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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 regions 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 its 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?
Its 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 youll find insights in this report that will help
you to navigate the always-on world and build the stronger
reputation and relationships youll need to achieve your
business goals.
Sincerely,
Anders Kempe
President, EMEA
MSLGROUP
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
infuence the right people at the right time, in the right
way. Its 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
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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
Djf
EY
DNA Ltd
Danish Broadcasting
Corporation
Egmont
EMC
Ericsson
European Parliament
Finnair
Friskolornas riksfrbund
FTF
GSK
H&M
Hartwall
HJ Heinz
IKEA Group
INFARMA
Investor
KPN Telecom
LhiTapiola
LEGO
Lundbeck
Maggi
Magneti Morelli
McDonalds
Neste Oil
Norges Pelsdyralslag
Northland Resources
Norwegian Bar Association
NS, Dutch Railways
OGEO FUND
Pioneer Pekao Investment
Management
Praktikerjnst
Raadhusgruppen
Randstad Holding
Renault
RWE AG
Rynkeby Food
Sainsburys
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.
Its 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 havent yet fully embraced or
understood the possibility of digital and social,
while the millennials cant 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 companys 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,
forexample, 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 OCallaghan
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
Embracing and
adapting to the
always-on landscape
We dont find content too difficult to find.
Were 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,
Standard Chartered Bank
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%
Videos
Pictures & infographics
Brand content/storytelling
Blogs & thought leadership
News & 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.
06 An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey 07
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 arent bound by our regulatory
requirements.
Kerry OCallaghan
VP, Global Brand Communications and Government Affairs,
GSK
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
headache
1
, 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
forthe 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 companys stakeholders
ability to understand the companys
values is more pronounced for some
stakeholder groups than others,
notably less so for analysts, investors
and policymakers.
08 An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey An MSLGROUP EMEA Survey 09
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.
The Business Take Out
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
didnt have the mobile technology
necessary to continuously engage
with the new channels. Some
respondents didnt 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
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
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 ofcial 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 brands position and
reputation.
Head of External Communication
and Public Relations of a
multinational retailer