1 / 29

Religion, Politics, and Waffle Fries

Religion, Politics, and Waffle Fries. Dan Cathy’s statement creates a crisis for chicken chain. What Happened. July 16 th , 2012 The Baptist Press releases an article with controversial statements from Chick- fil -A’s President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dan Cathy.

dom
Download Presentation

Religion, Politics, and Waffle Fries

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Religion, Politics, and Waffle Fries Dan Cathy’s statement creates a crisis for chicken chain

  2. What Happened • July 16th, 2012 • The Baptist Press releases an article with controversial statements from Chick-fil-A’s President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dan Cathy

  3. "Well, guilty as charged," • said Cathy when asked about the company's position [on the traditional family]."We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

  4. What happened? • July 17th, 2012: • Dan Cathy reiterated comments made to the Baptist Press on the Ken Coleman Show • Cathy Statement

  5. What Happened? • July 27th • VP of Public Relations Don Perry dies of a heart attack

  6. What Happened • Stirred up controversy among the LGBT community • Incited support from various Christian groups • Media turned the issue into a cultural debate

  7. What Happened? • Liberal media • Conservative media • Company was put in the spotlight for donating money to anti-gay rights organizations

  8. Company background • 1946-Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant, The Dwarf Grille, in Hapeville, Georgia • 1967-The first Chick-fil-A opened in Atlanta • Truett Cathy serves as CEO , chairman, and founder

  9. Company background • Mission statement: • “To be America’s best quick service restaurant.” • 2nd largest chicken restaurant chain in the U.S. based on sales • 2011-system wide sales reached $4.1 billion

  10. Company background • 1600 restaurants across 39 states and D.C. • Focus on Christian values (closed on Sundays) • Corporate purpose • “To glorify god by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A”

  11. Company background • YouGov.com’s brand index score • 65 at the time of the statement • 19 points above the national average of 46

  12. Company background • 2010: Chick-fil-A donated over $1 million dollars to proponents of traditional marriage through the WinShape Foundation • Marriage & Family Foundation • Family Research Council

  13. Public Reaction • Chick-fil-A Employees • Employees who share the views that Cathy expressed, reported to be prideful in the company • Gay employees of the company have reported to be uncomfortable with the company’s association of anti-gay marriage stance • All employees are not allowed to speak to the media and are told to ignore all statements made my customers about the controversy

  14. Public Reaction • LGBT • a community which emphasizes a diversity of sexuality and gender identity based cultures • Widespread calls to boycott Chick-fil-A • August 4th-Chick-fil-A kiss day

  15. Public Reaction • Mike Huckabee-44th Governor of Arkansas (1996-2007) • Ordained Southern Baptist Minister • Host of Fox News talk show, Huckabee. August 1st: Calls for national “Chick-fil-A appreciation day” • large number of Christian Chick-fil-A supporters flock to the restaurants

  16. Public Reaction • "While we don't release exact sales numbers, we can confirm reports that it was a record-setting day” -Steve Robinson, Chick-Fil-A executive VP of marketing

  17. Public Reaction • Rahm Manuel • Mayor of Chicago since 2011 • Thomas Menino • Mayor of Boston since 1993 • Edwin M. Lee • Mayor of San Fransisco since 2011 • All stated that Chick-Fil-A was not welcome in their cities.

  18. Winshape Foundation • American charitable endeavour of Chick-fil-A and the Cathy family founded in 1984 • Donated money to controversial anti-gay groups such as Family Research Council & Exodus

  19. Results • The Jim Henson Company • Creators of The Muppets and other hit T.V. shows, produces toys for Chick-fil-A’s kid’s meals • CEO Lisa Henson has been a strong supporter of gay marriage • Cut ties with Chick-fil-A stating that they “celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness” • Directed payments received from Chick-fil-A to Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)

  20. Results • HaperCollins • One of the world’s largest publishing companies, headquartered in New York City - contracted to make toys of the Bearinstean Bears for the company’s kids meals • Was petitioned to cut ties with Chick-fil-A • Did not cut ties • "We have a long history of…protect[ing] the freedom of expression. It is not our practice to cancel a contract with an author, or any other party, for exercising their first amendment rights."

  21. Results • 4 days after Cathy’s statements • Yougov national score drops from 65 to 47 a nineteen point drop – 5 points below the national average • Mixed results

  22. Chick-fil-A’s Response • Disseminated message through multiple channels

  23. Chick-fil-A’s Response • On the company website under “contact us” • Provides a link to a document which details the company’s views on the controversy and it’s charitable donations • No way to contact the company through it’s website • Other than for experiences in it’s restaurants

  24. Discussion Questions • Should Dan Cathy or anyone in a similar high position be allowed to publically make controversial belief statements? • Should Dan Cathy and other high ranking officials be given proper media relations training before giving interviews? • How much did Dan Cathy’s statement affect the perception of the company as a whole?

  25. Discussion Questions • Was it a good public relations tactic to only issue one official news release? What other communications tactics could have been effective in this crises? • What could the company have done to prevent this crisis from occurring? Or from it becoming a national issue?

  26. Lessons • Manage for tomorrow • must stop all practices that would reflect negatively on the company • Donations to controversial anti-gay marriage groups • Conduct Public Relations as if the whole company depends on it • allowed the crisis to grow out of hand within the media • Company’s true character is its people • Dan Cathy’s personal views in his statement reflected the perception of the entire company • Affected employees and company’s Yougov index

  27. Recommendations • Have a crisis plan • If a plan was created – the crisis could have been contained • Have one unified message • Promote the company’s mission statement • truly leaving the policy to the politicians – any future belief statements remarked as personal and not from the company • Media Relations Training • Provide personal training for all higher level employees • And create a training plan for all employees who serve in restaurants who deal with customers daily

  28. References • "What Dan Cathy said". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 26, 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012 • Robinson, Steve (July 31, 2012). Chick-fil-A Response to Recent Controversy. Retrieved October 12, 2012 • "Form 990-PF: Return of Private Foundation" (PDF). WinShape Foundation, Inc.. Guidestar. 2010 • "Chick-Fil-A Fast Food Chain Donated Nearly $2 Million To Anti-Gay Groups In 2009". November 1, 2011. Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 August 2012. • Devaney, Tim; Stein, Tom (November 8, 2011). "Chick-fil-A Increases Donations to Anti-Gay Groups". AllBusiness.com. •  Hsu, Tiffany (July 18, 2012). "Is Chick-fil-A anti-gay marriage? 'Guilty as charged,' leader says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 July 2012. • Turner, Greg (July 20, 2012). "Mayor Menino on Chick-fil-A: Stuff it". The Boston Herald. Retrieved July 21, 2012. • Dardick, Hal (July 25, 2012). "Alderman to Chick-fil-A: No deal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 26, 2012. • Matthew T. Hall (3 August 2012). "Hall: Gay-rights supporters kiss in, kiss off Chick-fil-A". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 4 August 2012.

  29. References • "Chick-Fil-A Supporters Gather for Appreciation Day - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-08-17. • Lendon, Brad (July 24, 2012). "Henson, Huckabee take sides in Chick-fil-A same-sex marriage controversy". CNN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2012. • Goddard, Jacqui. "Gay rights come to Toy Town as Chick-fil-A battle continues." The Telegraph, 2012-08-13 • Dardick, Hal (September 19, 2012). "Moreno relents, will allow Chick-fil-A". Chicago Tribune(Chicago, IL). Retrieved September 19, 2012.

More Related