The Crown Awards: Celebrating Excellence in a Year of Crisis Communications

Virtual Awards Program
The Crown Awards: Celebrating Excellence in a Year of Crisis Communications
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

You won’t want to miss PRSA Lookout’s final program of 2020. We’ll be (virtually) recognizing three local organizations for their crisis communications excellence during the pandemic (learn more here) and hearing a dynamic presentation on Dolly Parton (yes, Dolly!) as a crisis communicator.

Who doesn’t love Dolly? We know her as a country music superstar, actress, philanthropist and now … a skilled crisis communicator. Though most PR pros are doing a lot more than working “9 to 5,” we can look to Dolly’s high-profile response to the Gatlinburg fires as a case study for crisis response strategies.

A Tennessee native, Dolly Parton is known for giving back to our state, and the 2016 wildfires were no exception. Lance Kinney, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Alabama, will compare three crisis response strategies and illustrate Parton’s role of “regional CEO” following the fires. Lance Kinney, Ph.D., teaches, researches and consults as an Associate Professor of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Alabama.

Kinney received his doctorate in mass communication theory and research from Florida State University, and has taught for nearly 30 years. His research has appeared in the Journal of Sport Marketing, Psychology and Marketing; Journal of Promotion Management; International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship; International Journal of Integrated Marketing Communication; and a number of book chapters.

He has addressed many national and international public relations, advertising and marketing organizations, including the American Academy of Advertising, the American Marketing Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, National Communication Association, North American Society for Sports Marketing and Management, the International Country Music Conference and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.