The Strategic Role of PR and Corporate Communications

By Bihongoye Erica

In most instances, the function has been subordinated wrongly either to legal or marketing departments. The strategic place of the role of PR and Corporate Communication should be directly under the office of the CEO and should be part of EXCO meetings where strategic business decisions are made. There should be no debate about this fact.

Regrettably, when the role is assigned elsewhere other than its strategic place in an organisation, the PR and Corporate Communications person ends up taking the flak for things going wrong in this space not because of the person hired to perform in the role, but rather the misplacement of the function.

My personal view has always been that to a greater degree, things go wrong because the role has not been properly defined and the Communications person is left with no power to effect any changes without treading on insubordination threats.

However, a few companies that have taken the initiative to place this role correctly within their structures have yielded immense results. Brands such as Barclays and Standard Chartered, have properly positioned this role as part of their senior management team. You can’t question the results that this strategic positioning of PR and Corporate Communications has given these firms.

This article is an attempt to shade more light on this function, hoping that decision makers in our market, can apportion the role of PR and Corporate Communications its rightful and strategic place.

Let me submit that PR and Corporate Communications should be at the centre of strategic image positioning of any given company. The role should be used as the vehicle to drive organizational confidence in the eyes and minds of the public or customers.

If well deployed in an organisation, this function wields great influence and power to shape the business focus and manage public perception. Remember that perception is everything and it should be managed properly.

PR should deliberately build public confidence in the team managing the firm in order to gain customer loyalty and support. There is nothing worse that customers feeling that a firm is in wrong hands. Where such feelings exist, the PR team must begin to work and project the management team in a better public light.

A well-positioned PR function should leverage collaboration with the Human Capital department to drive organisational culture and values through consistent internal communication strategies that can translate into pleasant customer experience at every touch point.

Stakeholder engagement including the media, regulators, customers, government and shareholders cannot be divorced from this important function if an organisation is to function successfully with a positive public image.

Let me share some practical expectations of the role of PR and Corporate Communications:

To drive consistent communication through standardised corporate profile messages.

To drive financial confidence through accurate and informative financial messages

To drive industry leadership through profiling key management on innovation that answers the needs of customers.

Actively demonstrate corporate citizenship through a robust and well thought out CSR program

To build a media network that will enable the organisation to use the media positively and effectively

To ensure a risk management plan is developed and updated, enabling the company to respond quickly in times of crisisOn the aspect of stakeholder engagement, I would like to discuss a selected few and the strategic underlying insights that should inform strategy formulation to address each one of the targeted audiences:

The Public:

This forms the critical mass whose good will, loyalty and support the company must get. In the long run, this is the group that counts for the total customer base of an organisation.

Shareholders:

These are the owners of the business. They fund the business and their interest is operational efficiency and a good return on their investment.

Internal:

This is mainly staff, the required engine behind the success of any organization. They need to be motivated, efficient, and be able to work as a team to achieve positive results.

Influencers:

These are key opinion formers; they can also take the form of regulatory. They can influence public opinion in the company’s favour or they can make things very difficult for an organization.

Media:

These are key allies to be counted on your side. Never mess with the media; try to stay in good standing with them always. Through media relations and positive coverage, they can be used as agents of change to portray a good and strong public image.