Issues advertising, or advertising which explicitly informs stakeholders regarding the position of a corporation on an issue of social responsibility, can contribute to the positive reputation of an organization (Heath, 1997). Following a crisis, issues advertising usually focuses on defending the organization’s reputation (Cowden & Sellnow, 2002). In the absence of an explicit crisis, many organizations pursue a hybrid approach associating an issue with a product or brand (Schumann, Hathcote, & West, 1991). This explanatory case study asks how issues advertising in the absence of a crisis interacts with environmental factors to produce the success or failure of an advertising campaign. Is there a right or wrong time and place to use issues advertising? Analysis of this case study will address questions related to Heineken’s issues advertising as part of their “Give yourself a good name” campaign, the role of social media in reputation management for Heineken, and the challenges of strategically implementing issues into a campaign with a high profile brand. Methods Conclusions Is there a time and a place for issues advertising? A case study analyzing Heineken’s “Give yourself a good name” campaign Karen Freberg, M.A. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA Logo References Exploratory & Explanatory Case Study Traditional and application-oriented disciplines such as public relations have used case studies to analyze specific issues that influence the operations and practices of a corporation (Yin, 1994). Case studies are structured so the researcher focuses on specific details that involve the corporation and the issue being examined. Case study in question will be the Heineken Super Bowl advertisement featuring John Turturro. Coombs, W. T. (1995). Choosing the right words: The development of guidelines for the selection of the "appropriate" crisis-response strategies. Management Communication Quarterly, 8(4), Fombrun, C.J. (1996). Reputation: Realizing value from the corporate image. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Sethi, S. P. (1979). Institutional / image advertising and idea / issue advertising as marketing tools: Some public policy issues. Journal of Marketing, 43, A strong reputation means strong leadership: One of the key messages in Heineken’s campaign advertisement focuses on issues relating to the individual consumer. Agency – Client Interactions There seems to be an overlap between the Heineken brand and its association with Wieden+Kennedy. The client (Heinken) and the agency (Wieden+Kennedy) both share the same values and goals for the campaign. Both organizations believe in the brand and reputation of the Heineken, and have both been successful in their respective industries. Responses to Heineken’s ‘Good Name’ Campaign Overall, the responses to the “Give yourself a good name” campaign ad shown during the Super Bowl were not positive. According to Fanhouse.com (“2009 Super Bowl Commercials,” 2009), Heineken’s ad was ranked as one of the least popular. Many bloggers commented about how the ad was not reflective of the Heineken brand and reputation. Research about the impact of issues advertising on corporate reputation is scarce. Reputation management encompasses all aspects of corporate business practices – from marketing to public relations and to adverting – and all disciplines have a contributing factor in creating the corporate reputation. Corporations need to be aware of the consequences and benefits of aligning their reputation with a particular issue. In the case of Heineken and the “Give yourself a good name” campaign, the message of taking ownership and taking a leadership role in managing your “good name” was a strong proactive measure, but not at the right time. Introduction Results Logo Research Question Is there a right and wrong time and place for issues advertising? Figure 1: Model on Heineken and “Give yourself a good name” Case study Literature Review Definition of Issues Advertising Issues advertising in reputation and crisis management Gaps in the literature