Brand reputation is a vital pre - condition for the success of the corporate communications. Corporations that embrace CSR as a part of their activities build up trust amongst their stakeholders which increase considerably their reputation. The pressure from the NGOs, the authorities and the public impel corporations to adopt proactive approach to responsibility in order to comply with the new conditions and requirements.
Nowadays the lack of trust and credibility is a major problem that corporate PR professionals face. CSR requires certain level of transparency in the corporate activities which inevitably brings benefits to the brand’s reputation. As our guest speaker Zoe Arden pointed out when a company is distrusted 57% will believe negative information after hearing it 1-2 times while if it is trusted 25% will believe negative information after hearing it 1-2 times. In the new media age when crises arise more often than ever before and spread within minutes reaching millions of people the importance of trust and transparency is growing.
CSR ensures long – term benefits for the companies as it provides them with the opportunity to develop sustainable policy and activities which increase the company’s competitive advantages. The adoption of environmental friendly practices, for example, not only increases the brand reputation and sales, but it saves great amount of money and benefits the company financially. Ethical behaviour and CSR increase the credibility of the organisation which results in winning the client’s loyalty and trust.
CSR should be embraced by every member of the company and embedded in everyone’s job. Short – term initiatives which aim just to create an illusion of CSR are no longer an option. In order to be able to compete on the market in the near future it is advisable that corporations adopt CSR as an integrated part of all their activities and initiatives.
Business in the Community are the largest and one of the oldest national business-led coalitions dedicated to corporate responsibility. In 2008 the Co-operative Financial Services was named 'Company of the Year' by the organisation.
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Wednesday 6 April 2011
The secrets of successful political campaigning
The lack of trust in politicians and the electorate’s apathy challenge PR practitioners’ ability to engage the audience and win their support and votes. So what are the factors that affect the elections outcome and what should we keep in mind in order to develop a successful election campaign?
1. Brand building
Creating the politician’s identity is a very important element of the political campaigning which makes him/her stand out from the crowd. The emergence of social media also brings about a change in the way politicians should communicate with the public. In order to reach the hearts and minds of the voters every politician should adopt more personal approach to communication that highlights the human element and develops a personal image that would appeal to the audience.
2. Internal communication
The good communication within the party is vital factor which affects the election turnout. Being off- message can endanger the credibility of the party and lead to a decrease in public trust.
3. Message management
The campaign message should be related to the people’s hopes for a better life in the future. Obama’s slogan ‘Yes we can’ and the campaign posters embracing the idea of peace corresponded to the voters’ need of change. His message was also designed to appeal to the floating voters who have the power to change the election turnout.
4. Community engagement
What was so special and extraordinary about the Barack Obama’s campaign? Social media platforms were used not simply to communicate his message, but to connect the voters with each other and help them organise in local action communities.
5. Information and media management
It is the PR professionals’ job to make sure that the information that gets out is in conformity with the campaign message and the pre – election promises of the party. However, in the new media age it is hard to be in control of the message, but on the other hand engaging with the online communities gives PR practitioners the power to build stronger relationships with the voters and connect directly with them on a more personal level.
1. Brand building
Creating the politician’s identity is a very important element of the political campaigning which makes him/her stand out from the crowd. The emergence of social media also brings about a change in the way politicians should communicate with the public. In order to reach the hearts and minds of the voters every politician should adopt more personal approach to communication that highlights the human element and develops a personal image that would appeal to the audience.
2. Internal communication
The good communication within the party is vital factor which affects the election turnout. Being off- message can endanger the credibility of the party and lead to a decrease in public trust.
3. Message management
The campaign message should be related to the people’s hopes for a better life in the future. Obama’s slogan ‘Yes we can’ and the campaign posters embracing the idea of peace corresponded to the voters’ need of change. His message was also designed to appeal to the floating voters who have the power to change the election turnout.
4. Community engagement
What was so special and extraordinary about the Barack Obama’s campaign? Social media platforms were used not simply to communicate his message, but to connect the voters with each other and help them organise in local action communities.
5. Information and media management
It is the PR professionals’ job to make sure that the information that gets out is in conformity with the campaign message and the pre – election promises of the party. However, in the new media age it is hard to be in control of the message, but on the other hand engaging with the online communities gives PR practitioners the power to build stronger relationships with the voters and connect directly with them on a more personal level.
Monday 4 April 2011
Social marketing - a new way to live your life
Marketing principles could be used not only to drive sales up but to deliver social change in important areas of our lives such as health, environment protection, etc. Social marketing aims to achieve behaviour change in order to increase the public welfare. Its main goal is to sell ideas and encourage positive attitude toward a social problem, so the understanding of the audience needs is vital aspect of the social marketing campaign planning.
In order to persuade people to act responsibly 5 Ps of marketing should be considered.
Product – What is the social change we want to achieve?
People – What are the public needs, expectations? What do they care about?
Place – How to introduce this change to the audience?
Price – What are the benefits for the audience if they change their attitude?
Promotion – How do you deliver information to the audience and impel them to act?
The success of social marketing depends on the people’s perceptions and understanding of the problem and that is why the audience is one of the core elements which should be taken in consideration when developing a social marketing campaign. People might not realise that an issue exists until it is communicated by the organisations and institutions responsible for or interested in its tackling. The understanding of the roots of particular behaviour gives information about the tactics which would be most successful for persuading people to change their perceptions and take action. Researching the audience interests and ideas also gives knowledge of which is the most appropriate media choice for a given social marketing campaign.
Important actors and power institutions can either impede or deliver social change, so choosing the right partners and defining the potential opposition should be on the list when developing a social marketing campaign. As most of the campaigns aim to bring significant behavioural change it is important to consider how it will run for a long time and identify the opportunities and threats which might arise. The effectiveness of social marketing depends on the ability to attract the attention of the audience, manage people’s expectations and persuade them that the targeted behaviour change would bring many benefits to their lives.
Here is an example of a successful social marketing campaign:
www.dontmesswithtexas.org
In order to persuade people to act responsibly 5 Ps of marketing should be considered.
Product – What is the social change we want to achieve?
People – What are the public needs, expectations? What do they care about?
Place – How to introduce this change to the audience?
Price – What are the benefits for the audience if they change their attitude?
Promotion – How do you deliver information to the audience and impel them to act?
The success of social marketing depends on the people’s perceptions and understanding of the problem and that is why the audience is one of the core elements which should be taken in consideration when developing a social marketing campaign. People might not realise that an issue exists until it is communicated by the organisations and institutions responsible for or interested in its tackling. The understanding of the roots of particular behaviour gives information about the tactics which would be most successful for persuading people to change their perceptions and take action. Researching the audience interests and ideas also gives knowledge of which is the most appropriate media choice for a given social marketing campaign.
Important actors and power institutions can either impede or deliver social change, so choosing the right partners and defining the potential opposition should be on the list when developing a social marketing campaign. As most of the campaigns aim to bring significant behavioural change it is important to consider how it will run for a long time and identify the opportunities and threats which might arise. The effectiveness of social marketing depends on the ability to attract the attention of the audience, manage people’s expectations and persuade them that the targeted behaviour change would bring many benefits to their lives.
Here is an example of a successful social marketing campaign:
www.dontmesswithtexas.org
Saturday 2 April 2011
Political PR
Political communicators are often accused of serving more to the political interests of smaller groups of people rather than the interest of the general public and civil society. It would be unreasonable to argue that these allegations are completely groundless, but political PR is not only about spin and propaganda.
Political PR professionals are criticized for trying to control the information that gets out and for twisting the message to ensure that the government interests are served. However as they are dealing with confidential information and issues the public is extremely sensitive about, a full disclosure of information may easily provoke crisis. On the one hand PR professionals should strive to meet the public expectations for greater transparency, but on the other hand managing political communications requires careful planning when sensitive issues are concerned. In certain situations when for example the nation’s security is endangered, the public right of information might not be political communicators’ top priority.
Although journalists often accuse political communicators for twisting the truth or hiding important facts it is hard to believe that their personal judgment on the political performance is completely impartial. However their role of mediators between the general public and politician is important for maintaining the balance in the political system. During his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell tried to undermine journalists’ ability to influence the government communications by introducing a weekly webcast for direct communication with the audience and by carefully avoiding giving the word to journalists who might ask difficult questions during the press conferences. His actions has seriously damaged political PR’s reputation and contributed to the building of its negative image – view shared by journalists and citizens.
Despite the fact that people perceive Political PR as a form of modern propaganda and manipulation, it could considerably improve the communication process between the government and the public. PR’s goal is to build trust and improve the relationships based on mutual understanding in order to enhance the effectiveness of the political performance which is beneficial for all the citizens.
Political PR professionals are criticized for trying to control the information that gets out and for twisting the message to ensure that the government interests are served. However as they are dealing with confidential information and issues the public is extremely sensitive about, a full disclosure of information may easily provoke crisis. On the one hand PR professionals should strive to meet the public expectations for greater transparency, but on the other hand managing political communications requires careful planning when sensitive issues are concerned. In certain situations when for example the nation’s security is endangered, the public right of information might not be political communicators’ top priority.
Although journalists often accuse political communicators for twisting the truth or hiding important facts it is hard to believe that their personal judgment on the political performance is completely impartial. However their role of mediators between the general public and politician is important for maintaining the balance in the political system. During his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell tried to undermine journalists’ ability to influence the government communications by introducing a weekly webcast for direct communication with the audience and by carefully avoiding giving the word to journalists who might ask difficult questions during the press conferences. His actions has seriously damaged political PR’s reputation and contributed to the building of its negative image – view shared by journalists and citizens.
Despite the fact that people perceive Political PR as a form of modern propaganda and manipulation, it could considerably improve the communication process between the government and the public. PR’s goal is to build trust and improve the relationships based on mutual understanding in order to enhance the effectiveness of the political performance which is beneficial for all the citizens.
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