Sampler: Communication Director Asia Pacific 04 2017

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR Issue 4/2017 ASI A-PACIF I C EDI TI O N

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THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Strategy and the CCO The chief communications officer as strategic player

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the magazine for corporate communications and public relations

Strategic communications 2.0 In recent years, the conversation about the role of the communications function and its relevance to an organisation’s overall business strategy has been personalised in the form of the chief communications officer. In reports, white papers and blog posts, the position of the chief communications officer in relation to the executive board has become a stand-in for the relevance and respect accorded to the function as a whole. Whether this way of thinking is helpful when applied to a profession as multifarious as communications is open to argument: but in a year when one executive search firm found that a majority – albeit a slim one – of FTSE 100 companies have communications professionals on the executive board, it is even more urgent to define the relationship between the chief communications officer and corporate strategy. To do that, we need to look at the CCO’s relationship with several other parties – stakeholders, the executive board, the rest of the organisation, and of course with the chief executive officer.

And before we begin that investigation, we first need to clear up a few definitions. What exactly is strategy? What defines the difference between strategy and tactics? Is being strategic a right or a privilege – that is, do even small, overworked communications ‘three-person teams’ (that’s three persons as in ‘me, myself and I’) have a hope of moving their work into a more strategic direction, rather than running to play catch up with social media channels, press releases and publications? These questions are explored in the Issue Focus section of this issue of Communication Director.

DAFYDD PHILLIPS

Photo: Laurin Schmid

Editor in Chief

Brought to you by the Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors www.apacd.com

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

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CONTENTS

6

CAMPAIGN

Agenda Setter

26 Breaking through the ice

44

Fighting back against crystal meth

Asia-Pacific Communication Monitor

MEASUREMENT

29

Strategic challenges, social media and professional capabilities

10

Cost-conscious hospitality

Battle plans Seven steps to deploying, tracking and reporting on your press relations activity

13

A how-to guide to hosting a global event on a small budget

49

32

The top five priorities for internal communications in Asia

Future steps

Super-small superheroes Raising awareness of premature births with a viral media campaign

52 Communicators need a new vision of thought leadership to position their organisations as a trusted partner

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

BRAND AND REPUTATION

35

16

CEO reputation vs. corporate reputation

54

Defining your universe The road to meaningful insights

The employee economy A distinct economy is emerging, with a focus on the people at the heart of the company

19 Engineering the employee experience A communication director’s guide to building a culture with character

23 Research in practice How to drive employee engagement through online employee news

2017 has been the year of the bad boss, but what real impact does the profile of CEO have on corporate reputation?

38

Transformative ideas

The science behind personalised communications Personalisation offers loyal customers and improved response rates

84 Communications reader

Closing the authenticity gap In a world where organisations are under increasing scrutiny, understanding expectations is fundamental

New and upcoming titles for the communicator’s bookshelf

86 Association

41 50 ways to find your lover A love-letter to the relationship between brands and online influencers

Latest developments in the Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors

90 5 tips for … … handling social media influencers

4

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

SAMPLER

Recent eye-catching public relations campaigns

INSIGHTS AND A N A LY S I S

CONTENTS

ISSUE FOCUS: STRATEGY AND THE CCO

60

70

78

What is strategy?

Doing more with less

The boundary spanner

Understanding the different definitions of strategy can help chief communication officers in their counselling of the CEO and the C-suite

Too busy to be strategic? We present a few practical tips on how to be more strategic in your work when you don’t have time or energy to do more

Which tasks are performed by communication executives, and where do they fit into the organisation? A new tool reflects the multiple facets of today’s communicators

64

74

Building business growth through governance

An executive definition

How getting to grips with governance helped the communications function at Volvo Construction Equipment improve its strategic influence

How do some of the leading executive search firms define, describe and help develop the profile of the chief communications officer?

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

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SAMPLER

AGENDA SETTER

6

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

AGENDA SETTER

An overture to the Chinese market In 2016/2017, the venerable American-German firm of piano makers, Steinway, launched its first new product innovation in over 70 years: a digital player piano system.

Controlled by a proprietary iPad mobile digital device, it features a continuously updated music catalogue from Steinway’s catalogue of 1,800 performances. Taking place across eight Chinese cities and featuring the participation of piano superstar Lang Lang, the launch expanded Steinway’s China market and saw sales exceed the European market. / Image: Steinway

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MEASUREMENT

BATTLE PLANS From preparation to execution to tracking, reporting and sharing: the seven steps to deploying, tracking and reporting on your press relations activity.

BY TH I ER RY N I C OL E T

This is the best time to validate, to remove or

of any public relations strategy: it

even add any publications that the general

is vital in order to position your organisation as a thought leader

in its field as well as to align your media presence with the strategic initiatives of your organisation. But neither of these goals can be achieved without a well-planned approach to measurement before, during and after a press relations campaign. In my experience, the following seven-step approach has provided a clear and thorough framework.

1. Define your press relations budget Based on your desired level of activity; define what your press relations agencies retainer fees and mechanicals will be. Don’t forget to add

“In order to drive strategic execution of your press relations, you need to build a coherent tactical plan.”

any activity which would bear an ad-hoc ele-

These are simple tasks, but they will allow you to set expectations with consensus.

3. Arm your troops Although you are the press relations professional within your organisation, most of the time you might not be the one whom the journalist will want to interview. Your general managers, your business vice presidents, your channel vice presidents and so on are most likely to be the ones whom a journalist will be happy to talk to. And although talking to the press is not really their specialty, it is important that they provide you with all the support they can. For that you need their buy-in. key market segments or specialised topics,

conferences and trade show support which

2. Define your battlefield by tiering your media landscape

to not be on anybody else’s radar screen.

Based on your specific business units,

ment such as special projects like surveys, press typically aren’t constant but opportunistic.

manager wants to target and which happen

identify whom in your organisation will be (tier 3). It’s a pretty straight forward exercise

the go-to person and whose role will be to

which is actually lots of fun to do.

support you and be the face of the company

However, it needs to be a collaborative

with the media.

approach: if you use an agency, then start with

You’ll notice that, for many topics, your

them. Have your agency give you a recom-

company’s general manager will not be the

mendation for which publications or blogs

right spokesperson. So it’s ok to have a techni-

you should go after and have them tiered

cian, a sales representative or a customer care

in three tiers (as described above). Then ask

person to be your designated spokesperson.

your sales teams which publications or media

Once identified, get that list of key

It would be great to be able to target all the

outlets they read on a regular basis to keep

speakers validated by your management,

publications out there. But the reality is that

themselves up to date with where the industry

media train everybody on that list and make

we all have resources constraints in the likes of

is going, as well as for the publications that

sure that their contribution to supporting press

people, time and money (budget). So you will

their customers read. Same here: ask them to

relations is valued in their annual bonus plans.

want to understand which are the publications

separate them into three tiers.

As we are talking about bonus plans, it’s also a

you have to be in (tier 1), you want to be in

Consolidate both lists and then submit

good idea to negotiate for some bonus schemes

(tier 2), or in which it would be nice to be in

it to your country general manager for review.

to be built for the sales representatives for

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P

ress relations is an important part

MEASUREMENT

THE 7 STEPS APPROACH •

Define your PR budget

•

Define your battlefield

•

Arm your troops

•

Define your PR plan

•

Monthly activity tracking

•

Monthly or quarterly KPI reports

•

Sharing and communicating on your results

This is the ‘what we do’ part of the measure-

After the ‘what we do’ report above, this is the

ment process. It’s important at all times to

‘what we get’ report, tracking and measuring

track which press releases went out and when,

the outcome. Again and as previously stated,

which of them are still in validation mode,

it is of paramount importance to produce

each happy-customer testimonials they would

which spokespeople are available and have

reports on your performance within your

bring to you. Customer testimonials are great

been media trained, which interviews took

competitive landscape.

content for the media. It gives them easy access

place, with which speakers and with which

Tracking only your own press cuttings

to users who will talk about their experience

publication. It should also bear sections on

would be like a professional athlete working

with your organisation and your solutions in

which trade shows have been supported with

out at the gym but never taking part in com-

an unbiased way. It’s pure gold.

press relations activities, which product tests

petitions to evaluate their own performance:

have been followed-up on, which contributing

missing the point. In the same way, it would

articles and customer testimonials have been

be totally unprofessional to be satisfied with

worked on and if they have been placed in

a 10x year on year increase in your number of

the media yet.

featured articles, for example let’s say from 20

4. Define your press relations plan Photo: www.thinkstock.com

5. Monthly activity 6. Monthly or tracking – tracking quarterly KPI the output reports

Finally this report should bear a whole

to 200: if your biggest competitor achieved to

In order to drive strategic execution of your

section on budget tracking where should be

be featured in 2000 articles, you’re still invis-

press relations activity, you need to build a

logged agency retainer fees, mechanicals, out

ible. Over the years and in all organisations

coherent, tactical plan that takes into con-

of pocket expenses, special expenses (photo

I’ve worked in, the four following metrics

sideration your budget, your organisation’s

shoots, translations, studies, surveys and so on)

are those which I was looking at in each key

priorities and your past press relations results.

and the cost of producing the clipping booklets.

performance indicators reports:

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MEASUREMENT

DEFINING YOUR UNIVERSE: THE ROAD TO MEANINGFUL INSIGHTS These days, people are so consumer with data that they are struggling to absorb it let alone make sense of it. But do we really need to analyse every data point to ascertain where impact is being delivered? Or shouldn’t communicators instead figure out how best to examine audiences, competitors and key messages?

T

oday, the communications indus-

and attempts to translate something that – to

try finds itself awash in data. The

many – is much more opaque and uncontrol-

binders of clips that landed with a

lable. That approach follows the path of least

thud on clients’ desks decades ago

have been replaced by 0’s and 1’s in the ‘cloud.’

With traditional media now joined

by social media, citizen journalists, podcasts and a proliferation of new media outlets, the potential to build a brand in a day has never been so great. But the opportunity to ruin a brand with a single misguided Tweet or off-handed remark caught on video, meets or exceeds that potential.

The concept of public relations measurement used to be defined by metrics aligned with the advertising industry. Rather than linking press coverage to business outcomes or gauging the impact on corporate reputa-

“Appreciating the role of humans in the data analysis process will lead to better outcomes.”

resistance, eliminating difficult conversations at the expense of accuracy and insight.

Nowadays, with so much at stake – and so much data available to analyse – communicators must figure out how best to examine audiences, competitors and key messages.

Finding purpose behind analysis The biggest problem we see is people hunting for data and not for insights – this leads to over-investment in automated tools, platforms and data sets – and under-investment in the

tion, the focus was on perceived return on

hard work needed to put this data into con-

investment measures like advertising value

text and to extract meaning that helps keep

equivalency. Advertising value equivalency

organisations well-informed and empowered

provided neither any real value in terms of

to make good decisions.

strategic data, nor made any correlation to

Appreciating the role of humans in the

actual business impact. It was designed to

data analysis process will lead to better out-

justify public relations budgets and give the

comes. The appeal of technology is that it can

communications department a pat on the

accelerate insights and improve affordability,

back for a job well done.

but it is vital to assess the value of the analysis

As much as measurement gurus dis-

provided. Through a prudent combination of

parage advertising value equivalency, it is

technology and human expertise, organisa-

understandable that it took root. After all, it

tions can achieve better results.

is a simple measure that executives can easily

It’s easy to become enamoured with

understand. It uses what they already know

the idea that big data can help improve your

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

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SAMPLER

BY MA ZE N N A H AWI

MEASUREMENT

communications. After all, the media sells

from Instagram to Facebook, Twitter and

important as defining the data universe. In

big data as a virtual cure-all for all that ails

Snapchat would be deafening. Many organi-

fact, the two go hand-in-hand as most com-

business and society. It’s easy to see the 0’s

sations rely on automated tools to make sense

panies don’t realise just how much useful

and 1’s flying around in one’s own mind at the

of the sheer volume of content, resulting in

information exists across various business

thought – and that’s exactly how the media

quantitative data reports on metrics such as

and functional units.

portrays big data! But too much of a good

mentions, reach, sentiment and engagement

Tying this data together often reveals

thing can simply be overwhelming rather

levels. However, accurate qualitative insights

insights that go well beyond basic commu-

than insightful.

on reputation, perceptions and brand ad-

nications evaluation. It can keep the c-suite

vocacy are rarely derived from a computer

focused on the bigger picture and not just what

algorithm alone.

is going on right in front of them.

Defining your universe is key. There should be purpose behind every piece of data that is collected, annotated and analysed. If

While lots of data can make your end

a company doesn’t know why it is touching

product look impressive, you need to focus the

a piece of data, and it can’t tie it back to a

conclusions in such a way that real insight is

business outcome, then it is wasting time

developed that can lead to meaningful changes

and money. More importantly, it will end up

in your communications programme – so that

with bad analysis.

ultimately you get improved business results.

Best practice measurement should be focused on finding insights that drive business impact. And to do this, a company only needs the data that supports that process. Not everything that is mentioned about a company,

The power of planning

Making the most out of measurement Major consumer brands face the challenge of taming data every day in their communications efforts. If you seek to sell your product to millions of people, you will inevitably have a wealth of media and business data points to analyse.

for example, it should be of critical importance.

The key to defining a data universe is planning.

If you want to drive sales with your

Without defining your data universe, you end

Too many organisations are anxious to do

earned media coverage, you need to measure

up investing enormous amounts of time and

any kind of monitoring and measurement,

your media results against sales. It seems

money capturing, storing, processing and ana-

irrespective of its relevance, that they jump

obvious when you say it out loud, but many

lysing billions of pieces of data every year. By

in without taking the time to think about

companies aren’t taking advantage of the data

focusing on the people and issues that count,

clear objectives. Objectives that must clearly

at their disposal to make those connections

you eliminate all the noise and focus instead

tie back to actual business goals.

between communications and business.

on insights that make a difference.

By looking at everything you focus on

Consider the case of an automotive

With the launch of a new car from

nothing . What’s more, trying to be all things to

brand. Each model they produce has a very

BMW or Tesla, the noise on social media

all people will result in a meaningless dataset

specific target market. Certainly, retirees may

that doesn’t provide true insight. There should

purchase minivans and city-dwellers might

be a direct connection that runs from any

own a pickup truck, but the reality is that

given business goal to the analysis objective,

each one has been designed – and is marketed

the data universe, to data point collection, raw

to – a narrower segment of the population.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY •

•

•

14

Rather than leaving the task of making sense of insights to automated tools, communicators must learn to contextualise the masses data at their fingertips.

At the outset, having defined goals for your analysis is vital: there should be a direct connection from the business goal to the analysis objective.

Consumer brands and public affairs both benefit from a narrowed focus on measurement goals: whether tracking car showroom footfall or targeting the right policymaker, measurement programmes should carefully define the coverage to assess, the attributes to track and the business data to marry it with.

analysis, actionable insight and communications change.

When evaluating the effectiveness of public relations programmes around these car

With effective media measurement

models, then, the measurement programme

designed to drive decision-making by an or-

should carefully define the coverage to assess,

ganisation’s communications leaders and

the attributes to track within each article and

c-suite, time and effort needs to be devoted to

the business data to marry it with. Connect-

making the link between the communications

ing the media results with practical business

outcomes and business outcomes.

activity like call centre traffic, showroom

That takes planning and collaboration

footfall, test drives and sales data will assist

across the company, engaging people who

the automaker in their evaluation efforts.

may not work together on a daily basis but

Suddenly the mountain of data surrounding

who have the ability to tie together dispa-

the model launch has become something much

rate data points that can tell a real story.

more manageable – and much more likely to

In fact, the teamwork required to develop

deliver meaningful insights that will improve

solid insights will have additional benefits

business performance. It can help the brand

to the organisation as it seeks to better un-

decide how to invest future resources for

derstand the drivers of success. Overcoming

maximum impact, or even how to adjust the

organisational inertia, then, becomes just as

ongoing campaign in some instances.

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

THE EMPLOYEE ECONOMY

Today, acquisition, retention and actions of employees directly fuel a company’s bottom line. In line with this, a distinct employee economy is emerging, with a focus on the people at the heart of the company and a constant re-evaluation of how best to work with them.

Furthermore, the employee economy sees organisations developing strategies to make the most of this valuable resource and compete successfully for the very best of talent. All of which begs the question: how can a company stand out in this emerging economy, and attract and retain the right people?

BY ANI TA VA N D E V E L D E

T

he employer brand is the cham-

curation of our culture,’ says Nadella. “If you

pion running the race in today’s

don’t focus on creating a culture that allows

global talent marathon. To remain competitive, companies are artic-

ulating the fittest versions of themselves and empowering their employees deliver the employer brand message with impact and scale. As Frans Mahieu, Kimberly-Clark‘s global marketing director for people strategy, put it to me: “Everyone is a living billboard and ambassador for the company.”

Among the first to recognise the value of employer branding is the tech industry, where competition for talent has always been rife. According to Ineke Hoekman-Van Hassel, human resources director at Microsoft,” In

“Everyone is a living billboard and ambassador for the company.”

people to do their best work, then you’ve created nothing.”

Breaking the functional divide The employer brand is part of the holy brand trinity for many companies: corporate, marketing and employer. The growing energy around employer branding is leading to greater functional collaboration and is an opportunity for co-creation. Alfonso Auñón García, head of global talent acquisition at HEINEK-

our industry, this is ongoing and always has

EN, told me that the HR Leadership team at

been a strategic imperative.” With the arrival

HEINEKEN raised the question of employer branding three years ago. “In the beginning

of Satya Nadella as CEO, the company and its employer brand has been reinvigorated:

have certainly made Satya Nadella a popular

it was a team of two getting under the skin

“Satya looks not only to human resources, but

man inside the company: he enjoys a stagger-

of who HEINEKEN was, what did employees

to our storytelling communications team to

ing 93 per cent approval rating among current

really think of the brand and the HEINEKEN

bring the mission and culture initiatives to

and former Microsoft employees, which is

culture? We wanted to go on a journey but

life through storytelling and major compa-

well above the industry average. “What I

we had to ask first ‘what is that journey’?”

ny-wide programs,” says Ineke. The changes

realise more than ever now is that my job is

That journey went far and wide: a survey of

16

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

SAMPLER

www.thinkstock.com

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

700 employees across 20 countries, reflecting

most of our staff can identify with and that

the diversity of the business and a survey of

helps to motivate them. From there, we frame

1,300 external stakeholders. After six months,

our corporate strategy as a means to ‘lead

HEINEKEN had isolated three key themes as its brand DNA – fame, adventure and friends – and Alfonso had the beginning of a exciting story. But it went further than simply a story. For HEINEKEN’s human resources function, employer branding was an opportunity to co-create with other functions such as marketing, corporate communications and IT. The resulting glocal Go Places campaign channelled real company truths and insights, cross-functional collaboration, was localised and had a clear proposition that worked across all roles and functions. It embraced marketing methodology in a meaningful way and offered a clear framework to deliver against both human resources and brand key performance indicators. If you’ve not seen it, do: goplaces.

“The growing energy around employer branding is leading to greater functional collaboration.”

the HEINEKENcompany.com/en

the way in science, technology and health for the benefit of humanity’. This enables staff to better understand what our journey is and how we intend to reach our business goals. Today’s employees want to feel that special sense of synergy between what they stand for and what a company represents, and developing a clear employer brand for us is central to that process.”

Micro-branding: personalised attraction Does a homogenous employer brand proposition address the nuances which exist across

While HEINEKEN is a great example of

different functions in an organisation? ABN

co-creation between functions, Kimberly-Clark

Amro is moving away from the traditional im-

went in a different direction: moving one of

age of a bank towards becoming a digital brand,

their senior marketers into human resources.

which will see them compete for talent not only

According to Frans Mahieu, Kimberly-Clark’s

has influenced organisational developments

with other banks but with the likes of Google,

global marketing director for people strat-

in more mature companies, too. How do you

Facebook and Dutch online retailer Coolblue.

egy, “When I first came into this position

change your proposition and attract a new

To achieve this, ABN Amro has translated its

six years ago it was a rarity for a marketer

breed of talent into your organisation?

positioning into a targeted talent strategy based

to be undertaking a human resources role.

Elsevier has been on this journey: Han-

on six specific personas, each with its own at-

Now it’s a movement, with 50 per cent of

nfried von Hindenburg, senior vice president

traction strategy. Each persona represents the

large companies actively using marketing or

of global communications, provided me with

current and future skills ABN Amro needs to

communications professionals to bring in new

some valuable insights. “We are now an in-

take the company forward on its journey. For

approaches to their employer brand efforts.”

formation analytic s company specialising

example, as Ruth Bielderman, head of talent

At Kimberly-Clark, human resources owns

in science and health. As such, we need to

attraction, explains: “We took our employer

the employer brand; it’s more integration than

attract technology talent

brand to The Next Web,

co-creation, Frans told me. We work closely

and brand ourselves as

an international digital

with marketing and use the same processes

a technology company.

as our consumer brands. We apply the same

That’s why employer

philosophy, techniques and processes we use

branding is so impor-

in marketing for our consumer brands, for

tant. I believe that if

our employer brand.”

you brand yourself as a

For more on the Employee Economy watch our video interview with Anita here:

tech employer then your

Changing propositions through people

event where most of the attendees tend to be start-ups, innovation labs and so on. We wanted to discuss the transformation that digitalisation is

overall brand positioning shifts towards tech

bringing to banks with the right target groups;

as well – a much-welcomed and mutually-re-

why they should work within ABN Amro

inforcing virtuous circle.”

and not a company like Coolblue.” With such

With such a shift in positioning and

a segmented approach to talent acquisition

strategy, embedding this with existing em-

by job function, is ABN Amro creating an

ployees was critical for Elsevier. So how did

organisation of micro-cultures? Do you need a

Technology and the Internet of Things have

they translate this to their employee value

homogenous group tied to the same behaviours

given us a plethora of new companies with very

proposition?

to make an organisation successful, or can

different structures and cultures. The question

“Our employee value proposition is

you construct a group of tribes all working in

of what makes them attractive to millennials

based on a purpose and mission that we think

their own way to deliver the greater company

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

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EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

ENGINEERING THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE: A COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR’S GUIDE TO BUILDING A CULTURE WITH CHARACTER As the value of companies is increasingly embedded in their intangible assets, corporate culture has become the new Holy Grail. One of the main challenges is to make sure leadership, communications and human resources pursue a genuinely integrated approach. But what are the roles of communications directors in building a culture with character?

S

ilicon Valley is famous for giving

presses their companies’ personality. From

birth to the most innovative and

there they’ve had the courage to stand out

fast growing companies in our day and age. Google, Apple, Tesla,

Facebook, Adobe and Netflix are redefining the world as we know it. While there are many theories to explain their success, one red thread shines through: they all nurture their culture as one of their most precious assets – if not their most precious one. Surely, there is something communication directors from all fields and industries can all learn from here.

Nurture your culture The way these tech companies have changed the world of work might be more game-chang-

“Increasingly, recruitment sites and career pages on Indeed and LinkedIn are celebrations of the culture of a company.”

from the crowd, explore and experiment – and literally invent, pivot and evolve their own people-practices as they grew.

Netflix chose to abolish its vacation policy: according to its CEO, “our vacation policy is: there is no vacation policy”, testifying that its culture centres around freedom and trust. Adobe was one of the first to abandon the traditional performance management cycle and ratings in order to make regular, ongoing ‘check-ins’ the new normal. Google continues to set new standards in creating stimulating, creative work environments and extraordinary teams. Facebook engineers enter a six weeks’ on-boarding programme where they get to work on numerous projects in order to discover what their exact job profile will become. And Tesla’s hiring approach is not

ing than we realise. Unlike many large, tra-

based upon education or experience: rather,

ditional organisations that are blind-sided

it is geared at selecting people based upon

by focusing on benchmarks and generic best

their ability to solve complex problems and

practices, these companies started at the root

learn under uncertain conditions.

of their existence and identity – and then

Clearly, these companies share a con-

invented the people practices that best ex-

sensus on the true secret of their success:

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

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SAMPLER

BY C HR I S K ER S B E R GE N

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

The want-perspective is typically owned by the specialists of marketing and communica-

“The ‘no vacation policy’ example of Netflix is a human resources practice that perfectly strengthens their ‘creator’ archetype.” their people. They are fundamentally ‘people-businesses’, and lo and behold: they act like they actually care about their people. In

tions who are dominantly externally focused, with the emphasis on external stakeholders

Redesigning the employee experience

like customers, shareholders and society. The

Alignment starts with identifying the core

can perspective is typically considered the

personality archetype, and then permeating

territory of human resources and is focused

this consistently into the employee experience

on internal stakeholders like managers and

across the full employee journey. This journey

employees. Each function has their own orien-

starts outside with attracting and assessing

tation, convictions, dynamics and jargon, and

new talents to the company. Then, once people

cross-functional collaboration isn’t the easiest

are hired, the internal activation focuses on

thing. To top it off, senior management tends

brand-specific on-boarding and activating

to ignore the topic or waive it aside as fluffy

employees to perform, towards developing

and vague. We are talking about intangible

and appraising them in order to ultimately

stuff that doesn’t fit into a spreadsheet or let

convert them to become ‘advocates’: both for

itself be managed in the traditional sense.

the companies’ products and services as well

Culture is something we can’t afford

as for the company as a place to work.

to leave to coincidence. Which is why we as

When one wants to influence people

communication directors should look be-

and culture, a traditional approach based on

yond our traditional scope to pursue a truly

top-down steering, planning and control is

integrated approach to culture, an approach

no longer sufficient. We know this, right? The

co-owned by leadership, communications and

relationship between people and the brands

human resources.

they work for is highly sensitive and dynamic. Internal activation is really a matter of

Connecting people and brand through the shared personality

consciously orchestrating the way values, rituals, culture and behaviours are experienced by managers and employees. So we need to take the 360-degree employee experience as the starting point and build interaction and iteration in by design. And we want to make sure employees ‘want’ and ‘can’ demonstrate the behaviours and commitment we hope to

the exceptional cases where these types of companies seem to not care much about their

The first thing we need is a practical way to

see from them. Creating coherent employee

people, guess what? Eventually they pay the

look at culture, one which unites both per-

experiences requires perfect alignment. So

price. Ask Amazon. Ask Uber.

spectives and worlds, and helps the specialists

let’s look at who does what on a practical level.

across functions to combine their strengths

Connecting what the organisation wants with what it can

into an integrated approach. In a book on brand culture that I’ve written with two fellow authors1, we argue that companies, like people,

Internal activation

have personalities and this ‘shared personality’

It all starts (or ends) with leadership en-

is the key to connecting people and the brands

suring vision, connection and commitment.

they work for.

The vision that enthusiastic employees create

Culture, brand and reputation are

The underlying idea is that companies

enthusiastic customers inspired Tony Hsieh to

more closely intertwined than ever. When a

with a ‘hero’ personality have a different culture

shape a unique ‘happiness culture’ at Zappos.

reputation issue emerges around a company,

from companies with a ‘caregiver’ personality.

‘Delivering happiness’ became a gospel and

the culture is often mentioned as the root

As do ‘explorer’ versus ‘everyman’ type compa-

is permeated in extraordinary values – like

cause of all evil. Apparently it appears quite

nies. The shared personality unites an essential

“create fun and a little weirdness” – that are

a challenge to connect the perspective of what

element of brands – the brand personality –

brought to life in exceptional ways.

the organisation wants – mission, values and

with the personality of the people and culture

For the human resources team, the

brand promise – with the perspective of what

of the organisation. Defining an organisation’s

focus should be on ensuring truly characteris-

the organisation can based on the people that

shared personality means looking at the organ-

tic on-boarding experiences, original employ-

actually work there: their talents, capabilities,

isation as a living ecosystem, with the shared

ment terms and conditions, culture-specific

engagement and culture.

personality as the organising principle.

learning and development experiences, and

20

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

RESEARCH IN PRACTICE: HOW TO DRIVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH ONLINE EMPLOYEE NEWS A recent study by software company SAP found a significant correlation between employee engagement and internal news that helps users understand the company strategy and provides immediately useful and work-relevant information.

Europe’s largest software company. However, continuing to thrive in a fiercely competitive international environment is only possible if the company can attract and retain the best and most talented people, and inspire them to do their best. In other words, with the support of a highly-engaged workforce.

Employee engagement can be defined as the level of effort an employee is willing to expend on behalf of their employer. It is the extent to which they may promote the company (e.g. employer branding), their commitment to the goals and objectives of the company and belief in the company’s strategy.

It has also been linked to individual levels of vigour and health.

Photo: SAP AG/Wolfram Scheible.

Many studies have shown connections

E

between engagement levels and corporate mployee communications de-

The following article describes our own study

performance. Perhaps most famously, the

partments are often given a bad

at the European software company SAP, and

Gallup State of the Global Workplace survey

rap. A cost center for some, a

offers some concrete advice on how to move

claims that businesses in the top quartile

necessary evil for others, few

from being perceived as a cost center to a

outperform those in the lowest by 10 per cent

powerful and vital strategic enabler.

in customer loyalty, 21 per cent in profitability

realise the strategic potential this oftenunappreciated profession offers. What if you could empirically illustrate how your many hours surrounded by towers of empty pizza boxes, tirelessly slaving away over a hot keyboard, may actually be measurably in-

What is employee engagement?

and 20 per cent in productivity . Other studies have found similar effects.

While the link between employee communications and employee engagement seems increasingly obvious, the ability to generalise

creasing employee’s engagement and belief

With over 87,000 employees supporting

research to individual companies is exceed-

in your company’s objectives and strategies?

365,000 customers in 180 countries, SAP is

ingly difficult, especially in consideration of

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

23

SAMPLER

BY S E A N MAC NI V E N A N D J U L I E T H O M S O N

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

the highly specific nature of employee engage-

helps users understand the company strat-

the company itself. This is not surprising, as

ment and how it is measured within different

egy and which provides immediately useful

quality suggests a high level of attention to

enterprises. To address these limitations we

and work-relevant information. News that

detail, the importance of the subject discussed

decided to run a study specific to both SAP

was deemed easy to understand and com-

and the overall professionalism of the author.

and to readers of the official employee news-

prehensible, as well as conversational and

In fact, studies into the perception of web

room, SAP News.

comprehensive, were all positively correlated

sites have found that both site and content

to engagement. Of all the variables however,

design plays a major role in the perceived

a few stood out from the rest, and are now

value and surface credibility of the website.

being considered for use as an official com-

Which leads us to the second driver of organ-

munications index for online news.

isational buy-in:

1

2

The Five Item Model for engaging news The SAP study showed several communications items were significantly correlated to employee engagement, including news that

Cue for quality. The perceived quality of the news played an important role

in reader’s perceptions of both the news and

Credibility counts. While quality alone may tip the scales in terms of

an initial evaluation of the site’s credibility,

the actual credibility of the content needs to sustain that belief in the long term. Content that is deemed credible and believable, and which offers the reader a balanced view of the facts, leads to higher reader frequency and greater belief in the company’s objectives

ABOUT THE STUDY The SAP employee engagement index has evolved over a number of years to include cognitive and affective aspects of engagement and organisational commitment. To address these aspects, a study was designed that would both add to the academic literature and lead to immediate insights that could be applied within the individual context of the enterprise studied. Drawing upon prior and ongoing research, questions from SAP’s employee engagement index were chosen as impact variables, in addition to items around reading frequency, strategic buy-in and participation via sharing, commenting and rating. Further questions then focused on the perceived value of the news, questions around quality, credibility and comprehensiveness.

A survey was developed and sent to a random sample of employees, resulting in 1890 completed surveys (a response rate of 10 per cent). Survey demographics were tested against the actual distribution of employees by geography, business unit, tenure and job-level, and found to be sufficiently representative. Furthermore the data set was split into training and test data (a 75:25 split). The training data was used to generate the model, while the test data was used to validate the ability of the model to predict responses by applying it to new data.

“Businesses in the top quartile outperform those in the lowest by 10 per cent in customer loyalty, 21 per cent in profitability and 20 per cent in productivity.”

studies around perceived objectivity as a foundation for both credibility, and perhaps more importantly, changing pre-existing mindsets.

3

Corporate culture. A much-quoted organisational adage by management

guru Peter Drucker, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”, could not be truer when considering what employees expect from a corporate blog or employee newsroom. Cultural value, or more specifically, the sense that the news reflects the company’s living culture, was a significant predictor for both belief in the company’s goals and objectives, and enthusiasm for the company’s future. Interestingly it was the strongest stronger predictor of reader frequency, which is arguably the single most tangible and comprehensible metric for any employee newsroom.

4

Well informed. The sense of being generally well informed was a slightly

stronger driver of the key engagement questions than culture, even though it was not a significant predictor of reader frequency. That said, as a high-level goal for any employee communications department, culturing an informed reader base is likely to be among

Following several statistical tests the strongest predictors were extracted as drivers and regressed against each of the impact variables.

24

and strategy. This supports numerous prior

the top priorities, and our study placed it as the second strongest predictor of engagement.

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

CAMPAIGN

BREAKING THROUGH THE ICE How the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia fought back against crystal meth.

BY CATH L A N G MEA D

Calls about drug abuse were once rare, but

epidemic and Western Australia

CCI’s team were now taking calls every week

is the capital of the crisis.

Despite having one of the

most isolated and sparse populations in the world, Western Australia’s 2.6 million residents use an astonishing A$2 billion worth of crystal methamphetamine – or ice – every year. That’s around one dose per 17 people, every single day.

The scourge of this addictive, psychosis-inducing drug has invaded Western Australia homes, hospitals, prisons and communities – and it was only a matter of time before ice reached the Western Australia workplace.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI) is Western Australia’s peak business organisation which provides advocacy and support services for more than 9000 business members.

In early 2016, CCI’s call centre noticed an increase calls from businesses seeking advice on how to manage drug abuse among their workers. When the team dug into the data, they made a shocking discovery.

“Bosses simply did not know how to manage the violence, paranoia, volatility and erratic behaviour typical of ice users.”

Since 2012, there’d been a five-fold in-

– and their stories were truly harrowing.

One employer fired a worker who’d been inexplicably absent for weeks. The company’s HR manager later saw the ex-employee on television being arrested for drug offences.

The employee later came back to the workplace with a gun and demanded to speak to the HR manager, who bravely told him he was no longer employed. The ex-employee then tried to bribe the human resources manager with a bag of ice.

This is just one of countless stories highlighting the severity of what Western Australia employers were facing – all while trying to run a successful business and create a productive, safe workplace for their employees.

Compounding matters, as a state heavily reliant on high-risk industries like construction and mining, Western Australia employees face a particularly hazardous working environment – meaning that the extreme fatigue, blurred vision, aggression and difficulty concentrating that characterises ice abuse could be the difference between workers going home on the bus, or going home in a body bag.

crease in calls to CCI’s hotline from employers

CCI knew we had to act.

desperate for help in dealing with drug abuse – particularly ice – among their workforce.

They needed advice on how to protect their

Fighting back

employees and their businesses from workers affected by the deadly drug.

Bosses – most of them small business

CCI has responded to the rise of digital plat-

owners, with limited means and no human

forms and populism by developing a new

resources team – simply did not know how

approach to campaigning. We are the first Aus-

to manage the violence, paranoia, volatility,

tralian Chamber to set up a “brand newsroom”

frequent absences and erratic behaviour typ-

under an integrated advocacy framework,

ical of ice users. They feared for their safety

which seeks to consolidate economic policy

and the safety of their workers, who were all

with feedback from the business community,

now exposed to the aggressive, unpredictable

to then amplify advocacy priorities through a

outbursts of drug-addled colleagues.

content marketing and earned media strategy

26

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

SAMPLER

A

ustralia is in the grips of an ice

CAMPAIGN

The campaign also had a marketing objective – the project aimed to generate inbound leads for a range of CCI services relevant for businesses dealing with ice in the workplace, including our business helpline, consulting services, occupational health and safety advisory service and range of workplace publications.

Planning CCI’s planning for Ice Land identified three channels the campaign must leverage.

1.

First, technographic profiling of our customer base showed they were all active social media users who also relied on email, so we wanted the campaign to include a large amount of sharable, en-

The centrepiece of CCI‘s integrated advocacy campaign was a special edition of its monthly member magazine Business Pulse, which included an in-depth investigation into ice in the workplace / Image: Chamber of Commerce and Industry

gaging social media content.

2.

Second, we knew our target audience liked to consume news from traditional, established media outlets, so we needed to

“As a ‘brand newsroom’ with a team of experienced journalists, we used news values to develop content.”

create content editorially strong enough to attract earned media attention. As a “brand newsroom” with a team of experienced journalists, we used news values to develop content appealing to traditional which positions CCI as the one true voice of

media, to make our campaign stretch

Western Australia business.

further than our modest budget allowed.

CCI’s unique integrated advocacy ap-

3.

Third, in addition to leveraging our

proach synthesises inputs from our economics

owned digital channels and targeting

team with observations from members, to

earned media, we wanted to measure

form holistic CCI policies that unite economic

lead generation and collect insightful data

a comprehensive and responsible manner. The

theory and data with real-life experiences,

about prospects, so we sought to drive

final edition included a major feature story

with policies then articulated to members and

digital traffic to our marketing automa-

that offered new and exclusive statistics on ice

journalists in a reader-friendly way.

tion platform as well. To entice prospects

use in Western Australia workplaces, multiple

As a not-for-profit member organ-

to share their information and enter

content pieces with in-depth, practical advice

isation, CCI needed to make a big impact

our marketing automation workflow,

for employers from CCI’s in-house experts, and

with a tiny budget, and so in June 2016 Ice

we knew we needed to create valuable

interviews with ice addicts, business-owning

Land was born: an integrated, in-house ad-

content we could offer new leads for free.

ice users and workers who avoided detection.

vocacy campaign that would combine policy,

Ice Land also featured exclusive edito-

community and voice to bring ice out of the

To cover these campaign objectives, we decided

rial columns from Australia’s Federal Justice

shadows, give employers practical advice and

the centrepiece of our integrated advocacy

Minister; a powerful state business leader and

create a political imperative for legislative and

campaign would be a special edition of our

the Western Australia Police Minister. This

regulatory change.

monthly member magazine Business Pulse,

hand-picked selection of talent enhanced the

Ice Land would harness traditional,

which would include an in-depth journalistic

news value of the special edition, making it

digital and social media to reach a business

investigation into ice in the workplace in WA.

more appealing to an earned media audience.

audience and confront the disruption that has

Once written, the content from the Ice Land

Last but not least, the edition contained

come from the rise of new media platforms.

special edition would be repurposed into an

a breakout section entitled ‘what business

In a tight, cost-cutting environment, CCI’s

eBook, as well as multiple blogs, social media

wants,’ which outlined CCI’s policy priorities on

main investment would be time and creativity,

posts, videos and a media release.

the issue – namely, reforms to labour laws and

with a total budget of A$1218 for social media amplification only.

Six weeks of interviews and research followed as the team investigated the issue in

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

regulations required to empower employers to combat ice abuse effectively.

27

CAMPAIGN

COST-CONSCIOUS HOSPITALITY: A HOW-TO GUIDE TO HOSTING A GLOBAL EVENT ON A SMALL BUDGET

W

hen Donald Trump was elect-

story about World War II General Bernard

ed president of the United

Freyberg’s response to a high-ranking British

States on 8 November 2016,

officer’s complaint that the New Zealand

a diverse group of the world’s

soldiers failed to salute superiors: “Ah, yes,

largest institutional investors was gathered in

but if you wave to them, they’ll wave back”.

Auckland, New Zealand.

Adding to our nervousness, Auckland is

The event was the eighth Annual Meet-

‘enjoying’ a building boom, with much of

ing of the International Forum of Sovereign

the city’s business district being dug up for

Wealth Funds (IFSWF), hosted by the New

a new underground rail link and a major

Zealand Superannuation Fund, a NZ$36 bil-

new commercial precinct being constructed.

lion global investment fund set up by the

The conference venues that we might have

New Zealand government to help pre-fund

used were surrounded by construction work.

universal pension payments.

It was an interesting night. Delegates will remember sharing a historic moment

Among the other challenges: •

New Zealand is a long way for delegates

together and were keen to share their views

to travel, making attendance levels un-

about what would happen next.

certain. IFSWF members are known to

Organising conferences is not our core business. Our staff attend plenty and have

register late; •

IFSWF has a small, London-based sec-

keen views on how they should be organised,

retariat, and in 2016 had a new chief

but we are a small investment shop by global

executive and director of communi-

standards, located a long way from the world’s

cations and strategy. In many ways,

big financial centres. So we had a lot to think

we were on a learning curve together;

about when our chief executive, Adrian Orr,

•

The host traditionally picks up all of

was elected chair of IFSWF and agreed to host

the meeting costs. The New Zealand

its 2016 annual meeting in Auckland.

Superannuation Fund is a relatively

Previous IFSWF annual meetings have been on a grand scale, in places such as Milan

“New Zealand is a small, relatively young country. We don’t really ‘do’ formality and are proud of our egalitarianism and relaxed approach.”

small fund investing taxpayer money – a modest budget was essential.

and Doha, with truly luxurious settings in magnificent palaces, historic museums or art

The 2016 meeting was an important one for

ago Principles on transparency, accountability

galleries, and a high quotient of VIPs.

IFSWF as an organisation. As chair, Adrian

and good governance, which are its founding

By contrast, New Zealand is a small,

Orr aimed to advance the forum’s goals and

principles. Following the Paris Agreement

relatively young country. We don’t really “do”

achieve substantial work outputs from the

on climate, he was also keen to encourage

formality and are proud of our egalitarianism

meeting. In particular, he wanted to achieve

discussion about the investment implications

and relaxed approach. There is a famous

progress on the implementation of the Santi-

of climate change policy.

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

29

SAMPLER

BY K A R R EN BE A N L A N D

CAMPAIGN

For the first time in the event’s history, at our instigation, the conference content was structured around a theme agreed by the IFSWF board (previous conferences had been based on a series of unrelated discussion topics suggested by members). The theme was an ambitious one – Investing in a Climate of Uncertainty: The Sovereign Wealth Fund Response. The topic was a challenging one for some member funds. Our team worked closely with the secretariat and the Board to achieve buy-in for the topic.

The programme had a strong line-up of members and international speakers, including the former governor of the Reserve A Māori cultural performance during the gala dinner at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Photo: The Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation

Bank of Australia, the Peterson Distinguished Scholar from the Centre for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, and global leaders on sustainable investment and climate. New

the value in travelling so far to attend.

Zealand’s then-Prime Minister and Minister

set out to give our event a distinctive New

of Finance both spoke and a highlight was a

different in size and at different stages of

Zealand style, based on the environment,

session on indigenous New Zealand economic

development. It was exciting to bring such an

our proximity to the sea and Kiwi hos-

development, featuring Māori leaders.

interesting mix of people together.

pitality. These themes were reflected in

The conference content and workshops

branding and every aspect of the staging,

also served to support the objective of advanc-

conference materials and even the choice

ing IFSWF’s work streams. Although they were

of venues.

a new development, the workshops were one

avoided the construction-ridden central

of the highlights for many attendees. One of

business district and used venues in the

the workshop topics was divestment, with a

The primary goal set out in the project brief

city’s maritime quarter, rather than in

case study on tobacco, featuring Dr Bronwyn

was quite simple: to host a successful meeting

a standard hotel/conference venue. We

King from Tobacco Free Portfolios. The success

and advance the forum’s goals. The first point

wanted conference attendees to be able

of the programme reflected the substantial

would be measured by the successful imple-

to see the beautiful marine environment

resources devoted to it, in particular individual

mentation of the logistics and programme.

at every opportunity, including when

liaison with all of the speakers, panel chairs

The second point was more nuanced, but

they walked from their hotels to the

and panel members.

essentially aimed to achieve an Auckland

workshops or the conference itself. This

The event, which ran over four days

Communiqué from IFSWF with commitments

added to the event’s complexity, with

from 8 November, also included bilateral

on climate and the Santiago Principles.

multiple venues, no on-site accommo-

meetings held beforehand. Dinners and an

dation, additional transport and security

excursion to Waiheke Island provided op-

requirements.

portunities for networking and enjoying local

developed a detailed communication

entertainment and culture.

IFSWF members are a diverse group from every continent. Their organisations are vastly

A multi-pronged plan

•

•

As the host, we also wanted to leverage the event to enhance our own and New Zealand’s reputation, and to increase domestic

•

understanding of sovereign wealth funds. We

programme to members and key stake-

The Auckland Communique, which

also wanted our own staff to gain a better

holders well ahead to encourage them to

was released by IFSWF at the end of the con-

understanding about our global engagements

make their plans and to register early. This

ference, includes an agreement to explore

and to network and share expertise with col-

started eleven months ahead and included

the investment implications of the global

leagues from peer funds.

monthly communications with details

commitment to curb greenhouse gas emis-

We developed a multi-pronged plan to

about the conference agenda, accommo-

sions for sovereign wealth funds and further

achieve our goals. To address the identified

dation options, travel arrangements, visa

commitment to the Santiago Principles.

issues we:

requirements and visitor information.

•

•

30

Overall, about 260 people attended the

involved our own staff in many aspects

conference, including members, observers and

ensured that the conference had substan-

of the organisation and had a strong

academics, commercial partners, New Zealand

tial content and high profile speakers, and

emphasis on staff engagement, including

government and business representatives and

promoted it, so that delegates would see

a buddy system for delegations.

NZ Super Fund staff. Twenty-five of the 30

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

CAMPAIGN

SUPER-SMALL SUPERHEROES To help raise awareness about premature births, a maternity hospital in Singapore honoured some of their ‘preemies’ with a superhero-inspired online photo collection that quickly went viral and drew mainstream media attention.

J

ust off along a quiet, unassuming

sibilities of daily life while facing the fragility

corridor on the second floor of KK

of their young child’s life.

Women’s and Children’s Hospital

KKH has been an observer of World

(KKH) in Singapore, lies a set of

Prematurity Day, which is celebrated on 17

double glass doors. For almost 20 years, this

November every year to raise awareness about

doorway has seen generations of fragile little

premature births. The hospital’s public aware-

patients come and go, and has also borne wit-

ness initiative in 2015 featured then-and-now

ness to the myriad emotions of their parents

photos of children who had ‘graduated’ from

and caregivers – denial and acceptance, anxiety

the KKH NICU and SCN and are doing well:

and triumph, grief and joy; and perhaps the

each one a story of growth and survival.

As part of the Early Bird Baby Club,

most powerful emotion of all: hope.

Above this doorway sits a sign that

the hospital’s support group for premature

states – very matter-of-factly – the name of

infants’ families, KKH physiotherapists came

the facility beyond: Neonatal ICU. The alter-

up with the idea of dressing the preemies as

nating pastel colours of the sign give little

well-known superheroes – presenting them

indication of the monumental battles that

as they are now as a fitting testament to their

the tiny new-borns there fight every day: to

tenacity and will to live. The Corporate Com-

thrive, to survive.

munications department was engaged to refine

Most of the babies at the KKH Neo-

the concept, in preparation for the prematurity

natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are born

awareness initiative for 2016.

premature, or suffer from chronic or congenital

The aim was simple: “Our Superhero

medical conditions. Some premature babies,

Preemies” campaign was to showcase the

or “preemies” as they are called, are born as

preemies’ heroism in their fight to live. Each

early as 23 weeks gestation and can weigh as little as 500 grams at birth.

Preemies are at high risk of developing complications due to their prematurity and low birth weight, and hence require close monitoring and dedicated care. Their stay can range from a few weeks to several months, depending on the severity of their conditions and their response to medical interventions. When their conditions have stabilised, most preemies move on to the Special Care Nursery (SCN), a step-down medical care facility, before they are strong enough to leave the hospital for the place they most belong to: their home.

It is a trying time for the families of

“Our Superhero Preemies” campaign was to showcase the preemies’ heroism in their fight to live.”

these preemies, having to manage the respon-

32

preemie would have a “superhero trait” identified, and would be dressed as the superhero that represented that trait.

The challenge faced by KKH Early Bird Baby Club and Corporate Communications was that of having no budget for the campaign, as public healthcare institutions in Singapore do not engage in campaign advertising and promotional activities.

The chosen online platform was Facebook, where the hospital already has over 25,800 Likes on its Facebook page managed by Corporate Communications. With the potential for greater awareness through the social media reach, KKH’s Facebook page was the natural outreach platform chosen to communicate this message.

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

SAMPLER

BY JAN L I E BA N AS , S H E L LY-A N N E M A R I E S H E R WO O D, N U R M A Z L I N A B I NT E M A Z L A N A N D JUITA MOHA ME D

CAMPAIGN

D R JA NL I E B A N AS

“The challenge

ABOUT KK WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL KK Women‘s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) is a recognised leader and Singapore’s largest tertiary referral centre for Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Neonatology. Founded in 1858, the 830-bed academic medical institution leads in patient-centred management of high-risk conditions in women and children. More than 500 specialists adopt a compassionate, multi-disciplinary and holistic approach to treatment, and harness medical innovations and technology to deliver the best medical care possible.

Accredited as an Academic Medical Centre, KKH is a major teaching hospital for all three medical schools in Singapore: Duke-NUS Medical School, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The Hospital also runs the largest specialist training programmes for Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics in the country. Both programmes are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I), and are highly rated for the high quality of clinical teaching and the commitment to translational research.

was that of having no budget, as public healthcare institutions in Singapore do not engage in campaign advertising.”

CLINICAL ASSOCIATE DEPARTMENT OF NEONATOLOGY KK WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

Part of the neonatal team that cares for newborns and premature babies, Dr Janlie is a committee member of KKH’s Early Bird Baby Club – a support group formed in 1997.

S H E L LY-A NN E M A RI E S H E RWO O D

Ministry of Health. Facebook analytics indicated that Our Superhero Preemies album reached 32,797 people, with 3,419 Shares, 6,762 Reactions

SENIOR PHYSIOTHERAPIST PHYSIOTHERAPY DEPARTMENT KK WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

and 387 comments, within the first week.

The viral spread of Our Superhero Preemies also drew attention from traditional media and it was covered in several local mainstream media outlets, such as English-language broadsheet The Straits Times,

The superhero costumes were handmade and

Chinese-language broadsheet Lianhe Wanbao,

photos were taken by the healthcare staff

English-language tabloid The New Paper,

that cared for these preemies: the costumes

online news portal AsiaOne, as well as Eng-

and materials were obtained and made by a

lish-language news radio station 938LIVE.

team of physiotherapists and their friends,

The cumulative media value was estimated

and a neonatologist took the photographs.

at SG$33,000.

Shelly conceptualised and led the Superhero Preemies project.

With 13 years as a physiotherapist, she became a member of the Early Bird Baby Club’s social media team four years ago.

These efforts were all voluntary, including the

Many Facebook users have lauded

bearing of costs involved. The photo of each

Our Superhero Preemies as a good initiative

preemie was then accompanied by the baby’s

and a fitting tribute to the premature babies.

birth weight, gestational age, length of hospital

There was an outpouring of compliments

nurses and allied health professionals tirelessly

stay and description of their personality traits.

and expressions of gratitude from parents of

fight alongside each tiny superhero every day,

Our Superhero Preemies photo album

preemies who were cared for at NICU and SCN,

regardless of the odds. Most importantly, the

was posted on the KKH Facebook page on

contributing to a spike in positive social media

messages of encouragement from parents of

World Prematurity Day, 17 November 2016,

sentiment for the hospital in November 2016.

preemies who have thrived, to the families

and went viral in a matter of hours. The images

Beyond the numbers, these words of encour-

whose children are still fighting for survival,

were shared extensively by the local Facebook

agement and thanks served to boost the morale

were shining beacons of optimism during

community, including the pages of Singapore’s

of the NICU and SCN teams, where doctors,

trying times.

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

33

BRAND AND REPUTATION

CEO REPUTATION VERSUS CORPORATE REPUTATION From Travis Kalanick’s enforced departure at Uber to the allegation of sexual abuse and intimidation by Harvey Weinstein, 2017 has been the year of the bad boss. But what real impact does the profile of the chief executive officer have on the wider corporate reputation, and how best to align the two? Research from earlier this year offers several insightful answers.

BY A A R ON R EI D

higher the chief executive officer’s pro-

file, the better the perceptions of company performance.

If high-profile chief executive officers are a benefit to a company, what relationship

6

5.6 5.4 Bezos Amazon Neutral

5.2

should their own reputation have with their company’s?

5

Reputation intelligence analysts at alva

30

have examined the reputation of Apple and Amazon (Figures 1 and 2), we find consistently

5.8

Ma

y1

6 30

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SAMPLER

twined with the profile of its leader: the

Source: alva

6.2

success of a company is strongly interSentiment score

I

t has been claimed that the apparent

Figure 1: 60-day rolling average sentiment for Amazon and Jeff Bezos (UK and US)

high ratings for both firms, while their chief executive officers also show steadily positive scores, though to a lesser degree. ship between the corporate reputation and tablished corporation is one in which the company has the most prominent positive profile.

When the company generates the bulk of stakeholder goodwill it creates a reputation buffer against negative issues concerning the chief executive officer. It also protects the company against boardroom changes, either voluntary or enforced, and ensures success is not reliant on one personality.

6 Sentiment score

that of the chief executive officer at an es-

Source: alva

6.2

This implies that a healthy relation-

5.8 5.6 5.4 Cook Apple Neutral

5.2 5 30

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Figure 2: 60-day rolling average sentiment for Apple and Tim Cook (UK and US)

As the chief executive officer is responsible for setting the strategy and vision of the company, ideally they should also maintain a good reputation, reassuring stakeholders that the business is in good hands.

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

35

BRAND AND REPUTATION

But what is the dynamic when a major global brand persists with a high-profile leader? An

6.2

Figure 3 shows that despite Branson’s visible media-profile, his relationship with Virgin is similar to the pattern established with Apple and Amazon.

Sentiment score

obvious example of a celebrity figure head is Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson.

The strong reputation level of the main company takes prominence over its

5.8 5.6 5.4 Virgin Branson Neutral

5

lationship fluctuates in terms of which party is driving reputation.

While Virgin’s founder can affect the

6

5.2

most high-profile executive, though the re-

reputation of the brand, the brand isn’t re-

Source: alva Insights

6.4

31

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Figure 3: 60-day rolling average sentiment for Virgin Group and Richard Branson (UK and US) 60-day rolling average sentiment for Virgin Group and Richard Branson (UK and US)

liant on the founder. The chief executive officer can add value in good times and have confidence in the brand to take the lead if they encounter difficulties. a number of highly-successful start-ups, tive officers”. If the growth of these firms is largely attributed to the strong reputation of their leaders, is the model the same for these companies?

5.6 Sentiment score

primarily driven by “celebrity chief execu-

Source: alva

5.8

However, in recent years we have seen

5.4 5.2 5 Travis Kalanick Uber Neutral

4.8

Uber case study: the risks of a chief executive officer’s reputation outweighing the company’s

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Figure 4: 60-day rolling average sentiment for Uber and Travis Kalanick (UK and US)

Since Uber launched in summer 2010, it

President Trump during the controversial

When Uber was accused of profiteering from

has established itself as one of the most

travel ban. Claims of a rampant and un-

a subsequent strike, an estimated 200,000

successful start-up companies ever. Much

checked culture of sexism resulted in the

people deleted their Uber account.

of Uber’s success has been attributed to the

resignation of Kalanick as chief executive

driven but abrasive personality of its chief

officer in June this year.

executive officer, Travis Kalanick.

Despite being quick to issue a strong response to the travel ban, and resigning

Throughout 2016 Kalanick was a

from the advisory board, Kalanick was now

Uber’s growth has been built on dis-

positive asset, while the Uber brand had a

the focal point for criticism around a string

rupting an established industry through

slightly negative perception. Uber’s issues

of subsequent incidents.

lowering prices and improving convenience.

really started in late January with the exec-

By bending the rules and offering

The benefits of competitive pricing and con-

utive order restricting immigration from a

a disruptive service, Kalanick was helping

venience outweighing any negativity around

number of countries.

drive Uber’s rapid growth. However, these

employee pay and conditions.

Kalanick had joined Trump’s econom-

values were simultaneously permeating into

However, 2017 has been very challeng-

ic advisory board and the travel ban was

ing for Uber, with a string of controversies,

of particular concern among employees in

As the company had consistently

including multiple lawsuits, driver-less car

Uber’s sector, many of whom are immigrants

scored negatively, there were warning signs

crashes and Kalanick’s connections with

themselves.

that, should a reputational issue arise, the

36

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

the public’s perceptions of the Uber brand.

BRAND AND REPUTATION

CLOSING THE AUTHENTICITY GAP To succeed in a world where organisations and management are under increasing scrutiny, understanding expectations is fundamental. Companies must align what they say and how they behave with the shared perceptions of others. The pressure to bring brand and reputation together is driving the evolution of a new model, where the intersection of brand and reputation offers executives a new, single view of their organisation.

BY NIC K A N D R E W S

One of the main principles in the study shows

that a marketing message

that authenticity requires the synchronisa-

was authentic? Did you feel like you were getting the

plain truth about what what’s on offer, and why it might be a good option? In a world of digital meerkats and overly enthusiastic dance numbers about mundane services, a lot of brand communications seem somewhat confused. If you’re feeling a little lost in the sea of marketing messages, perhaps it’s because your instincts are telling you that something seems off.

Authenticity is a big deal. All companies want to be authentic, innovative and ethical because they feel this is the best way to reach their target audiences – and they’re right. Earning trust doesn’t come easily, and this is why it takes a little more than spectacle and talking animals to gain some real

“Understanding what authenticity is, and what drives it, lets a company focus on what matters most to their audiences.”

credibility. But how?

tion of brand and reputation – what you say about yourself, and what others say about you. To put it more simplistically, if you say your customer service is top of class but every customer complains of how they have been treated, we call that an Authenticity Gap. This gap can either be positive, where companies exceed expectations and surprise the stakeholder, or negative, where they fail to deliver on what is promised (or perceived to be a promise). As the negative gap increases, authenticity goes down.

The Nine Drivers Before embarking on authenticity research, we looked at how companies are judged and what drives their reputation. This research told us there are nine drivers of reputation.

Authenticating authenticity

Splitting these into three interconnected groups with three drivers each, they consist of management behaviours, customer benefits and society outcomes. However,

While it is difficult to define authenticity in

To further explore this, FleishmanHillard

it’s important to note that these drivers are

the communications space, there’s no doubt

has been conducting research on authenticity

not all weighted the same. The ones which

that those who are seen to have it do better

since 2013 and found that businesses can have

relate to customer benefits are among the

– especially in an age where corporate and

an ‘Authenticity Gap’. Spanning across five

most valuable, addressing areas of customer

marketing messages surround us at nearly

countries and thousands of companies, the

service, better value and innovation.

every moment of the day. Understanding

latest report was published earlier this year

Across every market and sector in-

what authenticity is, and what drives it, lets

with some important learnings for corporate

cluded in the study, these customer-centric

a company focus on what matters most to

communicators looking to break through

drivers account for (on average) 51 per cent of

their audiences.

the noise.

the impact on reputation, with the remaining

38

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

SAMPLER

W

hen was the last time you felt

BRAND AND REPUTATION

but equally significant is both customer care

Man

ag

and, increasingly, transparency on how prodem

en

countries studied, 81.6 per cent of consumers, agreed with the statement that “I expect

eh

Doing right

ucts are made. For example, across the five tb

Society o utc o

s

me

ur

s

io

Consistent performance

av

Care of environment

companies to be more transparent about the source of materials and manufacturing of their products.”.The question, therefore, of

Credible communications

Community impact

how much a company can and should reveal of the inner workings of its organisation and activities continues to grow in importance.

Working out loud, if you like, will almost certainly have to become the new normal.

Global companies are also expected

Better value Employee care

to take a lead when it comes to larger-scale social movements. Just under 74 per cent of those questioned expected major companies

Innovation

to go beyond their mandatory regulations

Customer care

e Custom

r be

fi ne

ts

and be drivers for improving social issues.

However, it seems they need to work more on their environmental credentials, with 61 per cent of people experiencing a significant authenticity gap when it came to green matters.

The echo chambers

The Nine Drivers of Authenticity

number split by the other six. With so much

fall into three, interconnected

budget usually devoted to purely customer

groups – Management Behaviours,

benefits, companies can often run the risk

One of the most prolific new phrases of 2017,

Society Outcomes, andCustomer

of neglecting six other drivers and leaving

‘fake news’ may be used in a humorous con-

Benefits – each with three individual

their reputation in these areas in the hands

text by most people, but it does show just how

drivers.

of outside parties.

little people have grown to trust what they

Society outcomes •

Taking better care of employees

•

Contributing to society in a way that

•

Great expectations

hear or see. When consumers were asked by FleishmanHillard, only 11 per cent of consumers thought that company leaders could be considered as credible sources. Politicians

has a better impact on my community

The 2017 Authenticity Gap report shone light

fared much more poorly at a lowly four per

Taking better care of the environment

on new data and put forward new ideas for

cent. However, respondents were three times

those who are responsible for creating and

more likely to trust the actual employees of a

Management behaviours

maintaining their company’s authenticity. It

company, who alongside friends and family

•

More committed to doing

shows, for example, that better value is both

were most likely giving more anecdotal infor-

the right thing

the greatest expectation and the source of

mation, which naturally has more credibility

Having more consistent and

most disappointment in almost every country

than a company line.

stable financial and operational

that were studied. It ranks in the top three

When comparing the trust levels be-

performance

drivers in 86 per cent or more of sectors

tween corporate messaging and information

Communicating more frequently

in every country except Germany, where

shared by other stakeholders, it’s clear to see

and credibly

companies appear to be better at meeting

which one feels more authentic. Humans

customer expectations on value. In four of

have been telling stories for thousands of

Customer benefits

the five countries, 70 per cent or more of

years as a primary way of passing knowledge,

•

these companies show gaps.

but in the modern age, a corporate overtone

•

•

Offering products and services that are better value

This is compounded by an increased

has muddled the way we communicate and

•

Taking better care of customers

definition of value, pushing way beyond just

•

Innovating new and better products

price. Product characteristics, innovative

This is not particularly surprising

and services

features and social cachet plat their part,

when you think about just how many people

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

created a tangible disconnect.

39

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BRAND AND REPUTATION

50 WAYS TO FIND YOUR LOVER Relationships are hard work. After the first giddy infatuation, for a relationship to succeed in the long run it requires patience, compromise, give and take – and a reasonable agreed-upon level of payment. (We’re talking, of course, about the relationship between brands and online influencers)

BY AST R I D D EI L M A N N

W

hen we first fell in love, it

aka “ungespielt” (@unge on Twitter and Ins-

tweets, and Instagram-posts during those two

was a typical foul weather,

tagram) simply swept us of our feet. Being a

summer weeks helped stopping the Brazilian

mid-January Cologne after-

smart, funny, warm hearted yet slightly shy

government from issuing a new law that would

noon. We had come in by

guy who adored WWF’s work, he directly

have destroyed one of the world’s most crucial

train from Berlin, and the three of us had

leaped into our hearts. We parted after several

protected areas. When he asked his subscribers

used the four hours ride to discuss how we

hours seeing the darkening grey Cologne sky

to sign a WWF-petition to protect the Amazon,

wanted the upcoming meeting to work out.

through rose-coloured glasses.

our petition tool cracked. Too many people

My colleague Marco was all business about

From that point on, we did typical

wanted to sign within minutes. At the end,

it, while Anne suggested listening to our guts.

love-bird stuff. Simon and WWF embarked on

50,000 mostly young Germans had added their

Right she was. When we finally met

an adventurous journey, first just a fab night

voices to a global WWF campaign to protect

one of the most hyped, top 10 YouTubers

when he supported our global event Earth

protected areas. #VivaAmazonia!

in Germany, we instantly fell in love. On a

Hour in March 2015, later for a full-blown trip

Looking back, a lot of our early work

professional level, of course, but Simon Unge

to the Brazilian Amazon. Simon’s daily vlogs,

with a popular influencer could have gone

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

41

BRAND AND REPUTATION

wrong. We didn’t have a contract; we had

scrutiny was demanded, I don’t believe that a

no say whatsoever in what he as a creator

lot of today’s brand-influencer relationships

uploaded onto his channels; Simon did not receive any money from working with us and could have pulled out at the last minute.

Lingering rumours Then, of course, there were the critics, and there was hate speech. After a firestorm in 2011 caused by outrageous false allegations by a freelance journalist, WWF Germany’s reputation online had suffered. Although a court decision had made it absolutely clear that there was nothing to that sloppy piece on television (that later was “enriched” by a sloppy book), rumours lingered. When some of Simon’s subscribers started to bash WWF, he answered with a 15-minute “Real Talk” typical for YouTube, setting things straight.

Without involving us in any kind, he rose to our defence like an angry tiger.

Why did our team-up with Simon Unge turn out to be such a huge success? I believe it was an all- time favourite of mankind: trust.

We trusted each other completely. This rare instant trust derived from a perfect fit. To quote from the best movie about love ever: “I knew. I knew the way you know about a good melon.” (yes, that’s from Rob Reiner’s 1989 classic When Harry met Sally.) Simon Unge just was the natural born brand advocate for us.

“Influencers should be reasonably paid for good influential content that drives brand engagement and conversions... Reasonably and conversions are the keywords in that sentence.

Tit for tat.”

would stand up to it.

An influencer goldrush?

In April 2016, John Hall wrote a piece in Forbes, titled “The Influencer Marketing Gold Rush is Coming”, observing that in times of ad block and ad fraud, influencer marketing seems to be the perfect answer. At least as perfect as social marketing and content marketing, which solved all of our problems, too, right?

Working with influencers is just one more tool in the public relations and marketing toolkit. It can be an enormously powerful and beneficial one for both sides. But we are about to break it. In a moment I’ll tell you why.

But first let’s go back to John Hall and his article in Forbes. He made a very important distinction between earned and paid influencer marketing companies: “Earned marketing stems from unpaid or preexisting relationships with influencers (…). For example, Patrón has a ton of influencer advocates for its tequila; these people drink the liquor regularly and endorse the product because they enjoy it.

On the other hand, you have the paid arm of influencer marketing, in which brands employ the Kardashians to tweet about their products or services.”

We shared the same values and we

To put it bluntly: with the first you

shared the same vision. We respected each

build reputation, the second gives you reach

other’s work, each other’s brands, and we

(before it gives the reach to 23 other products

adored each other on a personal level. Al-

over the next couple of weeks). Don’t get me

though initially brought together by a net-

wrong, I like reach. I know it’s important,

work, Divimove, we established personal

and what it can do for a brand is common

bonds. Talking with Simon did not mean

textbook knowledge. The thing is, though,

talking with his management.

why should I settle for reach if I could have

On the other hand, we liked each oth-

interactions, real engagement, reputational

er’s friends (something that, if it doesn’t work

gain plus precious conversions?

out, can kill off relationships – you knew that

Please embrace my following plea

one already). For instance, Simon’s friend Jo-

wholeheartedly: do not smash the potential

seph Bolz aka “DeChangeman” accompanied

of influencer relations by settling for reach.

us on our trip to the Amazon. Today, this great

Do not break this promising tool.

guy is the brain behind a lot of what’s going

Buying a testimonial to promote a

on at WWF Germany’s YouTube channel.

product is neither new nor particularly de-

The thing is: true love is hard to find.

manding, budget restrictions left aside. But

I dare say that you remember very vividly

in the long run it poses a set of difficulties. It

how many people you dated until you found

may ruin the good idea of perfectly matched

someone you had more than just fun with. If

brands and influencers forever.

42

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS

THE PRIORITY IS DIGITAL AND SOCIAL – BUT PRACTITIONERS LACK SKILLS IN NEW TECHNIQUES Insights from the second Asia-Pacific Communication Monitor.

A

s in the previous Asia-Pacific

This is both good and bad news. On the one

Communication Monitor survey

hand, the results show that practitioners in

in 2015/16, communication practitioners in Asia Pacific see coping

with the digital evolution and the social web as the most important strategic issue facing the sector over the next few years.

Coping with the digital evolution and the social web is a major concern to every second participant in the study and is consistent across companies, government, non-profit organisations and consultancies and agencies.

Of these, practitioners in Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand are most concerned with these challenges, these being given less importance in Japan, Australia and Vietnam.

In addition, a number of other digitally related concerns have overtaken other strategic issues, including building and maintaining trust which comes only seventh in Asia-Pacific practitioner’s priorities. Matching the need to address more audiences and channels with limited resources, using big data and/or algorithms for communication, and dealing with the speed and volume of information flow were all ranked within the top five most important issues for the field. Nearly one third of the participants support this view. Big

“Coping with the digital evolution, the social web and other related concerns have overtaken other strategic issues, including building and maintaining trust.”

the region are more aware of the importance of digital media and the social web and ready to allocate more time to them. However, other findings show practitioners mainly use social media for distributing messages rather than interactive engagement. Also, practitioners lack technical skills in using important digital technologies.

Digital dominates – and is shifting to mobile More than 90 per cent of the communication practitioners see social media and social networks as important channels for communication with stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences. Their perceived importance has grown strongly since the previous survey in 2015/16, when 75 per cent rated social media as important and when those channels were rated second behind traditional press and media relations with print newspapers or magazines.

The shift to mobile communications is even stronger in Asia Pacific, with 83.8 per cent

data and algorithms are seen as particularly

of practitioners rating mobile communication

important in Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam,

via phone or tablet applications and mobile

but less focused in Australia, New Zealand

websites as an important communication

and Malaysia.

channel – an increase of 17.3 per cent since the

44

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

SAMPLER

BY ANA A D I A N D J I M M AC N A M A R A

INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS

Coping with the digital evolution and the social web

48.9% 53.1%

Linking business strategy and communication

34.9% 41.0%

Dealing with the speed and volume of information flow

33.5% 30.4%

Matching the need to address more audiencies and channels with limited resources

30.3% 29.7%

Strengthening the role of the communication function in supporting top-nanagement decision

28.6% 30.1%

Building and maintaining trust

26.8% 31.2%

Dealing with the demand for more transparency and active audiences

21.4% 26.2%

Dealing with sustainable development and social responsibility

21.3% 19.3%

Explaining the value of communication to top executives

14.2% 10.8%

2017

2015

Figure 1: Changing importance of strategic issues: more concerns about information overload, sustainable development and value creation

Social media and social networks (Blogs, Twitter, Weibo and the like)

90.4% 75.0%

+15.4

Mobile communication (phone/tablet apps, mobile websites)

83.8% 66.5%

+17.3

Press and media relations with online newspapers/ magazines

83.3% 73.2%

+10.1

Online communication via websites, e-mail, intranets

82.7% 73.6%

+9.1

Face-to-face communication

74.9% 71.2%

+3.7

Press and media relations with TV and radio stations

67.0% 66.8%

+0.2

Events

63.3% 59.8%

+3.5

Press and media relations with print newspapers/ magazines

61.5% 76.5%

-15.0

Corporate publishing/owned media (customer/ employee magazines)

52.6% 39.1%

+13.6

Non-verbal communication (appearance, architecture)

50.3% 42.3%

+8.0

2017

2015

Figure 2: Development of communication channels since 2015: Mobile, social and owned media are clearly on the rise.

Perceived importance for addressing stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences in 2015 and 2017

previous Asia-Pacific Communication Monitor

As digital and social media are perceived as

and importance of social media influencers

survey. China, Taiwan and the Philippines

more important (Figure 1 on next page), it is

(SMIs) – people online who others follow and

are leading the field here. The shift from the

not surprising that practitioners assign more

from whom they take a lead or advice in relation

traditional PESO (paid, earned, shared, owned)

importance to their associated channels and

to buying products or services, identification

model of media use to SOEP (shared, owned,

devices.

of fashion trends, and even voting in elections.

The rise of social media influencers

tion practitioners in Asia Pacific agree that so-

tioners rating owned media as important in

A new trend, evident in marketing communi-

the use of other social media, are important for

2017/18 compared with 39.1 per cent in 2015/16).

cation in particular, is identification of the role

their organisations’ communication activities.

earned, paid) which we noted in the 2015/2016 edition continues, with corporate publishing such as customer and employee magazines, now predominantly in digital form, having increased in priority (52.6 per cent of practi-

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

More than 70 per cent of communicacial media influencers, defined as new types of independent third party endorsers who shape audience attitudes through blogs, tweets and

45

INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS

FUTURE STEPS From going mobile to content continuity – these are the top five priorities for internal communications in Asia.

SAMPLER

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BY K ATR I N A A N D R E W S

I

t is the age of the millennial. Today, around

It is a generation that is challenging the status

earlier. However, Australia notably recorded a

one quarter of the Asian workforce was born

quo, and seeking new ways of working.

three point improvement over the period. The

between 1980 and 2000 and the proportion

At the same time, employee engage-

report suggests that rewards and recognition

is only going to rise. It is a workforce that is

ment levels across the region are slipping. The

programs are essential to good engagement.

technologically-savvy, less driven by financial

most recent AON Trends in Global Employee

Against this background, at our recent

rewards than its baby boomer predecessor,

Engagement report found that just 62 per cent

internal communication Leadership Series

but also believes that its views are every bit as

of employees in Asia Pacific can be classed

round table in Hong Kong, we asked partici-

relevant as colleagues with 20 years’ experience.

as engaged, against 65 per cent just one year

pants what they felt were the biggest challenges

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

49

INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS

within internal communications this year, and

computers during the working day. The chal-

regions or countries. Exploiting its full potential

the overwhelming response was the need to

lenge, however, is to create a communications

requires high-speed broadband connections, so

Go Mobile.

strategy that exploits the advantage of a mobile

this is problematic. Downloading films, using

interface. The two most popular activities on

social media or accessing intranets can be a

Their top five priorities are

social media in Southeast Asia, according to

slow process. To put the issue into context,

1.

Going mobile

professional services firm Deloitte, are photo

data from ITU suggests Europe has 144,315 bits

2.

Equipping leaders in storytelling

taking and social networking. Simply distrib-

of international bandwidth per internet user,

3.

Integrating internal and external

uting information in a format more suitable

more than six times that of the Asian Pacific

communications

to a desktop or staff newsletter is unlikely to

and more than 20 times that of the less devel-

Building a culture of integrity and

promote engagement.

oped Asian countries. This is not a problem

4.

advocacy 5.

Building content continuity across Asia’s vast markets.

that internal communication professionals can

IT inertia

solve. A range of factors are at play, including policy and regulatory frameworks, along with the need for governments to work with inter-

Millennials, and the upcoming Generation Z, are

But the need to go mobile and the ability to go

net providers and facilitate the installation of

smart phone savvy. They have grown up with

mobile are, perhaps, two separate issues. In siloed

necessary physical infrastructures. LinkedIn’s

broadband, smartphones, laptops and social

businesses, much of the challenge for internal

Asia Pacific managing director recently said

media. Their lives – both personal and pro-

communication professionals relates simply

that, to accommodate these issues, they’re mod-

fessional – revolve around their handsets, and

to engaging with IT and working with them to

ifying some of their products. For example, in

every aspect, from finance to fitness, is managed

address the issue. There can be reluctance among

India they now have LinkedIn Lite, which is a

via apps. They are entering the workforce with

IT departments to allow employees to use their

revamped version of their mobile experience

a better knowledge of technology than their

personal mobile devices for work purposes,

dedicated to low-bandwidth, pre-paid markets.

senior colleagues.

believing that this can create vulnerabilities in

A new way of thinking

But they are not alone in their addiction.

the internal systems and potentially opens the

Smartphone adoption continues to rise across

door to cyber-attacks. But at a time when smart-

the region, and this year, it is estimated that 3.7

phones are viewed as status symbols, insisting

billion Asians will own a smartphone. Malaysia

that employees swap to an IT-approved handset

has the highest adoption of messaging apps in

for work purposes could be counterproductive.

Going mobile means that the old rules no longer

the world; Singapore has the second highest

Meanwhile, budgets are under constant pressure

apply. Communicating via mobile requires new

smartphone adoption rate at 83 per cent of the

making IT spend unlikely. Thus, if going mobile

thinking. Email correspondence is not the solu-

population, closely followed by Hong Kong on

is to become a reality, internal communication

tion. The rise of online news publications such

81 per cent; while the average Filipino spends

professionals must recognise that they need to

as Buzzfeed has taught us that a tweet can be

six to seven hours a day on the phone.

start talking the language of IT professionals,

a story, that a relevant infographic is more

and to listen to their concerns. Diplomacy may

impactful than 1,000 words of copy and that

be key to negotiating small victories.

listicles – seven things you always wanted to

It is no wonder that going mobile is seen as a priority among internal communication professionals. It also provides a new channel

This drive to going mobile is also hin-

know about X – are compelling click bait. Inter-

to engage employees who may work in remote

dered by the lack of bandwidth (which is akin to

nal communication professionals are starting

locations or have minimal access to desktop

the width of highways in road travel) in certain

to think differently about how they deliver the corporate story. It could be demystifying financial results for colleagues using simple infographics or sharing simple Q&A sessions with key managers.

“In siloed businesses, much of the challenge for internal communication professionals relates simply to engaging with IT.”

The need to do more with less is the reality internal communication professionals face – especially in APAC. It is a situation that is unlikely to change. It means that repurposing content becomes increasingly important, allowing one article to be used across multiple platforms in a manner that suits each individual channel. All internal communication should also be written as if for an external audience, thus if it happens to appear on a media outlet, embarrassment is avoided. This means internal and

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WO U L D YO U L I K E TO EXCH A N G E K N O W L E D G E , EXP ER I E N C E S A N D I N SIG H T S W I TH YOU R COMMU N IC AT I O N S P EE R S ACRO S S A S I A PACIFI C?

T H EN J O I N U S A N D S H A P E A S I A PACI F I C ’ S F I R S T N E T W O R K F O R I N - HO U S E C O M M U N I C ATO R S

The Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors (APACD) provides a network for mid- to senior-level in-house communication professionals from all fields and industries across Asia Pacific to exchange knowledge and generate solutions to the challenges that face the communication profession.

The APACD is designed to foster a pan-regional communication culture as a strong voice in an increasingly globalised world.

www.apacd.com Twitter: @apacdonline

ISSUE FOCUS

Strategy and the CCO 60

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What is strategy?

Building business growth through governance

Doing more with less

Understanding the different definitions of strategy can help chief communication officers in their counselling of the CEO and the C-suite

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How getting to grips with governance helped the communications function at Volvo Construction Equipment improve its strategic influence

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

Too busy to be strategic? We present a few practical tips on how to be more strategic in your work when you don’t have time or energy to do more

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An executive definition

The boundary spanner

How do some of the leading executive search firms define, describe and help develop the profile of the chief communications officer?

A new management tool reflects the multiple roles of today’s communications executives

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What is strategy?

Understanding the different definitions of strategy can help chief communication officers in their counselling of the CEO and the C-suite, as well as in their own attempts to support the larger corporate strategy.

BY C R A I G E . CA RRO L L

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ISSUE FOCUS

ISSUE FOCUS

Strategy is one of the most important concepts for chief communication officers, yet also one of the least understood. Everyone knows of its importance. The echoes of critique, “You have no strategy,” “That’s too tactical,” “That’s a bad strategy!” combined with the advent of strategic communications, planning, counsel and management, only reinforce the belief that communication professionals must develop strategy and strategic plans, as well as think strategically. Greater precision in our ways of thinking and talking about strategy will help us gain greater clarity in the development, discussion and execution of strategy. It will also give us a better understanding of the immense value that strategy brings to the work of chief communication officers.

But what exactly is strategy, how do we know it when we see it, and are we clear on why we need it?

Consulting the classic work of strategic management researcher Henry Mintzberg provides guidance on this. Mintzberg offered five definitions and types of strategy that we will review to discuss how understanding the fine points between strategic thinking and planning help communication professionals in their field. We will focus on how this improves communication professionals’ counseling to the chief executive officer, the rest of the C-suite or the board, as well as their personal design and execution of communication strategy in support of the larger corporate strategy.

Five types of strategy Let’s start with Mintzberg’s unpacking of the different types of strategies. An intended strategy is one that is planned before action takes place. An emergent strategy is one that is not intended or planned ahead of time, but emerges step by step. A deliberate strategy is one that is intended and is seen through to realisation. Once it is discovered, however, an emergent strategy can become deliberate. A realised strategy is a strategy that is accomplished. It may be the result of a deliberate strategy or an emergent strategy. Finally,

Intended Strategy

Deliberate Strategy

Unrealised Strategy

Realsed Strategy

Emergent Strategy

Figure 1: Five types of strategies (Note. Adapted from Mintzberg and Waters (1985)

an unrealised strategy is one that is planned ahead of time but abandoned before realisation.

Five definitions of strategy Mintzberg also offers five definitions of strategy: 1. A strategy is a plan. It is a consciously intended course of action and a set of guidelines for dealing with situations in routine or formulaic ways. Here, strategy is a unified, comprehensive, and integrated plan designed to ensure that an organisation’s objectives are achieved. From this definition, strategies have two characteristics: they are made in advance and they are developed purposefully.

2. A strategy is a pattern. That is, it is a pattern of actions in a stream of behaviour, without necessarily having a plan. Through adaptation or improvisation, a routine emerges from constant refinement. This is where an intended strategy emerges from a pattern of action and then becomes the strategy. Alternatively, others may observe the pattern, routine or consistency in behaviour, infer a strategy and then label it so, whether or not a strategy was intended.

3. A strategy is a position. Here, strategy is a way to locate an organisation in the context of its environment. It describes the organisation’s choice of where in the market or environment it concentrates resources. This view of strategy is not focused on contending with one competitor but with all competitors, or on avoiding competition altogether. Likewise, this view allows for collaboration.

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BOOKS

Communications reader

LEADE R S HI P

SAMPLER

Motivation with a cause The growing recognition that employee engagement, reputation and relationships are all deciding factors in the success or otherwise of organisations puts a new focus on the leadership: leaders who can inspire and engage, who nourish relationships and are generally as strong figurehead to the team have an advantage over their less successful competitors. As Kevin Murray spells out in his new book, leaders who communicate a defined mission, alongside clear and genuine values, allow their employees to feel a sense of purpose in their roles and embody

D I G I TA L

From products to needs to experiences

their company's vision: this inspires engagement, loyalty

Creating products that serve a defined function is no longer sufficient: in an age

and a powered-up performance. People with Purpose fea-

of “smart” objects connected by the Internet of Things, companies that want to

tures a collection of persuasive research into how to cre-

remain competitive have to develop products that reimagine the relationship bet-

ate a valuable framework that integrates purpose, valu-

ween user and product, and carve out new, previously unimagined needs and ser-

es and goals on a single page in order to articulate their

vices. That’s the premise for The Inversion Factor, where the authors describe the

organization's unique vision to employees and stakehol-

impact of IoT through three different perspectives : the Internet of Things (de-

ders. Alongside interviews with chief executive officers –

vices connected to the Internet), the Intelligence of Things (devices that host soft-

several who have turned their organisations around from

ware applications) and the Innovation of Things (devices that become experien-

a state of near-collapse – the work of neuroscientists is

ces). A tour of the companies that are leading the way in IoT – including obvious

mined for evidence for why purpose matters more in a

names such as Amazon, Google, Tesla and Apple alongside less well-known com-

digitally connected and transparent world.

panies like Tile, Visenti, and Augury, offers practical lessons for businesses that are eager to follow their example and invert the product-customer relationship.

People with Purpose: How great leaders use purpose to build thriving organizations by Kevin Murray;

The Inversion Factor: How to thrive in the IoT Economy by Linda Bernardi,

Kogan Page, February 2017

Sanjay Sarma and Kenneth Traub; MIT Press, October 2017

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IMPRINT Editor in Chief Dafydd Phillips info@communication-director.com Art Direction Jeferson Brito Andrade, Veronika Neubauer Layout & Design Veronika Neubauer Pre-production Daniel Tronicke Illustrations Chaim Garcia Photo Editor Jana Lengler

L E A D E RSH I P

Power behind the throne

IN N OVAT I ON

Mindfulness at work

Not everyone wants to be no. 1. Ask any chief communications officer, whose work conceals the art of communications in order to focus the spotlight on the chief executive officer, or promote the organisation in the right tier one media. What’s the psychology of someone who

With a background in investment banking and business

devotes their working life to advising, suppor-

administration, Gretchen Steidle brings a fresh perspecti-

ting, and, to all intents and purposes, staying

ve to the already-heavily subscribed field of what could be

invisible? The choice of “consiglieri” – with its

called “mindfulness-lit.”: a documentary maker, interna-

connotations of The Godfather (consigliere is

tional aid worker, and a CNN Hero in Haiti for her work

a position within the leadership structure of

providing support for survivors of the earthquake the-

the Sicilian, Calabrian and American Mafia)

re, Steidle’s book pitches mindfulness practices head to

and sinister, secretive rooms deep in the Do-

head with wider social change. Leading from Within de-

ge’s Palace in Venice – as a title for what is

scribes how self-awareness shapes inspirational leaders,

essentially a business book could be seen as

argues for the neuroscientific and psychotherapeutic be-

an ironic choice: a shadowy figure, pulling the

nefits of mindfulness, calls for compassion for the needs

strings, unaccountable. But this book is a ce-

and perspectives of all stakeholders, and offers a roadmap

lebration of what it takes to “kick the craving

for integrating mindfulness into every aspect of social ch-

for recognition” and instead offer counselling

ange. Steidle’s five capacities of conscious social change –

and advice to the boss. From anchor to advi-

Creating Presence, Becoming Whole, Ensuring Well-Being,

sor, first lieutenants to first violins, Consiglie-

Engaging Mindfully and Leading from Within: if you’re

ri is a modern-day classic, rich in literary and

the kind of reader who tends to reject such easy catego-

historical illusions without being glib, combi-

risations, Leading from Within - with its vividly-written

ning interviews with leaders in sport, business,

style that never loses sight of the bigger picture – could

politics and music and research from psycho-

be the book to change your mind.

logists and academics to produce a new take on true leadership.

Leading from Within: Conscious Social Change and Mindfulness for social innovation by Gretchen Ki

Consiglieri: Leading from the Shadows, by

Steidle; MIT Press, November 2017

Richard Hytner; June 2014

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR 4/2017

Advertising Helge Schlüter helge.schlueter@quadriga-media.com Website Melanie Kuhles, Simon Mista Publishers Rudolf Hetzel, Marc-Oliver Voigt Subscription 1350 HKD annually for four editions of the print magazine, access to online archives and receipt of monthly newsletter. Members of the Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors (APACD) receive a subscription to the magazine as part of their membership. subscribe@communication-director.com Online www.communication-director.com Twitter @codimag Printing PieReg Druckcenter Berlin GmbH, Benzstraße 12, 12277 Berlin Last words “A brilliant strategy is, certainly, a matter of intelligence, but intelligence without audaciousness is not enough.“ Garry Kasparov, FastCompany.com, September 2004

Publisher and editorial address Quadriga Media Room 1104 Crawford House 70 Queen’s Road, Central Hong Kong Tel: 852 / 5801 0913 Fax: 030 / 84 85 92 00 info@quadriga-media.com

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ASSOCIATION

Contents 86 APCS 2017 Looking back at this year’s Asia-Pacific Communications Summit

Recent highlights from APACD’s calendar

89 New members We welcome the latest communications professionals to join the APACD

The audience hears Azran Osman-Rani‘s keynote / Photo: Vivek Prakash

APCS 2017 Review of this year’s Asia-Pacific Communications Summit

W

hen the marketing for the 2017 Asia-Pacific Communication Summit talked about post-digital communications, it meant more than detoxing from our devices. Instead, it described a way of communicating that is more concerned with being authentic, being human and being truly relevant. In a world sa-

turated with voice-operated assistants, digital identities and connected devices, mobile communication is affecting us on a biological and emotional level. And Asia Pacific is on top of the digital game, leading the world in growth, access and penetration.

How can corporate communicators act as responsible drivers for this development?

How can they promote conversations true in voice, message and impact? With what tools can they replicate that face-to-face feeling over remote devices, and how should they deliver messages that matter, and that stand out from the crowd, rather than adding to the post-factual information flood?

For the third Asia-Pacific Communications Summit, the APACD was excited to be back in Hong Kong, a city fuelled by creativity and innovation. Once again, the Summit gathered innovators and leading experts from the field to engage in meaningful discussion and debate .

Highlights include a keynote by Azran Osman-Rani, business innovator and chief executive officer of iflix Malaysia who spoke about building a challenger brand and accelerating it regionally. One of the leading business innovators in Asia and the leader of several ‘attacker’ businesses from start-up to IPO, Azran shared his belief that organisations and corporations can deploy similar structures, focus and creativity that single-minded entrepreneurs have used to create break-through business models and innovative products and services.

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A line-up of trophies ready to be collected at this year’s Asia-Pacific Communications Awards / Photo: Vivek Prakash

Alan Hilburg, president and chief executive officer of Hilburg/Malan and the author of two New York Times best sellers on leader -ship,

ASIA-PACIFIC COMMUNICATIONS AWARDS 2017: WINNERLIST

used his keynote to explore the CEO perspective on the “five gravest challenges to strategic communication.” Recent research in Hong Kong and globally point to high performance teams and dramatically rebooted expectations by senior leadership for strategic contributions from their communication executives over the next three

1. Campaign by a Company: Shell Driving Social Experiment 2. Campaign by an Institution, NGO or Association Human Rights Commission: Give Nothing to Racism

years. Alan’s message came through loud and clear: chief executive

3. Agency of the Year Strategic Public Relations

officers will be carefully measuring and evaluating their communi-

4. Young Communicator of the Year

cations professionals in 2020, so communications directors need to

Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board:

underline their strategic relevance.

Meg Rayner – Strong, Fit, Focused campaign

Other stand-out presentations included best case presentations from organisations as diverse as Kaspersky Lab, British Council, GE, WWF Singapore, Avantha Group and many more; expert sessions on avoiding reputation meltdowns via stakeholder engagement, making the most of WeChat for business, and employer branding.

5. Internal and Change Communications Adfactors PR: Frequency - The Voice of Adfactors PR 6. Issues & Reputation Management Cabrini Health: Cementing Cabrini‘s future for the next 50 years: addressing opposition to a new clinical building 7. Publication Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India: The Colour Of White 8. Social Media & Viral Communications Megaworld Corporation: #TownshipsAreUs 9. Film & Video Central Provident Fund Board Singapore: CPF Big ‚R‘ Chat 10. Online Platform SMRT Corporation: SMRTConnect 2.0 11. Corporate Responsibility LIXIL Corporation: Tackling the sanitation crisis 12. Event & Interactive Experience Steinway Piano Asia Pacific: Steinway Spirio: The 2016 Greater China Tour 13. Multi-Channel Communications Deoleo: Making Bertolli and Olive oil Famous in Thailand 14. Storytelling HSBC: HSBC in Hong Kong – A Virtual Story 15. Brand Relationship Globe Telecom: WonderfulPH 16. Launch & Relaunch Porsche Asia Pacific: What is Courage?

Winners congratulated on stage / Photo: Vivek Prakash

17. Content Marketing Capping the event was the Asia-Pacific Communications Awards,

CLP Power Hong Kong: CLP Power Your Love Programme

which provided a glamorous addition to the Summit programme, celebrating the finest communications work in Asia Pacific: views of the iconic Victoria Harbour provided a fitting backdrop to the evening’s celebrations.

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