Challenges and Opportunities for Communications, Public Relations, and Public Affiars in 2018

Broad and deep transformations are taking place in business driven by converging forces of technology and globalization. Multiple stakeholders are demanding accountability and transparency more than ever before.

Organizations have to continuously rethink how best to tell their stories with a cohesive message to a diverse audience in a global setting.

These are the key issues that will shape Communications function in 2018.

Social Media will foster greater transparency. Organizations are waking up to the reality that seemly straightforward day-to-day communication within the organization has the potential of becoming a part of the wider conversation outside the organization due to the quick and vast reach of social media. A damaging information leak about the company can go viral in a matter of minutes. A negative story can snowball into a reputational crisis in little time before the organization can to present its side of the story. This unmanageable use of social media by stakeholders has posed a significant communication challenge to organizations. Yet this also will open doors of opportunity for greater transparency in communication with stakeholders.

Communicators today are in better position than before to build and grow the idea of ‘transparency’ among top management.

Brand and reputation will be increasingly managed as one. Thanks in large parts to social media information about brands - products and services, and reputational issues are easily found and quickly connected in the perception maps of consumers. Hence, lines between brand and reputation are blurring. It is becoming more and more easy to link a corporate reputation with a product brand by consumers and constituents.

It means Communicators and Marketers will have to partner diligently to ensure that brand and reputation are managed cohesively to create (corporate, products and services) awareness, thought leadership, and reduce risks.

The rise of Activism. Activist investors and NGOs around the world are becoming more sophisticated and nimble in building effective campaigns using technology. They will become much more proactive in their campaigning due to their ability to reach and mobilize much wider audience crossing geographies. Due to easy access and ability to share information with speed.

We will be required to evolve stakeholder engagement, where ‘proactive,’ ‘advocacy’ and ‘partnership’ will be central tenets. Communicators will have to drive far greater engagement with stakeholders to build strong relationships to mitigate reputational risk.

Managing Reputation Risk. Technology has enabled tremendous inter-connectedness within and outside the organization. Organizations understand that they are only as strong as their weakest link.

Reputation will progressively become a boardroom conversation. Organizations will have to develop a process to manage their reputation across their businesses. Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs as reputation stewards will have to work with the top management to help identify and understand the reputation impact on it business.

Digitalization will enhance localization of content, make it richer and interactive. The Internet has democratized access to creation and distribution of information. We have witnessed a boom in digital content creation, dissemination, and consumption. Communicators will have to be a lot more creative and produce interactive content for better engagement and the messages to be heard in this info-explosion.

The B2B segment will witness increased participation in their information exchange, infotainment, and video content creation through forums, blogs, and social networks.

More importantly, digitalization will enable the spread of content across large and previously underserved populations and geographies like Africa and emerging markets in Asia. This will lead to further localization of content creation that is cultural and market specific.

This phenomenon will lead us to be much more creative in content creation and innovative in distribution. As people will continue to spend more time-consuming information from digital outlets.

Visual communications will play a central role as stakeholders are more engaged in this mix.

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Communications was always recognized as an ‘Art’ form. Technology will bring a much-needed balance of ‘Science.’ Big Data will enable us to get enormous amounts of data condensed down to a critical usable metrics. It will help us understand who is driving conversations, from where, the shifts, sentiments, competitive analysis, trending topic/ themes, and tone of a conversation.

Data led measurement will bring greater transparency, better understanding, credibility, and appreciation of communications functions amongst stakeholders.

AI will empower us to make quicker and more informed decisions that will drive results. It will bring about changes by improved understanding and better insight of the digital landscape. This will empower our decision-making by giving us the most in-depth and comprehensive look at problem-solving.

Big Data and AI will enable us to get these accurately and quickly. It will facilitate powerful storytelling with quality data points that will influence positive behavior.

Cyber Risk. Data drives business. It is becoming the most valued asset of a company over any other. No organization today can be immune from cyber risk. An incident can occur even to a well-protected and prepared company, anytime. Cyber risk is already on Board’s agenda.

Communications professionals will be working hand-in-glove with Chief Information Officers and Chief Information Security Officer to understand the data-risks to develop a crisis plan that can be triggered the moment an incident occurs.

A well-managed incident can make it look like an ‘unfortunate event’ rather than ‘incompetent handling’ by an organization.

 Needless to say, the impact of a mismanaged incident of data loss can be catastrophic for reputation.

Leaders will be in Spotlight. CEOs will play a much more significant role in creating and nurturing an inclusive culture than ever before. Increasingly we will witness CEOs expressing their vision and set out his/her expectations of corporate behavior. Leadership will be more engaged to carry its stakeholders on a journey that requires a compelling narrative that is authentically delivered.

A CEO’s premium exerts enormous influence over enterprises, within the industry and community at large. CEOs will increasingly play a decisive role in corporate thought leadership and reputation.

The resurgence in War for Talent. Talent attraction is not a new phenomenon. Organizations have strived to secure talent, improve attraction, and reduce attrition. However, there will be far higher demand for workers with new and emerging industry-specific knowledge and skills. People will choose to work for an organization with a clear sense of purpose, a company with voice and vision, and one that is a commitment to fairness and transparency.

Communications will play a pivotal role to articulate and drive the corporate narrative. Work with human resources to articulate the company’s culture, values, vision, and mission. And partner to deliver these in an appealing, positive and inspiring fashion.

End Note. We will require much greater integration, consistency, coordination, collaboration, and alignment for a successful outcome. The task ahead is to shape the organization’s narrative, building advocacy, and drive authentic conversations with stakeholder groups.