New Corporate Communication Thinking:Why Corporations should stop talking to target groups and start creating dialogues with stakeholder groups
A PR Professional 1985
A PR Professional 2008
Things have changed
Who is in control?
“The power is with the consumer. Consumers are beginning, in a very real sense, to own our brands and participate
in their creation. We need to begin to learn to let it go…”
- A.G. Lafley, CEO, P&G Company
“The power is with the consumer. Consumers are beginning, in a very real sense, to own our brands and participate
in their creation. We need to begin to learn to let it go…”
- A.G. Lafley, CEO, P&G Company
INFLUENCEInstead of
Control
Uncontrolled messages are trusted more than controlled
Focus group of thousands
Companies must create trust between their brands and stakeholders
Allows you to be more influential in controlled media
Real time
Reputation Mgt Invest in
RELATIONSHIPSNot Transactions
Risk is inNOT
Participating
Push messages may drive a one-time action, whereas dialogue can build advocacy
Invest in building relationships to generate self-propagating conversations and brand loyalty
Conversations are happening with or without you
Companies who do not participate risk being seen as irrelevant and out of touch
Audiences do not want or respond to marketing messages, but they are open to conversations
Unstructured nature of digital media creates new participation opportunities
Identify what messages you want to amplify or minimize versus where you can influence versus control
Key thoughts
How digital is playing out
Flickr user Bennet sees Target Ad on Times SquarePuts photo with critical comment and tags on FlickrWeblog Shapingyouth.org writes a critical article and contacts Target‘s communication team to get a statement
“The power is with the consumer. Consumers are beginning, in a very real sense, to own our brands and participate
in their creation. We need to begin to learn to let it go…”
- A.G. Lafley, CEO, P&G Company
How digital is playing out
“Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not
participate with nontraditional media outlets … This practice is in place to
allow us to focus on publications that
reach our core guest.”
Target’s media team
How digital is playing out
Now, news really flies:More Bloggers jump on the story (approx 7‘000 blog posts on topic)Traditional mass media press picks up the storyPressure on target leads to media policy shift
How digital is playing out
Weblog
Weblog
Weblog
Weblog
The return to more intimate customer interactionsIn
tima
cy o
f the
Inte
ract
ion
Pre 1930’s
Merchant to
Customer
Present
DialogueAge
1930’s - Present
MassMarketing
We arehere
Changing Paradigms
Media
Individual Individual
Media
Way Back Yesterday
Media
Individual
Social Media
Today
Multi-Stakeholder Dimensions
“There is a much greater level of scrutiny of the purpose, vision and values aspects of a company now than 5 years ago”
Strongly agree 58%
Somewhat agree 34%
Somewhat disagree 7%
Strongly Disagree 2%
Q: Thinking about businesses generally, do you agree there is greater scrutiny on vision and values?
Corporate Communications in 2008
Arthur W. Page Society (www.awpagesociety.com): White paper „The authentic company“
What does all this mean for a company CCO:1. Leadership in defining and instilling company values2. Leadership in building and managing multi-stakeholder
relationships3. Leadership in enabling the enterprise with „new media“
skills and tools4. Leadership in building and managing trust in all
dimensions
What are CEOs or Communications Officers doing about it?
10 ways to sell Social Media to your CEO
10
Your customers build their opinions increasinglyonline and through SM
1
Percentage who would be swayed to purchase when reading a positive review from a consumer or private individual on the internet
TEAMYour customers build their opinions increasinglyonline and through SM
You cannot manage crisis in a todays 7/24/365 world only through traditional media any more
2
Social media tools are more (cost) effective in reachingthe millions online
3
Social Media can act as a way to reduce customerservice or product development investments
4
SM helps you to differentiate and establish athought leadership platform
5
You learn more about the needs or concerns of your stakeholders if you listen or participate in a dialogue
6
Traditional Media is losing ground
Traditional media is still important, but user-generated media is rapidly growing
- New relationship between classic and digital Media
- Journalists get their stories online, they check information online
- Online news and online content creates its own influential dynamic
- The digital space serves as the memory of humanity
- Citizen journalism – Bloggers -> E-Fluentials
7
Important stakeholders such as NGOs run campaigns that can create great awareness at low cost
8
Many of your stakeholders have developed newexpectancies regarding „tonality“ from Corporations
Openness, directness, speed and authenticity
9
PERSPECTIVE
Deg
ree o
f In
flu
en
ce
Website
Discussion forums
Email marketing
Social network
Company blog
Search optimisatio
n
Third party blog
Product wikis
Online video
Wikipedia
Search marketing
Display advertising
Website dialogue
Low HighDegree of Control
You can learn step by step (monitoring, listening, from internal to external, selective participation)
10
High
Low High
Dep
th of
En
gag
em
en
t
Degree of Control
Collaboration
Communication Information
Conversation
TeamThe new playing field
High
Come gather 'round peopleWherever you roam
And admit that the watersAround you have grownAnd accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.If your time to you
Is worth savin'Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stoneFor the times they are a-changin'.
The Times they are a-changin‘
It all starts with listening
THANK YOU
www.b-m.chwww.crossmedia.b-m.chwww.twitter.com/bmswitzerland