Recap Communication Congress 2022 of the Evernine Group – How to bring the Purpose into your Corporate Communication
At the 2022 Communications Congress, the Evernine Group, a Munich-based communications consultancy with an affiliated full-service agency, was there as an exhibitor, speaker and partner. One major theme dominated the event: in this changing world, companies are increasingly faced with the task of credibly presenting orientation and responsibility in their corporate communications. This also applies to product-heavy corporate communications. Alexander Roth, CEO of the Evernine Group, gives three impulses on how companies can proceed in order to provide their own brand story with more purpose towards the market, customers and their own employees.
At Evernine Group, we understand purpose to mean presenting a meaningful raison d’être for one’s own service and brand to customers and employees, but also to applicants and the company’s environment. The focus is on getting more “meaningfulness” into brand communication in HR communication, PR, marketing campaigns as well as newsrooms & content hubs. In numerous best practices, we have developed best practices for communication managers.
Employees provide the decisive impetus (bottom up)
As a first step, bring together long-serving employees in an internal circle. In the best case, this circle consists of all job fields of your company and works out together with you what makes the company, the brand and your services meaningful and also what drives individual colleagues according to your perception. When putting together this team, consider who you perceive to be the most reliable in the work environment, regardless of age or standing. Then develop a theme house with an associated roadmap (if necessary, also with external guidance) and proceed according to the method “Stand for something not for everything”. In your theme house, define the focus you need for your communication roadmap – for example, more focus on product or brand communication – as appropriate. Values that are irrelevant for the subsequent product communication (if this is your focus) should rather be neglected accordingly. Limit yourself to 4-5 topics. Next, define the associated content, campaigns and channel formats. Whether you then gender, for example, can be decided by the majority of the working group that you have determined.
What matters linguistically
Whether you want to take your employees or even other peer groups with you: There is hardly anyone who has more power on the Internet than Millennials, as they simply have the strongest Internet usage (even if they are underrepresented in your company) and carry this content the loudest into the market. Therefore, pay attention in your formulations and in the topic plan to what is important to this generation: authenticity, transparency, honesty, even sometimes the courage to “imperfection”. Example: It is better to “try” to achieve something than to say that you already are. If necessary, inconsistency may also be a part of this communication strategy. Language can be decisive here: Put away the traditional “boomer” language when it comes to Purpose topics – common is classic language of nominal constructions, nested sentences or numerous passive sentences, which are not desired here. After all, “Well-intentioned is the opposite of well-done.” Define a language guide that you constantly develop.
Skillful integration into brand marketing (top down)
Whether it’s sustainability, diversity, or CSR – no matter what values your company identifies, the key now is to proceed strategically so that the groundwork and marketing plan are aligned. So change this “bottom up” roadmap into a “top down” strategy that doesn’t even stop at the corporate boilerplate or traditional product communication (usually driven by the stakeholders/department heads:inside the company). Get the support of the management in this process.
A corporate ethic will evolve and complete itself. Set the appropriate processes in motion right from the start. Because: The topic of Purpose is becoming increasingly important.
If you are looking for Purpose support in connection with your corporate communications, you can contact us at imakeyoudigital@evernine.de. We will be happy to show you best practices in the area of PR/Content as well as HR.
Quelle Titelbild: Adobe Stock/Nuthawut