Jacaranda Investigates The Future For Online Corporate Responsibility Communications
Jacaranda Investigates The Future For Online Corporate Responsibility Communications
Katy Eyre, Managing Director Jacaranda
The divide between those engaged in CR communications and those who have not yet developed an effective communications strategy, continues to narrow as companies slowly integrate CR into their core work practices and core communications. So what could the future hold for more integrated CR communications where the combined power of various communications tools meet?
According to the IVCA only 35% of UK companies communicate their CR commitment to external stakeholders ‘very well’ and as many as 25% communicate ‘poorly’. Internally the story is even worse: a mere 25% of companies communicate their CR commitment to their staff ‘very well’ and 40% communicate ‘very little or not at all.’
UK companies used web-streaming for 7% of their internal communications delivery in 2005. This grew to 15% in 2007 and it is projected to grow to 20% by the end of this year*. The internet and soaring broadband access mean newer, cheaper production and distribution methods are emerging fast. We think the future will be the multi-platform delivery of short motivational CR stories which ‘walk the talk’ giving inspirational credibility to CR values and initiatives. So, what we can expect is ‘live‘ events, screenings of individual stories which are streamed to remote locations and can be uploaded on websites either for instant or later use by a wider audience on desktop, laptop or hand-held devices. But will companies take this further?
With all the technical possibilities which come with Web 2.0 - full motion full screen video using Flash encoding and progressive download with direct links to other externally facing channels, integrating YouTube, Joost, Podcasts, RSS feeds, online interaction - what will be essential is to develop a palette of content solutions that make best use of the multiple delivery platforms for different audiences and circumstances.
There is a fantastic opportunity to reach a truly global stakeholder audience and at minimal distribution cost. Perhaps most exciting, but also most challenging as we look into the future, are the opportunities that social networking platforms such as YouTube, or even Facebook and MySpace, offer for modifying the entire dynamic of CR communications.
For example a number of companies are already discovering how blogs can upend their communications strategy. Suddenly an individual employee who does not believe that the ‘CR talk’ can actually ‘walk’ can communicate with as loud - or accessible - a voice as an entire corporate communications department. Some companies may react to this possibly with horror, but others - Microsoft amongst them - are seeing that this can in fact be an immensely valuable tool, providing it can be managed correctly.
Building on engagement via fun, some organisations have developed interactive games to put across their messages. BT’s Better Business Game cleverly brings the concepts of CR to life. Its interactivity effectively leads the player through a series of dilemmas, which focus on a number of socially responsible issues using a series of multiple choice questions. It gives the player a real sense of managing the various stakeholders and preserving a healthy bottom line whilst still maintaining credible CR.
http://www.btplc.com/Societyandenvironment/
Businessgame/index.htm
In terms of making the online experience more engaging and fun for the user, another example stands out: The Body Shop: Online Values Report
http://valuesreport.thebodyshop.net
The Body Shop were pioneers in environmental and social reporting and this site builds on that heritage by providing a highly accessible, dynamic reflection of the company’s new brand. It has innovative functionality and intelligently designed interactive features that bring the values report to life in a stimulating way.
Another award-winning example is the Prelude CD-ROM, which presents a vast amount of complex data that the European Environment Agency (EEA) wanted to communicate to its stakeholders in a vibrant and accessible manner. The interactivity is effective and user-friendly and the project maps out possibilities of how Europe could look in the future, using narratives of high visual impact, animation and effective teasers, to illustrate each scenario.
But are corporate communications departments applying their best creative thinking to improve CR communications accessibility and engagement with their widest possible stakeholder groups? What about the power of the moving image to tell stories which motivate and inspire?
The Body Shop founder, Dame Anita Roddick, recognised the power of video in internal, external and especially CR communications over 20 years ago. She said; ‘Video is so effective because it’s visual. Stories stick to the brain; pages of worthy reports don’t. Hundreds of staff cheered at the end of some of our videos because they were motivated by the human spirit.’
Annabel Donaldson, Director of Communications at Comet parent company KESA Electricals, has the remit to communicate the group’s values and CR principles. She says the extra expense of using moving visuals in the communications mix is not hard to justify. ‘The online video medium requires higher investment than print alone, but a retail organisation’s staff are its most important asset and worthy of the investment.’ explains Donaldson. ‘Our programmes more than justify the extra costs over traditional print media because they show best practice in action, which is both engaging and believable.’
Many other organisations are now using inspirational filmed stories to motivate staff to live their brand values and CR principles - companies such as Barclays, O2, TNT and Rio Tinto…
So it is imperative to strategise and manage these new platforms of online CR communication. How do we use User Generated Content (UGC) to assist and maintain a company’s CR communications strategy? How do we let employees create their own CR stories and experiences, and still integrate these into the overall story of the company? With the new tools of Web 2.0, these are the challenges of the future.
* International Visual Communications Association 2008 research
