Reputation: With or Without You

Reputation:
with or
without you
An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey
Five principles for building and protecting your
reputation in the “always-on” world

Here in EMEA at MSLGROUP, we are fortunate to work with some of the region’s largest companies on complex and challenging business assignments. Our clients’ universe –
along with ours as consultants – has changed significantly over the past few years. The dot-com era forced businesses to adapt to the disruptive commercial impact of the internet, and now companies are being forced to react to the equally disruptive communications impact of digital and social networks.
Instead of occupying the commanding heights of communications alongside the media, companies are now swimming in a sea of new voices, each one posing a potential threat to reputation – and the bottom line. Add to that the rapid increase in the pace of communications and businesses are faced with an extremely high-risk environment.
It is also a time of tremendous opportunity for companies courageous enough to grasp the nettle.
Companies are waking up to the reality that the debates about their business and brand will happen with or without them,
and so it’s in their interest to engage.
With this report we set out to answer two basic questions: can organisations adapt to managing their reputations in this “always-on” world? And if so, how?
It’s always good practice to step back, observe your surroundings, and adjust your approach. This study should
help our clients to navigate the risks, seize the opportunities
and advise their own boards and communications colleagues.
We have certainly found it valuable.
We are confident you’ll find insights in this report that will help you to navigate the “always-on” world and build the stronger reputation and relationships you’ll need to achieve your business goals.
Sincerely,
Anders Kempe
President
MSLGROUP EMEA
Introduction
Contents
Anders Kempe
President, EMEA
MSLGROUP
About MSLGROUP
MSLGROUP builds and protects our clients’ brands,
reputations and relationships by helping them to be more INFLUENTIAL in the big, non-stop conversation – both inside and outside their organisations. We help them to influence the right people at the right time, in the right way. It’s part art, part science. It takes continuous insight, ideas and action. It takes people, process, creativity and technology working together relentlessly.
For more information on the full survey please contact
andrew.macdougall@mslgroup.com
01
02
04
06
10
12
14
Summary & recommendations
Introduction
Survey Methodology/ Executive Summary
Part 1: Increased scrutiny of communications at board level
Part 2: Embracing and adapting
to the “always-on” landscape
Part 3: Changing teams/
changing culture
Part 4: Empowering employees
to become external advocates
An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey 01

3M Italy
Alcatel-Lucent
Algol Group
APR Energy
AstraZeneca
BAE Systems
Banque Populaire
BASF
Bech Bruun Law Firm
British Land
BUPA
Carrefour
Celesio
Chr. Hansen
Coloplast
Commerzbank
Continental AG
Discovery Communications
Interviewed organisations
Individuals from the following organisations were interviewed in markets across EMEA.
Please note: A number of companies who participated in the study declined the opportunity to be named.
Survey Methodology
Executive Summary
Djøf
EY
DNA Ltd
Danish Broadcasting Corporation
Egmont
EMC
Ericsson
European Parliament
Finnair
Friskolornas riksförbund
FTF
GSK
H&M
Hartwall
HJ Heinz
IKEA Group
INFARMA
Investor
KPN Telecom
LähiTapiola
LEGO
Lundbeck
Maggi
Magneti Morelli
McDonald’s
Neste Oil
Norges Pelsdyralslag
Northland Resources
Norwegian Bar Association
NS, Dutch Railways
OGEO FUND
Pioneer Pekao Investment Management
Praktikerjänst
Raadhusgruppen
Randstad Holding
Renault
RWE AG
Rynkeby Food
Sainsbury’s
Saint Gobain
Santander UK
Siemans AG
Spicerhaart
Sportmaster
Standard Chartered Bank
Stroili Oro S.p.A.
Suomen Terveystalo
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe
UNIFY Italy
Unilever
Union Investment TFI
UWV (Dutch Employee Insurance Agency)
VR (State railways)
ZF Friedrichshafen
The free flow of digital information and the transparency brought about by social media have increased both the number and pace
of conversations about brands and business.
It’s a lot busier and faster out there.
Companies are adapting to this “always- on” communications environment and the relentless threat to reputation – and the bottom line – that it represents. Bad news travels faster than ever, while good news is often drowned out in the news stream.
As a result of this new “always-on” reality, communications is receiving more attention than ever at board level.
This shifting communications landscape – and the heightened risk to reputation – has also necessitated a change in approach and a change in the structure and culture of communications teams.
In sectors with significant regulatory restrictions or more conservative cultures
(e.g. pharmaceuticals or banking), vigorous debates are being held about how to best navigate this new environment.
Within companies, there is a flux in both structure and culture. Superb subject-matter expertise must now be married with expertise in the distribution of content across entirely new technologies and channels. More seasoned professionals haven’t yet fully embraced or understood the possibility of digital and social, while the “millennials” can’t picture their
world without it.
The “always-on” communications reality
has placed a premium on content. In addition to regularly planned events and launches, companies now need high-quality, relevant content to sustain the ongoing conversations that are happening on digital and social channels. This has implications when
planning communications campaigns.
Companies are therefore looking internally
to mine more content and are up-skilling and engaging their employees to become brand ambassadors, instead of relying solely on designated external communicators. But there exists significant uncertainty over how best
to do this.
In a world of more voices and more conversations, how should businesses harness the (often untapped) power of their own employees to better tell their story and build
the company’s reputation?
In a world drowning in content, how do companies produce content that is relevant, interesting and influential?
In a world of endless conversation, how do
you focus the discussion around your brand
or business and drive sales?
To gauge the views of senior communications managers at
100 top organisations in EMEA, MSLGROUP developed a survey with a mixture of open and closed questions targeted to their experience in dealing with communications and reputational issues. The surveys were conducted across EMEA markets in person or over the phone between 13 January, 2014 and 24 June, 2014. A full list of the companies interviewed appears below.
Quantitative questions were analysed according to the data,
with the descriptive supplement answers providing insight into
the thinking behind the quantitative answers. The qualitative answers were in general clustered in order to ascertain any common themes across companies.
When analysing responses, percentages are shown out of the
total respondents for that question, as this is not always the full 100 companies interviewed.
Many interviews were conducted in local languages and have been translated into English for the purpose of evaluation.
MSLGROUP would like to thank all of the companies who participated in the study.
To receive a copy of the full survey please contact
victoria.sugg@mslgroup.com
02 An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey 03

Increased scrutiny
of communications
at board level
Reputation is quickly becoming a key indicator of business success. The majority of companies surveyed agreed with the statement that reputation can bring a positive or significantly positive impact on how well a company does business wise.
Respondents also indicated that the reputational consequences of company errors or crises are now regarded as more severe, given the ability for bad news to spread quickly via new digital and social channels.
Despite the risks social media presents to reputation, a significant majority (79%) of those surveyed view social media as a clear opportunity. Only 5% viewed social media as a clear threat.
However, of the companies who view social media as an “opportunity”, 23% explicitly added, without prompting, the caveat that this is only the case when social media channels are managed appropriately and with a certain degree of caution.
The heightened reputational impact of social media is one of the reasons why a solid majority (70%) of respondents said more consideration is now being given to communications at board level.
As a result of this increased scrutiny, several companies stressed that they intend to adapt the way they report on reputation. Some firms, for example, intend to move away from only analysing media coverage and establish more “sophisticated” tools such as RepTrack as a measurement instrument in order to capture the new breadth of conversations happening around their businesses.
Board attention has also prompted companies to consider new ways to build their brand and reputation, although interestingly only a minority of respondents indicated that digital and social media would play a role in those efforts.
70%
of companies said more consideration is now being given to communications
at board level
86%
of companies are thinking about different approaches to building their brand
and reputation
85%
of companies agree or strongly agree that the reputational consequences of their mistakes have become more serious
There is an increased understanding of the role communications plays, both internally and externally, in building the reputation
of the company.
Kerry O’Callaghan
VP, Global Brand Communications
and Government Affairs, GSK
“
Key Findings
The MSLGROUP take
Digital and social channels have quickened the pace of conversation and have eliminated the barriers to debate. Companies and the “traditional” media no longer control or mediate the discussion. While not all online debate is necessarily important or impactful, companies must be vigilant and monitor the discussion and engage where appropriate to ensure any negative impact on reputation is caught early and addressed.
The study shows that within the new “always-on” media landscape, reputation functions as an important business characteristic and plays an essential role in contributing to
Reputation has always been serious. There is heightened focus on reputation and awareness nowadays due to the accessibility of information to consumers.
Christine Diamente
Head of Brand and Corporate Sustainability,
Alcatel-Lucent
“
business performance. The new media landscape has also impacted how companies measure and evaluate reputation. We can see that companies are on their way to incorporating their social and digital media activities into their reporting metrics on reputation. From a reputation perspective, companies are beginning to treat feedback through social and digital channels as equivalent to feedback through more traditional instruments such
as research or media coverage.
The Business “Take Out”
Design a robust online monitoring and analysis regime to engage in the conversations that are happening around your business or brand.
Careful monitoring can help flag problems before they metastasize into business-disrupting crises, and accurate metrics from these reporting regimes can help inform board discussion on reputation and positioning.
It’s extremely important that you don’t just move in your own little world, but are open and receptive to doing something else.
Head of Communications and
Government Affairs of a global
technology company
“

“
We are still trying to find a balance between what we produce, at what cost, and what it is people want to hear about us.
Head of Communications of
a national beverage company
“
Writing and creating content tailored to each of our target audiences can be a challenge and typically requires a good bit of time and resources.We have a content producer on staff, supported by other team members who write and provide inputs, and this helps us maintain focus on our content marketing objectives and activities.
Silvio Cavaceppi
VP Marketing & Communications PR, APR Energy
Key Findings
A majority of respondents indicated their approach to communications had fundamentally changed because of the rise of social media. Instead of broadcasting to their audiences via paid and owned channels, they are now increasingly engaging in conversations with stakeholders online.
To monitor and respond to these conversations, a strong majority of companies have some form of social media listening or early warning systems in place to mitigate risk, or have processes in place to manage real-time interactions.
74%
of companies have seen their approach to communications change fundamentally due to the rise of social and digital media
74%
have transitioned from broadcasting to engaging in ongoing dialogue with their key stakeholder audiences
The Rise of Content
With the rise in the use of social media comes an increase in the need for content to populate social and digital channels. To build and defend reputation, companies are now generating richer – often highly visual – forms of content to sustain conversations across multiple channels.
In the survey, 88% of companies indicated that they produce more content than they did two years ago.
There is also a clear trend in what types of content are being created and shared on social channels, with companies being more likely to produce short, easily-digestible content for their social channels, rather than longer-form blogs and thought leadership pieces.
I believe that the time of “shiny and polished brands” is over. Now it’s more about stories. It’s the little things that build the brand.
You need to be able to tell interesting stories about your services.
Aku Varamäki
Social Media Manager, Finnair
“
If social media didn’t exist, you’d be
trying to invent it.
Alex Cole
Director of Corporate Affairs,
BUPA
“
Embracing and
adapting to the
“always-on” landscape
We don’t find content too difficult to find. We’re a broad business and there are lots of people with interesting things to say. The challenge is often getting this content into good enough shape for publication.
Tim Baxter
Global Head of Communications & Corporate Affairs,
“
88%
of companies produce more content than two years ago
Types of content companies
are producing more of versus two years ago
34% 30% 13% 12% 11% VideosPictures & infographicsBrand content/storytellingBlogs & thought leadershipNews & press content
A Difficult Harvest
Despite facing a pressing need, many companies are finding it difficult to find, collate and publish content. The factors that stand out from the survey as hampering content publishing are time and budget, as well as format and tone.

Embracing and
adapting to the
“always-on” landscape
From broadcast
to conversation
Armed with content, companies indicated that they have now started using digital and social channels to deepen their engagement with stakeholders.
However, the survey found that not all audiences respond equally well to digital and social engagement. While respondents indicated that the value of using social media was evident when dealing with employees, customers and the media, quite a few responded that its value was less apparent for other audiences, including analysts, investors and policymakers.
There was also some conservatism within sectors, with highly regulated industries like pharmaceuticals and finance indicating they saw limited upside in engaging with their stakeholders over very public social media channels.
There are all sorts of legal considerations. We are looking at how to use our digital and social channels in ways and areas of the business that aren’t bound by our regulatory requirements.
Kerry O’Callaghan
VP, Global Brand Communications and Government Affairs,
GSK
“
We are not just senders of messages but we must now accept criticism and respond to our customers.
Thierry Bouvard
Head of Sector Editorial Programs and Sponsorship,
Banque Populaire
“
Do you find it difficult to find, collate and publish stories?
Do you encourage staff
to take time to do this?
42%
58%
74%
26%
Yes
No
Yes
No
We have a much closer relationship with compliance. Because we are a financial services company we need to be very careful with what we say on social media and that’s why, when it comes to financial products, we tend to use traditional media to communicate product information.
Jonathan Akerman
Senior Strategic Communications Manager, Santander UK
“
Marry deep subject matter expertise with technological savvy and then experiment with tone and approach across channels.
Companies need both a deep subject matter expertise and an intimate familiarity with digital technology to succeed in the “always-on” environment. The new digital and social channels allow for flexibility
in tone and approach, and companies should take calculated risks in how they communicate their business or brand in this new environment. While not every initiative will be perfectly on-brand, the approach will feel more genuine to consumers or partners.
It’s about lighting beacons, not setting off fireworks. We’re trying
to create communications initiatives that last longer.
Tim Baxter
Global Head of Communications & Corporate Affairs, Standard Chartered Bank
“
1 http://mslgroup.com/insights/2014/curing- the-content-headache.aspx
The MSLGROUP take
As we all know, the rise of digital and social media has changed the way companies approach communication. In addition to more traditional communications events like product launches and quarterly or annual results, companies are also staging lower-threshold events in order to stay active in the 24-7
news stream.
Companies have taken a number of approaches to curing their content headache1, from hiring content marketing experts and ex-journalists, to engaging outside firms. Collating, qualifying, and sequencing content in a robust content calendar that supports corporate and brand narratives will remain a priority for the coming year.
A number of respondents in highly regulated sectors like finance and healthcare cited their regulatory obligations and/or ability to move markets as reasons to limit their activity on these new channels. Other firms in these sectors cited an overall cultural conservatism toward external communication.
For those who do participate actively in social media, the positive effect the “always-on” conversation has had on a company’s stakeholders’ ability to understand the company’s values is more pronounced for some stakeholder groups than others, notably less so for analysts, investors and policymakers.

Changing teams/
changing culture
The MSLGROUP take
In order to fully utilise this comparatively new medium, companies are prioritising capability in social and digital media, as well as in content production. This has often meant bringing in younger staff who have grown up with digital and social media.
With a majority of senior level communications staff having entered professional life well before the advent and rise of the new channels, there is a clear split in familiarity, perceived utility, and capability with digital and social media. These two poles will eventually converge.
Knock down internal silos and embrace the quicker pace of communications in an environment of increased transparency.
All departments are now potentially outward facing. Mastering communications in the “always-on” environment will require a united front across external, internal, customer service and investor communications. Veterans can mentor new employees in substance, while younger employees can instruct more seasoned colleagues on the merits and particulars of the new communications channels.
Key Findings
The survey shows that companies are beginning to review the internal structure and make-up of their communications teams in response to the change in communications output (i.e. more content across more channels) and reputation management. While some communications teams are growing, the majority of companies surveyed are not putting their emphasis on increasing the size of their teams.
Several companies highlighted the need for hiring focused on content generation and not simply social media expertise. Others are concentrating on attracting channel and technology specialists and experts. For these companies, the focus is ensuring that the team has the right capabilities. In some cases, this means hiring younger staff who are more comfortable with social and digital media, in other cases this aspect of communications is outsourced.
While some companies have not yet changed their teams or activities, most see the opportunities and benefits of doing so and are either in the planning phase for change, or lack the manpower and expertise to move ahead with changes at the present time.
Personnel aside, the survey finds that companies are coming across a number of cultural and organisational barriers when trying to adapt to the needs of the new media landscape and meeting the demands of the always-on conversation.
A number of companies indicated that their IT systems were lagging behind and that they simply didn’t have the mobile technology necessary to continuously engage with the new channels. Some respondents didn’t feel they had significant enough buy-in from senior management to proceed with staffing changes to cover off the new channels.
I do not advocate a separate social media department or division. In future, all communicators will have to be more “savvy” and have a good understanding of the various communications channels.
Marc Binder
Group Communications Director,
Celesio AG
“
The pressure for change came from… different directions: in addition to communications, HR noticed that young employees had new expectations.
Heli Järvinen
Communications Manager,
Algol
“
It is also clear from the survey that companies need to invest in talent from a resource perspective as well as from a capabilities perspective. To that end, we see most companies adapting their teams or appointing external agencies to handle the bulk of social and digital communications in tandem with their internal teams.
The company’s mind-set is fundamentally changing. I have a team that used to own their own channels and operate in silos – people now have to think differently.
Tim Baxter
Global Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs,
“
Traditional communications are performed by many employees in our organisation, but few through social media. I think we will need to have a change in culture to empower communication in social media as well.
External Communications Manager
for a global pharmaceutical company
“
Respondents were asked
to rank from 1-6 the greatest cultural or organisational barriers they experienced
in meeting the demands of
the always-on conversation
01
Capability
(staff)
02
Resource
(staff)
03
Culture
(organisational)
04
Technology
(equipment)
05
Leadership
(by a CEO)
06
Risk Management

Letting employees who are not members of the communications team participate in the company’s external communications leads
to loss of control over
the content.
Head of Marketing and PR for
a multinational clothing retailer
“
All LEGO employees communicating with consumers via social platforms require an internal Social Media Driver’s Licence.
Preben Møller
Brand Director (EU), LEGO
“
Empowering
employees to become
external advocates
Internal and external communication are continually merging because, either privately or (at work), employees are able to send what they feel, think, and say in the company around the world.
Head of Communications and Government Affairs
of a global technology company
“
What has completely changed is the circle of communicators. This not only includes the people in my communications department, who are communicating with a broad coverage and were hired to do that, but also everyone in the company, who today are able to communicate with this wide reach and do so, as well, both privately and at work.
Head of Communications and Government Affairs
of a global technology company
“
Key Findings
To the question of whether it was good in theory to empower people outside of the communications teams to communicate, companies were fairly supportive.
The survey found that 77% of companies think empowering individuals outside the communications team to communicate externally is a good thing. One quarter consider it a bad thing or express resistance when it comes to encouraging their employees to communicate about the company externally.
Is empowering individuals outside the communications team to communicate externally a good or bad thing?
9%
Embrace contribution from others, although contributions could be vetted or employees trained first
75%
Limit external communications using social media to certain authorised people
7%
Allow all employees to communicate externally about the company without any measure
of guidelines or oversight
That said, companies are still hesitant to grant their employees a licence to comment on social channels in an official capacity:
I think that engaging employees – experts in their fields – in external communications (also in social media) may be profitable and poses a great value in building a brand’s position and reputation.
Head of External Communication and Public Relations of a multinational retailer
“
Most companies underline that there must be clear guidelines and restrictions on how employees can communicate about the company they work for.
A number of companies pointed out the importance of educating not just the core communications team, but also the wider network of employees. This can be in the form of formal training, or through company social media guidelines.
57%
20%
23%
Good
Bad
Overall good but with restrictions
The MSLGROUP take Employees are now increasingly aware, interested and involved in the internal and external discussions happening around their brands or businesses thanks to digital and social channels. A company’s successes or failures can reach employees quickly and without context.
Among the respondents there is an understanding that employees must have a role if companies are to sustain and engage in the conversations happening in digital and social media. Whether in the generation of content for the new channels, or as external advocates, employees are increasingly demanding a role in their company’s communications.
While the majority of respondents support their employees’ external communication in theory, in practice there is uncertainty over how to best engage and utilise their talents.
Share knowledge and positioning with all employees and match it with training before they can earn their passport to engage publicly, if not officially.
The process is really complex and still immature. Empowering people outside of the communications team to communicate externally through social media needs a serious and severe evaluation.
Paolo Armano
Digital Marketing Manager,
Magneti Morelli
“
A majority of the respondents cited the need for clear social media guidelines. Others cited specific training courses their employees must complete before being
allowed to contribute on digital
or social channels.

Summary &
Recommendations
The broad agreement among communications managers that digital and
social media have the power to both positively and negatively impact corporate
reputation goes hand-in-hand with the rising attention being given to corporate
communications at board level.
The new 24-7 “always-on” landscape is an opportunity for communications
directors to build their brand and corporate reputations and to redefine their
value in the eyes of their superiors through more data-driven reporting.
However, it will be a challenge to fulfill the expectations of the C-suite if
communications capabilities are not properly resourced and managed.
Along with overcoming in-house cultural conservatism and an external lack
of receptiveness to digital and social content amongst some stakeholder
audiences, communications managers must knit the newer skills of often much
younger employees with the experience of more senior members of their teams.
In a communications environment that is moving faster than ever, through more
channels than ever, to more audiences than ever, devising appropriate advisory
and permissions procedures will be crucial.
So, how will communicators be able to use this opportunity most effectively?
Monitor,
respond and
measure
Conversations about your brand
or business are happening all around
you, whether you want them to
happen or not. The chatter might be
meaningless, or it might be signaling
an unmet need or an issue that has
yet to surface.
Companies should set up social media
listening programmes to get a better
understanding of the conversations
happening about their brands and
businesses. The analysis of that
listening should be used to develop
risk mitigation plans to neutralise
potential issues, and to inform positive
white space opportunities for brands
to expand their reach.
All efforts should be measured
carefully to adjust approaches
if necessary, and then be reported
back to senior management
to give them a fuller picture of
corporate communications and
business successes.
Start a content
engine to sustain
conversations
Creating enough content to populate
digital and social channels is
hard work. It must be planned for,
resourced, and executed properly.
It’s not solely a question of volume
– people are looking for high-quality
content that’s relevant to them.
Creating and fuelling a content engine
to sustain conversations across digital
and social channels requires both
creativity and process. It requires art
and science to identify both what
to say, who to say it to, and how to
say it. It must reinforce the brand or
business’ purpose and narrative.
Convene an editorial group comprised
of representatives from multiple units
of the business – including HR and
internal communications, customer
service, investor relations, external
communications & media relations,
and marketing – and populate a six-month
editorial calendar.
Overcome cultural
conservatism and
engage
Digital and social media aren’t
going away anytime soon. To repeat:
conversations about your brand or
business are happening all around
you, whether you want them to
happen or not. Burying your head in
the sand will only expose your behind.
While regulatory requirements
might prevent some forms of
communications, there are still
avenues of expression that should
be pursued. Misinformation must
be countered by fact and legitimate
customer enquiries must be serviced.
Use data to help make the case
internally – one of the benefits of these
new channels is that responses can be
tracked and measured with specificity.
Demonstrate the benefit of engaging
and help avoid the damage when a
rumour is allowed to spread across
the internet.
Improve internal
and external
transparency
The old adage is truer than ever: if you
don’t want to see it on the front page of
the newspaper, you shouldn’t be doing
it. Given the increased transparency
wrought by the new channels, a
company’s internal behaviour must
absolutely match its desired public
perception. This requires a change
in culture at all levels, and not simply
a new CSR programme to put in the
shop window.
Companies should embrace
transparency instead of fighting
disclosure. Bad news will find a way
out of your organisation – with a
click of a button millions of pages of
information can now be disseminated
around the world. Be honest and
accountable and you’ll have less to fear.
To help with this process, bring your
employees onboard and communicate
with them regularly. Don’t let them be
rattled by rumour or bad news. Give
them the facts and trust them to use
them to full advantage.
Make your
employees active
communicators
With more voices starting more
conversations about your brand
or business without your control or
approval, you’ll be needing more
advocates for your cause. Why not
start with the people who work
so hard for you?
Upskill them to participate in these
new channels and arm them with
information and stories they can
share. Set a clear framework and
monitor their efforts and ask them
to self-regulate too. With the right skills
and stories they’ll be a passionate and
committed advocate for your cause.
After all, who knows your company
better than the people who run it?
Here are a few principles
and recommendations from
MSLGROUP:

Reputation: With or Without You

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