What's New

The divide between those engaged in CR communications, and those who have not yet developed an effective communications strategy, continues to narrow as companies slowly integrate CR into their core work practices and therefore into their ongoing core communications. So what could the future hold for more integrated communications, where the combined power of various communications tools meet?

According to IVCA only 35% of UK companies communicate their CR commitment to external stakeholders "very well" and as many as 25% communicate "poorly". Internally the story is even worse: a mere 25% of companies communicate their CR commitment to their staff "very well" and 40% communicate "very little or not at all."

UK companies used web-streaming for 7% of their internal communications delivery in 2005. This grew to 15% in 2007 and it is projected to grow to 20% by the end of this year (*).The internet and soaring broadband access mean newer, cheaper production and distribution methods are emerging fast. We think the future will be the multi-platform delivery of short motivational CR stories which 'walk the talk' giving inspirational credibility to CR values and initiatives. So we can expect to live celebratory events, screening films of individual stories streamed to remote locations, which can be uploaded on websites for instant or later use by a wider audience on computer or ipod. But will companies take this further?

With all the technical possibilities which come with Web 2.0 - full motion full screen video using Flash encoding and progressive download with direct links to other externally facing channels, integrating You Tube, Joost, Podcasts, RSS feeds, online interaction - what will be essential is to develop a palette of content solutions that make best use of the multiple delivery platforms for different audiences and circumstances.

There is a fantastic opportunity to reach a truly global stakeholder audience and at minimal distribution cost. Perhaps most exciting, but also most challenging as we look into the future, are the opportunities that social networking platforms such as YouTube, or even FaceBook and MySpace, offer for modifying the entire dynamic of CR communications.

For example a number of companies are already discovering how blogs can upend their communications strategy. Suddenly an individual ordinary employee who does not believe that the "CR talk" can actually "walk" can communicate with as loud - or accessible - a voice as an entire corporate communications department. Some companies may react to this possibly with horror, but others - Microsoft amongst them - are seeing that this can in fact be an immensely valuable tool, providing it can be managed correctly.

So it is imperative to strategize and manage these new platforms of online CR communication. How do we use User Generated Content (UGC) to assist and maintain a company's CR communications strategy? How do we let employees create their own CR stories and experiences, and still integrate these into the overall story of the company? With the new tools of Web 2.0, these are the challenges of the future.

(*) International Visual Communication Association 2007 research

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