COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR Issue 2/2017 ASI A-PAC I F I C EDI TI O N
www.co mmunicatio n-d ir e cto r.co m
THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Communication and collaboration Looking at the future of teamwork
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41
PR ESSENTIALS
Everything will flow
SUSTAINABILITY
Helping people to help themselves
From Google Docs to Slack, our favourite must-have collaborative tools
Credit Suisse‘s pioneering microfinance programmes spreads financial sources
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44
REVIEW
CONTENT
Digital Communications Conference 2017
29 DIGITAL
14 AGENDA SETTER
Content that counts A look at recent highlights in the world of content marketing
18
Fishing for funds Even with a limited budget, a carefully-thought out digital campaign can hit all the right marks
32 ENGAGEMENT
CAMPAIGN
Nurturing communities
The Rail Transformation Journey
The communications function is best positioned to engage with communities in action
An award-winning case study on how to effectively harmonise the traditional and the new
22
35 FINANCIAL
CRISIS
What drives value?
A make or break opportunity
Numbers alone aren’t enough: professional communications can help tell the full story
Stakeholder mapping is critical to successful crisis management
38 CREATIVITY
26 NGO
A refugee’s tale
The three-minute rule Times of change call for professionals with agile mindsets, able to turn problems into opportunities
A three-tiered campaign used celebrity voices to call on Thai generosity
4
The foundations to efficiently build content that keeps the story straight and authentic
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
47 REPUTATION
Knocking down imaginary walls Brand and reputation in the new communication environment
50 NON-PROFIT
The changing face of non-profit communications The transformations of communications in the not-for-profit sector
54 INTERVIEW
Hugh Pope From war correspondent to director of communications at the International Crisis Group
Photos: Laurin Schmid; Gage Skidmore; Bernal Revert
Presentations and awards in Hong Kong
How to be a good Summerian
ISSUE FOCUS
CONTENTS
2/17
Communication and collaboration 60 The future of collaboration is here A new generation of social tools is transforming the way we work with each other.
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The business case for collaboration
The art and science of mixology
Smart collaboration generates profits, loyalty, talent and innovation. So what are you waiting for?
Collaborating on brand strategy across communications and marketing departments
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72
80
The communication choice
The pyramid of collaborative language
Better living through personal chemistry
By keeping a few basics principles in mind, virtual communications can be a positive force
Businesses partnerships face several challenges when working together
Communications teams come in many different shapes and sizes – and many different personality types
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COMMUNICATION READER
ASSOCIATION
5 TIPS ON
Books
APACD
New and upcoming titles for the communicator’s bookshelf
The latest developments in the Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors
Creating compelling content
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
Most companies have great stories to tell, but finding and packaging them continues to be a struggle
5
PR ESSENTIALS
EVERYTHING WILL FLOW Missed deadlines, unclear objectives, miscommunications and misunderstandings – these familiar blights of team work usually result in poor quality work, delivered late. But a new generation of collaborative software promises to improve team work and increase productivity – and employee happiness. Here are 10 of the best.
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GOOG L E D R I V E An established favourite of communications teams is the cloud-based storage system Google Drive, where individual team members can work together, live, on the same documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Launched 2012 Owner Google
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COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
PR ESSENTIALS
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IG LO O A ready-made company intranet that is relatively simple to set up, Igloo is a quick and easy solution for companies needing a central online community to communicate and to manage work. Launched 2004 Developer IGLOO Software
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LEANKIT LeanKit is a visual project delivery tool that supports teams of all shapes and sizes to apply Lean management principles to their work. Enables a quick overview of tasks and the easy recognition of priorities. Launched 2012 Developer LeanKit
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PO D I O Podio is a flexible and highly adaptable online hub for work and communication. We think it’s very user friendly and, given how easily it scales, an ideal choice for growing businesses with a virtual-based workforce. Launched 2011 Developer Citrix
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
REVIEW
RECAP: DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE 2017 AND ASIA-PACIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD Hosted by Communication Director and Quadriga, the Digital Communications Conference 2017 was full of insights, best practices and interactive sessions – and culminated with the 2017 Asia-Pacific Excellence Awards.
O
n April 19 speakers from The Nature Conservancy, Hong Kong Airlines, Infiniti Motors, WWF, Evonik and others came together at Hong Kong’s Baptist University to share their experience on planning digital cam-
paigns, content strategies and winning back credibility to an audience of communicators drawn from across Asia Pacific. Kicking off at 9am sharp, moderator Mark Laudi – who made such a strong impression by hosting last year’s Asia-Pacific Communications Summit in Singapore - energised the audience in anticipation of day full of outstanding content infused with a truly social experience.
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COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
REVIEW
A series of panels consisting of two best cases
nication experts from across the region was
and one interactive session which addressed
enjoyed by all. Indeed, the representation of
challenges currently facing communicators
the Asia Pacific region was remarked on by
in their job helped to ensure that a topic (for
several attendees, including Siti Rasiqah, head
instance, “Planning Digtial Campaigns”) was
of communications at Singapore-based EFA
approached from different perspectives re-
Group: “I was pleasantly surprised by the di-
presenting different industries and organisa-
versity. I was expecting mostly attendees from
tions. The multifaceted approach was praised
HK and China but there were peers from Sri
by attendees, including Henry Rosas, marke-
Lanka and New Zealand too.”
ting director for Mundipharma Middle East,
Although the conference ended shar-
who said “ It’s not a surprise people and com-
ply at 6pm, the networking didn’t end the-
panies facing similar communicational chal-
re: a gala dinner held at the Harbour grand
lenges but it was very impactful to see diffe-
Kowloon celebrated the Asia Pacific Excellen-
rent ways to use and measure social media
ce Awards and put a sparkling cap to the day’s
effectiveness.”
events. Turn the page for the full winners list.
Best cases, tested strategies and new friends
(Both pages) Impressions from the 2017 Digital Communications Conference and Asia Pacific Excellence Awards
Woven throughout the day’s best cases and communications strategies were links to the outside world: no surprises that United Airlines was mentioned by more than one speaker as a “what-not-to-do” crisis best (worst?) case. Only 27 per cent of brands have a crisis plan, reminded speaker Ali Bullock of Infiniti Motor: thanks to breaking news about the troubled airline, the relevance of Ali’s argument could not have been plainer. The other speakers were Grace Li, director of communications at Evonik, on her experiences creating content for a B2B company, paired with Eric Leong, vice president of brand marketing and communications at Dream Cruises, on content with purpose; The Nature Conservancy’s director of communications for Asia Pacific, Azmar Sukandar and Yufei Wang, corporate communications manager at Hong Kong Airlines, on developing successful digital campaigns; Kim Stengert, director of communications at WWF with Ali Bullock on trust and credibility; and Ali again with Os Ishmael, head of digital at the British Council East Asia on social listening. Our thanks to them all. Who was it that said the coffee band lunch breaks in a conference are just as important as the keynotes and presentations? In any case, we’re sure many attendees at #DCCAsia would agree; the opportunity to sit down and network with leading commu-
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AGENDA SETTER
Content that counts Last year, 40 WordPress blogs were published, 500 hours of c ontent were uploaded to YouTube and 38 million searches were made on Google every minute*. Faced with numbers like these, brands face a serious challenge to make their content stick out in 2017. For inspiration, we look at some outstanding examples of content marketing. BY JAN W I S N I EW S K I
I
n 2017, content marketing has well and truly established itself as more than just a buzz word: according to a report from the Content Marketing Institute, almost
90 per cent of brands are using the technique. Furthermore, research from Curata shows that 75 per cent of organisations increased their content marketing spend in 2016. With more than 200 million people using ad blockers according to PageFair research, communicators and marketers are aiming to attract consumer attention by spreading content that aligns with the buyer’s journey, with information designed to be valuable and relevant to consumer interests. But with NewsCred data suggesting the average reader spends just 37 seconds with an article or blog post, it’s essential that communicators get creative when planning and executing content marketing campaigns. This is evident in the following standout campaigns, recent examples of content marketing that have received widespread cover-
*Source: smartinsights.com
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age and dramatically boosted brand engagement and recognition.
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
AGENDA SETTER
SONOS: Music Makes It Home In conjunction with their new partnership with Apple Music, Sonos saw an opportunity to promote their smart speakers. Their aim: to display the benefits of listening to music out loud, unconstrained by headphones. Their content: the Music Makes It Home study, which used a live beta test to measure people’s physical and social well-being for a week without music versus a week with music, culminating in a comprehensive study of 30,000 people’s music and relationship habits worldwide. During the test Sonos and three journalists went to 30 homes across eight countries and tracked biometrics though Apple Watches, measured proximity with iBeacons, witnessed interactions through in-
↑ A section of the ‘Music Makes It Home’ study.
stalled motion sensing cameras and built a custom application to collect and transmit all the data in real time. This led to 515 global media placements. Registrations of Apple Music on Sonos were 18 times higher than any other service launch by the end of the full campaign.
adidas Group: GamePlan A adidas Group took the decision to replace their blog and the‘Feature Stor’ section of the Group’s corporate website with a band new content platform. Adidas reduced target group complexity and focused on the overlap between employees, candidates and corporate brand advocates. As the first sports-inspired digital business-lifestyle magazine, GamePlan A aims to provide a hard-line focus on value-adding content and emphasis on community-building ideas. Adidas staff, partners, athletes and role models use the platform to share their experiences of a sport-infused work life, while curated third-party content, which might not be directly related to adidas but supports the sport-life balance it advocates, is also featured. According to adidias, the platform now attracts on average 21,500 sessions per week. Just three months after being launched GamePlan A exceeded the former
Photo: Xxxxxx
platforms’ number of subscribers.
← GamePlan A is the first sports-inspired digital business-lifestyle magazine.
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
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CAMPAIGN
THE RAIL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY An award-winning case study on how to effectively harmonise traditional and new media strategies.
Photo: SMRT
BY PATR I C K N AT HA N A N D P E H YA N T I N G
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COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
CAMPAIGN
S
MRT moves millions of people on a daily
Firstly, raise public awareness of the comple-
basis through its trains, buses and taxis.
xity and the scale of the track renewal works.
The North-South East-West Lines (NSEWL),
Secondly, to foster understanding across
Singapore’s oldest and longest MRT lines, are
a wide cross-section of commuters, young
heavily used as they provide the fastest travel-
and old, to some of the inconveniences that
ling connections across Singapore. In Decem-
would be necessary in order to carry out the-
ber 2011, two major disruptions, a day apart,
se works. Thirdly, to generate content across
rattled the confidence of commuters. To re-
all media platforms in the four official langu-
gain confidence, and to reassure commuters
ages and to use a range of techniques to ma-
that SMRT rail services are safe, reliable, com-
ximise the outreach so that people could un-
fortable and commuter-centric, SMRT made a
derstand the benefits that would come with
concerted effort to regularly inform and update
the upgrade and renewal project. Fourthly,
commuters on its multi-year, multi-program-
to sustain the campaign over the entire pe-
me track renewal project. This rail transforma-
riod of the multi-year project while, as work
tion journey began on the North-South Line
progressed, trying to target specific stretches
in 2013, and on the East-West Line in 2014, and
and specific communities along the network,
has intensified as SMRT works hard to com-
and while working within the constraints of
pleting these track renewal works.
a very tight public relations budget.
“SMRT adopted a two-pronged approach, running two complementary projects concurrently.”
There were several challenges to the public relations effort: • As the rail system was never shut down, engineering staff had only 3.5
Strategy
hours to perform maintenance and
SMRT adopted a two-pronged approach, run-
carry out upgrade and renewal works
ning two complementary projects concur-
every night before service resumed the
rently. This approach was tailored to first-
next morning.
ly educate the public about what was being
• Residents living near the tracks had
done and the benefits that it would bring
to bear with noise (there are some
them, and secondly to restore their confi-
400,000 households living near the
dence in SMRT.
NSEWL tracks).
•
The Rail Transformation Journey
would enjoy once the work was done,
campaign brought to commuters the
and help commuters see beyond the cur-
red commuters to adapt travel pat-
reality that the network was very
rent inconveniences to the future state
terns.
complex and that many repairs nee-
• Changes to train service hours requi-
• Speed restrictions made their journey slower.
ded to be done at the same time. •
• The complexity of the 200km long,
of safe, reliable and comfortable rides. •
Defend the staff who were working hard
The We’re Working on It campaign
to make sure the multi-year, multi-pro-
was an honest, heartfelt campaign
gramme track renewal project would be
54-station rail network meant that
that sought to humanise SMRT and
only certain stretches of the system
to show that behind all the heavy ma-
could be worked on at any point in
chinery were people, working hard to
best-in-class public transport operator
time. Disruptions would continue to
make the MRT system better.
with a commuter-centric focus in all of
completed on time. •
Restore the public’s trust in SMRT as a
strain the patience of commuters.
There were four messaging strategies – Per-
SMRT needed to reach out to commuters to
suade, Amplify, Defend and Restore - that
SMRT ran two projects concurrently, one in-
explain why the old system needed renewal,
we used across all our communications plat-
formative and one emotive, but understood
why the various programmes had to be un-
forms. These were created specifically to ad-
that the We’re Working on It campaign would
dertaken simultaneously, and why it would
dress perception gaps and to reinforce the
need to evolve beyond the track renewal and
take a few years to complete this massive
key message that SMRT was on track and
upgrade project to demonstrate that SMRT
project. It was critical to keep commuters up-
making steady progress to improve service
was committed to continuously improving
dated on when and where works were being
and reliability.
public transportation service and reliabili-
carried out so that interruptions to their tra-
•
Persuade commuters that SMRT was
ty in Singapore, and that, more importantly,
optimising every single resource to renew
it would need to evolve beyond the original
the aging network as quickly as possible.
tagline. It has since adopted the tagline Your
Amplify the benefits that everyone
Journey Matters.
vel patterns could be minimised. The public outreach campaign sought to achieve the following:
•
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
its programmes and activities.
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CRISIS
A MAKE OR BREAK OPPORTUNITY From United Airlines to BP, misunderstanding your stakeholder’s perceptions and sensitivities can add oil to the flames: which is why, far from being just a tool to understanding your key audiences, stakeholder mapping is proving critical to successful crisis management. BY CAROL I N E SA P R I E L
E
very period of turmoil is frightening. It challenges the status quo and threatens our comfort zone. Turbulent times,
uncertain times and crises all call for focus and steadiness. Perhaps the clichéd navigation metaphor can never be too relevant: to ride out the storm, one must hold the course. Statistics from the Institute of Crisis Management’s 2017 annual report show that 68 per cent of business crises worldwide are nonevent-related, or smouldering, crises, with the main crisis category being mismanagement. Often the problem or issue exists long before it goes public, yet little is done to address and resolve it or, worse, it is covered up, before it escalates. A single trigger - a rumour, a
TH
E
I CR
SI
S
M
AN
E AG
M
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NT
C
R TU L U
leak, a stakeholder action - can catapult an
E
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D AD
ER
IN
C
A RE
SI
N
T
Calculative We have systems in place to manage crises
Crisis management is important. We do a lot every time we have a problem
with devastating effects. Therefore, with the majority of crises today being slow-burn, much can be done in advance to anticipate, prevent and mitigate issues before they spin out of control. Proactivity in crisis management is the name
Pathological
of the game and being prepared to respond
Who cares as long as we’re not caught?
Crisis management is a strategic discipline that is embedded in the organisation’s corporate culture, driven from and by the top echelon, and implemented across all levels and across all functions in the organisation. Communications teams’ traditional focus on media relations during a crisis is no longer enough. They are now taking on a wider strategic role in the organisation including stakeholder mapping and engagement and scenario planning to help management teams anticipate crises and alleviate their impact.
22
VI
AN
Reactive
organisation into crisis in a very short time,
effectively is no longer sufficient.
Y GL
L GI
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
IN
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S EA
IN
Y GL
RE
S
I IL
EN
T
CRISIS
situations. Social networks, blogs and online news sites can play a big role in the unfolding of crises and scandals in the public and Copyright CS&A
private sectors; the popularity of Twitter and Facebook, for example, has led to the light-speed dissemination of information and misinformation alike. There is no clearer sign that stakeholder mapping must be high on the priority list of any well-trained crisis manager today. To anticipate, prevent and mitigate crises, busi-
Generative
ness leaders and communicators must have
Crisis anticipation and prevention is how we do business around here
a solid grasp of the climate in which they are working as well as the stakeholder scene surrounding any emerging issue. Yet stakeholder mapping is not an improvised task. It requires skills and a process.
Proactive
Stakeholder mapping consists of
We continuously work on problems that we still find
identifying all audience groups with a stake in the crisis and categorising them in at least three groups: allies, neutral and opposition. “Stakeholder mapping identifies stakeholder expectations and power and helps in understanding political priorities,” write
STA K E H O L D E R M A PPI NG ST E PS 1.
Identify all audience groups, no matter how small or remote to the crisis situation, that have a stake in the crisis. 2. Categorise audiences in at least three groups: allies, neutral and opposition. 3. Define each audience group’s specific issues regarding the situation, whether a group is likely to take any action, and whether the organization has any influence on this group (and if not, focus instead on the ones that can be influenced). 4. Define the desired outcome, the strategy for reaching it and the key messages to use. Stakeholder mapping is a continuous process, being reviewed, adjusted and fine-tuned as the situation develops and more stakeholders come onto the scene.
Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington, Ph.D., in their book Exploring Corporate Strategy. “There are different
Recognising the obvious and the not-so-obvious stakeholders Globalisation
and
the
increasing
interdependence of our societal systems are generating multiple levels of stakeholders that are a challenge to engage with in normal times but that become a nightmare to manage in a crisis. Besides employees, regulators, politicians, victims, customers and shareholders, organisations now also have to reckon with other stakeholder groups that become involved through social media networks. The multitude and diversity of these intertwined stakeholder groups are compounding the intensity of crises. Overall, we are witnessing more stakeholder outrage at corporate and institutional misbehaviour.
ways in which stakeholder mapping can be
impressing its expectations on the organisation’s
used to understand stakeholder influence. It
purposes and choice of strategies, and (2) whether
underlines the importance of two issues: (1)
stakeholders have the power to do so.”
how interested each stakeholder group is in
Recently, a major manufacturer in the automotive sector building its largest plant in India found itself thrown into the maze of a highly complex stakeholder scene with the
“We are witnessing more stakeholder outrage at corporate and institutional misbehaviour.”
Internet-based news sources allow
potential of derailing the entire project as well as other safety and environmental risks. The management team recognised that they needed to build a solid strategy and appointed a team to be trained in stakeholder mapping skills. This team embraced the approach and have been managing the issues proactively ever since with great follow-through and results, including a very effective response and engagement during a couple of incidents that had the potential of quickly escalating to crisis level. The plant is now built and operational, the most negative and opposing stakeholder groups have now by and large been neutralised. Of course, issues continue to flare up and some stakeholders are more active than others, but with a methodology in place and a team trained to manage the process, the organisation is able to be proactive
individuals worldwide to follow such
and prevent deterioration.
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
23
NGO
↑ Eight of Thailand‘s brightest celebrities joined the NAMJAI FOR REFUGEES campaign to call for support from the Thai citizens through their artwork / Photo: (C)UNHCR
A REFUGEE’S TALE A three-tiered campaign used celebrity voices to call on Thai generosity, and increased solidarity and hospitality for refugees in Thailand. BY SUC HA DA BHU K I T T I K UL
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COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
NGO
↑ Namjai for Refugees aimed to build awareness of the plight of refugees amongst the Thai population and enhance brand perceptions of UNHCR
D
espite being known around the
After execution, Namjai for Refugees raised
world for their generosity, Thai
US$206,000 through 150,000 new supporters
people have not had the oppor-
and 1,750 recurring donors for UNHCR’s ope-
tunity to lend their hands to
ration in Thailand.
“Namjai’, which means generosity in Thai, appeals to this innate Thai trait, using positive reenforcement to create empathy and calls for action with celebrity endorsements.”
refugees in the country. The low awareness
The innovative campaign was divided
of refugees and confusion between refugees
into three phases: awareness, engage and sus-
and economic migrants have prevented Thai
tain. Each came with a well-planned televisi-
help and support they received from UNH-
people from being involved. The UN Refugee
on and print strategy to maximise coverage
CR and donors. The awareness phase increa-
Agency has tailored the first campaign in the
of the campaign videos, celebrity endorse-
sed the public responsiveness towards refuge-
country which resonates with local value to
ments and events.
es and UNHCR with the video creating both
bring refugees closer to Thai people. The Namjai for Refugees campaign was created to acquire new donors, suppor-
1
understanding and compassion towards reAwareness.
fugees. Perceptions of refugees and UNHCR
We launched an animated video, ‘Life of
have improved, with hundreds of positive
Pa Thu’, which illustrates the true story of a
comments on social media and verbal feed-
which means generosity in Thai, appeals to
refugee child called Pa Thu, who, fleeing from
back to our fundraising team.
this innate Thai trait, using positive re-en-
violence, loses his father and comes to live in
forcement to create empathy and calls for
a refugee camp in Thailand with his mother.
action with celebrity endorsements . The ob-
In less than two weeks the video was viewed
jective of the campaign was to build aware-
four million times, achieving viral status al-
ness, enhance brand perceptions and genera-
most immediately.
ters and raise positive awareness. ‘Namjai’,
2
Engagement.
The engagement phase was run as a real-time donation drive by eight of Thailand’s biggest
te donations and support. The people at the
The story of Pa Thu represents what
celebrities working in four teams to call for
heart of the campaign are the refugees who
the majority of refugee children have to face,
the public support to donate and help them
have been living in Thailand for over 30 years
the causes of their persecution, how UNHCR
produce their artwork for refugees. During
in nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myan-
has helped them following this persecution,
this phase, both online and offline promo-
mar border.
and how their lives have changed from the
tion helped increase the engagement from
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
27
DIGITAL
FISHING FOR FUNDS Even with a limited budget, a carefully-thought out digital campaign can hit all the right marks, as long as the message is simple, adaptable and urgent. BY A ZMA R S U K A N DA R
T
A countdown approach was used in China to increase urgency for people to respond
o paraphrase Sir Ernest Rutherford, Nobel prize-winner and
father
of
nuclear physics, when you haven’t got the money, you’ve got to think. A speaker
at a digital conference I attended this year in Hong Kong shared how the fast-changing digital media landscape was making it harder for agencies to help clients effectively spend even million-dollar budgets for campaigns. It was oddly comforting to hear that while money definitely boosts your chances, it doesn’t automatically make everything easy or guarantee success. At The Nature Conservancy (TNC), like at most non-profit organisations with more limited marketing communication budgets, we have to be nimble, creative and opportunistic in our digital strategy and campaigns. Over the years, our results and success across our Asia-Pacific markets has varied. We’re still learning from others as well as from internal colleagues within TNC, so it’s particularly encouraging when our sweat equity and tenacity paid off last October with a truly successful campaign that not only met communications targets, but also made a real positive impact for our conservation work. The FishFace campaign, sparked
and led by TNC’s Australia marketing communications team and rolled out globally across Asia Pacific, the US and Latin America, highlighted key factors to success that will certainly serve as a model for our future digital campaigns in the region. With
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
29
DIGITAL
“That the best approach was to keep it simple and focus on a tagline and message that could be understood and have emotional resonance across cultures and languages.”
solutions if we don’t even know how many of which fish species there are in the oceans and seas? Enter FishFace, a mobile technology ↑ TNC HK tapped into our celebrity supporters Karen Mok and Charmaine Sheh who shared our posts on their Facebook page, directly increasing video views to 6,900 and increasing reach to 32,596 – tripling the reach impact of TNC HK’s then-existing fan base of 12,000.
based on facial recognition software that will identify different fish species and share the data in real time. Developed by TNC in partnership with Refind Technologies, FishFace is now being tested in Indonesia and will provide the essential data needed to assess and manage fisheries, making a positive difference to the three billion people around the world who depend on fish for income and food. The Google Impact Challenge supports non-profit innovators using technology to tackle the world’s biggest social challenges and the winning organisations each stood to receive AU$750,000 towards their work. Winners are selected by a jury and through a global public vote. As soon as TNC’s project was shortlisted, our Australia team immediately began planning a social mediafocused campaign to run across multiple
a lot of effort and coordination and a very
markets during the public voting period of
limited ad budget of less than US$5,000, we
October 4 to 26 2016.
were able to boost awareness that reached more than 13 million people worldwide and
A crystal-clear call to action
take home AU$750,000 for conservation.
Compelling product and context
As a science-based organisation, we could
First, we had a compelling product and context
have chosen to have our campaign messaging
in launching the campaign – TNC’s FishFace
lead with the innovation, technology or
project was shortlisted as one of 10 finalists in
environmental angle. But after much
the 2016 Google Impact Challenge Australia.
discussion and testing, the Australia team
Overfishing and poor management cost US$50
found that the best approach was to keep it
billion a year in lost revenues. And fully 90
simple and focus on a tagline and message
per cent of fish stocks globally are overfished
that could be understood and have emotional
or fished at their biological limit. One of the biggest issues in trying to tackle this problem is that we don’t have enough data to effectively
resonance across cultures and languages: ↑ Content for the U.S. market was more direct, focusing on the benefits and outcome for TNC if we won the vote.
manage fisheries. How can we come up with
30
“Imagine a World Without Fish and Vote”. We followed through with direct callto-action visuals and information that helped
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
ENGAGEMENT
NURTURING COMMUNITIES A personal reflection on why, out of the entire organisation, it is the communications function that is best positioned to engage with communities in action. BY R AC HA N A PA N DA
↑ Images from the GE campaign “Empowering the girl child in India through education”
W
hen I began my career in
time with the local community, I presented a
the late 90s, I had a very
project plan that went beyond communication.
interesting stint in the
While most of that time was a learning
development sector. I must
experience for me, one thing clearly stood
admit, a business school degree followed by a
out: no amount of learning is enough until it
corporate job did pamper me quite a bit at the
is in action, in person or on the job. Especially
start of my career. But then I decided to work
when it relates to communities or deals with
on a project funded by Official Development
human interaction.
Assistance and the British Council to drive a reproductive healthcare project in regional areas of India. My job was to review and redesign
Finding solutions
the communication module for the project
32
(particularly for the leaders and trainers),
A lot of what I am as a communicator today
align to government priorities and measure
stems from my earlier experience on the
the impact of the redesigned module. I opted
ground. My respect for the development
to spend a few months at the project area in
sector, the role of the government in leading
remote parts of India. After spending some
social change and the voice of an empowered
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
ENGAGEMENT
spend a considerable amount time in studying
“Community engagement continues to be our core, even today as we move towards virtual or online or digital communities.”
and nurturing community relationships – be it employees, influencers, partners, suppliers, government, innovators, technologists or others. Communication these days is about inclusion of all these stakeholders. These communities form the collective voice of just communication but also navigating
any brand and add trust and credibility to
the system and aligning to the vision of the
it. The DNA of any brand is best seen in how
organisation. Pushing boundaries and leading
it engages with communities in action.
change on things that matter is what I took from this.
Having said that, how many communicators invest time in developing these communities? And most importantly,
Taking responsibility
are we effectively leveraging these stakeholders to tell stories that make an impact? As communicators, we must realise that who else but us are best suited to identify and drive these credible voices?
Today, I am convinced that communications as a function is best positioned to drive such initiatives, whether it is in the social context or organisational. Not because we are experts in social inclusion (though we are definitely more
community grew immensely. I learnt to ask
conscious) but because we can connect the
the right and maybe uncomfortable questions,
dots within the organisation and outside of it.
which today comes in handy when I deal with
Strong persuasion skills, risk assessing ability,
my leaders. The right questions always help
knowing what makes a good story and that a
us arrive at the solutions.
No ordinary day: a diary entry shared with my communications team
good story starts with good intent are a few
It is not very often that we have a day that
While all other aspects of such
drivers that work in our favour. That is maybe
is fulfilling, inspiring and also motivates us.
development projects, whether it is
one of many reasons why communicators get
Today was one such day for me.
microfinancing or land issues or vocational
the added responsibility of leading citizenship
I spent the first half of the day at
training, can be crafted based on secondary
or corporate responsibility campaigns. This
Bhamchandra High School of Vasuli village
information, communications strategy asks
has happened repeatedly in my career. I have
near Pune, where we have one of our brilliant
for much more. This aspect is based on an
come to believe that communications and
GE factories. We were there to inaugurate
understanding of the project centred on what is
citizenship are best when they go hand in hand.
the recently constructed science labs (as part
evident and what lies beyond. I draw an analogy
Like in every other country, wealth
of our community initiative) and to hand
to what us communicators do these days.
creation and skill building continues to be a
over bicycles to around 68 female students.
Community engagement continues to be
major focus of the national agenda in India.
While we are all talking about empowering
our core, even today as we move towards
And for a company like GE, we ensure that
women in developing economies like ours, this
virtual or online or digital communities .
we remain committed to this agenda and
project clearly shows how community efforts
And each of these communities need unique
continuously communicate this. Recently we
can be channelled to build an impactful and
communication plans. It cannot be cut and
launched a joint programme with Tata Trusts
sustainable ecosystem in the areas we operate.
paste.
on skilling of healthcare technicians in India.
This school, which started in 1990 with
During one of my later jobs, I got to be
While the two brands needed no introduction,
around 25 students and two rooms, was an
part of a meeting with a doctor who worked
the intent and outcome of this initiative had
initiative of a few village elders, who still
for youth with disabilities and convinced me
to be elaborated. For such interventions,
are the school trustees. In fact, each of them
to employ a few of these bright youngsters in
relevant story telling was critical and hence
today had a bright turban tied to their heads
the company I worked in. This turned out to
we launched a plan, which had an integrated
as they saw their dream come true!! Today,
be one of those projects that pushed me out
communications approach. On ground launch,
this government school with 1200 students
of my comfort zone. I am proud that we did
media, social and community participation.
talked a lot about infrastructure, separate
manage to sensitise, build awareness and
And it becomes imperative that such initiatives
science labs (physics, chemistry and biology)
convince senior management to eventually
reflect genuineness of purpose – this is where
and a computer centre. You can now hear
employ these youngsters. A lot of it was not
communications comes into play. Even today, I
the bubbling female students (more than 50
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
33
FINANCIAL
WHAT DRIVES VALUE? The world of finance is focused heavily on results and numbers. But numbers alone aren’t enough: professional communications can help tell the full story. Based on observations made during his global career, one chief financial officer calls for closer ties between finance and business communication professionals. BY K E N N Y MU R D O C H
O
ne of the great
resources before accepting the advice of a
learnings in my
mentor to move into finance, and came to
career as chief
recognise that these two vital functions of
financial officer
the enterprise have become unnecessarily
has been about
disconnected. Communication is often the
the value that
bridge that connects the people side and the
professional
financial side, putting these activities into a
business communicators can add to an organisation’s efforts to create value and deliver its financial targets.
more coherent context. The world of finance in business is focused heavily on results and numbers. Cash
I have to admit a strong
flows, profits, losses, costs and valuations all
of the assets, especially our employees’ talents
inclination to believe in the importance
add up to lots of digits on spreadsheets and
to help move them in the right direction.
of communication, and indeed of people,
screens. With such a quantitative tone to what
I see the communication professionals
in driving organisational value. I actually
business does, it’s easy to lose sight of what
I work with as playing crucial roles in three
had an early career interest in human
drives the numbers and how we can use all
different ways:
35
FINANCIAL
1. Supporting valuation
“Too many organisations leave the communications role to front-line managers, who are untrained for this kind of communicating and who frequently have their own interests to protect.”
The role of a communication function in supporting and amplifying positive perceptions of what a company and its activities are worth cannot be overstated. It isn’t often said that valuation is essentially a price applied to the overall perception of something’s value, whether it’s a house or a company. It is critical that external stakeholders are engaged with the company’s strategy/vision, current results and underlying value proposition. Communication leaders and practitioners play an essential role in ensuring that a complete investor relations story can be given that enables a proper valuation of the company. Indeed, clear, transparent and professional communication can reduce uncertainty and thereby the perceived risk when investors, analysts and banks are reviewing a company.
2. Accelerating alignment and innovation Organisations are in a constant state of change, responding to market, technology and societal developments. Sometimes, required changes may be technical or granular. Other times they may need to be sweeping and dramatic. In all cases, internal stakeholders –employees at all levels need to understand what’s new, what’s changing, why things are changing and how the changes fit together. There is a strong link between high employee engagement and improved company returns
communication support can deliver huge benefits in framing the big picture and ensuring that leaders and top influencers understand what’s happening. By giving context to why the story is being adjusted on a regular basis and helping keep the whole business moving in a common direction, professional communication support for change initiatives can pay significant dividends, reduce friction, increase employee engagement, accelerate alignment and spread innovation.
and value. The employees are the front line to the customer and have to be fully engaged and aligned with the company strategy. Too many organisations just leave the
Thought partnership
communications role to front-line managers,
Communication professionals often have
who, more often than not, are untrained
unique perspectives into looking both at the big
for this kind of communicating and who
picture and at how to make change tangible to
frequently have their own interests to protect.
people. They also have a capacity for connecting
Making modest investments in professional
individual numbers and activities with the
36
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
CREATIVITY
THE THREE MINUTE RULE Times of disruptive change call for professionals with agile mindsets, able to turn problems into opportunities, who can explore the world from different perspectives and who aren’t scared to fail fast, often and forward. Communication leaders are ideally placed to awaken this creative power. All it takes is just three minutes. BY CYR I E L KORT L E V E N
W 38
e live in very
upon their mindset. What’s your view of the
disturbing
world? Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck
times. In most
has done a lot of research around this
industries,
mindset and has discovered that there are
the
V UC A
two basic mindsets that shape our lives. The
world (volatile,
fixed mindset assumes that our character,
uncertain, complex, ambiguous) has arrived.
intelligence and creative ability are static
The only constant is change. This is very
characteristics which we can’t change in
frightening for most people because change is
any meaningful way. People with a fixed
happening all over the place, all the time. And
mindset strive for success by comparing
the decisions that people make are dependent
themselves with others and try to avoid
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
CREATIVITY
failure at all costs.
“As a communication professional, you play a key role in the way people look at the world.”
A growth mindset, on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of a lack of intelligence but as a springboard for growth and for extending our existing abilities. I call this the ‘change mindset’. People with this mindset have a deep passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval. Mistakes are part of the path to learn new things. Carol Dweck has found evidence that these mindsets are manifested from a very early age and determine a great deal about our behaviours, relationships and capacity for happiness. The positive news is that it is possible to rewire these beliefs: if you can adapt your perspective of the world, you can adapt your mindset. If your view is mainly occupied with negative assumptions then the
and departments before we can even start the
world is full of problems. If you can look from
recruiting process.”
a more positive angle, you suddenly discover
“Our workflow in the editorial office
that a lot of these challenges can be turned
at a newspaper still works in the same old way.
into opportunities. What mindset do you
We have morning meetings, editorial meetings,
choose when looking at the world?
and page one gatherings – all focused on the
Communication has the power to steer people in a certain direction. As a
print product while 80 per cent of our readers go for multimedia solutions.”
communication professional, you play a
“It takes me around an hour of work
key role in the way that people look at the
to fill out the right documents to get three
world. You can help them to explore different
euros of reimbursement for a bus ticket for
perspectives and show them that there is no
a meeting in the city.”
one right answer.
A lot of these ladders keep us away
from the change mindset because we focus
Ladders and bananas
only on following the right procedures and making sure that we don’t make any mistakes. We collaborate with other departments and partners, but only under strict conditions and procedures in order to make sure that
Everybody can agree that placing a ladder on
we can control the process. This leads to more
top of a banana peel is not the most efficient
complexity and more paperwork, which is
solution to avoid slipping on the peel. But in
compounded by the fact that people aren’t
most organisations we have installed a lot of
stimulated to think outside the box, making
ladders – inefficient rules, systems, procedures,
them stick to the relationships that they
assumptions – due to uncertainty, lack of trust
already know. This resistance to change
and fear of change.
becomes bigger and all new ideas are welcomed
Here are a few real business examples of ladders:
with an idea killer. Idea killers are reasons why an idea isn’t going to work: “no budget,
“If we want to hire somebody new, we
no time, we’ve already tried that, it’s nothing
need seven signatures from different people
for our clients, since when are you an expert?”
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
39
SUSTAINABILITY
HELPING PEOPLE TO HELP THEMSELVES Microfinance, the provision of loans and other financial services to low income families and small business owners, is an effective way of helping people to help themselves. It makes an important contribution to fighting poverty and increasing financial inclusion around the world. Credit Suisse has been engaged in microfinance for many years through the development of innovative solutions to link the top with the base of the income pyramid and enabling people to access financial resources. BY M AN U E L RYBAC H
S
Key features of microfinance
ome two billion people, more than a third of the world’s adult population, are financially excluded according to
the World Bank. Access to capital is vital for economic activity as it enables people to afford education or healthcare, as well asbuild up and run their own businesses. In the field of microfinance and impact investing, Credit Suisse was the first major bank to leverage both its financing and management expertise
500
million microentrepreneurs worldwide (estimated)
200
million
microentrepreneurs receive payments
by combining the bank’s corporate citizenship and core business. The growth and evolution of the microfinance industry is closely linked to the area of investment referred to impact investing. Impact investing is about actively placing private capital in enterprises that generate a positive social and/or environmental impact alongside financial returns. Credit Suisse has been a leader and innovator in impact investing since 2002, when it co-founded social investment firm responsAbility Investments AG. One of the largest sectors of impact investing is microfinance. Since 2002, Credit Suisse, in partnership with responsAbility and
USD
50–5,000
typical size of microloans
other impact asset managers have offered has offered its clients the opportunity to invest in debt and equity investment products which
microloan repayment periods
provide microfinance institutions (MFIs) with the capital they need to offer financial services to people such as microentrepreneurs, who face difficulties in accessing credit to grow
3 months to 2 years
IMAGE. CREDIT SUISSE
their businesses.
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
41
SUSTAINABILITY
are organisations such as Accion, FINCA,
partners also leverage their social media
Opportunity International, Swisscontact and
communications to raise awareness for their
Women’s World Banking with whom it delivers
joint programming.
a number of programmes focused on staff
Microfinance Capacity Building Initiative
training and on new product development for clients at the base of the pyramid. One of these programmes is the Leadership and Diversity for Innovation Program (LDIP).
Innovation and new financial solutions
The percentage of women holding influential
Innovation is an important aspect of micro-
positions in the financial services sector is still
finance and impact investing. The introduc-
very low, whether in mainstream banks or in
tion of digital financial services has dramati
In addition to its investment activities, the
microfinance institutions. Released in 2016,
Swiss bank also contributes to developing
the Credit Suisse Research Institute study The
the microfinance industry through its
CS Gender 3000: The Reward for Change states
Microfinance Capacity Building Initiative
that in the analyzed financial businesses only
(MCBI). Besides investment capital, an
11.6 per cent of management positions were
important industry need is the strengthening
occupied by women. This is particularly an
of management and strategic capabilities such
issue if a bank seeks to effectively serve female clients, as the microfinance industry does. LDIP aims at training female high-potential
“Access to financial services is vital for economic activity and to access basic healthcare, education, food and shelter.”
employees of microfinance institutions and their supervisors in leadership and gender diversity in a year-long programme to ensure that they in turn can keep women front and center of their business model.
Sharing expertise to build capacity The MCBI is part of Credit Suisse’s Corporate Citizenship and Foundations team. In addition to financial support, the bank’s own employees contribute to capacity building through virtual and field volunteering efforts, for example through the Global Citizens Program (GCP), in which they share their skills and knowledge directly with Credit Suisse’s partners in education and microfinance around the world. Since its launch in 2010, over 250 specialists from various areas of Credit Suisse’s business have shared their expertise in assignments that
as new product development. Therefore, the
last from one week to three months.
MCBI started to provide financial and human
Internal and external partnership is
resources to train the management of MFIs
also key when it comes to communications: the
and to drive further market development.
MCBI has an active internal communications
In 2016, over 4,000 local employees of
and awareness raising campaign, including
microfinance institutions were trained and
newsletters, events and participation in
over 380,000 people received access to new or
key elements of programmes such as LDIP.
improved products and services. In addition,
Externally the bank communicates via social
over 75 microfinance institutions and fintech
media with the general public and through
start-ups have benefited from the initiative.
more traditional print materials with clients
Credit Suisse’s partners in this initiative
seeking to invest in the space. Finally, MCBI
42
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
B AY PO RT F I NA NC I A L SE R V I C E S B OTSWA NA , A F RI CA’ S F I RST SM A RT- C E RT I F I E D M F I , B OTSWA NA Bayport Financial Services Botswana is a lending organisation with the goal of helping people achieve financial wellness through responsible access to credit. In 2015, the lender became the first African institution to be awarded a Client Protection Certification in recognition of its strong standards of client care. Bayport, which serves more than 10,000 clients, uses a mobile agent distribution model to take its services directly to the customer. It is also involved in initiatives aimed at education and dignified housing for all. Housed at the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, the Smart Campaign is a global effort to unite microfinance leaders around a common goal: to keep clients as the driving force of the industry. In 2013, the Smart Campaign launched the certification programme – a rigorous third-party evaluation – to publicly recognise financial institutions that adhere to standards of client protection. As of early 2016, institutions serving more than 22 million clients have been certified. Source: Microfinance: Building Capacity for Inclusive Growth, Credit Suisse
CONTENT
HOW TO BE A GOOD SUMMERIAN
↑ Thai Union‘s global director of sustainable development, Darian McBain, speaking on Thai Union’s Code of Conduct for Business Ethics and Labour.
Communicators are the creators and the keepers of content. By doing this job effectively, they have the foundations to efficiently build content that keeps the story straight and authentic. BY WHI TN EY F OA R D S M A L L
I
t might not be the oldest profession, but the
At Thai Union Group, we have been
creating content that met the needs of 80 per
Sumerians had Masters of Tablets, and in
focusing on how to effectively use storytelling
cent of our constituents. For some of our
eighth century BC, the King Ashurbanipal
to support our story pillars: sustainability,
markets, that meant they would get more
of Assyria introduced librarianship as a
innovation, corporate and brand reputation.
than they had previously, and for others it
profession. In the king’s library, all tablets were
To do that, we had to take a hard look at
meant they would have access to content
catalogued and arranged by subject matter
how we could effectively and efficiently build
they previously couldn’t afford. We were
or information type, and each was given an
content that met our needs but didn’t blow
determined to make economies of scale
identification tag. Content tagging. In the eighth
our budgets sky high.
work for everyone.
century BC. Wow. For centuries, we have been taught the importance of content. More recently, we’ve been reminded of the need for authentic storytelling. All true. All needed. After all, people have been telling stories long before
Second, we needed to think globally to
Remember the 80/20 rule
locally and then locally to globally. What does that mean? The content had to be effective at each level, so while 80 per cent might be the same for all, we would leave 20 per cent for localisation as needed to be fully effective. For
tablets arrived. But all of this is easier said
We started by making some rules for
example, we would build editorial packages
than done.
ourselves. First, we would concentrate on
with 80 per cent the same content, and 20
44
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
CONTENT
“Communicators are always multitaskers, so maybe we just need to add creators, librarians, curators, custodians and historians to our list of titles.”
videos the most effective for Thai Union’s use,
calls asking: “Hey, I am looking for a graphic
as well as for our brands. But in doing that, we
or image representing xyz…”. We needed to find a way to make the
recognised that these videos could also work for our retail customer’s online use.
content fully searchable and available 24/7
Keeping this broader goal in mind, we
to our global team. We looked at a variety
built storyboards that met our educational
of solutions and then finally decided to join
goals and allowed us to voiceover in different
the cloud crowd.
languages and accents, and subtitle as needed.
The cloud
met our needs for
We then top and tailed the videos for each
governance and easy search, for keeping our
brand, effectively creating endless branded
people safe with legal, licenced and approved
editions for global use across a variety of
content, and for peace of mind. We know
channels. We embedded them in editorials
where to find our well-tagged, well-ordered
for use online and made them available by
content, and we can put it to work in myriad
download for educational use.
packages - making our assets sweat. Communications is the creator and the
GIGO: garbage in, garbage out
keeper of content. In those companies that still have archivists, ask them who they work with most and they will tell you communications. History matters, it is part of every story, so we have an obligation to guard it and keep it safe
As we got better at planning our content and
and searchable. Technology gives us so many
making it work harder for us, we decided to
methods to tell our stories in entertaining
look at some of our existing assets. It quickly
and effective ways, at a fraction of previous
became a clean-up campaign, with more
costs. We owe it to our companies and to the
content moving to the archive cabinet than
professionals that come after us to guard our
to the current pile. This was particularly true
companies’ histories, memories and assets.
with corporate documents, including Q&As. So
Communicators are always multitaskers, so
we decided to strengthen our documentation
maybe we just need to add creators, librarians,
governance, using document ownership and
curators, custodians and historians to our
‘dead by’ dates, so they are discarded after
list of titles.
a stated date and a new version retrieved.
On our journey to feeling like good
percent localised expert quotes, endorsements
Typically, we republish documents every 60
Sumerians, we found the following rules useful
and images. Creating once for many.
to 90 days, or sooner if the situation warrants
in making our cloud a happy cloud.
it. When dealing with evolving issues, this
The 3Rs: reuse, renew, recycle We also needed to think about content
governance helps keep responses current and correct.
Sweating the assets
as packages of words, images, graphics,
How to make a Sumerian master of tablets happy 1.
Never, ever leave your video footage, either
infographics, videos and animations that could
Now, what’s great is that we had all this
raw, a-roll or b-roll with your agency. For
be reassigned constantly into new uses —new
content created for global use, made to be
that matter, never leave any content assets
packages, really. We had to figure out what
deployed easily, scrubbed clean for copyright
with your agency. It is your asset, keep it
languages, voices and tonality for editorial,
issues, images all properly licenced, ownership
safe. It is too valuable to lose and you will
voiceovers, subtitles, captions… well, you get
established and we were feeling rather pleased
kick yourself (or your predecessor) when
the picture: a lot of complexity to get our
with ourselves.
content fully working for us.
But wait a second. How were we going
you can’t find it. 2.
Be a good Sumerian and set up your filing
For example, we decided that we
to take all of this wonderful content and make
system logically with short manageable file
needed to do a series of educational animated
is available to our global team? How could
names. What’s in a name? Only what you
videos about specific fishing sustainability
we avoid having content ‘disappear’? You
topics. No opinion, no commentary, just pure
know, the: “Oh, I think that is on so and so’s
education. We looked at how to make these
computer…”. Or receiving emails and phone
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
must have to recognise the content. 3.
Set up tags in advance. Do not let users make up their own. Add new tags only
45
REPUTATION
KNOCKING DOWN IMAGINARY WALLS: BRAND AND REPUTATION IN THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENT The distinction between brand and reputation is increasingly a distinction without a difference. This article highlights this change and what it means to help organisations benefit from the opportunities this new reality provides. BY P HI L R I G G I N S
W
e are living in a
of these same professionals (57 per cent) say
advantage of the changed nature of this
time when our
their organisation is acting on this change
relationship between brand and reputation.
understanding
by managing brand and reputation together,
of how the world
primarily to avoid reputational risk. The
works is being re-
distinction between brand and reputation
evaluated. The
is increasingly a distinction without a
rise of populism, the end of globalisation,
difference.
Why and how this change occurred
what is fact and what is fiction – suddenly,
Most communications professionals
we are trying to make sense of changes that
have yet to recognise that this new relationship
The relationship between brand and
have been developing for years, but are only
is an opportunity for companies and other
reputation has changed because the world
now making themselves clear.
organisations to build and manage brand
has changed.
The same tectonic shifts have
and reputation to not only avoid risk but to
Brand is the promise, reputation is
been occurring in the worlds of brand
also create value. It is time to highlight this
the degree to which the promise is heard,
and reputation. What was once seen as
change so that communications professionals
understood and acted on. Brand is the
separate is now blurred together. Recent
can help their organisations benefit from
expression, reputation the impression. Brand
survey data suggest that most senior in-
the opportunities this new reality provides.
is owned by the company and reputation
house communications professionals across
Examples of best practice are cited in this
is owned by stakeholders... We know
Europe do not see the change itself – 73 per
article to highlight how, today, delivering
and use these definitions in our work to
cent continue to see brand and reputation as
a successful business strategy requires
explain and justify why and how we have
very distinct concepts1 . However, a majority
recognising, understanding and taking
historically managed brand and reputation
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
47
REPUTATION
separately. But the changes we are witnessing
operate under the premise that employees’
are taking a proactive, long-term approach
in information, attitudes and audiences
electronic communications could end up
to manage their reputation while investing
make these distinctions irrelevant. How
in the public domain. Building a corporate
in their brand.”
people receive and process information has
culture based on complete transparency
Moreover, there is a growing body
changed in ways that make delivering a
may seem difficult to impossible, but
of evidence on the power and importance
increasingly necessary.
of the relationship between brand and
corporate strategy – and building a brand and
•• Stakeholders vs. consumers. In the
reputation. Nielsen recently issued a study
past, communicating and engaging with
demonstrating the two-way relationship
stakeholders and consumers was done in
between corporate reputation and brand,
•• Availability of and speed of access
a segmented fashion. Now, given all the
each one driving the other – “corporate
to information. Nearly everything is
changes above, this wall has also broken
reputation makes it easier to implement
available online and easily accessible.
down. Because of social media, consumers
brand strategies” and “consumer perceptions
When someone has a positive or negative
are stakeholders and, because they have
of brand quality (positive or negative) can
experience with a product or service, it
emotional connections to brands like
influence a company’s reputation.”3 Nielsen
takes about 30 seconds for them to identify
everyone else, stakeholders are consumers.
highlights examples where brand has driven
managing reputation the old way – harder. For example:
the company behind it – for better or worse.
reputation (Samsung) and where reputation
•• Low levels of trust. Many people
has driven brand (Sears). Regardless of the
don’t trust traditional institutions or information sources. Peer to peer and self-
Why it matters
direction of the effect, the impact was the same: a more successful business strategy.
selected news sources mean people are getting a skewed, incomplete view of reality.
This is the environment into which companies
•• Confirmation bias. People tend to
and other organisations must tell their story,
focus on and believe information that
sell their strategy and market their products.
confirms their opinions and values and
Even with this more complicated setting,
to discount non-conforming information.
people still look at what a company does and
Social networks like Facebook where people
says as indicators of intent and purpose – and
receive a constant stream of “news” that
whether or not to trust and engage with them.
has been curated by algorithms, like-
Gaps between what a company says
minded friends and family only reinforce
and does, and consumers’ and stakeholders’
this tendency.
experience of these words and deeds are more
•• Post-fact world. As the US elections and
likely to be noticed and acted upon today than
Brexit demonstrate, we are living in a world
ever before. The desire for many organisations
where fact and fiction are increasingly
to talk about social purpose compounds the
blurred. People believe facts can be spun.
risk. To allow disconnects between brand
Everyone is perceived to be manipulating
and reputation threatens not only reputation
facts to their advantage – or just lying.
but also sales, employer attractiveness, and
In this new environment, perceptions,
community and government support.
feelings and experience are given more
From a management perspective,
weight than “facts” presented by “experts”.
treating brand and reputation as two faces
•• Information overload. As communicators,
of the same coin makes sense in today’s fast-
we have to contend with the reality that our
paced, emotion-over-facts world. Corporate
audiences are swimming in information.
reputation, sometimes seen as the poor step-
In fact, “information overload” is cited by
child to brand, is now considered a critical
60 per cent of senior European in-house
driver or inhibitor of brand strategy and
communicators as a source of concern in
business growth.
their work 2 . Getting positive cut through
However, what has yet to happen
is difficult, though negative information
widely is rigorously and systematically
seems to have much less trouble registering
managing them together. That, too, is
with people.
changing. A recent article in Raconteur
•• Radical transparency. The fact that
magazine entitled “Smart Companies See
electronic information, such as emails
Brand and Reputation as One” makes the
and text messages, live forever (data
argument that the two concepts are so
permanence) means companies have to
interlinked that many “smart companies
48
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
PH I L RI G G I NS PARTNER LEIDAR
Phil Riggins joined international communications consultancy Leidar in 2017. His work spans corporate reputation, business critical relationships/stakeholder engagement, message development and issues management for businesses, associations and not-for-profit organisations. Previously, he was co-lead of Brunswick’s Insight practice. Before joining Brunswick in 2011, Phil created and led opinion research practices in Europe, Middle East and Africa for Weber Shandwick and APCO.
1. Brunswick Insight Survey, the Future of Corporate Reputation, November 2016, p22. 2. Brunswick Insight, the Future of Corporate Communications, July 2015, p8. 3. Stand by your brand, Joan Sinopoli, Jim Llewellyn, Lynn Marocco, Nielsen, 01 November 2016 4. Brunswick Insight Survey, the Future of Corporate Reputation, November 2016, p10 5. Brunswick Insight Survey, the Future of Corporate Reputation, November 2016, p26.
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
“We are trying to answer the question: What will politically work to end this conflict and save the most lives?” The International Crisis Group employs analysts around the world to gather first-hand information from the field in order to prevent and resolve violent disputes. Communication Director spoke to Hugh Pope, the Group’s director of communications and outreach, about global threats to peace and stability, the end of the cooperative international order, and how to get vital expertise into the hands of decision makers. I N T E RV I E W BY DA F Y D D PH I L L I PS
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COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
INTERVIEW
↑ Top left: In his role as Turkey/Cyprus Project Director for the International Crisis Group, Hugh Pope (right) interviews Sabri Ok, a leader of the insurgent Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), at war with Turkey since 1984, at their headquarters in northern Iraq. 2014. Top right: Libya Senior Analyst Claudia Gazzini visiting an oil field being fought over by rival factions / Photos: International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group was founded in 1995 but would
the launch day? What aspects of the report will find their way
you agree that its communications has only recently come of
onto social media? Who’s going to write an op-ed and where
age?
will it go? Where is it most likely to be seen? Also our new The initial idea behind the Group was to connect information
website, which was launched last July, has had a huge impact.
from the field in conflict-prone countries with top policy ma-
Before it was almost painful to try to read our reports online.
kers, to short circuit what was seen as an inability to get new
Now these articles, which are long and quite high-minded,
information from the ground. The statesmen who set us up
have an average reading time of four minutes. That’s double
were trying to prevent, manage and resolve crises and the idea
what it used to be with the old website. We’re also very proud
was that they would useinformation from field analysts to beat
that it was one of the five websites that was nominated for a
on the doors of western governments, often people they knew
Webby award in our policy category this year. However good
personally. You can imagine that in this working model there
the website and communications plan is, the critical thing I
wasn’t much space for a communications plan. Our first reports
have realised now that I am in the centre of things is that you
were sometimes the length of a book, and published with the
can’t make it up from headquarters. We’re dealing with about
assumption that once the statesmen had made up their minds
70 conflicts around the world, of which 30 have an analyst
based on our information and analysis, they would do the right
who’s mostly concentrating on that. What makes the differen-
thing and fix the conflict. To give you an idea, until 2008 one of
ce is what the analyst does with the various tools that we give
our principle means of communication was sending our reports
them to influence the course of the conflict they are following.
by post to policy makers. I’m serious. I would also say that un-
Increasingly we are trying to develop a tool box that we can
til a few years ago, our top leadership was completely agnostic
teach analysts how to adapt for use in their particular country or conflict, rather than dictate to them.
about the value of social media.
Does the nature of different conflict areas call for different
What occured to change their minds? At last people have realised you have to do a lot of reaching out
approaches to communications?
to public opinion, otherwise no one is going to hear your voice
Yes. There are still countries where they want paper reports,
and, even if you do manage to persuade the policy maker, they
where they don’t really read online. There are other countries
won’t be willing to do anything because public opinion is not
where they only read on their phones. For instance, in Ve-
with them. We now have quite a sophisticated set of questions
nezuela, where we have a very strong analyst but were little
we discuss with each of regional Programmes before we launch
known, promoting on Facebook got a lot of eyeballs onto what
a report to try to work out: what are the main messages? What
we were saying. I don’t like buying ‘love’ that way but when
goal are we trying to achieve? Who are we trying to reach in par-
you’re not know to an audience, it seems to me to be a good
ticular? Who is going to write a really good series of tweets on
idea to use it to at least make people aware of you, which is
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 2/2017
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ISSUE FOCUS
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ISSUE FOCUS
ISSUE FOCUS
Communication and collaboration 60
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The future of collaboration is here
The communication choice
The art and science of mixology
A new generation of social tools is transforming the way we work together
When it comes to making remote team work fit for purpose, the medium is very much the message
Collaborating on brand strategy across communications and marketing departments
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BY D O M I N I C RE D F E A RN
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The business case for collaboration
The pyramid of collaborative language
Better living through personal chemistry
Businesses partnerships face several challenges when finding solutions for working together
Communications teams come in many different shapes and sizes
BY JAC Q U E S B U GH I N , MI C HA E L C H U I A N D MA RTI N H A R RYS S O N
Smart collaboration generates profits, loyalty, talent and innovation. So what are you waiting for? BY HE I D I GA R D N E R
BY RE NE E G UA RRI E L LO H E AT H A N D M AT T H E W G . ISBELL
I N T E RV I E W S BY JA N W I SNI E W SK I
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