Our speaker Dr. Holly Overton and I want to say a couple things about her. So Dr. Overton is an associate professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations. She's a program coordinator of the MPS, the Masters in Professional Studies in Strategic Communication and she's the Director of Research for the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. So Dr. Overton conducts public relations research in the areas of ethics, corporate social responsibility.
and corporate social advocacy, and that's what we'll hear about tonight. Her research also focuses on examining psychological factors that impact information processing and engagement among the public's nonprofit public relations and the persuasive impact of messages and technological factors in public relations contexts. She's published more than three dozen peer-reviewed journal articles.
In 2019, she was named Educator of the Year by the South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. and she's won several other teaching and mentorship awards. She was a 2023 recipient of the Belisario College's Dean's Excellence Award for Integrated Scholarship. We're thrilled to have her tonight.
I would say Holly Overton is a leading researcher in corporate social advocacy, so it's really our honor to have her. Well, thank you so much for that kind introduction, Dr. Vortree. Dr. Vortree, if you all know, is the Associate Dean here in the Bellisario College, and I just want to thank her again for the invitation to be here tonight. So, good evening, Bellisario College students.
Hello, hello. Welcome to Penn State. I hope that you've had a really, really great start to your first semester here in the Bellisario College. And I have no...
Doubt that you have been offered a great deal of support here from everyone in the Bellisario College and across campus, especially here in the first year seminar. And on that note, let's give a hand to all of our first year seminar instructors. Thank you.
They are fantastic. So I'm really, really grateful, like I said, for the chance to be here with you tonight. I'd like to, again, thank Dr. Bortry and also Dr. Kennan for inviting me to talk with you a little bit about my research as an example of some of the work that faculty and students in the Belisario College are doing.
And as you heard from Dr. Bortry, I'm a public relations researcher, and I'm really excited to talk about some of the work that I do and the topics that I research, which are done largely in connection with the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity and Public Communication, which is a research center housed right here at Penn State. Ultimately, though, my goal tonight is to connect these topics to your experiences as students, as media consumers, as customers, future employees of various organizations across the globe, and perhaps most importantly, as members of our society. And as you can see, the topic of my presentation is ethical and responsible advocacy for future leaders.
And I chose this topic. Because we're living in some really, really interesting times right now. Wouldn't you agree?
See a lot of head nods there. And I think it would be an understatement to say that there's a lot happening in society right now that has changed the way that we think about things as communicators. And our profession has seen monumental challenges and change even just over the past few years. And I would argue, though, that now, more than ever, the role that we play as communicators is pivotal to society and to enacting positive change.
And I know that you are all navigating a lot right now, too. So you're going through a lot of changes. In many cases, you're leaving your comfort zone. You're juggling a lot of responsibility while also trying to keep those stress levels down, right?
And so certainly... We also know that there's a really big election right around the corner, and that's exciting, but it can also create a lot of stress and uncertainty. So with all that said, my hope is to show you, through research and a small collection of examples, how you can navigate some of these really important yet stressful things happening in our society and lay a strong foundation upon which you can build a successful career and life. As ethical and responsible communications professionals, as future leaders in our discipline.
Okay, well, first things first. So what is advocacy? And even more specifically, you might be thinking, what is corporate social advocacy? Well, simply stated, you can think of advocacy as speaking up for something.
Maybe it's a cause, maybe it's a policy, or just something that you want to see change. And some might define it as simply making your voice heard. Right?
Corporate social advocacy is when companies do that, or more specifically, when they speak up and take a stance on a socio-political issue. And these issues are very often controversial, and speaking up about them can be a risky thing for a company to do. So let's take a look at a couple examples. All right, how many of you have seen these images before?
Okay, almost every hand went up. That's what I thought. Well, I share this example because this is one of the first examples in recent years that really got a lot of attention.
Not all positive attention, but a lot of attention. And for those who might not know, this is an image of Colin Kaepernick, who is a former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. And several years ago, as you can see in the first image on the left there, Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem to peacefully protest police brutality and social injustice. And soon after that, he became the face of Nike's ad campaign.
And you can see the tagline there that says, believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. Now, through this ad and other actions, Nike explicitly took a stance on what was deemed to be one of the most controversial issues at the time. So this is an example of corporate social advocacy. So another example is Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream company, right? The ice cream company, which is known for its unapologetic stance taking on several social and political issues.
And here are just a few screenshots. They're a little old. I took them right around the last election, the 2020 election, because that's when we really started seeing a lot of this momentum going.
But if you look on their x account, you'll still see the same types of tweets today. But these tweets, for example, show that Ben & Jerry's is making it clear that they're taking a stance on these issues and demonstrating how their stance is accompanied by action. And you can see that they're taking a stance on racial injustice, police brutality, voting in the 2020 election in general, the Black Lives Matter movement.
And just again, these are just a few of many, many examples from that company. This image, well, in response to a mass shooting and their belief of a need to address the issue of gun violence, exporting goods. made several policy changes about what type of firearms they will sell and to whom in their stores. And this is an example of a company not only taking a stance but following with actions of change. Okay, some of you might be familiar with Disney speaking up in opposition.
of Florida's Don't Say Gay bill, otherwise known as House Bill 1557 or the Parental Rights and Education Act, and signing petitions against the bill. However, Disney didn't speak up right away. Their actions were prompted by walkout protests, as you can see here, by employees who were angry that the company didn't speak out and take a stronger stand.
as the issue of LGBTQ rights was very important to a large part of the employee base. So this example really highlights the balancing act that companies face when dealing with competing stakeholder demands. And those of you who might be familiar with the example might recall that Disney did face a lot of backlash. And, you know, there were some stakeholders that really, you know, spoke out against this. And they even, you know, endured threats from the governor and other political figures.
So any sports fans out there? Okay, sports fans. So I thought I'd show a few examples related to sport. So I started noticing a few years ago, I'm a baseball fan, and I noticed, and these tweets are from when I started noticing that back in 2022, I started seeing sports teams and alliances starting to speak up about issues as well. And you can see here that the New York Yankees tweeted on, you know, X, which was formerly known as Twitter, that in lieu of game coverage, They and the Tampa Bay Rays aren't going to talk about baseball after the game.
They're going to use the platform to educate people about the issue of gun violence. And these are just two teams among many MLB teams and other sports teams that spoke up in this regard. Here's another example from the Chicago Sports Alliance discussing the same issue of gun violence and sharing how they plan to take action about that issue.
Coaches have also become vocal about issues. Here, there's a headline from when the San Francisco Giants manager said, I'm not coming out of the dugout for the National Anthem because I need to see more being done to address the issue of gun violence. And then shortly after the Uvalde tragedy, Warriors coach Steve Kerr, you can see here, called for action about gun violence at his pregame press conference.
Now, we've also seen athletes. We've also seen some athletes engage in activism. And the photo on the left is from the sitcom Ted Lasso. Has anyone seen Ted Lasso? One of my favorite shows.
Okay, great. We got some fans here. So those of you who are fans, you might remember the episode where the AFC Richmond team took a stand and boycotted a sponsor. who they found was behaving in a socially irresponsible manner and doing some unethical things. And so by covering the sponsor's name with duct tape and standing in alliance, these athletes were demonstrating that they were taking a stand.
And what I think is particularly interesting about this is this illustrates ethical dilemmas that pervade the sports industry, where the lure of sponsorship can clash with moral integrity at times. And I also think this example highlights the notion of the pursuit of greater good and reflecting on one's values and their role in society. So athletes, of course, have also protested several injustices. You can see the Bronnie James here, you know, bringing light to the tragic murder of George Floyd, supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
And here you can see a star runner, Rosalie Fish, bringing light to missing and murdered indigenous women. All right, so these examples that we just saw are a small collection of how companies have engaged in advocacy, or some might even argue activism, by speaking up about these issues, and in some cases following it with actions like policy changes, signing petitions, or using their platforms to educate about the issue. And certainly some of you might be sitting here thinking, I agree with all this. You know, I think this is a good thing. Some of you might disagree, okay?
But before we discuss the pros and cons and some other considerations, let's answer this question first. Why? So why are they doing this?
Why are companies speaking up about issues? So let's consider the role of business and society to answer that question. Well, The company Edelman, which is a global communications firm, releases an annual report called the Edelman Trust Barometer. And I've been reading this year after year, and I keep noticing the same trend, and it's a little scary.
Trust in government, way down. Trust in business, increasing every single year. And what really caught my attention a few years back was a statistic that said 80% of consumers want brands, they want companies to be the ones solving society's problems. The same expectation seems to continue.
And here I'm referencing something from their 2022 report where they're talking about the role of company CEOs. So they're saying, leaders of companies, we are expecting you to be the face of change. And as you can see here, the report found that 81% of people feel that CEOs should be personally visible when discussing public policy with external stakeholders or the work that their company has done in this space.
And we're seeing rising expectations as well about what companies and CEOs do from their very own employees. So 60% of employees surveyed indicated... We expect our leader, we expect our CEO to publicly speak about controversial issues and political issues that we care about. And we saw that with the Disney example that we just looked at. So as a testament to the notion that the public expects business to solve society's problems, the trust barometer consistently shows that people don't think business is doing enough and several societal issues.
such as climate change, economic equality, workforce risk, access to health care, trustworthy information, and systematic injustice. And I share this because there are some, or maybe I should correct myself and say there are many, who either don't think business should be involved in these conversations, and perhaps even more who are skeptical about it and the company motives for those who do engage. So this is a challenge that companies face, continue to face, but it's clear that it's becoming part of the conversation.
It's a must for them. And this list of societal issues is certainly not exhaustive. We've seen companies engaging or being pressured to engage with several issues such as gun violence that I referenced, immigration, refugee welfare, the environment, voting, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, and even COVID-19. Now the USC Global Communications Report also shows similar statistics.
So like I said, whether we agree with it or not, you know, people have spoken. They feel strongly that business has a powerful platform to speak up on these important issues and that business is responsible for supporting causes and speaking out on issues that align with their brand purpose and mission. and that they have a vested interest in maintaining a cohesive harmonious society. And finally, the Cohn Communications study also highlights not only the public's hope and expectation that companies will take a lead to address important issues, but also how customers will ultimately vote with their wallets depending on what the company does or does not do. So on the one hand, we're seeing these companies who engage in, you know, these actions for doing good and enacting change, seeing a bottom line benefit.
And we're seeing people show support for, you know, that company by purchasing from them because of what they are doing. On the other hand, we're seeing that 76% are demonstrating that they would refuse to purchase the company's product or they would boycott if they support an issue. that doesn't align with the consumer's views. So here's where, you know, here's where it really gets difficult.
And all of these sources have shown companies have to take action, but they have got to do it carefully and with thoughtful implementation. So finally, we're seeing that a lot of these expectations come from Gen Z individuals. Folks, generally within the age range of 18 to 25. And Gen Z is saying we buy, choose, and avoid brands based on politics.
Interesting. And to make it even more complicated, this data from the 2024 Trust Barometer suggests that Gen Z actually assumes the worst when a brand decides to stay silent on an issue. So I'm actually seeing some head nods in the back there.
And, you know, I think this is certainly not limited to Gen Z, but research is showing that this generation really cares a great deal about advocacy and how brands choose to use their voice. So they choose the brands they support based on their values and their actions. They care about the brand's intentions, and they want to see companies stand for something.
So it's an interesting and challenging position where brands and politics intersect. And brands need to recognize that even if they decide not to address a societal issue, Gen Z sees that as taking a stance. So silence is political. Brands ultimately need to define their values. and find meaningful, ethical, and authentic ways to execute those values through their actions.
So that brings us to the big questions that companies are trying to answer and what researchers like me are trying to help them answer. And you know it kind of starts with the basic who, what, where, when, why, and how. Who should engage? Should my company engage or his company or their company? And who within that company should specifically be the face of this?
What should we say? What should we do? And where? Where should we communicate? Should we take to our social platforms?
Should we stick to the annual reports or something else? So knowing not just who and what, but also where to communicate is something that companies are still trying to navigate. When? When? I hear, you know, CCOs saying, we ask every day, when should we go?
When should we stay silent? It's hard to know when to speak up. And when did that someone else do it first? Why?
This question gets really tricky, like I said, because they need to answer that question internally, but also they need to make sure that they communicate with stakeholders externally and that they understand why they're doing it. So if the stakeholders feel that what they're doing is insincere or driven by motives that are solely to feed the bottom line, they're likely to lose trust. And finally, how? How should companies approach this?
How much is enough? What's too much? And on a broader note, how do we integrate our actions into our company's actions, decision-making, core competencies, our daily routine? Really, how do we make purpose our DNA? So I'm sure some of you might have been thinking this all along.
At what point could this do more harm? than good. And I would say, you know, this is the million dollar question, and I don't quite think that there is a cookie cutter approach to navigating advocacy, okay?
Rightfully so, different people have different opinions on how much, if at all, companies, sports teams, entertainment industry, and individuals like you and me should engage in advocacy. Or they might support the idea of advocacy. but completely disagree with the stance that is being taken. It's another possibility. Some applaud it, some condemn it, and some, you know, really, really dismiss the notion of what they consider to be the politicization of sports or entertainment or other entities that they just don't think should mix.
And sadly, this is what leads to polarization. And so while there isn't a cookie-cutter approach, or a cookie cutter solution, perhaps, I do think that there are some best practices that can help guide us to advocate ethically and responsibly. And much of that informs the work that I do, the research I conduct, as well as the scholarship that we fund at the Page Center. So researchers are asking a lot of questions about advocacy. And this is just a snippet from one of the blog posts, you know, that I wrote about this, asking all kinds of questions.
questions about what is this? What does it mean to everything we just talked about? You know, how do we approach it? When do we stay silent?
And other researchers are continuing to wrestle with this as our leaders in the profession. They're saying, we still don't know what society's expectations are for companies. Okay. We want to make sure that we're living up to those expectations. We still are trying to navigate that.
We want to know how much people care about company motives. Does that impact, you know, whether or not you're going to support the company's advocacy? What factors are driving people's behaviors related to advocacy?
Going to the sports, you know, sector, how do fans, you know, their kind of their beliefs about this whole idea of politicizing sports impact their support for advocacy? And again, What and how should companies communicate about this? When is it just too risky to speak up? Should the issues have anything to do with our company's bottom line, our mission? Or should it be something completely separate?
How do we deal with backlash? Because not everyone's going to like the stance we take. Again, how do we meet those expectations?
And for me as a researcher, you know, one of the most important questions is how can we help to continue to inform the profession, our students and others? so that we can all contribute to societal change. Well, I mentioned the Page Center, and I'm just going to take a moment to tell you a little bit more about that.
And the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity and Public Communication, as I mentioned, is a research center housed in the Belisario College here at Penn State. So this research center, and isn't it cool, we have this right on our campus, it's dedicated to the study of ethics and responsibility. in corporate communication and other forms of public communication. And it was founded by a Penn State alumnus, Larry Falster.
And I'm very proud to say that the Center just celebrated its 20th year under the excellent leadership of Dr. Mortry here. So the Center operates on, with the guidance of the PAGE Medibles. And these principles guide the Page Center's mission and initiatives.
And I really think that page principle number two is especially applicable to our discussion today. And page principle number two says that public perception of an enterprise is determined 90% by what it does and only 10% by what it says. So we at the Page Center seek to support research from the forms of profession and contribute to this mission. Our initiatives address important topics in communication ethics through research, teaching, and other forms of engagement with the practice.
So a lot of these efforts are finding answers to current communication issues, like the one we're talking about tonight. And these initiatives fall under the umbrella of five topics. sustainability communications, stakeholder engagement, corporate social responsibility, digital and social media ethics, and advocacy communications.
And I have to mention we have ethics teaching modules, and I have a feeling that many of you in this room are going to be engaging with our ethics modules at some point in your classes here at Penn State. So now you know about the Page Center. Finally, linking it to tonight's topic, among our many research projects that we have focused on, the information topics, a lot of, you know, really hot topics lately like ethics and AI and just so much more.
We recently funded a series of projects on corporate social advocacy. We're talking here tonight. And we compiled those findings from our scholars into an insights report that is meant to. translate that work into practical information for the profession. And I just want to highlight three broad insights from this report on advocacy that I think can also apply to each of you as students and as future leaders in our profession.
So first, be authentic. Being genuine enhances trust. Walk the talk. Page principle number two, make sure your words match your actions. And number three, live your values.
Make sure your actions reflect the values that you stand for. And these are words that I live by and I encourage you to consider them as you embark on your journey as students. here in the Belisario College at Penn State.
Advocating ethically and authentically is an unbelievable opportunity but an enormous responsibility. This is a quote from Fred Cook, a colleague at USC, that has always resonated with me. And I think that whether we recognize it or not, we all have a responsibility as members of this campus community. to be responsible citizens and we need to remember what values are important to us and to live those values through responsible actions.
And so this is also true of Penn State more broadly, which values fundamentals such as free speech. Now you may have been hearing about some of this around campus and you may have seen a video that President Vendor Hootie recently sent out to the campus community about this, but if not Let's pause and just take a minute to watch it. Let me go back one and look at the floor. As we kick off this new semester, I'd like to take some time to talk about something very important, something fundamental.
to Penn State, free speech. Free speech is a cornerstone of public universities like ours. It's what allows us to explore new ideas, challenge old ideas, engage in meaningful discussions, and learn from new and different perspectives.
Some of the greatest advances in human development. have come from our ability to freely discuss and even dispute views with which we disagree. In the classroom, when diverse perspectives are shared and debated, it challenges existing knowledge. It leads to a deeper understanding of topics that impact us. This exchange of ideas is how we learn.
Public institutions like Penn State are obligated. under the first amendment of the u.s constitution to protect expressive rights and we fully support this principle even for viewpoints that defend our institutional values and personal sensibilities to do otherwise violates the law and it also evokes the basic freedom that each of us shares to think for and express ourselves as we wish during this academic year you may hear from from speakers with a wide range of opinions visiting our campus. Their presence is not an endorsement by the university, but our support of the First Amendment. By supporting free speech, Penn State can create an environment where you will encounter a broad spectrum of ideas that stimulate critical thinking and enrich your education.
Free speech empowers each of us to speak up and advocate for what we believe in while respecting others'rights to do the same. If we were to forfeit free speech, we would defeat the very purpose of higher education. With the upcoming presidential election, you will likely notice more passionate conversations and even vigorous debates all over campus. Elections present a unique opportunity. For learning and civic engagement, both vital to our democratic process.
And while the 2024 election season could bring intense discussions, ideological challenges, and possible tension, let's remember the values of respect and consideration for others, and keep our interactions productive and civil. At Penn State, we are committed to creating a safe environment. where everyone can express their views without fear or intimidation. If you feel uncomfortable or need support, please reach out.
There are available resources listed at the end of this video. So let's make this semester one of growth, respect, and open dialogue. Together, we can make Penn State a place where every voice is heard and where inclusion free speech and democratic values are truly embraced.
Thank you and have a great semester. All right. Well.
That was a great message and as Belisario College students I know that we all value the First Amendment and what it means for our workers communications professionals and as President Ben Depouti explained it's also something that we protect even when we don't necessarily agree and so you may be aware of other examples on other campuses or in general where sometimes people may have may not have advocated or responded to those advocating in an ethical or responsible manner. And we need to make sure that we're living our values every day. We need to make sure that we're making ethical and respectful decisions so that we can continue to embrace diversity, inclusivity, and the freedoms that we all deserve. Of course, though, it's not easy.
In fact, it's very, very stressful. And I was recently introduced to this term, sociopolitical stress, which is defined as intense feelings and experiences that people have that stem from awareness of, exposure to, and or involvement in political events and phenomena. And as I just mentioned, you may be aware of examples.
We may continue to see more of this as we get closer to the 2024 election. And politics truly can be a source of concern for many. And I know the COVID-19 pandemic is something that also continues to weigh heavily on the market. And there's a link between sociopolitical stress and its impact on mental health. And we all respond differently.
Some of us may take more active behaviors where we engage in political action or education or advocacy, whereas others of us may take a more passive reaction through avoidance, for example. Sometimes we might react inappropriately or ineffectively and engage in unhealthy behaviors that can really harm ourselves or others. And you might find yourself feeling stressed, and wondering, you know, should I get involved in political events or other things related to that?
And I'm certainly not here to tell you one way or another, but I do want to share some suggestions for how you might be able to engage in advocacy ethically and responsibly if you choose to do so. So first, every single one of us, we need to be responsible media consumers. We need to think critically. We need to verify facts. We need to make sure that we do not start or engage in or perpetuate misinformation or disinformation.
It's a threat to society. We need to be responsible. We really need to champion the idea of engaging in meaningful conversations. Embracing diverse perspectives, knowing that we're not always going to agree with our friends or other people. And this is inside the classroom and just in our daily lives.
We need to really be prepared to embrace that. And a way to do that is to participate in our democracy through active citizenship, but respectfully, considering the student code of conduct, considering the university policies, being informed. That's another way to approach this. And most importantly, like I've said several times, to make sure that we're living our values, to advocate ethically responsibly and with integrity. What else can we do?
We can go vote. So we need to exercise our rights. If you are eligible to register to vote, please do that.
Please participate. Make your voice heard. Do your civic duty. Go out and vote in the election this year.
and in future years. That's a great way to make your voice heard. And finally, I'm going to leave you with just a very small collection of resources that we have on campus here to support you.
You've already learned about the Page Center. You now know about our teaching modules and some of the other things that we do at the Center. Penn State also has a Center for Collegiate Mental Health and Student Affairs has the Counseling and Psychological Services as well as a Center for Social Change. And then finally, here in the Belisario College, you have a wealth of resources available to you.
You have your first-year seminar instructors. You have a wonderful advising staff who are here to support you. You have a team of faculty, a team of staff, friends and colleagues and peers, and just so many more folks in Belisario College.
We have the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and so much more and I just want to encourage you to go out, get involved, tap your resources, and know that we are here to support you and your experience throughout your time here at Penn State. So with that, I just want to say thank you so much, Bellisario students. It is such an honor to be here tonight. At this time, I'm going to switch to my other mic, and I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. So thank you very, very much.
She didn't write it. Somebody called me and said, yes, let's go to the library. I'm sure we can find a place to go in. I think we can find a place to go in. I can get low-based on bottles.
Oh my god.