Corporate Communications:

1
LECTURE 5

• Corporate Communications
• A Dimension of Corporate Meaning

2
Objectives

• Appreciating the complexity of corporate
  communications
• Understanding Common Starting Points (CSPs) and
  the Sustainable Corporate Story (SCS)
• MODEL(S) OF THE MOMENTTHE NEW CORPORATE
  COMMUNICATIONS WHEEL ANDTHE T W O CORPORATE
  COMMUNICATIONS MIXES

3
Marketing and Corporate Communications What are
the differences ?

• MARKETING CORPORATE
• customer
  multiple stakeholders
• defined set of channels
  multiple channels
• controlled communication variety
  of communication types
• positions a product or service
  positions an entire
• 
  organisation
• more room for creativity less
  room for creativity
• needs to be consistent with needs
  to be consistent with
• product/brand attributes
  corporate identity/corporate
• 
  brand attributes

4
model of themoment
O
THE NEW CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS WHEEL
R
N
I
M
V
E
Products/ Services
Advertising
N
N
The
Industry
Direct Marketing and Correspondence
E
Sponsorship
T
Brand
Corporate
NewMedia
Corporate Marketing PR
THECORPORATION
Alliances
Permanent Media
Business
Personal Presentation
Country of Origin
and
T
Partnerships
E
Point of Sale
Impersonal Presentation
N
N
Literature
E
V
M
I
The New Corporate Communications Wheel Balmer
and Greyser. Adapted from D. Bernstein (1984)
R
N
O
The New Corporate Communications Wheel Balmer
and Greyser. Adapted from D. Bernstein (1984) 42
O
The New Corporate Communications Wheel Balmer
and Greyser. Adapted from D. Bernstein (1984) 42
5
Model of the Moment ii (A process for using the
Balmer and Greysers New Corporate Communications
Wheel adapted from Bernstein )

• 1 DEFINE ALL STAKEHOLDER GROUPS
• 2 IDENTIFY COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
• 3 PRIORITISE STAKEHOLDERS
• 4 IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE CHANNELS FOR EACH GROUP

6
Model of the Moment iii

• 5 TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE IMAGE OF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
  and of THE INDUSTRY
• 6 additional elements identified by Balmer and
  Greyser
• TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE CORPORATE BRANDING COVENANT
  (where appropriate)
• PARTNERSHIP(s) and the effect of ENVIRONMENTAL
  FORCES

7
model of the moment iv

• Provides a foundation by which a significant part
  of a corporate communications strategy can be
  established.
• Illustrates the VAST SCOPE of the TASK (comparing
  corporate communications to marketing
  communications) For instance, 11 stakeholder
  groups and 11 channels results in 121
  considerations alone!

8
Common Starting Points (CSPs) what are they ?

• An early example of an integrated approach to
  corporate communications (developed by Van Riel)
  
• Rationale to achieve CONSISTENCY in corporate
  communications activities by establishing COMMON
  STARTING POINTS that underpin ALL FORMAL
  corporate communications

9
Common Starting Points continued...

• CSP is an integrated and interdisciplinary
  approach taking account of STRATEGY, IDENTITY and
  IMAGE.
• CSP process representatives from the
  corporations various communications departments
  establish commonalties (based on the above) which
  form the basis of all formal corporate
  communications.

10
The Sustainable Corporate Story (SCS)

• What is it? A realistic and relevant description
  of key aspects of the organization (origins,
  vision and mission)
• How is it distinct? It is derived from an
  organizations distinctive characteristics (its
  identity)

11
The Sustainable Corporate Story....continued

• Perceived Benefits?
• Via communications distinctiveness of message and
  consistency of message is achieved.

12
The Sustainable Corporate Story.. continued

• Van Riel suggest that the following should
  underpin sustainable corporate stories in that
  they should beREALISTIC (based on the
  identity)RELEVANT (offer added value elements
  for stakeholders)
• RESPONSIVE (allows for two way symmetrical
  communication)
• SUSTAINABLE (needs to meet the sundry demands of
  various stakeholder groups)

13
What are the parameters of corporate
communications ?

• Just as there is a marketing mix, services
  marketing mix, promotional mix (communication
  mix) a number of authors have attempted to
  articulate a
• CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MIX

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TWO CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MIXES

• (a) THE CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MIX OF VAN RIEL
  
• and
• (b) THE TOTAL CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MIX OF
  BALMER AND GRAY

15
Van Riels Corporate Communication Mix

• Comprises
• Management Communication managers need to
  establish a shared vision and trust WITHIN the
  organization
• Marketing Communication the traditional
  marketing communications mix
• Organizational Communication communicating to
  the various external groups (encompassing a
  plethora of corporate-level communications
  functions)

16
Balmer and Grays Total Corporate Communications
Mix

• Encompasses
• Primary Communications the communications
  effects of products, services, management, staff
  and corporate behavior.
• Secondary Communications controlled forms of
  communications such as advertising and pr
• Tertiary Communications word of mouth/spin

17
Finally...

• If the importance of corporate communications
  are not understood/managed this can lead to
  communications that are
• diffuse,
• confusing,
• contradictory and sometimes
• prolix.

18
One More Time why are corporate communications
important?

• Bernstein (1984) argues that
• many business failures are caused by poor
  corporate communications.
• many businesses lack a clear, overarching,
  corporate communications platform
• managers NEED to communicate to internal and
  external groups
• fragmentation across communication disciplines
  (pr, advertising, print, investor relations)
  causes many difficulties.

19
Summary i

• Corporate Communications is broader, and more
  complicated than marketing communications.
• It is complicated because of the existence of
  multiple channels of communication in addition to
  multiple stakeholder groups.
• Moreover, individuals invariably belong to
  multiple stakeholder groups.
• Common Starting Points/the Sustainable Corporate
  Story are two routes by which organizations may
  achieve consistency in their communications.

20
Summary ii

• Van Riels Corporate Communication Mix and Balmer
  and Grays Total Corporate Communications Mix
  afford two contrasting perspectives on the area.
• The New Corporate Communications Wheel (Balmer
  and Greyser) affords a framework for prioritising
  stakeholder groups and channels and takes account
  of other important factors such as corporate
  brand, country of origin, and industry image.

21
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

• Stephen Covey