External perceptions of the Oklahoma Youth Expo’s March 2020 COVID-19 response

Abstract

This study evaluates the perceptions of Oklahoma agricultural education instructors, Extension agents, and parents of youth exhibiting at the 2020 Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE). The COVID pandemic caused the 2020 OYE to cancel early as the pandemic posed many challenges for ongoing events across the nation. The study evaluates perceptions of the event through the lens of crisis communication as it relates to brand reputation and crisis management. The study is guided by situational crisis communication theory and organizational crisis management theory. From this research, OYE’s brand reputation appears to have stayed intact throughout the 2020 crisis, and based on some responses, the OYE brand reputation may have gained more respect or value among agricultural education instructors, Extension agents, and parents of youth exhibiting at the 2020 OYE, strengthening their relationship with OYE’s brand reputation and brand loyalty.