Business Value of Corporate Communications set to take a leap ahead in 2011

Dec. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Media Relations and the value it can create for enterprises globally is not the same anymore.

An influx of social media tools has changed the media landscape, set up new playing fields and created a host of new players – all interested in creating value.

Communications practitioners in every organisation are involved in this transformation whether they like it or not – and indeed, whether they understand it or not.

To complicate matters further, Customers are increasingly warming up to the idea of being engaged by corporations – and its not just future customers who can be engaged.

There are emerging ecosystems of industry analysts, influencers, financial analysts, educators and existing product or service users – all of whom have needs, want to learn and grow and become part of online business related communities so that they can do just that.

To engage more deeply, or even to stay at the same level of engagement with all of these stakeholders requires every organisation to venture out into the digital world.

But latching onto and developing a social media strategy is not like putting the cherry on top of a cake - it is necessary to put considerable thought behind it and properly integrate social media into the communications mix.

Entire corporate reputations can be damaged in minutes with a single misstep.

Raymond Francis, Director of Communications of Boeing International Corporation sums this all up: “The media landscape in the Asia-Pacific is going through a period of significant change. The emergence of social media and the pervasiveness of the internet mean that every single netizen now has the power to enhance or damage a brand's credibility with a few keystrokes. Communications professionals need to quickly adapt to this changing landscape and implement new strategies to engage with customers in the era of Web 2.0.”


To ensure successful engagement, media relations practitioners must arm themselves with well-conceived communication strategies. They should also be far-sighted to not depend on just online or offline channels. Having an integrated approach allows the different channels to not only supplement, but complement one another.

Holistic communication strategies should also ensure that the full value of earned media is harvested – and drives further success, both inside and outside the organisation.

Ian Brown, Vice President, Corporate Communications for SAP Asia Pacific Japan explains: ”Within the Asia Pacific Japan region, online engagement is a fundamental building block which can help drive reputational success. What is also true is that there are risks involved – every foray into the social media landscape needs to be carefully architected to ensure it adds measureable value. What works for certain types of organisations may not work for others operating in different market segments. It’s important to understand the key structural determinants of the programmes you want to push out”

To address these emerging issues, a 2-day conference on “Social Media & PR” will be held on 28 February – 1 March in Singapore and 3 – 4 March in Hong Kong, during which you will gain insights and hear from real-world practitioners how the new dynamics of corporate communications help shape media success. You will gain and understanding of how to develop a relationship externally with journalists and the media forums which matter – and then harvest that success. It also aims to provide insights into how communications practitioners can equip themselves with the skills to push the voice of their organisation to a new level; handle a PR crisis by enlisting the help of social media and identify key ROIs to evaluate their communication effectiveness.

In its 2nd year running, this year’s conference sets in insights from B2B companies like Boeing, BASF, BT, SAP and global B2C brands like Microsoft, HP, Kia and more. Experts sharing include Stephen Forshaw, Corporate Communications Director Asia Pacific Region of Microsoft Corporation, Carson Dalton, Head of Corporate Communications of BT Asia Pacific, Ian Brown, Vice President of Communications of SAP Asia Pacific Japan and Raymond Francis, Director of Communications of Boeing Internation Corporation.

Full programme can also be found at: http://www.conferences.com.sg/conf-spr12.htm

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About Pacific Conferences

Pacific Conferences (www.conferences.com.sg) specialises in organising business conferences aimed at providing interactive, insightful information and analysis about issues facing businesses in Asia-Pacific. Catered to middle and upper level executives, its events are usually case studies driven with emphasis on providing in-depth and unbiased practical knowledge.