PUBLIC RELATIONS
MANAGEMENT
Module IV
Corporate Communication Strategies and Tools
Definition, Importance, Elements, Plan and Segmenting
stakeholders for Corporate Communication; Crisis
communications.
Trade media and its relevance in CC: Media (Press Kits,
Developing Media Linkages, Press Releases and Major
Announcements, Feature Study Releases, Video News
Releases, and Webcasts).
Public Affairs/Government Relations/Advocacy/Lobbying
Corporate communication strategies
Corporate communication is a total communication
activity generated by a company, body, institute to
its public in order to achieve its planned objective.
In simple words, Corporate communication
advertising, marketing communication, marketing
activities, public relations, but they all function under
a managed perspective.
Corporate communication is managing an
organization’s internal and external communication.
Types of corporate communication
There are two parts of corporate
communication.
1. Internal communication:
To employees, stakeholders etc..
2. External communication:
Agencies, channel partners, media, general public
etc.
Forms of corporate communication
1. Internal Communication
Regular meeting with employees
Keep employees interested and satisfied
Publish newsletters, and arrange get-togethers.
Make employees engaged with organizational goals and
objectives.
Give them chance to lead and allow them to
evaluate/identify the company’s success on their own.
Conti..
2. Consumer communication
Influencing consumer spending
Outreach to the target audience must be consistent and
ongoing.
Enhance company’s reputation through advertising &
sponsorships.
Charitable activities will be helpful in making and
maintaining relations.
Improve the lifestyle of the consumers.
Conti..
3. Media Communication
Fundamental element of managing brand’s reputation.
Media coverage creates more credibility than advertising.
Mostly used to increase product name recognition, establish
a brand identity and to align with a target segmented
audience.
Different tactics for different audience.
4. Crisis communication
Must be implemented quickly in order to be effective.
Communication and message changes dramatically.
Target audience may change, differ or expand.
Message is of corporate responsibility, awareness & action.
Importance of Corporate
Communication
Global Economy, Environment
Increased role of management
Professionalism of the public.
Fragmentation of the mass media
Rapid development of new technology leading in
communication trends.
Government interventions in day to day activities.
Van Riel’s 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 ( The five traditional elements of the MARCOM mix
are Advertising, Direct Marketing, Personal Selling, Public
Relations and Sales Promotion.)
Organizational Communication: communicating to the various
external groups [encompassing a plethora (excess amount) of
corporate-level communications functions]
Primary Main mode of communication is via an institution or
Communication organizations corporate identity
(it includes among others, about business purposes,
communicate organization’s values, culture and
purposes, product service. Mainly includes
Communication of managers and with stakeholders)
Secondary Focuses on formal corporate communications centred
Communication on corporate identity attributes
(It aimed at customer and other internal/external
stakeholder i.e. corporate advertising, corporate
design, corporate public relations etc.)
Tertiary It is non-controllable corporate communication about
Communication the organization’s corporate identity by stakeholders
and other groups.
(it encompasses word of Mouth communication,
media communication, competitor communication,
social media communication)
Difference between Marcom and Corp. Communication
Marcom Corp. Communication
1. Marcom refers to various communication 1. Corporate comm. is the practice of
strategies companies employ to reach their developing, executing, and managing
target markets. communications intended to create a favourable
point of view among stakeholders.
2. Marketing communications apply to external 2. corporate communications apply to internal
audiences (consumers). audiences (investors, stockholders, etc.)
3. marketing messages are meant to informing 3. Corporate messages are structured to
the consuming public of a good or service. convey the attitudes, beliefs and goals of an
organization or company as an institution
4. Marketing communications are about 4. Corporate Comm. is about communications
particular products / brands and are mainly relating to the business as a whole (financial
aimed at increasing sales, communicating with results, expansion plans, senior hires, etc).
existing users, etc.
5. This can be broadly, flyers, brochures, 5. This can be HR policies, Birthday mailers,
pamphlets, leaflets or any collateral meant to be promotional emails, leaflets and any collateral
Trade media and its relevance in Corp. Communication
A trade publication is a term for a specific kind of publication — usually
a magazine, journal or newspaper — that is geared to people who work
in a specific business or industry.
Every communication made by organization to its employees or general
public can be consider as a raw/first hand data for a media. Media
generally depends upon third party information and follows the rule of
spreading the word of mouth, it may be positive or negative, which is
available for them through media called trade media.
Trade media includes trade magazines, trade newspapers, trade
journals, etc..
Hence, Corporate started giving information to them in the way, the
media wants it. Eg. Press Kits..
Press Kits includes..
A press kit, often referred to as a media kit in business environments, is a
pre-packaged set of promotional materials that provide information about a
person, company, organization or cause and which is distributed to members
of the media for promotional use.
The Press Release. Your press kit's press release announces what you're
publicizing.
A Brief Letter/Table of Contents.
A Brochure.
Product Samples.
Past Press Coverage.
Fact Sheet.
Company Background.
Executive Bios.
Developing Media Linkage
Relationships and interactions between tasks, functions,
departments, and organizations, that promote flow of information,
ideas, and integration in achievement of shared objectives.
The linkages between the different factions made things run a lot
smoother for both parties and gave a lot more confidence.
A way of representing past data, such as product reviews, growth
estimates, market & brand value that attempts to attract the target
audience public and remove the effects of negative data. The
linking process creates a positive harmony with media and the rest
of the work will be done by them.
Having a high positive bond with media might help in saving the
image of organization in front of public.
Video News Release(VNRs)
In the age of digital cameras and visual emphasis, its
but natural that craze of Video News Release will be
enhanced.
This visualize facility of spreading the information/news
to the public is more likable and acceptable. People
tend to follow these means only for the news.
We can do it all digitally. Using the broadcast journalism
standards we can put together short VNRs for your
local TV stations.
We can also use that broadcast news websites also can
carry our VNRs. The possibilities are almost limitless.
Press Release, Major Announcement & Feature study release
Press release and major announcements are the biggest
weapons of the organization as these are the tools by which
organization will directly contact its public and pass the
necessary information to them.
These are best way to spread the awareness quickly and
effectively to mass public.
Eg. News of demonetization
Feature analysis argues that we observe individual
characteristics, or features, of every object and pattern we
encounter. Recognition-by-components theory maintains that we
sort objects into their component parts as a way of recognizing
them.
Public affairs/Govt. relations/Advocacy/lobbying
Public affairs generally refers to the building and
development of relations between an organization and
politicians, governments and other decision-makers. The
industry has developed over recent years and is normally
considered a branch or sub-discipline of public relations.
Public affairs work combines government relations, media
communications, issue management, corporate and social
responsibility, information dissemination and strategic
communications advice. Practitioners aim to
influence public policy, build and maintain a strong
reputation and find common ground with stakeholders.
Government Relations
Government relations specifically focuses on how an
organization interacts with the government and its
various branches and officials. This is the area of public
relations that helps build relationships and positive
interactions between an organization and government
officials.
Government relations for companies are systematic
effort to influence the policies of government to help
achieve particular objective or protect particular interest
in public that reflect well on company and the decision
makers involved.
Advocacy & Lobbying
If someone who speaks or acts in support of another person
and recommends another or a cause publicly. It is the
expert PR practitioner who is a skilled strategic and creative
tactician that unites client Advocacy and public interest.
Advocacy is all about spreading the information for the third
party, It is also referred as educating specific group of public
or a target audience about specific information, event,
person, cause or organization.
Lobbying is a subpart of the Advocacy with some different
motive of influencing people.
