Universities in Crisis: How Crisis Communications Affect Marketing Implications
Open Access
Author:
Weakland, Devin Haley
Area of Honors:
Marketing
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Margaret Grace Meloy, Thesis Supervisor Lisa Elizabeth Bolton, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
crisis communications management marketing social media Penn State
Abstract:
The Pennsylvania State University was rocked to its core on November 5, 2011, when the allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky began to saturate virtually every news media outlet in the country. The coverage was extensive—what seemed like 24-hour news streaming of the scandal consumed Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds as well as countless television and radio news broadcasts for weeks after the grand jury presentment was released. State College was placed under the world’s microscope almost overnight, abruptly transforming “Happy Valley” into a somber place.
The university was tasked with performing crisis communications management in order to preserve its brand image in the eyes of its publics. However, the school’s communications efforts were lacking on many levels, and, therefore, its image suffered. Through a case study approach, this thesis explores what effective crisis communications management looks like within the collegiate sphere. This document then discusses why the Sandusky scandal was the perfect media storm and investigates how Penn State’s crisis communications implicated its marketing activities moving forward. The research concludes with recommendations for handling future crises.