Corporate Communications (PR) Identification and Research Significance
Corporate Communications involve both internal and external information that the company’s management addresses to its employees, target audiences, and partners. This system of information flow is aimed at creating the image of the company in order to achieve the consistency of its actions, explaining its goals and objectives, formulating values and ideas as a coherent concept, and reflecting the company’s ethical standards. However, Corporate Communications are not analogs of Public Relations (PR) as the latter can be referred to as the subsystem of the former. In other words, PR is the management of information that is addressed to the external environment, primarily to media and customers.
The research of Corporate Communications is rather important for every company due to the fact that they determine how the public perceives the company. Internal communications should help the employees to understand the corporate culture, goals, and values. All employees should be aware of the development and decisions that affect the work of their departments and the company in general. It is especially significant to note crisis communication, when it is necessary to ensure that every employee not only performs his or her role but may also act independently, paying attention to the overall situation and potential complications. Corporate Communications connect all departments of the company through all levels, thus creating a sense of integrity.
Biggest Companies in Corporate PR and Types of Available Jobs
Among the giants of Corporate PR, one may note such corporations as Hudson Sandler, London, United Kingdom, or ICR, New York, New York. According to the World PR Report, Top 250 provided by Holmes Report, Sloane & Company (MDC Partners) was ranked as the Corporate Agency of the Year. The company invests in leadership and focuses on high-profile transactions. Other finalists are Burson-Marsteller, G&S Business Communications, ROI Communications, and so on.
Corporate PR presents many career opportunities for those, who want to deliver values and visions to audiences. For example, the PR Manager is expected to develop the company’s activities, ensure its appropriate positioning, and introducing the employees to the environment as well as performing media communications. The Publicist works directly with customers to deliver the best quality possible and promote the brand strategy. Another role is taken by the Copywriter, whose responsibility is writing publicity and marketing resources in the format of blog posts, press releases, etc. The Media Liaison coordinates interviews and other communications with media and customers. The Corporate Spokesperson serves as the key representative of the company and makes public statements.
Beneficial and Challenging Points of Corporate PR
Corporate PR promotes the establishment and maintenance of the corporate image of the company, offers better targeting and more tools for the interaction with stakeholders, and provides an integrated approach to developing the company. The proper communication helps to improve products and services based on the analysis of the impact made on customers. The challenges include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and overcoming poor consumer perception. When the company fails to adhere to the standards of CSR, it may lead to a rather challenging situation associated with public mistrust. Accordingly, in case the company lost the customers’ trust once, it is difficult to gain their attention and loyalty again because of the so-called domino effect that implies the poor perception of every subsequent action. Thus, Corporate PR presents both advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered while initiating both external and internal communications.