Despite it all... I'm not the only one who likes Chick-fil-A

Ever since I had my first waffle fry when I was like 6 years old, I have always liked Chick-fil-A. Going into my research project on the company's corporate image crises that occured last summer, I wondered if I would be among a strinking client base of the company. After all, people were enraged when Dan Cathy, the company's CEO, stated his strong belief that marriage should be the union of a man and a woman with no exceptions. People protested and companies (like Jim Henson) severed their ties with the restaurant.

As I have conducted research with my partner, Brenna Middleton, we have found that this is not the case at all. The company has done well after the crisis - quite well. Even in the "thick of it," the company saw a surge in support from its conservative fan base. Before the crisis, the company had a Chick-fil-A "spirit day" of sorts, where it invited its customers to come out and show how much they love Chick-fil-A. People dressed as cows and such. (You've probably seen pictures of the company's similar events.) When announced on the company's Facebook page, about 2,000 people indicated they would attend. Meanwhile, two months later when the company was being attacked for its CEO's personal beliefs, more than 600,000 people participated in a Chick-fil-A "appreciation day." On average, the company's chain locations saw a 29 percent increase in business - about 340 more customers at each restaurant than normal.

Of course this is an extreme case, but as time has continued, the company continues to do well. As we continue our research, we'll look at what the company did well and how they managed to recover from the crisis. We also hope to find data on whether the company has seen an increase/decrease in business in the long run.

Stay tuned....

Food is the quickest way to my heart, not my head....

I don't like the term "foodie," but I do love food, so I'm not sure where that leaves me in terms of a title. However, I know where that leaves me when I'm hungry: at some restaurant or alternative source of food (home-cooking!) with mouth-watering food that never fails to "hit the spot." I'm very open-minded when it comes to this category, including various foods (ranging from mac and cheese to filet mignon) and settings (Taco Cabana to Ruth Chris'). One of my favorite fast food restaurants is Chick-fil-A. I think the chain has mastered:

• Delicious, high quality food
• Simple menu
• Innovative ways to be more efficient, particularly in handling large lunch crowds
• Employee training for optimal customer service
• The best milkshake on the fast food market

Despite all of its excellent characteristics, the company recently came under fire for its owner's opposition to the LGBT movement. Instead of restraining criticism to the individual, the public caused a major company crises by denouncing the company for its leader's ideas and acting independently from his beliefs. As this topic is relatively recent, pertains to PR, and involves food, my partner and I have chosen it as the subjext of our class research paper on image repair.

As my partner, Brenna Middleton, and I discussed the incident and our approach to using it for this paper, we realized that there were several pieces of information that we needed to analyze:

• What is the extended background on the incident.]?
• Did the company ever apologize?
• Cyber identity impersonation 
• Was this ordeal positive or negative, overall.

What we already have found, however, is that most people did not heed the negative press and continued eating there as they had before. This demonstrates that, like myself, the quickest way to a public's heart is through its stomach, not it's brain.

The Choices That Are All Around Us....

There was a study conducted several years ago that asked participants if they'd rather go to an ice cream parlor with 99 flavors or with only 3 flavors. The majority of people chose the latter option, because they felt it wouldn't be as overwhelming. I've grown up in a society that emphasizes the value of variety - the whole "everyone is like a snowflake" mentality - but the truth is, the less options I have, the happier I tend to be.

Yo Dreams' customers have many choices
when selecting the perfect froyo garnishes. 

Choices. I've had to make a lot of those at school. Which major, which class, which professor, which time, which seat.... Even with my work at Yo Dreams Frozen Yogurt, my team and I have had to make decisions. We decided that we wanted the business to come away with a strong online presence and a thriving customer base of students and Waco citizens. At the same time, we team members decided we wanted to finish with more than just class credit or something to add to our portfolio; we ultimately wanted to help Yo Dreams succeed in what they're doing today, tomorrow, next week, and 10 years from now.

It's not always pleasant having to make choices, but having free will is something for which to be grateful.

A New Story for a New Time....

Well, after a five-year sabbatical from blogging, I am back. I must admit that it isn't out of my own volition that I am writing here again, but it is at the suggestion of a class syllabus that threatens me with a reduced class grade if I don't comply with its rules.

So here I am. By "here," I mean not only blogging again, but also "here" at Baylor University, in my senior year, at 23 years of age, and at a point where my thoughts about my future are infinitely expanding by the millisecond. With 19 hours of classes and 17 hours of work this semester, I don't have much time to think about those things, though. One of my classes, media programming, has challenged the members of my class to partner with a local business and work to promote its PR goals. I will chronicle my work there along with other anecdotes from my life over the next several blog posts.

The company that my team of four people chose is YoDreams Frozen Yogurt. It's located about two minutes from Baylor's campus and equally closely to my apartment. Why "froyo?" When talking with my partners Lauren Krieg, Madeline Lloyd, and Katie Burns, we decided that we wanted to help a new company as it establishes a reputation with local citizens and netizens. YoDreams just had its official grand opening today, so it wholly fit this criteria, along with several others we established. Plus, it gives my teammates and me an unparalleled excuse to consume froyo.

We all share the title of "assistant director of public relations" at the company, but we have individual responsibilities for the work we are doing. My work is a hybrid of writing, editing, and design tasks. I like these jobs and see them as important parts in the company's fulfillment of its local/social media potentials. I will specifically be writing press releases, working on the company's Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and helping the team produce innovative ideas for publicizing the company.

I look forward to the work and experience I'll find behind me at the semester's end.