How George Floyd’s Murder Shifted the Expectations for Public Relations Practitioners Amidst Crises

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/jh343t84z

Abstract

The murder of George Floyd, recorded via cell phone videos and shared on social media, sparked national and global outrage and led to protests against racial inequality and police brutality. The rise of social media gave communities newfound power and allowed people to voice their opinions in an open forum. For the first time in history, major American brands were forced to address how racial inequality continues to be deadly for communities of color.

This paper studies how major American brands reacted to the murder of George Floyd on social media and with owned messaging to establish how this culturally-sensitive moment shifted the expectations for crisis communication professionals and set a new precedent for how major organizations conduct crisis management.

Four case studies examine how American Express, Microsoft, Target, and Facebook approached crisis messaging when addressing George Floyd's murder. A textual and content analysis of each brand's immediate press releases following Floyd's murder and of the brand's social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) messaging within the month following Floyd's death — between May 25 and June 25, 2020, revealed which factors each brand thought to be most crucial to implement in order to execute a successful crisis communication plan addressing Floyd's murder.

Creator