Burkenroad Symposium to explore ethics and social media

Now that it’s easier than ever for companies to engage their customers via social media, it’s also easier than ever to get burned in 140 characters or less.

Just ask Bank of America, Netflix, Kenneth Cole or any other famous brands who’ve gotten a very public earful online after a marketing misstep or tone-deaf tweet. The Freeman School’s Burkenroad Institute will host a free symposium this month featuring advice and insights from national social media experts on the new ethical issues companies face in authentically engaging customers via social networking.

The 19th Annual Burkenroad Institute Symposium on Business and Society, titled “Taming the Dragon: The Ethics of Doing Business in the World of Social Media,” is scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 10, in Dixon Hall on Tulane University’s uptown campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The symposium will feature three speakers and an interactive panel discussion. Speakers include: Chris Weil, global chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide, a New York-based international marketing agency; Michelle Sherman, a Los Angeles-based attorney at Sheppard Mullin who leads the firm’s Social Media Industry Team; and David Vinjamuri, founder of ThirdWay Brand Trainers and “Brand Truth” columnist for Forbes magazine. Laila Morcos, senior account public relations executive at Peter A Mayer Advertising in New Orleans, will moderate the event.

The Burkenroad Institute was established in 1990 to research and promote ethics in business and corporate responsibility. The annual Symposium on Business and Society aims to engage the public and business community about leading ethical issues facing today’s executives. For more information, visit the Burkenroad Symposium website or contact Christian Galvin at 504-862-8481 or cgalvin@tulane.edu.