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Issues Communication
Shaping Your Corporate Agenda
Karen Doyne, managing director of issues & crisis management at Burson-Marsteller, on using issues communication to shape your agenda
As our current communications environment has changed dramatically over the past few years, so have issue dynamics, making it imperative for companies to incorporate ongoing, fluid issues-management programs.
And while many organizations wouldn't think twice about allocating unlimited funding to extinguish a crisis when it arises, they balk at the prospect of dedicating resources to prepare for those situations beforehand. Those that do often employ an issues-management strategy that is fragmented and based on ad hoc, reactive initiatives.
Karen advises that companies "learn to take a 40,000-foot view of their corporate agenda and consider the appropriate insertion point for issues management." She highlights the importance of understanding what she characterizes as the "Iron Triangle" of audiences to consider including the media, policymakers and activists/trial lawyers. It's important to address each of them when developing an effective communications platform.
The new model of managing issues includes an approach that is coordinated, anticipatory and measurable. When executed properly, these elements combine to form an effective issues-management program that looks holistically at organizational challenges, breaks down the silos in which issues are often handled and overcomes functional barriers within the organization.
She cites Baxter International as an organization where an issues-management system was employed to maintain stakeholder confidence. Baxter, an expert in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, introduced a program that encompasses safety and security, facility emergency response, business continuity and threat management. Should a crisis ever arise; the tools are already in place to manage the situation, including an emergency contact database, collaborative Web sites, templates and risk-readiness assessments.
Karen maintains that the foundation of issues management begins with identifying the situations that pose the greatest threat to your organization. "Effective issues management starts with gaining an appreciation and understanding of when and how an issue will have an impact on the organization," she explains.
Eva Blum, chair of the PNC Foundation and a senior vice president of PNC Financial Services Group, and Carol Cone, chief executive officer of Cone, Inc., on PNC's cause-marketing focus
Companies increasingly realize that Americans' expectations of corporate citizenship have soared over the past few years and that cause marketing is important, especially during an economic downturn. In addition, while aligning with a cause is important for a company's reputation, it also has a powerful impact on the organization internally.
As one of the largest financial services companies in the country, PNC realized the positive impact a cause-marketing initiative would have on internal and external audiences. The PNC Foundation started "Grow Up Great," a 10-year, $100 million investment to prepare young children, from birth to age five, for school and life. As the most comprehensive corporate-based school-readiness program in the country, its ultimate goal is to help produce stronger, smarter, and healthier children, families, and communities. It includes investment in grants, sponsorships, television and print content, communications and volunteerism over ten years to further school readiness.
Eva chairs the PNC Foundation and is responsible for executing the program. She explains that companies need to identify specific criteria that a cause should meet before the program is planned and marketing initiatives are put in place. "In PNC's case, we needed to adopt a cause that would reach targeted key markets, resonate with priority audiences, support our brand attributes and leverage existing assets," she says. So far they've seen a $7 return on every dollar invested. She attributes the success of the program, in large part, to the way it's been embraced internally. "We've given every employee 40 hours of paid time off to dedicate to volunteering and it's been widely accepted," she explains.
Carol, who has partnered with PNC to support Grow Up Great through Cone, Inc., believes that a company's financials and social responsibility are in lock step with one another in a positive way. "The intersection of business strategy and corporate citizenship is beneficial to a company as it adds a valuable cause dimension to brand and corporate reputation." She lays out the components of an effective cause-marketing strategy, including identifying a cause that aligns with the company's overall mission, choosing the appropriate partners, putting assets to work, communicating to relevant audiences, involving senior management and committing to the strategy once it's determined.