CorpComms Magazine

Like it or not, corporate communications this year will be defined to a considerable degree by the economic and financial context of what we all do.

After all, whether you agree with the Chancellor's projections in the Pre-Budget Report that we will leave technical recession in the third quarter, both this year and next will be challenging for everyone - domestically and internationally.

However - and this is a crucial caveat - the success of corporate communicators will depend (rather like the economy) on how they approach the fundamentals of their trade - mitigating reputational risk and capitalising on reputational opportunity.

There is no question that with unemployment certain to rise and companies' figures coming under pressure, there are considerable downside risks that will have to be carefully managed - particularly in cyclical sectors and those counter-cyclical areas, such as financial services, that this time have been sucked into the downturn. After all, this is the first proper recession where the disgruntled have had access to the sometimes dizzying world of Web 2.0.

However, the shrewdest communicators will also be looking for the green shoots of reputational opportunity, capitalising on the competitive advantage any downturn brings and putting their organisation in the best possible place for when the upturn does arrive. As never before, integration of the different parts of the corporate comms toolkit will be critical to success.

My personal view is that all corporate communicators should be looking hard at the theme of dynamism that politicians, consumers and the media will all be looking for - underlining their corporation's determination to input into a dynamic economy and, wherever possible, positioning their firm as one of those with the vision to buck the downbeat trend. The coming months certainly won't be easy, but as ever success will be all about managing the fundamentals.  

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet