{"id":29658,"date":"2018-12-13T07:13:50","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T11:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&p=29658"},"modified":"2021-05-03T02:39:24","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T06:39:24","slug":"the-face-of-facebook","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/the-face-of-facebook\/","title":{"rendered":"The Face of Facebook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Anthony Harrison has a big challenge. As director of corporate media relations for social media giant Facebook, he\u2019s part of a global communications team that represents the company through good times and bad. That means taking questions about fake news<\/a>, handling user data<\/a> and, most recently, the company\u2019s diversity and inclusivity efforts<\/a>, while embracing and celebrating the global community the company has built. All with an audience of more than two billion watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to Facebook, Harrison (\u201981) led PR efforts for brands such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Disney and Verizon. One year after joining Facebook\u2014and just months before the company celebrates its 15th anniversary\u2014COMtalk<\/em> sat down with Harrison to discuss the challenges that lie ahead and what he loves about the social media platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q&<\/span>A<\/h2>

With Anthony Harrison<\/h4><\/div>\n

Test:<\/span> COMtalk: It might be an understatement to say Facebook has had some negative press lately. How do you answer difficult questions while still upholding a positive reputation?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Anthony Harrison<\/strong>: Number one is engaging directly, not hiding behind canned statements, not hiding behind agencies to speak for us. And engaging with the media when things aren\u2019t going bad. We\u2019re helping them understand our business because our business is evolving. If they understand how complex our business is, how it continues to evolve and change, they can understand how sometimes things can go wrong. We have tried to be accountable in terms of admitting where we\u2019ve made mistakes, admitting what we\u2019re trying to do to fix those mistakes, being transparent about what went wrong, and what we\u2019re doing to make sure that it doesn\u2019t go wrong again. But it\u2019s important to remember that this is all uncharted territory. Mark [Zuckerberg, Facebook\u2019s founder and CEO] often says he never imagined that this company that he created in his dorm room would be accused of undermining democracy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> How does Facebook balance the goal of providing users with meaningful interactions while also driving ad revenue?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If people feel positive about the platform, then they\u2019re spending more time, they\u2019re more engaged and they\u2019re a more prime audience for advertisers. We\u2019ve seen tremendous success with small and medium businesses<\/a> that are able to cost-effectively reach audiences that they would not be able to target through traditional advertising methods. The positive economic impact for those businesses is really powerful. Those are the kinds of stories that sort of get lost in the bigger media landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> Facebook began as a tech company, but lately it\u2019s also been recognized as a media company. What\u2019s your opinion, and how do you communicate Facebook\u2019s true identity?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We are a platform where people gather and share information\u2014a modern version of the town square where you go to hear what other people think, know, understand. We are really defined by our users and how they gather information, how they share information, so it\u2019s really more about how our users see us than how we see ourselves. We see ourselves as a social network, and our purpose is to connect people and organizations with other people and organizations because, for the most part, we believe that good things come from that.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> We know that changes in social media and the tech industry are inevitable, and fast-approaching. How do you see Facebook fitting into that future?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We will continue to be a place where people virtually or literally come together to share information, to share the ups and downs of life, to exchange a variety of things whether it\u2019s actual goods through Marketplace, whether it\u2019s memories through stories, whether it\u2019s help through donations. But it\u2019ll be that network where people come to feel connected in a world where it can be easy to feel disconnected sometimes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> What\u2019s it like being a spokesperson for a product that serves two billion people?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It scares me sometimes. I\u2019ve certainly represented some major companies and brands but nothing on this sort of global scale. But I think there is a consistency in terms of how all the communications teams globally face problems, address problems and speak on behalf of the company. There\u2019s a certain amount of humbleness that you have to have, and to not think about those two billion people but just think about what\u2019s the right thing to do as a communications professional.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> How did your education prepare you for all of the changes in communications?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What has served me well is a natural curiosity to learn new things and try new things. I think if you talk to anyone who\u2019s been in communications as long as I have, it really is about adapting, because the field is so dramatically different today than what it was when I graduated. This is so sad to say, but laptops weren\u2019t even around. For me, it\u2019s been being curious, trying to stay fresh, looking for opportunities to push myself\u2014and being paranoid about becoming a dinosaur.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> What fundamentals haven\u2019t changed?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Storytelling. Being able to tell a compelling story, being able to identify who your target audience is, because whether you\u2019re using social media, traditional media or whatever the next thing is, it\u2019s ultimately about a story that connects people with your clients, your product, your cause.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> Given the uncertainty of what lies ahead, what should students and young professionals be doing to stay relevant and up to speed in the industry?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They should be accessing information in a variety of ways. They should access points of view that are different from theirs. Don\u2019t just stay in your bubble or your cocoon. Hear what other people are saying or talking about because that gives you a more rounded view of the world. Be an information junkie.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> Has there been a media relations campaign that\u2019s been the most memorable for you?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m most proud to have worked on the\u00a0annual diversity report<\/a>. We were able to look at trends over five years and to really tell a story beyond just the numbers. That effort was super-exciting and satisfying, particularly\u00a0as a gay man of color to be working for a company where diversity and inclusion are so important<\/a>. To start to change that narrative from a focus on the numbers to a focus on programs and activities\u2014to positively change the number feels like a baby step toward changing that bigger narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test:<\/span> Is the world a better place because of Facebook?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I think the world is a better place because things like Facebook allow people to connect or reconnect with people in their lives who may not live around the corner or down the street. I\u2019m part of a Facebook group of kids that I went to grammar school with. We haven\u2019t been together as a group in many years, but we\u2019re able to keep up with each other\u2019s lives, and share in each other\u2019s joys and sorrows together because of Facebook. People are able to connect with people in other parts of the world for help, for services, for advice, for any number of things, that they wouldn\u2019t be able to do otherwise. People have raised millions of dollars for nonprofits with birthday fundraisers. We\u2019ve been able to help people gather and help people in disaster relief.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/i>
Anthony Harrison (’81) speaks to the Proud to BU podcast about his career path from COM to Facebook.<\/div>
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Audio \u2014 25 minutes 38 seconds<\/div>