Rebecca Swenson

Domestic Divo? Televised Treatments of Masculinity, Femininity and Food

The ‘cooking mystique’ has long regulated the presentation of masculinity and femininity within kitchen culture. However, recent sociological research reveals shifts in how household tasks are allocated within the home—especially in the kitchen. if so, are masculinities and femininities presented in popular discourse around cooking also changing? This article highlights historical transformations in how the ‘instructional’ genre presents the connection between ‘doing gender’ and ‘doing dinner.’ Analysis shows that production, social, and ideological conventions used by the popular Food Network still present cooking as gendered work. However, Food Network stars—from Bobby Flay to Rachel Ray—are shifting the cooking mystique in ways that both challenge and uphold a binary between genders. I argue that the Food Network is a strategic site to examine how gender is used to bridge tension between the ‘high’ and ‘low’ cultures of culinary arts, domestic labor, television, and consumption.

Responding in Real Time: Creating a Social Media Crisis Simulator for the Classroom

Courses Social Media, Crisis Communication, PR Writing, Strategic Communication Cases, PR Principles, Organizational Communication Objectives In this realistic online crisis unit, students practice: responding to fast-paced information on multiple social media channels; coordinating and making team decisions; and creating effective responses. These skills are required for entry-level positions such as digital specialists and community managers, which include a high degree of public visibility and responsibility.

Building Betty Crocker’s brand community: conversations with consumers, 1940-1950

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine an iconic relationship between the Betty Crocker brand figure and a set of consumers to build the understanding of how corporate personas contribute to community, engagement, and dialogue. Design/methodology/approach – Using a historical approach to analyze radio scripts featuring Betty Crocker and “Dear Betty Crocker” letters women wrote to the fictional brand icon from 1940 to 1950, at the height of Betty’s popularity, this study identifies themes and rhetorical strategies that explain how General Mills used Betty Crocker to make the institution relatable and products relevant during a period of cultural and social change. Findings – General Mills built a strong brand community by using Betty Crocker to facilitate dialogue among consumers and slightly re-frame the group’s shared mission as the decade progressed. The analysis of letters reveals women engaged in dialogue with the company to reify brand values, express gratitude and loyalty, and seek more s...

Food for Thought: Audience Engagement with Sustainability Messages in Branded Content

ABSTRACT Branded platforms are a growing “gray-zone” of marketing and media messages, in which corporations and news journalists partner to create content that supports strategic corporate goals while aligning with a publication’s scope of editorial coverage. As corporations are key influencers of and contributors to environmental communication, this trend has the potential to change environmental dialogue. In this article, we closely examine messages about food and sustainability, created in partnership by Chipotle Mexican Grill and the Huffington Post news site. We illustrate how use of a branded platform expanded the scope of environmental topics, issues, and frames that Chipotle addresses, how frames identified here connect to frames in coverage of science-related issues, as identified by other scholars, and discuss how branded platforms allow corporations to draw attention to polarizing environmental issues while protecting stakeholder relationships and brand reputation.

Farmed and Dangerous? A Case Study of Chipotle’s Branded Entertainment Series and Polarized Reactions to its Satirical Depiction of Farming and Agribusiness

This study follows Chipotle’s innovative strategy of using branded entertainment and satire to enhance its brand image and positive consumer perceptions, while negatively portraying an entire industry. The study explores audience reactions to Chipotle’s satirical Farmed and Dangerous program, part of the company’s broader “Food with Integrity” campaign. Increasing agricultural literacy and understanding among the general public is a priority (Doerfert, 2011). Yet marketing communication campaigns—and responses or reactions to those campaigns—that simplify issues into distinct “sides,” or focus on attacks, prevent deep discussion of the complexity of our food system and efforts to collaborate on solutions. Research presented uses a case study, supported by focus group methodology and in-depth survey responses of YouTube commenters, to examine consumer and stakeholder reactions to Chipotle’s content. Findings reveal sharply divided reactions and significant anger and frustration within the agricultural community toward Chipotle for its satirical portrayal of the food production industry. Findings also reveal generally positive attitudes toward Chipotle from those without agricultural experience, and clear perceptions of “sides” in the food debate. Discussion of Chipotle’s marketing strategy explores whether the negative sentiment the company has generated among agricultural stakeholders through efforts like its Farmed and Dangerous webisode series is worth it for the brand, considering the broader positive image the company has gained among much of the general public, as well as related implications for the company linked to more recent struggles with food safety issues and attacks from political groups.

Safely through the Gate: Exploring Media Coverage and Journalists Decisions on the Flow of Farm Safety Stories

Agriculture continues to rank as one of the most dangerous industries in the nation. Media coverage is an important tool for sharing farm safety information, improving knowledge and changing behaviors. Despite this importance, surprisingly little research has focused on agricultural media coverage and the forces that influence journalists’ decisions about when and how to cover safety stories. This study uses content analysis methods to examine the nature of farm safety issues, accidents, and topics that appear in mainstream news, agricultural media, and blogs. Researchers also interviewed journalists and bloggers to better understand their motivations, barriers, and information needs when covering safety topics. Findings indicate there is a need to expand safety reporting beyond accident coverage and to better engage bloggers in farm safety topics. Journalists emphasized their strong moral obligation to cover farm safety and desire to include more preventative information and actionable advice in stories. They also described their struggle to find local angles other than accident reports and to find timely hooks for farm safety features outside of harvest and planting seasons. Journalists wanted more research-based studies, stories, and relationships with organizational experts connected to safety and health issues. Few bloggers were engaged with farm safety topics, as some preferred to focus on more consumer-oriented information or felt they did not know enough about farm safety to write about it. Recommendations are included for journalists and organizations working on farm safety related topics and campaigns.