Study Notes on the #AskJameis Campaign and Public Relations in Social Media

Overview of Research
- Study Title: How #AskJameis Campaign Went Wrong
- Authors: Jimmy Sanderson, Katie Barnes, Christine Williamson, Edward T. Kian
- Involves a PR campaign that was hijacked on Twitter.
- Findings suggest PR professionals must understand audience reactions before launching social media campaigns.
Article History
- Received: March 28, 2015
- Revised: August 11, 2015
- Accepted: November 7, 2015
- Available Online: November 19, 2015
Key Terms
- Social Media
- Active Audiences
- Twitter
- Jameis Winston
- Sport Public Relations

Emergence of Social Media
- Shift from traditional PR to two-way dialogue via social media.
- Social media allows organizations to engage with stakeholders and manage crises.
- Interactions can mitigate damage but reduce control over PR narratives.
Challenges for PR Professionals
- Need to account for audience reactions to avoid escalating crises.
- Importance of understanding the public climate and historical context surrounding campaigns.
Case Study Focus
- The #AskJameis campaign launched by Florida State University (FSU) July 10, 2014.
- Invitation for fans to ask questions to quarterback Jameis Winston.

Historical Context of Jameis Winston
- Winston faced various legal allegations before the campaign:
- Rape Allegation: December 2012, accused of raping an FSU student but not charged.
- Shoplifting Incident: July 2013, accused of taking soda from a restaurant without payment.
- Crab Legs Theft: August 2014, citation for stealing crab legs.
Nature of the Campaign
- FSU aimed to enhance engagement with fans through direct Twitter dialogue.
- Example Tweet from FSU: “#Noles Fans: Do you have a question for our starting QB Jameis Winston? Tweet us using #AskJameis”.
- However, controversy surrounding Winston's legal issues prompted skepticism about the campaign's success.

Adoption of Social Media in Sports
- Nearly all major sports organizations have social media accounts.
- Early adopters: athletes like Lance Armstrong and Shaquille O’Neal drove fan engagement through social media.
Risks in Social Media Use
- Incidents can arise when athletes or organizational personnel post contentious content.
- Example: Rashard Mendenhall's tweets following Osama bin Laden’s death received criticism.

Two-Way Interaction
- PR has evolved from one-way messaging to two-way audience interaction.
- Organizations must be prepared for audiences to engage in narratives that may mock or criticize.
Impact of Audience on PR Campaigns
- Failing to understand audience sentiment can lead to crises; the role of social media can be beneficial or detrimental.

Tweet Retrieval
- Utilized Radian6 software to gather tweets containing the #AskJameis hashtag on August 10, 2014.
- Noted spike in tweet volume from 422 to 4232 between 10:00 am to 11:00 am EST.
- Removed “as is” retweets, focusing on unique commentary, resulting in a sample of 1397 total tweets.

Thematic Analysis
- Thematic analysis utilized constant comparative methodology.
- Identified themes through coding by three independent researchers.
- Final sample of 1214 tweets categorized into five themes related to hijacking behaviors:
- Criticizing FSU
- Referencing Winston’s legal incidents
- General sarcasm
- Insinuating preferential treatment
- Mocking Winston’s intellect

Highest frequency criticism directed toward FSU for launching the campaign.
- Examples:
- “#AskJameis just a terrible ill conceived idea.”
- “Today provides 1 more Ex why brands need to create strategy before executing on Social.”

Many tweets used the hashtag to reference/wit about Winston's criminal behavior.
- Examples include questions regarding accusations and sarcastic comments on his past actions.

Users posed humorous and nonsensical questions reflecting sarcasm rather than serious inquiry.
- Examples:
- “Where do babies come from? #AskJameis”
- “Did you know 70% of your immune system is in your gut? #AskJameis”

Tweets drew attention to perceptions of preferential treatment from authorities due to Winston’s status.
- Critical questions regarding law enforcement and legal rights.

Users questioned Winston's education and intelligence, with sarcastic remarks.
- Examples include references to children's books and simplistic inquiries.

Nature of Social Media and PR
- Open access of social media allows unexpected voices to intervene in PR narratives.
- Genuine inquiries represented only 2.6% of total tweets; vast majority were hijacks.
PR Crisis Response
- Engaging the audience requires understanding potential backlash.
- Organizations must develop coordinated strategies and evaluate potential effectiveness before launching campaigns.

Study Limitations
- Focused on a single case of #AskJameis, lacking broader generalizability.
- Suggested examining multiple cases and media framing of similar situations.
Future Research Directions
- Investigate how PR professionals consider social media's participatory culture in strategy.
- Explore fan-enacted communications and reactions to crisis situations.

Impact of Social Media on PR
- Organizations must remain attuned to the diverse voices in social media to avoid potential crises.
- Understanding audience sentiment and historical context is crucial before engaging high-profile individuals online.

List of references provided in the original document for further reading and research.