1.

Evaluate Arla's statement in terms of whether the company

did a good job in overcoming potential barriers in this
one-way communication.
Arla's statement is such a great strategy for them to
overcome the potential barriers such that their aim which
focuses on regaining the confidence of their consumers in
the Middle East. It altered its marketing communication
strategies to let the consumers understand and appreciate to
avoid any further conflict.
Arla Foods tried to analyze the values and culture of the
Muslim to deal with the crisis. The company tried to
incorporate the context of the Muslim's culture and
considered each difference in order to understand and
sympathize with the Middle East consumers.
Intercultural communication in crisis management is very
important where culture is a great influence to public
relations.
Arla Foods started to show its concern to express its
sympathy by creating a distance from the cartoons due to the
fact that the published cartoon was a disrespect for the
Muslims. Arla Foods understood an respected why the Muslims
were angry.
Arla Foods informed the Muslim Community that the company is
a Danish-Swedish with numerous Muslim employees in the
Middle East such that in their statement they intend to show
that their long-lasting relationship with the Muslim
community has been formed for Forty (40) years such that the
unfortunate incident was not due to their actions but an
action which resulted from others.
As they end the statement with a plead to stop the boycott,
Arla Foods still managed to respect and leave it up to the
victims of the crisis to whatever decision they would come
up to.
Overall, the content of the statement did a very good job to
overcome
the
potential
barriers
in
this
one-way
communication since Arla Foods took the initiative to

understand culture and religion, corporate reputation,

international public relations as well as management since
they were able to establish a solution to a boycott
situation.
2. What in your opinion is the most impressive statement in the
above communication? Why?
"Esteemed citizens, the years that we have spent in your
world have taught us that justice and tolerance are
fundamental values in Islam."
In this statement, it showed the way Arla Foods treat the
Muslim population with much respect and how they sincerely
apologize to them. They emphasized the long lasting
relationship they had with the Muslim Community through its
1,000 Muslim employees in the Arab world and about 250
employees in the Europe and especially its consumers in the
Middle East.
It also showed interest on the culture of the Muslims such
that they tend to appeal to the values of the Islam such as
tolerance, justice, and forgiveness. Wherein through the
years in the market, their culture and their religion as
well were very much understood by Arla Foods such that the
expression of the Muslims anger was truly respected and
valued.
The respect and the willingness to cooperate with the
Islamic Organization in gathering solution to put the
boycott to an end is very much evident in the statement.
That is why, in my own opinion, the above-mentioned
statement is the most impressive statement in the above
communication.

3. Do
you
believe
the
boycott
ended
because
of
the
communicative power of the above advertisement or was it due
to other reasons?

Yes, I do believe that the communicative power of the

advertisement played a big role in ending the boycott. It is
because Arla Foods tried to reintroduce their company to the
market such that they tend to cut off from an image of a
Danish Company by stating that they are "Danish-Swedish"
cooperative. Also, Arla Foods declared its rejection of the
pictures such that they do not agree to the reasons of the
published pictures as they have stated in their message that
their business in the Middle East knocked down not by their
actions but due to the actions of others.
Although, the communicative power of the advertisement
played a big role in bringing the boycott to a halt, I also
believe that the marketing communication strategy of the
Arla Foods was the instrument to stop it. It is because in
their strategy, they deeply appreciated the culture and
religion of the Muslim community regardless of whatever
reactions it may bring to their country itself.

Reference/s:
http://predoc.org/docs/index-188488.html?
Lars Erlev Andersen, Freedom of speech, battle over values
and political symbolism of the Muhammad drawing, DIIS report
2008
Guilty By Association: The Boycotting of Danish Products In
the Middle East (PDF Article)