Category Archives: Corporate Communication

We’re in rehab working with decisions One day at a Time

I’ve got some questions, but they come later, so for those who don’t read to the end, let me say upfront: I acknowledge that alcohol abuse has disastrous consequences for individuals and society, and I empathise with its victims. I believe that each and every life, and death, matters every day. And I believe that a democratic government has the duty to effectively and ethically protect all its people, its constitution and its economy all the time.

So, after our President’s announcement last Sunday, I felt quite alarmed. I was reminded of another episode in 2011 involving government’s response to the same alcohol-related problem in our society. Having made links between the two scenarios, I am left asking several questions. But let’s first look back.

Since 2003, when The World Health Organisation (WHO) figures had rated South Africa one of the most violent countries, with high incidents of rape, abuse of women and children, domestic violence and with one of the highest road accident rates in the world, government departments, including Trade and Industry, Transport, Social Development and Health, together with big business and a number of special interest groups, had been investigating ways of dealing with these social problems and, in October 2010 the government proposed a ban on the advertising of alcohol, including a ban on sponsorship by alcohol companies which, until then, had been among the major sponsors of sport, arts and social development programmes in the country.

In a statement, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, stated, “The driving factor behind this is alcohol, the harmful effects of alcohol. We’re not going to pull back about the issues of alcohol control, including the banning on advertising of alcohol. It’s just a matter of time – it’s not a matter of whether, it’s an issue of when. … If saving our people earns us a title of being a nanny [state], I very much welcome that title.” (News24 report 6/9/2011).
According to debates in the media, the decision appeared to be based on the ‘logic’ that people drink more as a result of alcohol advertising (which instils audience identification with and aspirations of “the glamorous lifestyles” portrayed advertisements) and that people behave more irresponsibly and violently as a consequence of excessive drinking. Hence, in another impassioned statement the minister said, “No matter how financially powerful groups and institutions are, no matter how much money they make, I can stake my life that we are going to fight with our bare knuckles to achieve this [ban on alcohol advertising]” (TimesLive report 5/7/11).

In 2011 while lecturing in Communication, Cultural and Media Studies at a university, my post-graduate group conducted a research project on the issues surrounding government’s attempt to ban the advertising of alcohol. It proved a very interesting project because, firstly, it got students excited. Why? It involved the topic of alcohol, so they got into heated discussions and passionate debates and proceeded on a path of learning. Secondly, in the process it taught students about the extent of engagement among all stakeholders – economic, social and political – all trying to solve the problem, albeit with differing perspectives and discourses around it.

In the end, the outcome proved to be a compromise among the different sectors. Government put restrictions on alcohol advertising, the alcohol sector thrived, trade and industry received large taxes from alcohol sales, and social services and health departments committed to training programmes on alcohol abuse, sponsored by the alcohol industry. However, students agreed that government should be looking at the root causes of the problem like joblessness, poor housing, education, and dealing with them in the long term. We are still saying that today.

Back to the present. In rushes COVID19 bringing the lockdown with its many, seemly draconian, restrictions and regulations. As the alcohol ban takes centre stage, I am reminded of that previous scenario and ask myself several questions:
1. What has changed since 2011? The one thing I do know has not changed is the ‘logic’ that drives government’s decision-making.
2. What has happened to that engage-consult-and-compromise position? Whilst I’m not usually a defender of big business, it does appear that the alcohol sector has held up its end of that deal. It’s pumped billions into the fiscus and sponsored many ‘government-led’ social programmes.
3. What has the government itself done between then and now to address the alcohol-abuse problem? Although there are hundreds of rehabilitation clinics and centres around the country, according to Professor Malaka of The University of Limpopo, the standard industry recovery rate is 3%. https://briefly.co.za/40003-complete-list-rehabilitation-centers-south-africa.html . Private institutions, individuals and activist groups seem to be doing more than the government itself.
4. Is our government’s ‘command council’ so bamboozled by the COVID19 crisis that it’s lost its ability to engage and compromise effectively in order to survive? Has the virus left the decision-makers flummoxed, in a complete tizz, making conflicting decisions one day at a time.

Today Government has chosen not to listen to the voices of all key role players, not to compromise, to be selective in who it engages with, instead of acknowledging its own failure in this regard. It prefers to pass the blame, in the name of saving “our people’s lives”. Where’s the logic in basing a blanket ban on alcohol in a democratic country, on violent alcohol abusers who take up COVID beds? Especially, when the lack of beds is the fault of government itself. And in the process, depriving itself of billions of rand in tax revenue, causing the loss of thousands and thousands of jobs, while businesses are crashing and tax-paying civil citizens are forced to comply while suffering the stresses already inflicted by COVID19.

You say hard, I say soft – Combined Skills Best for Success

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In my consulting business I’ve faced much resistance from clients when I focus on the so-called ‘soft skills’, so I’m delighted when I see that even ‘big names’ like Forbes and McKinsey include them in their lists of essential skills for success. I also feel somewhat vindicated that at last companies are taking cognizance and making the move to including soft skills like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, communication, problem solving and innovation into the ‘hard skills’ mix.

Keep learning, combining skill types for better performance

I believe that the ‘hard’ skills of structuring, strategising, leadership, decision-making and information technology can only be successful if driven by the company’s values and culture. It’s not only about what the company says and does, it’s about how it’s done. And that’s where the ‘soft’ skills come in.

All company actions must be in keeping with the company’s values and its specific culture. This applies to even the smallest of companies deemed unaware of or unaffected by corporate governance issues. They too can benefit from developing the ‘soft’ skills in business.

According to McKinsey’s 7-S [Skills] framework for success, the company’s ‘hard’ action elements, those processes used to run the company – their Strategy, Structure, Systems – must reflect the company’s stated goals, values and culture. In addition, the company must utilise the ‘soft skills’ – Shared values, Skills, Styles and Staff – to complement and enhance the ‘hard skills’ effectively to achieve success.

For example, if management’s strategy aims to be a successful, forward-thinking, progressive company, it can’t have a top-down management structure and system in place. Managers must include elements of interactive communication (Skill) between themselves and their team (Staff). Their approach and/or Style must encourage communication, information-Sharing, critical thinking and problem solving, leading to innovation, performance and ultimately to success.

Skills for success

A well thought out and synergistic combination of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills is what companies need to achieve success. Thus both soft and hard skill types are essential.

Nike’s Campaign: We need companies and brands to take a stand

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Communicators, marketers and advertisers are continually being told to create ‘stories’ that resonate with their target market. They are also urged to engage with social issues and to tackle activist projects of resistance, to develop as ethical brands, to stand out from the crowd.
Most brands are quite terrified of negative stakeholder perceptions, especially when it comes to expressing controversial views. So they tread the safe path and remain the same.
Not Nike. In keeping with its Just Do it slogan and its fearless philosophy of facing sporting challenges, Nike launched its 30th Campaign by featuring brave sports celebrities in its ads.
The most recent Nike ad features the face of Colin Kaepernick, the NFL super star-turned-activist against racism and police violence, with the text “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing something.” And boy, did it cause outrage amongst critics and conservatives, #justburnit became their slogan, urging people not to support Nike, not to buy Nike sport products, to even burn the ones they had.

Just in case you missed the background story: In the USA it is common practice for players in The National Football League to stand and sing the national anthem before an important match. However, following the spate of police violence against black youths and other racial incidents in 2016, some of the NFL players decided to mark their protest by not standing with fists on hearts, but rather to bend-a-knee during the anthem. The purpose was to highlight the racial injustice in the country. President Trump weighed in, calling the players disrespectful and unpatriotic, even suggesting punishment and non-payment of player-activists.
Yes, perhaps Nike shares did drop a little initially, due to the raging debates, but within two weeks they were up again and Nike recorded 31% increase in online sales.
So Nike’s corporate activism – mixing politics with sport – has been vindicated, showing that taking a stand or doing good is good for business. A host of recent surveys and reports proves Nike’s controversial move makes total business sense. Marketing lecturer, Williams says, “Nike wants to be on the right side of history and the right side of its core consumers.” And these happen to be mainly sport enthusiasts and millennials.
A 2017 Edelman poll found “The majority of Millennials (60 percent) are belief-driven buyers,” – they want their brands to take a stand on social issues.
So companies – Just do it! Take a stand.

Global movements affecting company Reputation

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Global movements affecting company Reputation

Some thoughts on responsible leadership, public activism and reputation

Right now trust in mainstream media, government, business and NGOs is lower than it’s ever been. Organisations have to work extra hard at building trust, loyalty and reputation, and to avoid crises that may cause harm to their operations and reputations.

Management and Leadership changes

In the past, management would decide on its company culture, inform stakeholders and the public what it stands for and how it does its business, sometimes explicitly stated in a company’s vision and mission. Once done, the company would brand itself in terms of its culture and its products. And we, the public, would believe everything it said.

However, over time the public would rate a business on the extent to which its products and actions matched its goals. Too often public perceptions and ratings were ignored, leading to loss of reputational capital, while managers and leaders focused only on the other ‘capital’ – profitability. Today, because of the glaring evidence of crises resulting from public reaction to irresponsible leadership, organizations are being forced to act more ethically.

Public perceptions

The public expects organisations (including government) to keep their promises. Individuals want to trust a business they deal with. Their perceptions of and attitudes towards a company must be positive before they can trust it. And business certainly needs loyal customers and stakeholders. No company can afford to ignore the reactions to their behaviours. They do so at their own peril. Managers and leaders must listen and adapt.

Social Media and Advocacy

Meanwhile globally, the rise of social media, and the grassroots engagement it affords, has contributed to the growth of people power. Companies are constantly being watched and evaluated by the man in the street who happily shares his perceptions, based on what he sees and hears in the media. These perceptions gain momentum and can lead to mass action, causing negative outcomes for the businesses concerned. There are so many examples of this, but H&M’s recent crisis over an alleged ‘racist’ advert is one. With the growth of public and employee word-of-mouth marketing, research has shown that advocacy statements by activists and ‘influencers’ on social media are far more powerful in terms of engagement and belief than content that comes directly from the brand or company.

Ethical Branding

Ethical business builds Reputation

Ethical branding is crucial as companies become aware of the importance of good corporate citizenship, responsible behaviour and transparency in all their dealings with internal and external stakeholders. More than ever before, building public trust is crucial to any business operation and its survival. Managers and leaders must ensure that the company performs well economically, ethically, legally, environmentally and socially, that is, as a corporate citizen.

The King Report, now in its 4^th form, is regarded as the ‘go-to guide’ on corporate governance for large companies. Government and SMMEs too would definitely gain by consulting the document. Basically, it highlights key aspects of creating a corporate environment for the 21^st century and beyond where corporate citizenship and responsible leadership are key. Only by focusing on its role in society and behaving with transparency can an organization ensure its reputation and sustainability.

Write an 8 Step Communication Strategy for 2018

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PR and Communication must be strategic to be effective here’s an easy 8 Step Plan.

In a 2016 article Roger Jabaly defined strategic communication management as “The systematic planning and realization of information flow, communication, media development and image care in a long-term horizon. It conveys deliberate message(s) through the most suitable media to the designated audience(s) at the appropriate time to contribute to and achieve the desired long-term effect. Communication management is process creation. It has to bring three factors into balance: the message(s), the media channel(s) and the audience(s)” (Bockstette & Carsten, 2008).

Jabaly further suggests that writing a communication strategy should include identifying the different aspects that need to be planned for. He offers eight steps that would lead into a well-rounded strategy, fulfilling the aspirations of most organizations.

1) Statement of Purpose: Why are you developing a communication strategy in the first place and what needs to be achieved with it.

2) Current Situation: To understand your organization’s current situation it is highly recommended to use tools such as: SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats), PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, and Competitor analysis).

3) Set Objectives: It is crucial to align both Organizational and Communication objectives and present a communication strategy that delivers on your organization’s overall vision, and objectives.

4) Identifying stakeholders: Know your audience. Whether internal or external, communicators should be able to give a comprehensive description of their audiences.

5) Messages: Craft your messages to be simple, relevant and appealing to your different audience. Avoid using one size fits all approach.

6) Key Communication Channels: Ask yourself what are the most appropriate channels to use in transmitting your messages? Understand all the available media channels and their level of engagement each offers your audience, especially social media.

7) Playbook: With your audiences and communication methods identified, it is time to highlight your key communications activities, budget and allocated resources. Your work plan will allow you to measure steps toward your goals.

For a truly well-rounded communications strategy, communicators need to incorporate detailed plans for Media/PR, Digital, and Crisis Communication.

8) Auditing and Evaluating: What are your key performance indicators, what would strategy success look like, how would you evaluate, measure and audit your communication strategy performance?

Add to the conversation! Share and contribute your thoughts, questions and experience on developing a communications strategy.

My thoughts on the KPMG reputational crisis

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KPMG’s name and reputation remains in crisis and in the headlines. We just can’t stop talking about it. So let’s start learning from it. Having been involved in practising, lecturing and consulting in Corporate Communication, I can’t resist throwing out some of my own thoughts on the matter.

Loss of ethics loss of Reputation

In terms of corporate citizenship, ethical branding, responsible leadership, accountability and reputation, here are my offerings:

For many years now, the King Report has been the go-to document for guidelines on corporate governance, corporate citizenship and responsibility to one’s stakeholders, community, politico-economic and natural environment. Large corporate are obliged to take note and commit to upholding the principles and values contained in the King Report which is constantly being revised to ensure it remains valid, relevant and current.
Transformational leadership. It’s simple: know what it means. Know the code of conduct. Know how to motivate and inspire. Know the law but act ethically. Know your people and their feelings. Know the truth. Spread the truth.
Reputation management: Every company –small and large – must plan and manage its identity, its values and its behavior in order to manage outcomes and others’ perceptions of it. Only through critical strategic discussions with all stakeholders, including the media, can a company develop a strong positive reputation.
Crisis management – Plan, prepare, strategise for negative disruptive events that impact your operations and your reputation. Without a crisis plan you’re doomed. Public sharing is vital for a reputable organization to gain support. Don’t apologise unless you mean it and are prepared to pay the price.
Corporate culture: Vision, Ethos, Values, Beliefs and Behaviour. Accountability means to take responsibility for one’s decisions and actions and be adaptable to changes in the environment and courageous to stand one’s ground in the midst of potential threats, temptations and challenges. Be purpose- not greed-driven.

Finally, companies should strategise for sustainability. Their strategies must translate into best practice – setting standards and acting as examples for conducting ethical business, based on principles and values of trust, integrity, professionalism, not greed, status and power.

Corporate governance and CSR – is it for REAL?

5 Ways to build relationships on Social Media

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5 Steps to Building Relationships with Social Media

Taken from and Thanks to: Jack Kosakowski – @jackkosakowski1 – “a passionate practitioner and proselytizer in the social selling space” (Act-On).

1. Connect
Stay alert to opportunities. You could make a connection with anyone you meet,
interact with, or run into at a grocery store (you get the picture). Many people you
meet will be potential connections or advocates; if you connect with authenticity
and transparency, on a personal level, you’ll begin to develop a relationship that
may pay off later.
Don’t sell at this stage, just connect and build a network.

2. Prospect
Prospecting is a continual process. You meet people and evaluatate whether there
is mutual benefit to building a relationship; if there is, you make a connection. You
should add new people to your prospect funnel continually; just as with the sales
funnel, some will drop out as time passes.
Prioritize vigilantly, and focus on the most promising prospects.

3. Listen
This step is the most important part of social selling. Monitor your social feeds
throughout the day as you’re running meetings, building relationships, and closing
deals. As companies and prospects in your social funnel are communicating, you
will be listening and soaking it all in. This will help you learn what’s important to them.

4. Engage
Now that you have the right prospects and you’ve been listening, you can begin
to engage. Start commenting and adding value to prospects’ social media posts
across various channels. Most companies and professionals don’t get many of these
engagements, so they will appreciate the added ‘bump’ your interaction provides,
as it reaffirms their own presence on these platforms. (Don’t we all love getting a
few extra likes and comments?) Be genuine as you engage and give your honest
feedback. Insincere flattery will cost you the potential for honest conversation
moving forward.
Engagement on social media is a process, and it needs to be done across multiple
channels. As your trust with the prospect grows, your authority in your space will
become stronger. This is a place to separate yourself from the competition.
As you engage, you build credibility.

5. Add Value
Start contributing to the relationship by educating people who are looking for
answers. You’ve figured out what’s important to them and you’ve started to
get noticed. Now you begin demonstrating the value that you can add to the
relationship. Start sharing your content and be strategic about it. If you’ve done
your due diligence in the listening phase, then it won’t be that hard to post content
that you know they will find valuable.
But take care to get it right. You need to make sure that you are adding value – and
first impressions are everything. Your prospect won’t let you waste their time twice.
Deliver the right content, in the right place, and at the right time you’ll get lost in the
crowd – or written off as irrelevant.

Be smart, be persistent, stay engaged, and always add value.

ARE RESPONSIBLE BUSINESSES TAKING CARE OF THE FUTURE?

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Ethical branding and sustainability trends for 2015 and beyond

There is so much talk of sustainability, ethical branding and how to strategise a company’s CSR programmes and efforts, to make ‘being good part of good business.’

Corporate governance and CSR – is it for REAL?

I have found two interesting items on this topic. The first, a delightful, creative and easy-to-understand ‘story’ about becoming a ‘conscious industry.’ I love it. But my question is, who sees it, who is learning from it and who is doing it? This is a resource that should be circulated to every single business in this country. To experience it, visit: www.ogilvyearth.co.za

The other, EthicalCorp’s report on sustainability trends for 2015.
Ethical Corporation is hosting its 14th Annual Responsible Business Summit in May this year at which over 300 executives from across the globe will discuss the future of responsible business.
As a precursor to this prestigious event, Ethicalcorp conducted a survey to assess the current issues and trends in sustainability. What emerged from the 472 responses were the 3 top international priorities in 2015:
1. Embedding CSR
2. Creating a Sustainable Culture
3. Sustainable innovation
30% of respondents stated that sustainable innovation was the most exciting opportunity for their company in the next five years.
Nearly 25% stated that their companies were driven by sustainability. The hope is that this would increase as sustainability becomes more embedded in R&D and permeates through the organisation.
Visit: www.ethicalcorp.com/rbs

I say, there’s too much talk and not enough will for action!

Change Management vs Change Leadership?

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Change Management vs Change Leadership? Most companies focus on Change Management……… perhaps Change Leadership is what’s required for forward-looking, sustainable business in a changing world…..

Leadership with vision

Leadership with heart

Bad Corporate Governance ruins Reputations

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In his article The acrid smell of dry rot, Theo Botha,partner at CorporateGovernance.Pro, laments the fact that ” Abil, PPC and HCI have been less than vigilant in executing their responsibilities.” This leads to ‘unsound governance’ that has 3 stages to the effects, namely – and I quote:

Loss of ethics loss of Reputation

Internal loss of trust: this could lead to weak compliance, the ‘bending’ and eventual ‘breaking’ and ‘flouting’ of rules (meaning to treat them with contempt); misuse of company assets, abuse of company powers, victimisation of well-meaning people, loss of strategic direction, loss of capable leaders,
External loss of reputation: this normally leads to external mistrust, loss of business, loss of funding support, loss of profit, runs on the company, and total collapse, and
Actions against the company: these could lead to closing of business.

Botha maintains, “it is important to put your finger into the tiny hole in the dyke as soon as possible….So do take care who we elect to sit on boards, and to the positions of CEO and CFO; do ensure that they are remunerated to get to the most preferred outcomes for the company; do ensure that these people act responsibly; do ensure that company actions are in the best interests of all stakeholders; do ensure that shareholders are vigilant (even asset manager-linked shareholders) and act on their responsibilities; and do require management and directors to be held to account.”

He adds: “What do we have at HCI, apart from very many unanswered questions? A damaged reputation, I would submit, probably irreparably damaged. Bad smells (dry rot?) all over. One very unhappy funder at Sabido. One very sad news service at eNCA (the relaunched name for eNews). And now, one ex-chairman at HCI.”