#GRADUATETOGETHER CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2020 - COMMPRO

#GraduateTogether            –
Celebrating the Class of 2020
Editor’s Note: CommPRO is honored to
be part of the executive / student
networking forum organized by
communications powerhouse, Philip
Morris International senior vice
president, Marian Salzman and her
sister, fashion executive Jane
Zemba.    Their mission, bringing
graduates and executives together      to   create   networking
opportunities for the class of 2020.

As part of #GraduateTogether, I reached out to Marian and
several students to share their thoughts about online
graduation festivities, including the commencement speeches by
former President Barack Obama.

                         Marian Salzman, Philip
                         Morris   International
                         Senior Vice President

Sharing her favorite part of the commencement speech…

President Barack Obama: ” This pandemic has shaken up the
status quo …It’s woken a lot of young people up to the fact
that the old ways of doing things just don’t work; that it
doesn’t matter how much money you make if everyone around you
is hungry and sick; and that our society and our democracy
only work when we think not just about ourselves, but about

each other. ..All those adults that you used to think were in
charge and knew what they were doing? Turns out that they
don’t have all the answers. …So, if the world’s going to get
better, it going to be up to you.”

                        Rachel           Cantor,
                        Northwestern University

I’m a recent 2020 graduate from Northwestern University. I
majored in Communication Studies, minored in French and
received a certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications
from the Medill School of Journalism. I was looking forward to
the end of my senior year – enjoying the warm Chicago summer,
spending time with friends, listening to music and picnicking
on Northwestern’s lake-fill – but none of this became a
reality, and I knew that would be the case back in early
march.

This past year, I ran Northwestern University’s Dance Marathon
(NUDM), one of the largest student-run philanthropies in the
nation. NUDM is a yearlong fundraising and service effort,
culminating in a 30-hour dance-a-thon, with all the proceeds
supporting our 2020 beneficiaries, Children’s Home & Aid and
the Evanston Community Foundation. Serving as one of the
Executive Co-Chairs was the greatest learning and leadership
opportunity. I spent my entire senior year managing a 20-
person executive board and over 450 committee members and
planning and executing major fundraising initiatives.

Two days prior to the event, the university told us that the
30-hour dance-a-thon was cancelled due to COVID-19. I was

devastated and heartbroken. How could the university cancel my
favorite part of my Northwestern experience? How could they
cancel an event that fundraises so much money it actually
changes lives? I ultimately came to understand their decision,
and although the event was cancelled (the first time in its 47
year history), NUDM raised over $1 million for Children’s Home
& Aid and the Evanston Community Foundation. How we
accomplished that is a story for another time.

I knew from the moment I heard the word “cancelled” that my
senior year would be entirely different than I thought it
would be. Little did I know that our world wouldn’t be the
same. Northwestern announced that we would have an extended
Spring Break, and they ultimately decided to send all students
home for Spring Quarter. Thanks to our school’s quarter
system, I was lucky enough credits to graduate early, so I
quickly emailed my advisor and deregistered from my Spring
Quarter classes. My roommates and I packed our bags and left
with no return date in mind.

I was never really looking forward to my graduation ceremony.
The idea of wearing a polyester purple gown while sitting in
the heat, packed like sardines never really appealed to me. I
was mostly looking forward to seeing my family all together
and spending the last few days of college with my incredible,
lifelong friends. I don’t really mind that my graduation
ceremony, which takes place on June 19, is virtual. It’s not a
big deal; it’s more sad than anything. I can’t believe I’m
saying this, but I almost don’t care anymore. I love my
school. I love my friends. I love Evanston, but this has
dragged on for too long. What I would like most is to be with
the people I care and love.

I listened to Obama’s speech as part of the #GraduateTogether
program. I found that it was just the right amount of
inspiration and realism. We are all living through this time,
experiencing the day to day anxieties, worries and for many,
boredom. There is so much uncertainty, but with times of

uncertainty come times of change. Obama believes that our
generation’s time is now. We have the power to shape the world
and to lead with integrity, compassion and charisma. He
reminds us that we are never too young to create change. I
really took his pieces of advice to heart – 1) don’t be afraid
2) do what you think is right 3) build a community. Now is the
time to take risks, to fight for what’s right and to work
together.

While quarantining, I’ve tried my best to follow Obama’s
advice. I started expressing myself through writing again. I
took a risk and launched my own personal newsletter, sharing
updates, my take on pop culture and what I’m currently
reading, watching and listening. I have grown my audience to
almost 150 subscribers in a short period of time. I published
an article on CommPRO, and I’ve been incredible grateful to
have Fay Shapiro as my mentor. She has helped me discover my
strengths and work towards figuring out my next steps. I have
stayed in touch with my friends, and I have rekindled old
friendships. I’m actively expanding my network, scheduling
video calls with people who I hope to learn from and who I
admire. This time is stressful. I don’t know where I’ll be in
the few months. I don’t know where I’ll be working or what
I’ll be doing, and although this is frustrating, I know that
everything will work itself out. This time has been nothing
but a learning experience and a time for growth. I’ve come to
see what and who matters most to me, what kind of person I
want to be and what I might want to do for this next chapter
of my life. I continue to stay hopeful, and I’m grateful for
my health and safety.

Emma   Furrier,              UMass
                        Lowell

I am a recent 2020 graduate from UMass Lowell, majoring in
English with a concentration in Journalism & Professional
Writing and a minor in Digital Media Studies. The climate in
which I am graduating is certainly not one that I had ever
anticipated. I had always been excited that my graduating year
was going to be 2020, as that seemed like such a great year,
the start of a new decade and full of hope and opportunity.
However, that is definitely not the case now.

My university has cancelled their commencement with no
guarantee of a future ceremony, since the future is so
uncertain. We are holding a virtual commencement ceremony on
Friday, May 29th. While this is not the celebration that I had
hoped for, I am trying to make the best of it. My family is
even going to host a Zoom graduation party for me, which
actually works out better than an in-person celebration
because now my family from other parts of the country can
attend. The university has been kind enough to provide us
regalia for free, to be mailed to our homes along with
programs. I was able to upload a photo and short bio about
myself to be displayed as a slide when they announce my name
during the virtual ceremony. I am glad that they are trying to
accommodate us and make this disappointment as positive as it
can be, although I would be lying if I said that it felt like
enough. This whole experience has felt incredibly
anticlimactic. I left campus for spring break on March 5,
wishing everyone a great break and see you next week’s, only
to never step foot on campus again. We received the email from

our chancellor towards the end of our break, notifying us that
we were to close and switch to remote learning effective the
following week. It was so abrupt… one second everything was
normal and the next, everything had been taken away from us
with no end in sight. In terms of concluding the semester and
finishing my degree, my school was incredibly accommodating
and made the switch to remote learning seamless. I had taken
online courses previously, which I’m sure aided my transition.
Still, my finals were submitted with the click of a button and
then just like that, it was all over. It still has not fully
hit me yet that I have completed my undergrad, since nothing
is tangible or in-person… it does not feel like it really
happened, and I do not think that will sink in for a while.

I greatly enjoyed watching Obama’s speech last night during
the #GraduateTogether program. His composure, class, and
affirmations truly made me feel a sense of ease. He did not
sugarcoat things and maintained honesty, stating the obvious
that this is not ideal for anyone and we have a long road
ahead of us. However, we have to look at the silver linings.
We are all in this together, and are facing the same
anxieties. I have been feeling immense anxiety at the prospect
of the unknown, but I find comfort knowing that I am not in
this alone. Graduating in a pandemic will definitely make us
all grow up quicker (especially the graduating high school
students as mentioned). We have the unique experience of
graduating in a global pandemic, and that is something we will
carry with us for the rest of our lives. It is our story to
tell, and it is how we handle it and how we choose to react
that will make all the difference. We may not be able to
control this, but we can control how we act and respond.

Although the economic collapse and the uncertainty of the job
market is not in our favor, grads can still be productive
during this time. As apart of Marian’s group, I am actively
expanding my network, conducting research, learning new skills
(I’m currently teaching myself embroidery and how to code on

python) and staying up-to-date on the current climate. As
Obama mentioned, this crisis has laid bare many of our
country’s faults. I have seen a rise in young people reacting
to this with outrage and determination, using their online
platforms to transform into activists. Even though it feels
like everything has been taken away from us, it is all about
perspective. There is still so much we can do, rather than
sitting back and watching it all unfold. The youth are our
future and so many adults (esp. in our government) seem quick
to forget that. The class of 2020 is our future and I believe
that we will grow stronger from this experience, together. We
have all felt the same loss, while simultaneously feeling the
same motivation. This experience has definitely taught me
patience, and I have to rely on the fact that things will come
in time. I may not get a job now, which is discouraging, but I
will get a job eventually and I have to accept that. Since
there have been so many layoffs, 2020 grads are not only
competing with each other now, but also with professionals who
have years of experience in the field and now may be forced to
apply to entry level jobs. We will face more challenges than
we ever expected, and obtaining a job will be much more
difficult. That is discouraging, but like I said, I am trying
to find the silver linings.

                           James Murphy, University
                           of Miami

This pandemic    has really brought to my attention just how
quickly things   can change and how nothing is guaranteed. I was
very eager to    graduate into a job market characterizes by a
record setting   economy and the lowest level of unemployment in

a while. It was initially upsetting to see just how quickly
this situation could be disrupted and how the impact would be
so pervasive. After enduring nine weeks of quarantine, I am
trying to approach this situation as a new opportunity. I will
have to pivot, and embrace the “new normal”, as I start my
career. Starting my career remotely isn’t exactly how I
pictured it, however, enduring and adapting will make me a
stronger person and will shape how I approach adversity and
obstacles going forward.

What are the leadership lessons?

The pandemic presented an interesting expose on state and
federal government leadership and various styles of
leadership.  The personal visibility of political leaders
provided by daily press briefings, combined with the lack of
alternative international, social, or sports news, has shown
me the impact of visual and interactive media to influence the
public’s perceptions and opinions.     I recently finished a
semester long college course, focused solely on strategic
leadership in business, where we learned that leader’s often
emerge, or are at least more appreciated, in times of change
and crisis.   The deal with the change by embracing it and
adapting behavior, especially in the face of a crisis, and
forces outside out their control. This is a chance for all
leaders to embrace the situation and to find new an innovative
ways to maintain a successful business.

Kenneth Cole And An Alliance

Of The Leading Mental Health
Organizations Join Forces
With     Celebrities     And
Advocates    To   Launch  An
Unprecedented Coalition At A
Critical Moment In Time
                        CommPRO Editorial Staff

Social activist and iconic fashion designer Kenneth Cole,
announced the launch of The Mental Health Coalition (MHC), the
first collaborative effort of this scale which convenes and
unites the leading US mental health organizations, creative
and media platforms, passionate advocates, as well as
celebrities working collectively to destigmatize mental health
conditions and address the pervasive public health crisis. The
Coalition launches with an online platform and digital
resource guide, www.thementalhealthcoalition.org and an
interactive storytelling platform www.howareyoureally.org.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, mental illness was already
one of the world’s most pressing public health concerns,
affecting hundreds of millions of people. According to the
WHO, 1 in 4 people globally will be affected by a mental
health condition; however, we know that 4 out of 4 are in fact

significantly impacted by them.With millions now forced into
quarantine, the magnitude of this compounds significantly.
Studies have shown that physical distancing and stress related
to the coronavirus crisis are having an increasing impact on
mental health, amplifying the urgency for this initiative.

It is critical, now more than ever, that we come together to
promote acceptance, inspire hope and destigmatize mental
mealth conditions. The Mental Health Coalition platform will
be a place where individuals seeking help or guidance can
access resources from our partners and better understand ways
to discuss mental health.

“This is a critical moment in time.         The collective
consciousness from the pandemic has created an unprecedented
urgency to address the crisis now,” states Founder and
Chairman of The Mental Health Coalition, Kenneth Cole. I am
proud to bring together a community of the most impactful
mental health service providers in the country, leading
academics, creative, media, and business leaders with the
common goal of changing the mental health narrative in a way
that will empower rather than diminish those individuals
living with Mental Health conditions. We are aligned with the
goal of ending the related devastating stigma. I believe that
together we can end the stigma, but only together.”

The visual identity of www.thementalhealthcoalition.org was
created by Paula Scher at the internationally acclaimed design
firm Pentagram and features a “square peg in a round hole” to
represent that there is no “normal” when it comes to mental
health and that everybody fits. The coalition is introducing
this icon in the hopes that it will become the global symbol
for mental health. The icon also appears in the branding Scher
created for “How Are You, Really?”.

The new proprietary www.howareyoureally.org, will use digital
storytelling to create and share stories crafted with a focus
on language, lived experiences and advice for mental health,

self-care and coping strategies. The effort will leverage the
voices of celebrities, influencers and advocates, and popular
culture to discuss mental health in an open, authentic and
provocative way. The platform is conceived and coordinated
by Catie Cole, Co-Founder, CTO & Content Director of The
Mental Health Coalition. Research has shown that authentic
storytelling can reduce stigma and barriers to help-seeking
for people who are struggling or living with mental health
conditions.   The “How Are You, Really?” initiative creates
safe spaces for anyone to be vulnerable, authentic, empathetic
and hopeful by sharing their truth and experiencing other
people’s stories.     This interactive process facilitates
understanding and empowers individuals to speak up and access
resources and support. We believe that participants will be a
part of a life-changing, coordinated effort that will
encourage and support an open and honest expression that will
ultimately destigmatize mental health conditions.

The initiative prompts the most universally and commonly asked
question and also the question rarely answered, ‘How Are You,
Really?’.   This initiative challenges people to answer this as
honestly    as they are able, allowing themselves to be
vulnerable, empathic, and/or anywhere in between.        By
individuals sharing their truth about how they really feel,
there is much scientific and anecdotal evidence that it will
be healing for them and at the same time will support and
inspire many others who are living with a mental health
condition. We believe that participants will be a part of a
life-changing, coordinated effort that will encourage and
support an open and honest expression ultimately destigmatize
mental health conditions.

The challenge will be launched by posting your video and then
challenging others to authentically answer that same question
“How are you, really?,” and sharing their stories
at www.howareyoureally.org and on Instagram and Twitter.

In addition, iHeartMedia, the number one audio company in the

United States, will air a series of PSAs across its 850+ radio
stations beginning today through the end of the month that
encourages participation in the challenge. The series of radio
spots will feature on-air personalities including Ryan
Seacrest, Steve Harvey, Bobby Bones and Elvis Duran.

Participants supporting the challenge include Arielle
Kebbel,    Cheyenne     Jackson,   Chris   Cuomo,    Deepak
Chopra, Elizabeth Chambers, Hunter McGrady, Kesha, Mayim
Bialik, Oliver Platt, Michael Strahan, Stanley Tucci, Whoopi
Goldberg and many more.

The leading mental health organizations joining this important
endeavor include:

     Active Minds
     American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
     Anxiety and Depression Association of America
     Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
     Bring Change to Mind
     Child Mind Institute
     Crisis Text Line
     Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
     Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
     Fountain House
     Headstrong Project
     Mental Health America
     Mindful Philanthropy
     National Alliance on Mental Illness
     National Council for Behavioral Health
     Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE)
     The Jed Foundation
     The Steve Fund
     The Trevor Project
     UCLA Depression Grand Challenge
     Vibrant Emotional Health
     Well Being Trust

Creative partners that helped to bring The Mental Health
Coalition to life include Ad Council, iHeartMedia, Kenneth
Cole Productions, Lift, Oberland, Pentagram, Prinkshop and
more.

Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur
and Investor Michael Terpin
Joins NGRAVE Advisory Board

Terpin to Advise NGRAVE on Public
Relations and Business Strategy
CommPRO Editorial Staff

Michael Terpin, a long-time
cryptocurrency entrepreneur and
investor, has joined digital asset
security company NGRAVE as an
advisor. Terpin will advise NGRAVE
on public relations and business
strategy as it introduces the
world’s most secure hardware
wallet, NGRAVE ZERO.

NGRAVE ZERO wallets will be available for purchase via
Indiegogo on May 26, 2020. NGRAVE’s Indiegogo campaign will
support production to meet global demand, as well as worldwide
marketing efforts.

“Security is one of the major roadblocks to mainstream crypto
adoption, and NGRAVE is leading the way in ensuring the next
wave of users will have access to a top-notch solution for
managing their digital assets,” said Michael Terpin, Founder
and CEO of Transform Group and an advisor to NGRAVE. “I’m
happy to lend my guidance to NGRAVE as they launch the world’s
most secure crypto hardware wallet.”

Michael Terpin is the founder and CEO of Transform Group,
whose divisions include a global public relations firm that
has served more than 200 clients in the blockchain industry,
and CoinAgenda, an event series for cryptocurrency investors.
Terpin also co-founded BitAngels, the first angel network for
digital currency startups. He is a general partner at Alphabit
Fund, a digital currency fund with $400 million in assets
under management. Terpin has earned recognition as one of ICO
Alert’s Top Blockchain Influencers and Cointelegraph’s Top 100
people.

                         “Michael Terpin was an early
                         supporter of the NGRAVE concept, and
                         has already provided us with valuable
                         guidance on our global outreach and
                         strategy,” said Ruben Merre, Co-
                         Founder and CEO of NGRAVE, and
                          BitAngels’ Brussels, Netherlands, and
                          Luxembourg Leader. “We look forward
                          to working with Michael and his teams
at Transform Group and BitAngels to introduce NGRAVE to the
global crypto community.”

NGRAVE has received grants from the Flemish Government, the
European Commission, and the Web 3 Foundation along with
private investments to develop its fully offline hardware
wallet. Whereas competing hardware wallets like Ledger and
Trezor rely on a USB connection or Bluetooth, NGRAVE removes
the need for any connection (USB, WiFi, 4G, Bluetooth, NFC),
instead using wall charging and QR codes to remain fully air

gapped even while conducting transactions and creating
accounts. All of these features are packaged in a design-
focused user interface with a 4-inch touchscreen.

Say This, Not That: Messaging
and Crisis Response in the
Age of Twitter Shaming
Laura Bedrossian, Vice President of Social Strategy at Hot
Paper Lantern

Maybe I’m boring. Maybe I’m on Twitter too much. Maybe I’m
just too obsessed with communications and thinking about the
actions people take to end up in a very public reputation
battle.

(It’s all of the above.)

Each week there’s always a new “oh, did you see [insert
celebrity, politician, or someone else who’s well-known]
tweeted this?”

But, that’s not the stuff that keeps me up at night. Working
in communications and marketing, I love what I do and I love
thinking about the mechanics of all communications and how
that person’s “brand” could be long- or short-term tarnished.
I’m here for the communications gone awry. The interview that
shouldn’t have happened. The spokesperson who . . . mis-
spoke.

This past Friday night, I was intrigued to see the millennial

cooking fave, Alison Roman, trending on Twitter.

What I wasn’t expecting was to see     that Roman was getting
publicly shamed on Twitter and other   social platforms. Roman
shared an opinion of others (Chrissy   Teigen and Marie Kondo)
who are also notably in the public     domain during what was
probably thought to be an innocuous    and fun interview that
gets Roman a bit more press.

I read the original interview, articles rehashing the drama,
pored through the tweets and other posts. I won’t summarize
what you already know.

As I dug in more, going through Roman’s feed, the tweets
related to the trending topic, and her replies this weekend, I
noticed that she mentioned she “has no communications person,”
she “didn’t mean it to come out like this,” she’s not a
“content creator.”

These are all wrong. Roman may not have a communications
person, but she needs one. She may not have meant it to come
out like this, but then what did she mean? She may not think
she’s a content creator, but she is and does (tweets are
content; Instagram posts and videos are content; writing for
one of the largest newspapers in the world is content).

We all have opinions. However, once you start to make public
and strong statements about people, highly visible or not, you
need to be prepared for what’s next. If you yourself are a
highly visible person of interest, typically strong statements
about others result in very public backlash.

Sure, Roman may not have intended her comments to be taken as
they were, but that doesn’t matter because they did get
perceived negatively. Perception. And, why bring any of those
women into it? Why not just say, “now that I’m more well-
known, I’m being picky with what I get involved with. I’m not
looking to create a ROMAN empire.” (Sorry, if I were your PR
person, there would be a ton of puns involved . . . and that’s

how I get fired.)

The bigger issue and one to learn from is this: If you make a
statement, you must be prepared to respond and stand by your
comments. Roman did not and does not seem to be prepared to
respond or stand by her comments.

Roman’s debacle is a reminder that everything you say IS on
the record and you need to be ready to deal with the public
response and sentiment.

Having read everything myself and reading between the lines,
it sounds like she had a legitimate point worth discussing.
She isn’t just going to “slap her name” on a product and try
and sell it. Where she went very wrong was with messaging.

Like it or not, Roman is the definition of an influencer. Her
words get read. Her recipes are followed and made and tagged
on social media sites. Her recipes are tagged on social media
sites as people try their best to follow them. Her interviews
get read and shared. And, now that she mentioned two other
incredibly popular influencers, she is feeling the heat.

Cringeworthy interview aside, here’s where I continue to
cringe. You can see the backpedaling in her tweets. She was
responding to replies from both fans and new haters (as of
writing this her last tweet was on May 8 and is to Chrissy
Teigen. Teigen has since made her 12 million+ followed account
private).

Roman teeters between apologizing and jokingly trying to nod
the backlash. Here’s an example:

She’s not sorry for what she said. She’s sorry for how it was
perceived. She’s sorry for the very public backlash she’s
getting.

Say that. Say what you supposedly meant. Don’t try to self-
deprecate. Say you are sorry for your words coming off as X,
here is what you meant. Now, move on.

This is a new gold standard of how not to handle brand issues.

If I could go
back in time Marty McFly-style, I would have told Allison to
stop tweeting. Stop responding to everything. Think of why you
said what you said and create a response around that. (If I
could have gone further back in time, I would have helped her
better prepare for her interview.)

Her debacle is a good reminder that you should always practice
for an interview. That’s not to say you must come off as
scripted, but even with someone that’s a casual
discussion–there’s a reason you’re being interviewed. You
should have a firm grasp of what you’re trying to get across
to the interviewer. Now everything Roman tried to get across
is lost in a sea of public perception.

This trending news regarding Roman is the perfect example of
how wrong an interview can go if you’re not prepared and also
how quickly news spreads and public perception can turn. Also,
as if this weren’t hard enough to follow, this is a nice
reminder that your old tweets can come back to haunt you, as
Roman supporters go after Teigen for old tweets and comments
calling Teigen a bully.

Roman and Teigen have both since publicly apologized and made
amends (in less than a week). Goes to show how quickly the

news cycle works, too.

If you learn anything from this social media “feud,” it’s that
you can only control what you say, post, and how you react to
help mitigate how you are perceived. Choose wisely and
remember it all impacts your brand.

                         About the Author: Laura Bedrossian is
                         VP, Social Strategy at Hot Paper
                         Lantern. She oversees social media
                         and other digital initiatives working
                         closely with various disciplines
                         across the agency. In her role at
                         HPL, she works to understand
                         strategic needs of clients and
deliver strategies and tactics that hit overarching business
goals. As an expert on social media platforms, she also thinks
through content strategy, growing audiences, and engaging with
audiences in a genuine way. She sets cross-platform strategies
for clients and rolls up her sleeves to get it done with the
team. Laura has worked on a mix of B2B and B2C industries
including financial services, architecture & design,
education, food & beverage, agriculture, technology and
specialty chemicals. She has more than a decade of experience
in integrated marketing and communications, crisis
communications, social media strategy, and digital
marketing. A sampling of brand experience includes: American
Museum of Natural History, American Institute of Architects,
Army Cyber Institute, Edible Arrangements, Ernst & Young (EY),
Raymond James, Saint-Gobain, TGI Fridays, and Wilbur-Ellis
Company.

German   Soccer                          Announces
Imminent Return
Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR

Sports are slowly making a comeback around the world. Some
baseball leagues have begun playing games, albeit without fans
in the stands, NASCAR will start racing later this month with
similar limitations, and now it appears that the German
Bundesliga is on track to resume sometime in May.

The Bundesliga has been on hiatus for about two months, but
now German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced she is
loosening the containment measures related to coronavirus
response. That’s good news for German soccer and for German
soccer fans. As with other professional sports leagues, games
will resume without fans in attendance. Many fans are very
happy, while others may have some misgivings. Messaging around
this issue tried to address both.

                            German soccer league president
                            Christian Seibert said:

“(This) decision is good news for the Bundesliga and second
division… It comes with great responsibility for the clubs and
their employees to implement the medical and organizational
requirements in a disciplined manner… Games without spectators
are not ideal. In a crisis threatening the very existence of
some clubs however, it is the only way to keep the leagues in
their current form…”

The announcement that play could resume came on the heels of
another announcement: that of three more positive tests for
the virus, a statement that coincided with a livestream
broadcast of some club members ignoring social distancing
guidelines.

So, at best it’s a shaky environment in which to make such a
momentous announcement. While the public desire for the
resumption of sport is high, there are many who still harbor
serious concerns. Any effort to appease one will have to take
into consideration how to assuage the other.

Some other professional athletes had harsh words for the
league and for officials who greenlit the games. Ronal Rauhe
said the nation was making soccer more important than
education and Jonannes Vetter called the decision “perverse.”
Meanwhile, other athletes just asked that decisions be “fair,”
arguing that all sports should be allowed or none should be
allowed.

This kind of all or nothing approach has been routinely
rejected by most decision-makers at every level of government
across the world. They have chosen a more situational approach
to these decisions, so the “all or nothing” perspective may
not find a very receptive audience.

Narratives will need to consider all these perspectives as
they continue to be released, no matter which side the
messenger takes. Emotions and opinions will continue to be
strong in relation to all of these questions for some time to
come, and it will be interesting to see how the messaging
around this issue continues to evolve over the coming weeks
and months.

About the Author: Ronn Torossian is
                        CEO of 5WPR, a leading digital
                        pr and influencer marketing agency.

COVID-19’s     Impact    on
Sustainability: 3 Trends in
Media Coverage
Ellen   Mallernee     Barnes,    Vice
President of Content; Stephanie
Clarke, Vice President; Lesley
Sillaman, Senior Vice President;
Linda Descano, Executive Vice
President; Deanna Tomaselli, Account
Supervisor; and Audrey Arbogast,
Senior Account Executive at Red Havas

Had this past April been an ordinary April, the news media
would have likely done its usual flurry of Earth Month—and
Earth Day—coverage. Sustainability experts would have worked
to achieve news coverage that explored progress to date and
helped set the agenda for the future.

This year, however, April had a different distinction. In the
U.S., it was the first full month in history that we lived
with social distancing practices and stay-at-home orders in
place.

COVID-19 dominated the media, not climate change.

This media coverage was met by a rapt audience: At the end of
March, 92 percent of Americans said they were following
coronavirus coverage very or fairly closely.

To satisfy Americans’ appetite for trusted resources, real-
time updates and a roadmap through uncharted territory,
journalists and news outlets adapted their content to cover
coronavirus-related stories almost exclusively. Thousands of
angles, hundreds of spokespeople, tens of theories, one topic.

With this in mind, we conducted an analysis comparing
sustainability coverage pre-COVID-19 and today. Additionally,
we spoke with sustainability and CSR journalists for guidance
on how industry advocates can continue to seek and obtain
coverage in this vastly changed news environment.

We identified the following three
trends:
#1: The climate crisis is legitimately
compared to the COVID-19 crisis.
Climate change and environmental topics remain of great
importance to media, who have continued to report on urgent
environmental news such as coral bleaching, droughts and
threats to wildlife.

To plug into the COVID-19 conversation, reporters in this
space are using the crisis as a cautionary tale for how
climate change could bring forth similar consequences, calling
this a “fire drill” or “stress test” for corporations.
Bloomberg’s Emily Chasan said the current crisis has drawn
attention to the social consequences of climate change, while
Scott Breen, host of the “Sustainably Defined” podcast, said
he was looking at “how we can take lessons from addressing

this crisis to dealing with climate change and how the two are
similar/different.”

The media has also reported on how the pandemic and resulting
stay-at-home orders affect the planet. At the start of the
crisis, the U.S. media reported on the positive consequences
that stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders could have on the
environment. Now, however, many outlets concede that while the
impacts of COVID-19 could benefit the environment in the short
term, there are also negative implications such as the rolling
back of environmental protection regulations on car emissions,
airline emissions, and air and water pollution in the midst of
the crisis and as economies look to accelerate their return to
growth.

From a business perspective, announcements about corporate
efforts to mitigate climate change are still of importance to
media. Heather Clancy, editorial director of GreenBiz, said
she’s continuing to cover stories that will be critical for
the long term and is highlighting which businesses are taking
action. “Climate action is something we cannot afford to
ignore, despite this short-term emergency,” she said.

Similarly, Mary Mazzoni, senior editor at TriplePundit, has
said that the outlet’s reporting focus is still on the
sustainability space. “We feel that crucial conversations
around issues like climate change, environmental degradation
and social justice have not become less relevant today simply
because we now face yet another global challenge,” she said
during a recent webinar.

#2: Pitches to sustainability media need
to be particularly compelling to break
through the COVID-19 content.
In order for sustainability-focused stories to break through,
aggressive targets, major corporate announcements and

groundbreaking innovations are now, more than ever, a must.
Through our audit and in conversations with media, we found
that while many outlets have always been selective with
coverage topics, due to the timeliness and urgency of
COVID-19, the bar for non-COVID stories is now much higher
across both trade and global outlets.

That includes Fast Company, where sustainability writer Adele
Peters affirmed that she’s most interested in major and
innovative sustainability news. Stories need to really reach a
high bar,” she said. In the outlet’s “World Changing Ideas”
series, she recently wrote about an enzyme that recycles old
plastic. She also covered Etsy becoming the first major online
retailer to fully offset its shipping emissions, and wants
other retailers to follow suit as the logistics industry
begins to change. “

Brands should take note that sustainability angles need to be
stronger in order to gain media interest, and they need to set
a higher bar. Annual reports and new initiatives may not
necessarily be prioritized unless they include ambitious goals
and major news.

#3: All CSR efforts and announcements
will be assessed through a COVID-19 lens.
From the coverage we observed, it is clear media is keen on
understanding how companies are reframing their sustainability
initiatives with consideration of the global pandemic. In
other words, CSR announcements cannot be made in silos and
need to recognize the larger picture.

To start, there is a heightened focus on the companies
pivoting their day-to-day business operations to assist with
COVID-19 relief efforts, including by creating much-needed
personal protective equipment, helping employees work
remotely, using distilling facilities to manufacture hand
sanitizer and more.

Additionally, reporters want to know what companies are doing
to support their people and communities. The coronavirus has
created an urgent, unprecedented opportunity for CEOs and
corporate leaders to put purpose-driven leadership and
stakeholder capitalism into practice. It’s for that reason,
said Leon Kaye of Triple Pundit, that transparency and
authenticity are more important than they’ve ever been. He
told us the public is looking for thoughtful, meaningful
leadership that speaks to a company’s values and ambitions.

In this time of uncertainty and stress, reporters are also
placing a priority on feel-good stories about those companies
working to benefit people’s lives and livelihoods. As a recent
example, Sustainable Brands highlighted several companies that
are lending support to rural agricultural producers and their
communities as the pandemic continues. And among corporations,
those that have ensured employees’ safety and well-being have
been widely reported on, as well as those that have promised
not to lay off workers in 2020 or have offered their employees
mental-health benefits. This coverage has also scaled up to
include CSR initiatives that protect society’s most
vulnerable, including those companies who have stepped up to
help feed those at risk of hunger and who have protected
front-line healthcare workers.

To both consumers and media alike, it’s the people and
companies striving to make a meaningful difference that truly
inspire.

Looking ahead at future impact
While many businesses today face existential challenges and
must endure endless debate about what life will look like in a
post-COVID-19 era, one thing remains the same: The pandemic
will press industries to make sure sustainability is authentic
and truly connected to delivering value and meaningful
change.

A recent article from Bloomberg posited that sustainability
will “redefine itself in the COVID-19 era.” How will this
affect the media landscape on the other side of this social
and economic disruption? The jury is still out.

About the Authors:

                    Ellen Mallernee Barnes, Vice
                    President of Content

Ellen has managed editorial content creation and strategy for
Havas PR’s corporate, nonprofit and consumer clients since
2011, contributing her writing and editing skills to numerous
award-winning campaigns across a breadth of industries. Always
on-message and engaging, Ellen has drafted hundreds of
impactful blog posts and bylines that have landed clients in
the likes of Forbes, Fast Company, The New York
Times, USA Today and top trade publications. Red Havas’
clients have also come to count on her to develop long-form
think pieces, such as white papers and research reports, and
short-form social content that is crisp and compelling. And to
build our clients’ thought leadership profiles, Ellen has
assembled hundreds of winning award entries and speeches.
Ellen previously served as editorial director for Gibson
Guitar and has a background in journalism.

Stephanie          Clarke,         Vice
                    President

A founding member of Red Havas’ Phoenix office with almost a
decade of food and beverage experience, Stephanie is a savvy
PR and marketing pro who feeds off going the extra mile to
deliver the best possible results for her clients. Stephanie
has led consumer programs for clients including
AQUA Carpatica, Cervezas Alhambra, Fukushu Restaurant
Concepts, Frost Gelato, Sauce Pizza & Wine, Revelator
Coffee Company and Chef Dominique Crenn’s Root Project, and
her campaign for Risas Dental and Braces was shortlisted in
the PRWeek awards. Within her first year at Red Havas, she
increased media impressions for Phoenix’s first client, Fox
Restaurant Concepts, by 650 percent and was named to PR News’
Rising PR Stars 30 & Under and as a PR Champion by the Council
of PR Firms. Stephanie is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite
School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State
University and currently sits on the St. Vincent de Paul
Advisory Board in Phoenix, lending her PR and marketing
expertise to the organization.

                    Lesley Sillaman, Senior Vice
                    President

Lesley joined Red Havas in 2006, and since then has been
immersed as strategist, content and speech writer, media
relations specialist and trainer. She manages the Havas PR
Global Collective, coordinating its cross-border work with
Havas teams around the world, including on the Kellogg’s
snacks and cereals business in EMEA. For Transitions Optical,
Lesley launched the Transitions Adaptive Sunwear brand, and
has introduced various new products with global brand names
like Oakley, Nike, Callaway, Bell and Shoei. She has also been
the executive speechwriter for the company’s annual flagship
partner education event, Transitions Academy. For Sodexo,
Lesley led the planning, messaging strategy and media outreach
for the company’s first “Quality of Life” Conference, an
international symposium in New York. And for 10 years, she has
led all media, content development and partnership initiatives
for International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association.
Lesley was named PR News’ PR Professional of the Year in 2016.
She received her bachelor’s from the University of Dayton and
her master’s from the Annenberg School for Communications.

                    Linda    Descano,    CFA ® ,
                    Executive Vice President

Linda is an executive vice president of Red Havas in New York.
Linda specializes in providing strategic counsel on corporate
communications, executive visibility, issues and crisis
management, and Merged Media communications strategies to
global corporations and organizations. Prior to joining Red
Havas in 2015, Linda was managing director and global head of
content marketing and social media at Citi; other roles during

her tenure at Citi included president and CEO of Women & Co.,
the award-winning financial lifestyle community for women, and
director and portfolio manager of the Citi Social Awareness
Investment program. A PR News PR Professional of the Year and
one of Campaign U.S. Digital’s 40 over 40 honorees, Linda
brings a unique blend of storytelling experience and
investment acumen, complemented by work in B2B, B2C and B2B2C,
giving her an uncanny ability to help clients create authentic
conversations and campaigns.

                    Deanna Tomaselli,             Account
                    Supervisor

Deanna has more than a decade of experience in consumer and
B2B PR, marketing and social media in both agency and
corporate settings. Throughout her career, Deanna played an
integral role in social media, particularly content
development, community management and influencer relations.
She also has a proven track record for securing media
placements. For Red Havas, Deanna solidified high-profile
stories for clients such as NBC News and Self magazine. She
works primarily on the International Play Equipment
Manufacturers Association, Transitions Optical and LivaNova
accounts, and helps manage the Transitions influencer program.
Deanna is one of Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40 honorees
and was named both Rising Star and Member of the Year by PRSA
Pittsburgh. She’s also been an active member of the PRSA
Pittsburgh board for 10-plus years.

Audrey Arbogast,               Senior
                    Account Executive

In her four years at Red Havas U.S., Audrey has managed media
relations, influencer relations, and social media efforts on
behalf of consumer brands, expanding the agency’s digital
offerings for current and prospective clients. Current and
past social media clients range from food and beverage
products, to healthcare facilities, to a global climate
summit. For these clients, Audrey oversees the social media
strategy from ideation to execution, including managing
budgets for paid social media tactics across platforms.
Audrey’s experience also includes developing influencer
relations programs, securing authentic partnerships to create
awareness, drive traffic, and increase brand affinity.

Coopting Commencement

Dr. David Hagenbuch, Ethicist and Professor of Marketing,
   Messiah College, Author of Honorable Influence, Founder
                  of MindfulMarketing.org

People are missing out on many favorite activities because of
the pandemic, but not being able to eat in a restaurant or go
to the movies are small sacrifices compared to the major life
events some have been forced to forgo: weddings, honeymoons,
graduations. Some caring companies have stepped in to ease
the pain, but could their efforts actually be causing more
harm?

As one who’s taught in higher education for two decades, I
certainly appreciate the significance of college
commencement.    I’ve had a front row seat to thousands of
students’ struggles and success over their four-year college
careers, as well as to their graduation days, which are
meaningful tributes marking the culmination of a lifetime of
formal education.

When students’ academic journeys conclude, there’s tremendous
relief and joy! The about-to-be graduates are excited, and
their proud parents and grandparents are often even more
animated—sometimes embarrassingly so.     Families and friends
want to be together to witness their loved one walk across the
stage and to celebrate their momentous accomplishment.

Tragically, those celebrations will not happen on most college
campuses this spring, as the coronavirus has pulled the plug
on virtually all large group gatherings for the foreseeable
future. While many formerly in-person experiences have been
moved online, some with very little distortion, it seems
impossible to replicate electronically the sights, sounds, and
feelings of an on-campus commencement ceremony.

However, one ‘institution’ is making a great effort to ensure
that this spring everyone’s graduation (high school, college,
or other) is memorable.  It’s not an organization you’d
likely guess, but it is one with which you’re probably
familiar: Anheuser-Busch. The King of Beers will play the
role of principal and president at a very unique commencement
event.

Natural Light, one of Anheuser-Busch’s many beer brands, will
host “a virtual college commencement ceremony on Facebook Live
to celebrate graduates around the world.” The ceremony will
take place at 7:00 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, May 14,
on Natural Light’s Facebook Page.

Graduating seniors who sign up in advance will have
their names read on a “branded commencement microsite” by
celebrities Shep Rose and Arianny Celeste. The
event’s speakers will include, among others, Dallas Mavericks
owner Mark Cuban and ESPN sports commentator Stephen A. Smith.

It’s great to see companies giving to those who tragedy has
impacted physically, emotionally, and socially.    Anheuser-
Busch has a history of such corporate social responsibility;

for instance, it has “donated nearly 83 million cans of
emergency drinking water to disaster relief since 1988.”

Given the personalities employed, “Natty’s Worldwide
Commencement” is likely to be an expensive event for its
sponsor, even though done entirely online. It looks like the
company wants to lift the spirits of soon-to-be grads, but are
there other reasons Anheuser-Busch is willing to go to such
effort and expense to offer an education-related event for
free?

The rather obvious answer is that the firm wants to ‘teach’
young people to drink more Natural Light. A recent article in
Marketing Dive suggests the same motive:

“Natural Light is attempting to make up for [coronavirus-
related] losses while drumming up brand awareness among its
core college-aged consumers. By providing this experience to
young consumers during a difficult time, the brand could build
good will and position itself in a positive light to help it
nurture a loyal following of beer drinkers in the future.”

The fact that Anheuser-Busch’s motives for the commencement
ceremony are not solely altruistic isn’t necessarily a
problem. I, for one, am a firm believer that individuals and
organizations can and often do successfully maintain more than
one motive at a time, i.e., they can realize multiple goals
simultaneously.   Whether it’s a marriage relationship or a
customer relationship, people often receive benefits from
others, even as they give them.

There’s also not necessarily anything wrong with a beer
company building pandemic-era brand equity by tapping positive
consumer sentiment.     Miller High Life, for instance, is
running a contest to help couples get married at home. Thanks
to the Miller Brewing Company, three engaged couples will win
a “Wedding at Your Doorstep,” which includes beer, a
photographer, an officiant, and $10,000 for honeymoon

expenses.   The company even promises to cover cancelled
wedding costs.

So, what could be problematic with Anheuser-Busch’s product
positioning? The issue is the target market. The company
seems to be specifically targeting college students and is
likely appealing to those even younger with its Natural Light
line, which contains teen-friendly flavors like Strawberry
Lemonade Beer and Strawberry Kiwi [hard] Seltzer.

Natty’s Worldwide Commencement is one piece of evidence that
supports the college-targeting claim, but there’s more, such
as an Anheuser-Busch promotion offering free beer to anyone
turning 21, and a YouTube-based campaign to find a summer
intern.    Based on such evidence, Marketing Dive has
deduced: “Natural Light in recent years has narrowed its
marketing focus to reach college students.”

What’s more, aspirational purchase behavior often leads to
target market creep: People who technically are not part of a
target market buy its products because they want to be like
those who are the ‘in’ group. For teens, this behavior often
translates into wanting a more mature appearance         and
purchasing items aimed at those older than them.

What’s the connection to Natural Light’s Worldwide
Commencement? It has to do with demographics. The National
Center for Education Statistics projected that about 19.9
million students attended degree-granting postsecondary
institutions in the fall of 2019. Of them, approximately 4.27
million (21.45%) were 19 years old or younger.

Another 4.47 million were either 20 or 21 years old.        A
conservative estimate is that 25% of those students, or 1.1
million, will not turn 21 by the end of May, which means
nearly 27% of college students in the 2019-2020 academic year
are 20 years old or younger (4.27 + 1.1 = 5.37 million / 19.9
million = 26.98%).    In addition, almost all high school

seniors are just 17 or 18 years old.

Anheuser-Busch’s target market for Natural Light is troubling
in two ways.     First, other than some rare exceptions,
the legal drinking age in the United States is 21. For older
college students, that’s not an issue, but for 27% of them and
virtually all high school students, alcohol consumption is
illegal.

Second, although many people do drink responsibly, there are
potentially serious risks associated alcohol abuse, to which
teens are especially susceptible.         Here are some of
the ‘sobering’ statistics from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention:

     Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among
     youth in the United States.
     On average, underage drinkers consume more drinks per
     drinking occasion than adult drinkers.
     Those aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol
     consumed in the United States and more than 90% of the
     time are involved in binge drinking.
     After drinking, 6% of youth drove and 17% rode with a
     driver who had been drinking.
     Outcomes of underage drinking include changes in brain
     development, poor academic performance, social and legal
     problems, imprudent sexual practices, physical and
     sexual assault, and higher instances of suicide and
     homicide.
     Every year, more the 4,300 underage youth die from
     excessive drinking.

Those who read my blog regularly might remember another time I
took issue with marketers associating alcohol and academia.
In January of 2017, I wrote a piece, “Alcohol Ads and College
Athletics Don’t Mix,” that questioned the NCAA’s designation
of Dos Equis as “The Official Beer Sponsor of the College
Football Playoff.”

It’s not that I thought another beer brand would be a better
sponsor.   I argued that having any alcohol company as an
official sponsor of college athletics was “a paradoxical
distinction that further propagates the false compatibility of
beer and books, drunkenness and diligence, wasted-ness and
wellness.”

In some ways, I believe Anheuser-Busch’s decision to sponsor a
college commencement ceremony is even worse.       First, its
positioning as an event for ‘all graduates’ means it may reach
an even younger demographic, which definitely doesn’t need any
additional enticement to drink.

Second, while a graduation is a celebration, it should be a
dignified one. Yes, people of age can choose to drink beer
during a football game or soccer match, but they shouldn’t be
drinking during a high school graduation or college
commencement.  Yet, that’s exactly what Natural         Light
encouraged in a Facebook post on April 9:

“Graduation ceremony cancelled? Sucks, but we got your back.
We’re throwing a worldwide commencement ceremony for the class
of 2020 . . . Plus, you get to drink beer.”

Another significant part of commencement is the stole that
drapes over certain graduates’ shoulders, conveying special
honors or individual achievement.   As shown in a Facebook
post on April 24, Anheuser-Busch has diminished that symbol of
“prestigious recognition” by silk-screening Natural Light
logos on a custom-made stole that it “might” send to those who
like or share the post. Perhaps it’s a stole for those who
‘minored in binge drinking’ and ‘majored in partying.’

Finally, important but sometimes overlooked roles in a
commencement ceremony are the people who read the names of the
graduates. Where I work, those individuals are the deans of
our various schools. As a graduate, it’s an honor to have
your name read by an accomplished scholar or respected