite a bit of data for a futuristic piece; that is, the numbers are compelling but invented.
Inflammatory language: Without seeing into the future, we don’t know whether the language is appropriate for what’s to come, but students can identify words and phrases that could be inflated—or at least are provocative and emotional (for example, catastrophic).
Fear: Related to the point above, the memo identifies what some AI skeptics have raised about AI’s growing coding and agentic capabilities and may speak to broader brewing fears.
Compelling graphics: Graphics like this one show a clear before-and-after process. This one illustrates a simplified payment process without those pesky intermediaries like banks. (See Jamie Dimon’s response about JPMorgan’s strong position.)
Storytelling: Interlacing quotes from fake news articles lends false credibility and brings life to the memo, as though news is unfolding as we read. In addition, the writers include personal stories, for example, “a friend of ours was a senior product manager at Salesforce…”
Hopeful: Despite the doomsday projections, the memo ends on a positive note: “The canary is still alive.” The writers give readers a vision of the future so we might be “proactive,” and “The economy can find a new equilibrium.” This could be false hope; we don’t know yet.
Walmart Tries to Engage About Olympian Wolfdog
Watching a wolfdog run with the Olympic skiers is great fun, and Walmart got into the action by commenting on Instagram, but the replies were not favorable.
The Walmart account manager tried to engage, which is what we teach students in marketing communications and as examples of positive messages. The comment—”I love an underdog story”—is funny enough, but the responses point to larger issues, particularly about wages.
Students might discuss the risk Walmart took and whether it was worth it. The situation has nothing to do with Walmart, which makes it both low stakes and potentially irrelevant. The company inserted itself into a cultural moment—a time for people to rally around.
But users might perceive all company comments, particularly those unrelated to the core business, as marketing opportunities. Also, the post starts with “I,” an attempt to personalize (anthropomorphize?) the brand. Sure, the poster is a human (we think), but the company name and logo overshadow the comment. The joke doesn’t feel authentic because it’s not. Students also might consider the challenge of creating “one, authentic brand voice” for a company of Walmart’s heft.
On another note, sadly, some commenters wondered whether the video was AI. It’s hard to know these days.
Tom Pritzker Resigns After Epstein Discovery
The list of executives resigning or losing positions after more Jeffrey Epstein files become public is growing. Students can read emails related to the latest: Tom Pritzer, Hyatt’s executive chairman.
Pritzer’s resignation letter to the board includes the following:
My job and responsibility is to provide good stewardship. That is important to me. Good stewardship includes ensuring a proper transition at Hyatt. Following discussions with my fellow Board members, I have decided, after serving as Executive Chairman since 2004, and with the company in a strong position, that now is the right time for me to retire from Hyatt.
Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret.
I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.
I condemn the actions and the harm caused by Epstein and Maxwell, and I feel deep sorrow for the pain they inflicted on their victims.
The first line is performative and was omitted from most news reports. As an issue of integrity, good stewardship requires good behavior while serving in a role, not just when resigning.
Students might read the first and second lines as a push from the board rather than a true resignation. Either way, it explains what students often wonder about executive resignations for personal improprieties: they affect the company. At the same time, Pritzker’s were related to Hyatt business, with emails showing him facilitating travel and arranging an interview for “the girl from Romania.”
The second bullet illustrates classic crisis communication strategies of distancing and downplaying, as though “contact” were his only crime. We see a similar theme in all statements related to Epstein—little true accountability.
The third bullet reflects a false show of sympathy few would believe after reading emails like these, which were sent ten years after Epstein plead guilty for sex crimes in Florida and as accusations piled up throughout the next decade.
Students might discuss the best approach for these leaders. Another strategy is Lee Wexler’s. The billionaire and former CEO of Victoria's Secret said he “was duped by a world-class con man,” a tough claim to support.
Maybe this is one of those rare times when it’s better to say nothing at all.
The New York Times is tracking resignations and other fallout from the Epstein files.
Persuasion Principles for Stanford’s New Dating App
More than 5,200 of Stanford’s 7,500 undergrads signed up for Date Drop, a new dating app. Students might enjoy analyzing how the app operation and marketing illustrate Robert Cialdini’s Seven Principles of Persuasion.
Here are a few examples of each.
Reciprocity: People Repay in Kind
In effect, the app offers the gift of qualified matches to people who sign up and complete a detailed questionnaire.
Scarcity: People Want More of What They Can Have Less Of
”Dropping” matches on Tuesdays at 9pm generates excitement for that one time and encourages people to gather and share their matches then. Also, taking a page from Mark Zuckerberg’s original Facebook, the app was limited to Stanford students and is now offered to other schools, but only students within each school see matches, creating an exclusive service.
Authority: People Defer to Experts
The website encourages, “Take our psychology-backed compatibility quiz,” and boasts their success: “We've made 35,000 matches, and they turn into real dates 15× more often than Tinder's.” (Of course, part of that success likely is proximity.) In the FAQ, the founders explain how the matching algorithm works. (Founders of The Marriage Project, a 2017 Stanford startup that claims dozens of marriages accused Date Drop of co-opting some of their questions and marketing approaches.)
Consistency: People Align with Their Clear Commitments
After taking the time and trouble to answer 66 questions, students almost certainly opt in to see their matches.
Liking: People Like Those Who Like Them
This one isn’t as apparent as some others. Compliments and commonalities are wanting in the marketing, which we might expect in the main and about sections of the website. This could say more about the founder, a graduate student, than anything else.
Social Proof: People Follow the Lead of Similar Others
I’m not sure how the app got started—and students may be interested to find out—but it picked up speed quickly. At this point, with such a high percentage of students on the app, it’s hard to not be a part.
Students can easily identify other persuasion principles used and reasons students might be drawn to the app. For example, Date Drop is a great name, with it’s monosyllabic words, alliteration, and allusion to other “drops,” such as media launches. Like Facebook, it’s a fast success.
Starbucks Communicates New Rewards
Starbucks changed its rewards program, reinstating tiers lost in 2019 and adding yet a higher status. The program encourages customer engagement, a good topic for business communication students in addition to analyzing the company’s language and graphic choices.
As always, customers earn “Stars” for buying stuff—more stars for more expensive stuff. But the company is moving away from everyone earns equally back to levels: Green and Gold, as in the past, and the new one, Reserve.
The word reserve deserves attention. I’m on the finance committee of a nonprofit organization, and we pushed back on our financial advisor for using “reserve” to describe our short-term investment fund. To some of us, the word would more appropriately describe our long-term fund: something stored away, not used unless necessary.
The Starbucks level follows this thinking. Reserve implies high social status, which is appropriate for Starbucks’ increased divisions. Wildlife and nature reserves are protected, exclusive areas. Only Reserve members receive a personalized card to flaunt while waiting for a latte. Of course, what isn’t stated is that those in the lowly Green and Gold categories receive rewards at lower rates, therefore devaluing rewards for most customers.
The three tiers are clearly explained in this graphic. Black indicating the highest level aligns with marketing we see in other industries, for example, “Black Label” Johnnie Walker and the American Express Centurion “Black Card.”
The global chief brand officer explained the focus on engagement:
We’re redefining the industry with customer-focused benefits that set a new standard and ignite fandom. Starbucks Rewards has always been about creating connection, and we’re evolving the program based on what our members told us matters most, offering faster, more meaningful benefits that make them feel appreciated. This evolution is a key milestone in our Back to Starbucks strategy and will reinvigorate what it means to be a Starbucks Rewards member.
Critics say, as the company encourages use of the app, customer data is collected with every click.