Spokespersons The primary responsibility of a spokesperson is to manage the accuracy and consistency of the messages coming from the organization (Coombs, 2019). Carnival identifies its potential spokespersons as: Carnival Corporation & PLC ● Chairman of the Board: Micky Arison ● President & CEO: Arnold W. Donald ● COO: Josh Weinstein ● Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer: Peter C. Anderson ● CFO & CAO: David Bernstein ● Chief Maritime Officer: Vice Admiral William R. Burke (Ret.) ● CCO: Roger Frizzell ● Chief Human Resources Officer: Jerry Montgomery ● Senior Vice President and Company Secretary: Arnaldo Perez ● CIO: Gregory A. Sullivan Carnival Cruise Line ● President: Christine Duffy Recommendations As Carnival Cruise Line’s CEO, Christine Duffy is the face of the brand. She is typically the spokesperson used to communicate with the public and address any concerns that may impact the cruise line. She recently commented on Carnival’s future plans when cruise lines are able to sail again and stated that Carnival has not made a decision whether vaccines will be a requirement. She also made it clear that if given the opportunity to restart cruising, vessels will not be sailing from foreign posts and will stand by its position as being "America's Cruise Line" (Carnival YouTube, 2021). Earlier this month the CEO of Carnival Corporation, Arnold W. Donald, expressed a similar sentiment and communicated that cruise lines would “like to be treated the same as other sectors and travel and tourism and entertainment” (Tsai, 2021).
“If one can fly, stay at a hotel, or go to an amusement park, one should be able to go on a cruise.” (Christine Duffy, 2021) A message communicated on behalf of the company usually involves more than one person and it is crucial that Carnival allow Arnold W. Donald and Christine Duffy to communicate with stakeholders. Regardless of its reputation management plan, having Donald and Duffy participate in additional media training would yield consistent messaging regarding the pandemic and its preparedness, and would benefit Carnival.
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