CorpComms Magazine

Last year was one of change and preparation for better times ahead. Despite the challenging economic conditions, many companies put faith in the philosophy that those who spend in the tough times emerge the strongest when the economic tide turns. As the world creeps gingerly out of recession this year, this belief will continue to bear fruit.

With UK journalists finally starting to look for examples of the fabled green shoots of recovery, after 18 months of reporting doom and gloom, now is the time for companies to be kick-starting their PR strategies to position themselves as the drivers of growth and recovery.

Many have spent the downturn training their staff in media relations, revisiting crisis communications protocols and enhancing the presentation skills of their key external facing staff. As the New Year begins, these new skills will become more important than ever in B2B communication.

Reputation management featured heavily in last year's communications plans, with unprecedented requests for support from companies looking to downsize, recover costs and restructure. This year presents a new PR challenge. Many workforces have been battered by the economic tides and morale may be low, so now is the time to reinvigorate internal communications plans and rebuild employee/employer relations. Internal communications are often forgotten as companies gear up for new announcements, yet the value of a fully engaged, enthusiastic and revitalised workforce as ambassadors for the firm, should not be understated.

And this year also presents a unique communications challenge. A General Election must be called by early June and the indications are that Gordon Brown will go to the country in early May to coincide with the local elections. This means that politics and politicians will dominate the news headlines for at least the first five months. Companies looking to achieve coverage in this period should consider this. If a story is not relevant to the debate fuelled by the politicians or unlikely to create a political storm itself, it is unlikely to get covered. Having said that, observers of a now infamous former Labour adviser may conclude that the early part of this year is a good time to bury bad news.

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