CorpComms Magazine

Firstly, the ground rules: we all need to ensure that our communications (and our behaviours) catch the spirit of the age. People are already hurting and there's worse to come - life's essentials are in and conspicuous excess is out.

The outcry over Russell Brand, Baby P and paedophilia tells us that the public are angry and want people to blame, and maybe even hate.

The banks already know this, and they won't be alone this year. Many of us will find that our companies and industries become scapegoats in a way that we never have before. We must start the year prepared to respond if this happens.

All of us in agencies and senior communications roles face extreme budget pressure because we have still not cooperated to produce industry standard evaluation measures (and therefore justification). We are currently in demand because there's a lot to communicate - but our own previous failure will mean that this year's budget cuts, and therefore redundancies, will be more severe than they should be.

What of the opportunities? The national thirst for answers means that the Internet may soon rival television as the main source of trusted information. Corporations whose websites deal with the real issues in a multimedia format will build a genuine dialogue that will benefit them in future. Those that don't will remain two-dimensional product brochures that are never visited twice.

And finally, while being appropriate in our communication we mustn't depress people further as history tells us that in the midst of the real Depression, Americans chose to watch the Wizard of Oz. Take a moment to remember that, underneath it all, everyone wants to follow the yellow brick road and find the Emerald City. 

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