Writing For Public Business & Marketing Essay Paper

Scenario and Instructions
(please note this assignment scenario is entirely fictitious)
You handle comms for the small business Waddle and Soar, which offers adventure and wildlife tourism in several parts of New Zealand, including Hahei, Cape Palliser, and Taiaroa Head. In the last month the business has been accused by an activist group of damaging the environment through bringing too many people into pristine environments, and stressing native fauna (with a particular emphasis on the little blue penguins/kororā around Taiaroa Head; these birds are classified as ‘at risk/Declining’). The campaign against Waddle and Soar has received coverage on stuff.co.nz, in local newspapers, and on local radio, and a highly negative review has appeared on Trip Advisor. The company is very concerned about the effect this negative campaign will have on both national and international bookings.
The company wants to present itself as very conscious of and committed to sustainable operations. It limits the numbers of tourists overnighting at its Taiaroa Head campground; is stringent about informing tourists about how not to disturb the birds as they come ashore at dusk; and is sufficiently environmentally concerned as to have installed composting toilets at its campground and instituting a strict ‘bring it in bring it out’ policy to eliminate littering and waste. It is also contributes a portion of its annual profits to Forest and Bird Society.
Create a series of communications that convey a persuasive and consistent story about the company’s commitment to the environment.
1. Write a maximum 250 word media release addressing the local campaign begun against Waddle and Soar, conveying the message that the company cares for the environment and cares about operating sustainably. You are expected to build on the feedback you received for the media release you wrote in Assessment One, as you construct this document.
2. A nature videographer is contracted to create a 90 second video of the scenery at Taiaroa Head, the overnight accommodation for tourists, the little blue penguins waddling serenely to their nesting site, etc. Write the script for the video. Remember the average person speaks between 120-150 words per minute, so the absolute limit for your spoken script would be 225 words. You may include instructions about sound effects, if you wish, and/or any instructions about a particular visual accompaniment to your spoken text, but anything that is not meant to be spoken as part of the script should be placed in [square brackets, thus]. Please provide a word count at the end of the script for all the words that are to be spoken.
3. Write a response to the negative TripAdvisor review [see below for negative review, and guidelines for constructing a response]. Aim for approximately 250 words.
4. Waddle and Soar sends an e-newsletter to several thousand subscribers. The CEO has written a very defensive and angry statement for the e-newsletter that rails against what she sees as the ill-informed campaign against them [see statement below]. You persuade the CEO that the piece shouldn’t run as it stands, and ask her to let you rewrite the piece to eliminate hostility, acknowledge shared concerns, and portray the company in a positive light. Provide that rewritten piece. Do not exceed 300 words.
Negative Review
Against exploitation of our planet!
Reviewed 2 October 2018
I went on the Waddle and Soar Little Blue Penguin excursion in late September as my partner and I have always loved these little beasts and wanted to learn more about them. However, our experience with the Waddle and Soar tour left a bad taste in our mouths and we’ve come to bitterly repent our decision to give them our money.
This company is profiting from bringing people – lots and LOTS of people – into the natural habitat of the little blue penguin. The well-trodden path out to the rocks made me think about the damage to the soil quality and plant life, and that was before we even got to the viewing rocks and our oohs and aahs disturbed the shy little birds as they tried simply to get to shore and nest. I got even more worried at the thought that the penguins might actually get USED to tourists in the future, and be less fearful – surely that will only increase their risk from predators?
How can anyone ignore the fact that tourism means development – and development is never a good thing for the ecosystem? It means more traffic and more invasion and interference with the natural habitats of these amazing creatures. As we motored out to Taiaroa Heads I was struck by the pollution from the cars (and no, I didn’t spot a single electric car!). There’s a freaking huge concrete parking lot at the campground. And then there’s the campground itself – the infrastructure and the construction of the cabins – these are permanent footprints on the environment that have fragmented the wildlife’s habitats.
The cabins themselves were, I have to say, extremely simple but clean and comfortable enough – but what about their ongoing impact on the environment? A lot of visitors means a lot of soap and shampoo going into the waterways. And what about the cleaning products? Has anyone thought about using biodegradable products" This whole enterprise stinks of greenwashing. I just think this whole ecotourism thing is poorly thought out at best and simply destructive, at worst. I’ll never do one of these tours again and I’m advising everyone else against doing one.
CEO’s e-newsletter statement:
Hi guys, Pen here,
Well, these are some dark days for Waddle and Soar. I thought I’d take pen in hand to write about how mad I am about the (excuse my French) bull*** that’s been talked and written about Waddle and Soar in the last little while. You all know the principles we’ve built our company on – how committed we are and always have been to helping people from around New Zealand and the world to visit amazing places, observe beautiful wildlife, and do this while conserving our planet. The bottom line is some people are just bitter about our success, and some people are just plain ignorant. There are lies being spread about the “tons and tons of tourists” we’re shipping in – when we never allow more than twelve people a night in our Taiaroa Heads campground! Uninformed commentators who’ve probably never set foot outside a metropolitan centre are passing judgment on the stress we’re causing the wildlife (when our tour guides are EXTREMELY PARTICULAR about instructing our visitors what they should and shouldn’t do!) and the impact on the environment (when EVERYTHING that goes in on one of our tours comes out again!!). It’s just ignorant, malicious scandalmongering.
As a company we do more for the environment than that bunch of wowsers ever will do.
Rest assured that we’re going to keep doing what we’ve always done and we’re not going to stoop to their level (even though I’d like to stick a few heads down some of our composting toilets, I can tell you!)
Kind regards,
Penelope Drinkwater, CEO Waddle and Soar

Assessment 2: Written Portfolio 2

Format

Scenario-based tasks including a media release, a script for video, a response to a negative review, and copy for an organisational e-newsletter.

Worth     

35%

Assignment Submission

Upload to Assignment 2 Box in Stream

Date Due:            8 May

Assesses:    LOs 1, 2, 4

Scenario and Instructions

(please note this assignment scenario is entirely fictitious)

You handle comms for the small business Waddle and Soar, which offers adventure and wildlife tourism in several parts of New Zealand, including Hahei, Cape Palliser, and Taiaroa Head.  In the last month the business has been accused by an activist group of damaging the environment through bringing too many people into pristine environments, and stressing native fauna (with a particular emphasis on the little blue penguins/kororā around Taiaroa Head; these birds are classified as ‘at risk/Declining’).  The campaign against Waddle and Soar has received coverage on stuff.co.nz, in local newspapers, and on local radio, and a highly negative review has appeared on Trip Advisor.  The company is very concerned about the effect this negative campaign will have on both national and international bookings.

The company wants to present itself as very conscious of and committed to sustainable operations.  It limits the numbers of tourists overnighting at its Taiaroa Head campground; is stringent about informing tourists about how not to disturb the birds as they come ashore at dusk; and is sufficiently environmentally concerned as to have installed composting toilets at its campground and instituting a strict ‘bring it in bring it out’ policy to eliminate littering and waste.  It is also contributes a portion of its annual profits to Forest and Bird Society.

Create a series of communications that convey a persuasive and consistent story about the company’s commitment to the environment.

1. Write a maximum 250 word media release addressing the local campaign begun against Waddle and Soar, conveying the message that the company cares for the environment and cares about operating sustainably.  You are expected to build on the feedback you received for the media release you wrote in Assessment One, as you construct this document.


2. A nature videographer is contracted to create a 90 second video of the scenery at Taiaroa Head, the overnight accommodation for tourists, the little blue penguins waddling serenely to their nesting site, etc.  Write the script for the video.  Remember the average person speaks between 120-150 words per minute, so the absolute limit for your spoken script would be 225 words.  You may include instructions about sound effects, if you wish, and/or any instructions about a particular visual accompaniment to your spoken text, but anything that is not meant to be spoken as part of the script should be placed in [square brackets, thus].  Please provide a word count at the end of the script for all the words that are to be spoken.


3. Write a response to the negative TripAdvisor review [see below for negative review, and guidelines for constructing a response].  Aim for approximately 250 words.


4. Waddle and Soar sends an e-newsletter to several thousand subscribers.  The CEO has written a very defensive and angry statement for the e-newsletter that rails against what she sees as the ill-informed campaign against them [see statement below].  You persuade the CEO that the piece shouldn’t run as it stands, and ask her to let you rewrite the piece to eliminate hostility, acknowledge shared concerns, and portray the company in a positive light.  Provide that rewritten piece.  Do not exceed 300 words.

[GE1] 

Negative Review

Guidelines for responding to negative reviews:

All organisations receive complaints and/or negative reviews.  There’s no choice as to IF you respond – your choice is as to HOW you respond.  Take the opportunity to learn something about your organisation’s performance, and use what you learn to progress.

First:

• Don’t react in haste or in anger


• Assess the situation: is the complaint/review legitimate?

If no (or if flat-out wrong), you should contact the administrators of the review site to request it be removed. You will need proof of the inaccuracy.  You should also reply to the letter writer pointing out errors of fact.

If yes (the complaint is legitimate), then respond.  Craft your message with care.  Use the following guidelines:

• Aim to change the perception of readers: show you care about your customers


• Use a name and provide a way to contact you


• Respond to specific complaints specifically


• Be sincere; show you want the chance to make things right


• Think of the future (your response will LAST)


• Don’t pass the blame; take responsibility


• Apologise for what you need to apologise for but do not unnecessarily grovel


• If you explain anything, explain what will be changed


• Only make promises you can and will keep


• End on a positive, forward-looking note


• Be proactive and try to contact the reviewer personally.

CEO’s e-newsletter statement: