Corporate Communication

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 Corporate Communication
 Corporate communication is the total communication
activity generated by a company and directed at all relevant
target groups to achieve its planned objectives and create
favorable relationships with stakeholders on which the
company depends.

 Each item of communication must convey and emphasize the

”corporate point of view and its identity”.

 Corporate communication is not image making in the sense

of creating a false front or cover up.
 Roots Corporate Communication in India

 PR Foundation in the Public Sector

 In the late 1970s all the PSUs were asked to have a PR
department headed by a professions.
 Introduced In house Journal- To inform about the company
through employee communication media.
 Workers participation (Introduced by late Prime Minister Indira
Priyadarshini Gandhi in 1975)
 The private sector practised PR, which often meant protocol and
media relations.
 Economic Liberalization Provided Impetus to PR Practice.
 OBJECTIVES OF CORP COMM

 Establishment of rapport of the organization with the

stakeholders.
 Winning confidence of customers.
 Promoting corp philanthropic activities and likes.
 Building strong corporate culture.
 Coherent corporate identity.
 Maintaining good media relationship.
 Enriching corporate reputation.
 Motivating investors for adequate capital investment.
 SCOPE OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

 Media Relations
 Crisis Communication
 Internal Communication
 Reputation Management
 Corporate Responsibility
 Investor Relations Government Affairs
 Marketing Communication
 FEATURES OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

 Issued by the organization

 Predetermined goals
 Segmented
 Specific
 Accurate
 Timely
 Frequent
 Multi-Channel
 Face to face
 Two way
 Two sided
 Classification of Corporate Communication

INTERNAL CORPORATE EXTERNAL CORPORATE

COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION
The company’s mission statement Annual Reports

Employee manuals and handbooks Websites

Newsletter, e-newsletter, e-mails Facebook, twitter, and other social

media
Information contained on the White papers, newsletters, bylined
company intranet articles
Training and seminars Mass media, advertising and direct
mail
Unwritten communication such as Blogs
corporate cultural norms
Communication given to Promotion items
 THE NEED FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

 Big business being constantly under attack for various act of

omission and commission.
 Challenges global economy
 Convergence of products and markets.(Branding goes more
deeper)
 Growing exposure to information through various media
 Networking of people cutting across barriers of geography,
caste,colour,and creed
 Issues of corporate governance and corporate social
responsibility.
 Top management
The Public
Customers
Production Unit

HR

Employees Finance
Media

PR

Customer
Government Service
Investors
Channels of Employee Communication used in the
companies to inform the employees
Staff Meeting

Formal Memos

Meetings

Circulars

E-mail

One-to –one Meeting with staff

Voice mail

Video Broadcast
 Contd

Intranet

Audio Files

Staff-to – staff newsletters,

Corporate newsletters

Annual Reports

Quarterly Reports

Road shows
 Formal Memos

 It is record or written statement of something.

 An formal message, especially one sent between

two or more employees of the same company,

concerning company business.

 It is an interoffice memorandum.
Advantage of Office Memo

Time saving

Less formality
Maintenance good
relationship
Low cost
References
Inform the decisions and
actions 

Request the decisions and

actions
Provide information

Remind someone of action

 Disadvantages of Office Memo

Limited
application

Not suitable
for illiterate  
people

Less
important to Expensive
the reader

Lack of Lack of
explanation formality
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING EFFECTIVE MEMOS OR DRAFTING
MEMOS

Summarize the conclusions in the introduction

paragraph
State the basis for conclusion in the introductory paragraph 
 Be concise and stay objective

Know the audience, Avoid jargon 

Use active verbs, Anticipate counter arguments

Provide “road signs” as needed

Cite the sources, Number the pages

End with a concluding paragraph

 CIRCULARS

 Circulars or fliers are a highly effective way to

communicate with employees or customers
 Many companies use circulars to enforce dress codes
and policies or invite employees to meetings or
luncheons .
 Circulars can also be used as an advertising tool.
 Circulars letter is one which is sent out to many people
at the same time.
 The letter may be prepared only once and then duplicated.
 The letter is informative and direct.
 NOTICES

Notices can serve a number of purposes:

 Announce social events
 Inform staff of new interest
 Advertise posts for internal appointment
 Remind staff of company procedures.
 INTRANET

 An intranet is a private network accessible only to an

organization's staff.
 Information is delivered over the LAN.
 Accessible only to employees or other invited users.
 It is fenced off from others on the internet by firewall.
 Intranet based information is secured and contained
within the company.
 This information is not accessible to outsiders.
Merits of Intranet

Workforce
Productivity and best
practice
Enhance
Time
Collaboration

Promote Common
Communication
Corporate culture

Business Operations
Cost-Effective
and management
 Government Relations

 Government relations is the branch of public relations that

helps an organization communicate with governmental public.

 Public affairs is the type of public relations that helps an

organization interact with the government, legislators, interest
groups, and the media.

 Government relations involves the gathering and analysis of

information and in-depth policy research.

 This data is used to create a digestible picture of an issue

under consideration by lawmakers or regulators.
 The relation between the government and business is symbolic
in nature.
 MEANS OF ESTABLISHING GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

 Official Letters: Government to Government.

 Demi-Official Letters Government to Government

at a Personal Level.
 Government Letters: One department to the other

department
 Letters to Authorities
 Official Letter and Commercial Letter

Basis of OFFICIAL LETTER COMMERCIAL LETTER

difference
Necessity Written to keep the Written to make the
machinery of the business normal and
government working simple.
Parties Officials, Government and Businessmen.
the public
Stamps O.I.G.S Postage Stamps

Language and Formal Informal

style
Secrecy Not confidential as they are Secrecy is important
related to general public.
Formality Prescribed format and Written
Media Management

 Media management is seen as a business

administration discipline that identifies and
describes strategic and operational phenomena
and problems in the leadership of media
enterprises.

 Media management contains the functions

strategic management, procurement management,
production management, organizational
management and marketing of media enterprises.
 Gatekeeper

One of the basic role of mass media is as a”

gatekeeper”
Gate keeping is the process through which
information is filtered for dissemination, whether
for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some
other mode of communication.
 Writing for Media and Media Relation

 It includes news release , feature stories ,

interviewing for print and broadcast and
other information gathering techniques.
 Employees’ Media and Methods

 Print media
 Audio and Oral Media
 Visual Media
 Audio –Visual media
 I-T New Mass Media
Among these the following are important
 Press note/ Press release
 Press Conference
 Media Interview
 Press Note/ Press Release

 Press Note is the announcement of important

messages or developments that the organization
wishes to convey to the public at large through the
press and other media.
The Characteristics of Press Note :
It should be Trustworthy and Factually True.
It should be Brief and Precise.
It should be Drafted in simple language and
Conversational Style.
It should be Suitable for Publication.
It should be have “ Who, What, Where , Why -details.
 Preparation of Press Note

 Write the Headline

 Write the Press Release Body copy
 Communicate the 5 Wh’s and H
 Include the company information
 Add Contact Information
 Tips for writing Successful Press Release

 Use an Active Headline to Grab the Reporters’

Attention
 Focus the information in the beginning
 Avoid Hype and unsubstantiated Claims
 The press release should be within two pages
 Keep the Jargon to the minimum
 Stress the Benefits
 Be Specific and Detailed
 Proof Read the Press release
 Press Conference

 A press conference is a meeting, organized for the

purposes of officially distributing information to
the media and answering questions from reporters.
 It is given occasionally particularly during a time of

quarterly or annual earnings.

 A company has a truly unique or newsworthy

announcement to share.
 Press conferences can also be issued in response

to addressing public relations issues.

 By inviting the press to special events, a company
has an excellent opportunity to present a news story
in its most favorable light.
 In other cases, lesser known companies may be
looking to increase their stature in the media
 Making it easier for news agencies to cover company
events.
 By gaining favorable media exposure, companies are
able to gain greater Brand recognition and authority
in the market,
 Usually at a much lower cost than would be required
for a widespread advertising campaign.
 Invitation for Press Conference

 State the purpose of the press conference

 State the venue, day, date, time
 The time of refreshment / lunch -break
 A parking slip or sticker along with the
invitation card for convenience and security
reasons
 Major Steps for setting up Press Conference

 State clearly a Good reason for the press conference

 Decide what message you want to deliver through the media
 Workout the location
 Set the Date and Time
 Invite the media and the guests
 Prepare the spokesperson(s) to deliver the Message
 Choose a Moderator ( Facilitator )
 practice the roles with the Group members
 Prepare visual aids and background materials
 Prepare for the Interview

 Analyze your dual Audience

 Organize your thoughts
 Anticipate the topic and questions:

a) Make the story new

b) Make the information interesting and relevant
c) Make the story understanding
d) Make the story a memorable
 Develop your responses
 Cont’d

 Be aware of additional concerns

a) Do not respond to unchecked data or statistics
b) Do no use the word “ NO COMMENT” comment
c) Avoid saying ‘Yes” or ‘No”
d) Be careful about stating your personal opinion
e) Tell them if you do not know the answer
f) Avoid talking off the Record
g) Record your own interview
h) Always Tell the Truth
 PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES TO USE

 Dress for the occasion

 Keep yourself calm
 Be ready for the Spontaneous question
 Let your Body talk using non verbal cues
 Try to ignore the camera
 Display confidence in your Voice
 Various Kinds of Communication
 Marketing Communication: Advertising, sales promotion,
direct mail communication etc

 Organizational communication: PR, Public affairs, investor

relations, labor market communication, corporate advertising,
environment communication, corporate communication etc.

 Management Communication: Used in various staff and line

functions in an organization.
1-Management communication: It is the most
strategic communication.

Management level of the organization

(all employees with authority)

Persuade audiences that

the goals of the
organization are worth
achieving

Internal External
audiences audiences
 Communication is one of the most important skills a
manager must have to :
◦ gain the acceptance for the organization's goals.
◦ Develop a shared vision of the company within the
organization.
◦ Establish and maintain trust in the organization's
leadership.
◦ Initiate and manage the change process.

 Communication specialist are needed to support managers

in improving the effectiveness of their communications.
 Organizational Communications
 Communications between the organization and its audiences
(investors, the public, share holders, financial journalist,
investment analyst, regulators, legislators….).
 Do not directly aim at generating sales but at developing

long – term relationship.

 Apply a different style of communication: messages are more

formal and honest.

 Initiated by external parties and that means the audiences

decide whether the organization should communicate with

them.
 Marketing Communication

 MarCom is very important to support management

communications.
 MarCom gets the bulk of the budget in most organizations.
 Traditionally termed promotion.
 It is a part of the 4Ps marketing mix (product, price and place).
 It aims at facilitating the process of exchange.
 The organizations choose the target market and avoid
communicating with those that are not commercially interesting.
Marketing communication: all forms of communication
between an
organization and its customers and potential customers, that
facilitate
exchanges by establishing shared meaning with the brand’s
customers or clients.
 Why do corporations need to develop effective communication

Organizations need communication to :

 Acquire resources they need in order to operate.

 Communicate with different stakeholders.

 Communication with employees to increase their loyalty.

 Influence the environment within which they operate.

 Retain their license to operate.

 Improve the image.

 Encourage all employees to work together to support the company's

objectives.
 Develop the corporate branding.
 TRINITY IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

 Audience

 Medium

 Message
 IDENTIFYING THE STAKEHOLDERS

 Internal stakeholders
 External stakeholders

 Social responsibility

 Internal stakeholders:

Broadly comprise employees, shareholders and families or employees.

 External stakeholders:

Encompass policy makers, opinion leaders competitors, professional

bodies, special interest groups, media, customers (industrial,
wholesaler ,dealers, consumers and the public at the last.
 Identifying Communication Channels

 Media for internal Target Audiences

The media broadly includes interpersonal

communication,brainstroming,house journals,video,idea
boxes,Intranet,social gatherings.

 Media for External Target Audiences

The media encompasses mass media,

conference,exhibitions,meets,selective media
 ARTICULATING THE MESSAGE

 Message to be crafted.
 The mindset of the target audience is important.
 The message must satisfy its need for information

and fulfil the organization's responsibility towards the

group.
Types Press agent Public Two-way Two-way
propaganda information asymmetric symmetric
Purpose Propaganda Transmit facts Feedback & Mutual
persuasion understandi
ng
Communication One-way ,little - One-way - Two-way , in Two-
respect to - truthful, favor of the way ,balance
truth complete sender, interest.
facts accurate info.
Type of Entertainment -Non- Profit& PR agencies,
organization & sport competing
Organizations governmental Organizations
organizations ,
-Instructions pharmaceutic
about health al
and safety organizations.
procedures
given to
employees.
 TOOLS OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

 The most important practices to achieve Corporate

integrated communications are:

◦ Use of integrated marketing communications

(IMC).
◦ Application of visual identity systems (house
style).
◦ Depending on team works.
◦ Adoption of a centralized planning system.
Integrated Marketing Communications

 Need to produce consistent messages (free of

contradictions)
 A process for building a fully coordinated

communication system inside the organization.

Moore & Thorson (1996) suggest that integrated
marketing communication (IMC) can be achieved by:

identifying all target audiences.

Segmenting audiences on the basis of stage in the

purchase decision cycle.

Determining messages and communications tools to

reach each segment.

Allocating resources
Marketing communications Mix

Public
Packaging Relations Advertising
Word
Of
Sponsorship mouth
Consumer
audiences Channel
Audiences
Branding
Exhibitions All
Stakeholders
Audiences Personal
Selling
Internal
Marketing
Branding
Sales
Websites Promotion
 Visual Identity Systems
 To produce consistent themes on products and services
through the use of common names, logos, sounds,
packaging, furniture, building design and even smells.
 This led to the emergence of “identity firms” that help the

organization to develop a uniform set of symbols,

guidelines for employees to create a uniform image for the
organization(clothing, way of greetings….).
 COORDINATED TEAMS WORK GROUPS

Integrated
communication • Mobilized
• Common policy employees
and evaluate its
execution.

Coordinated
Team Work
teams
 COMMUNICATION PLANNING SYSTEM (CPS)

 It is a software that can be used to

◦ set up and manage communication projects
targeted to internal and external audiences.
◦ Manage and control at a general level by providing
employees with certain information.
◦ Offers standard structure of reports that can be used
in various situations.
 Challenges of Convergence of Products
and Markets

 Competition is becoming more multidimensional.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi entering the juices and bottled segment.
IFFCO getting into insurance.
Oil companies starting to retail.

 Marketing is becoming much more about market

transformation and change.
 Convergence in media tools.
 Audience base is also converging., cutting across age, colour,

caste, boundaries through social net working sites and blogs.

 Branding is going deeper than narrow product association.
 What will it take to win in a converging
world
 A robust corporate brand management
 A winning customer relationship management
 Customer information management
 Alliance and partnership management
 Management of enabling technology
 Explain the strengths and weaknesses of various media.
a. Press
b. Local /regional newspaper
c. Magazines
d. Television
e. Radio
f. Cinema
g. Outdoor
h. Internet
i. Mobile phones
j. Employee communication Media
k. Homepages and company blogs.
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