Failure of Proper Communication of a Creative Idea

Failure of Proper Communication of a Creative Idea

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Failure of Proper Communication of a Creative Idea

Effective communication is the key to ensure that an individual or a group achieve their set objectives and goals. People should let their views be clear and vivid in order for everyone to understand them well. In marketing and public relations, there is need for effective communication in order for a firm to maintain the current customers and also attract new customers. Many people send the wrong messages because of ineffective communication and get their customers upset. A small communication failure can really cause great damage and lead to great consequences.

Philip Morris is an American global company that sells cigarettes and tobacco. Recently, Philip Morris conducted a study on effects of smoking in Czech Republic and came up with a solution that shocked everyone. The company claimed that premature deaths caused by smoking were in control. In their view this was a positive thing because the government saved money on healthcare and pensions (McDaniel, 2012). The study argued that smoking increased government revenue as citizens pay taxes on tobacco and the early deaths on lung cancer caused by cigarrete smoking would ease the government from paying pensions and the state would no longer need to take care of the aged. The study greatly offended millions of people.

The release of the study was a drawback for Philip Morris which had been making charitable donations to improve its image. The study was disapproved as merely public relations effort which intended to undermine public health(McDaniel, 2012). This is because tobacco, the highest constituent of cigarettes, is the single life-threatening cause of avertible death globally and it is addictive. The company’s operations were controversial and they exhibited an insensitive contempt of human values.

The original persuasive campaign was unsuccessful because Philip Morris did not think clearly about how their audience would perceive the marketing message (Chemerinsky, 2012). The study considered how the state could get revenue by taxing tobacco and did not look at how it affected the public health. The public viewed Philip Morris’s idea to be selfish because it used the early mortality argument as its selling point.

Philip Morris did not also own up to its mistakes. It was not transparent and did not explain what went wrong. The study offended the public and did not try to correct its mistakes. The company was not clear about their creative idea. They thought that the state would be happy for the idea but it ended up offending them. Instead of apologizing for the mistakes done by releasing the study to the public, they justified themselves whereas they should have owned up to their mistakes and correct them.

Philip Morris also forgot why the customers loved them and how it had created its public image. It forgot why customers kept coming back to buy its products. Philip Morris’s customers were offended by the study because the company they greatly trusted did not even care about their health issues. They considered the amount of profit they would make by increasing tax and how the state would also benefit from the increased tax because they would gain increased revenue.

Philip Morris did not plan when conducting the study. They did not plan what to release to the public and whether it was offensive or not (Argentina, 2015). Philip Morris’s study was controversial because tobacco lead to many deaths and thus did not consider the public health. The company did not plan when conducting the study because they ended up to be offensive other than helpful to the public.

Philip Morris should have thought carefully about the study and how the public would perceive it. The company should have considered the effect the study should have to its customers. They instead should have conducted a study that improved people’s health and reduced addiction. They should have put their customers first by releasing a product that would be safe for them instead of only thinking about making greater profits.

After learning that the customers did not like their idea, they should have corrected it and apologized to the public before things got out of control. They should have been clear and transparent to the public and considered their customers. They should have put themselves in the customers shoes and do everything to correct their mistakes and make everything right.

Philip Morris should have had a more logical plan that should have considered both the state in terms of revenue and the public health other than having a biased opinion. The report by Philip Morris was biased by only considering the economic profit the state could have gained while people’s health was at stake

It is best for companies to be very careful about how they treat their customers and the information they release to them. They should ensure that they build a good relationship with their customers by properly communicating to them. They should also recognize that even small mistakes can have major consequences. They should also ensure they communicate well with their customers and always take action for they mistakes before things got out of hand.

References

Argentina, P. A. (2015). Corporate Communication. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Chemerinsky, E.(2012). Failure to Communicate, A. BYU L. Rev., 1705.

McDaniel, P. A. (2012). Philip Morris Search For Corporate Social Value. American

journal of public health, 102(10),1942-1950.