8/9/2019 When the Talkies Come to Town

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Talkingfilmssoonoustedthesilentmovies.But

despiteourability toadd

soundtoeverymediumfromwebsitesto mobilephones,thePRindustryhasyetto giveits clients'publicsanythingworth listeningto.

ReginaldWattsexplainswhy asoundstrategyfor apublicrelationscampaignwill soon

meanexactlythat!

"Thiswhole is boundtogetherwithinone underlyingstrategythat extendsvisual corporateidentityto a singledesignstylefor literature,exhibitionshowrooms,receptionareasencompassingcolour,materialchoice,photographicstyle,type faces andtoneof voice."Hewent onto talk aboutthe cominguseof soundandmusicalsignaturesasreinforcementto the visualsignifiers,butmoreof that later.BernardGuly,MDofView,the brandanddigitalcommunicationsagency,arguesthat BernardCarey'slist ofmessagecarrierswill playa growingpart in thethree E'sformula,acting asfacilitators."Companiesnowhavethe abilitytoincorporatetheir CSRinitiativeinto theway theyusetheweb to graspthereputationalhighgroundandpushthepositiveaspectsof their work to thefront" (seewww.gsk.comfor examplesof hisapproach).Unfortunately,despitethe lip servicewe hearfromheadsof corporateaffairs,few companiesachievea highenoughlevelof co-ordinatedattack.There is a lamentablelackofunderstandingbymanagersof howmeaningis processedandtakenfromcorporatematerial,especiallywhen itis purelyvisualandunwritten.(seemyarticle in Behindthe SpininMay2005).

Get the message rightEveryonetalksthe talk.KateNicholaswrote in PRWeek (3March2006)hatshecounted30mentionsof podcastsata conferencesheattendedyet "thereappearedto bea disconnectiondevelopingbetweenthe new mediaandthe businessof day-to-dayPR".Somuchtalk aboutdeliverysystemsgoesonyet manyheadsofcommunicationstill fail to gettheirmessageright.Without a full scalepositioningaudityoumightaswellwhistle inthewind.I havelost countof the positioningauditswheremyquestionto the CEOonthe companypositioningreceives

the replythatthey are a "companyofferinghighqualityproducts,withexcellentafter salesserviceandvaluefor moneyproducts".I bitemy lip atthis pointandrefrainfrom replying"and I supposeyouarekindto animalstoo".Motherhoodandhonestydoesnot build reputation,norgainlisteners.If the messagestrategyis to work, itshouldbebasedon aclear positioningstatementofa fewparagraphsonly,noWarandPeace,please.Thestatementneedincludeonlya small

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Themovablefeastwe call corporatecommunicationshasalwaysbeen,well,movable.With shameI admitto writingsomeyearsagothat corporatecommunicationsdidnot exist.It wasjust a fashionablenamefor thecombinationof consumer,governmental,employeeandcommunityrelations.MamaMiawhat a fauxpas,to mixmy languages.Today,I earna livingadvisingcompaniesinthis"fashionable"discipline,arguingit isthe central plankof organisationalcommunication.Timeschangeandnevermoresothan inthe yearsahead.Writing atthetimeof the millenniuma businesspunditprophesisedthis decadewouldbeaboutthreeE's:education,environmentandethics.Companieswould haveto reactto customerswhowere better "Educated",haveagrowing interestin the "Environment"andaboveall, beforcedto operate

11 within rigorous"Ethical" standards.Foronce a forecast aboutpublicrelationswas spoton.BernardCarey,director andcolleaguein consultantsSoundStrategiesandonetimedirector of~I corporatecommunicationsat theSmithsGroup,at RoverandLucas,summedupthe situationin corporatejl communicationsbysaying:"Corporateidentityhascometo representmorethana designsystem.It now embodies

a company'swider valuesandpositioningwithin its stakeholderdiaspora."It includesallformsof visualinterfacebetweena companyand itspublics.Somecompanieshavemultiplebrandsfor subsidiaries,productgroups~; orsingle productswith their own

11 identityandlogo.

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'rhfi'$o(jnd Strategies team

8/9/2019 When the Talkies Come to Town

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