After reading the MIT Sloan Management Review, I would
have to agree with the assessment made by Argenti, Howell and Beck’s characterization
of communication as a defining and key aspect in an organizations comprehensive
strategy. After researching, questioning and analyzing the responses of many
company leaders, they found “the companies most likely to recognize the strategic
communication imperative are those in which the CEO has an inherent understanding
of how communication can be a differentiator for a business and drive strategy.”
(Argenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005) Meaning, those are
the companies that view communications professionals as an asset to their
company that, when utilized appropriately, “reinforce and help implement the
company’s strategy by communicating with key constituencies [and] interpret
[their] responses in ways that inform strategy going forward.” (Argenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005) Allowing for
communication practitioners to be an integral part at the management table
allows the company to tailor their products and/or services to best fit the
needs of their markets and execute a strategy that is in-line with all aspects
of the organization. Furthermore, this allows the organization to confidently communicate a message that is consistent across all
avenues of communication, including social media.
When all facets of communication
within an organization are aligned, (i.e. marketing, advertising, public
relations, social media practices, etc.) the company is allowing for two-way
communication to flow freely. If internal and external factors are taken into
consideration, the organization opens doors, enabling the exploration of
different message delivery options. The most effective option might not be the
most obvious which can be said for the integration of social media into a company’s
communication strategy. Direct contact with the public allows for a natural dialogue
between company and audience that is unimpeded by a misdirected third party. While
“mass transparency”can be an issue (Argenti, Howell, & Beck,
2005), social media can be used as a preventative measure which , in
the case of Comcast, allowed the company to respond quickly to a customer’s complaints
via Twitter. (Qualman, 2013)
“The great thing about (microblogging)
for businesses is that this is a tool that enables a company to search for a brand
like Hershey or Prada and see what millions of people are talking about. Good
companies do this, but savvy companies take it one step further.” (Qualman, 2013)
Utilizing these and other
communication tools, in a consistent manner, can provide a company
with a well-rounded and researched view of their consumer base and provide
insight that can be used to acknowledge problems and capitalize on strengths as the organization moves forward.
Works Cited
Argenti, P. A., Howell, R. A., & Beck, K. A.
(2005). The Strategic Communication Imperative. MIT Sloan Management Review.
Qualman, E. (2013). Socialnomics (2nd Edition).
Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. .
Rhiana,
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point about the need for upper level management to not only value communications, but to allow a place at the table for a communications professional to help implement an overall strategy that is in alignment with the organization's core mission and message. Without a communications professional in that position, implementing an effective communications strategy is scattered at best. As our reading alluded, "We found the companies most likely to recognize the strategic communication imperative are those in which the CEO has an inherent understanding of how communication can be differentiated for a business and thus drive strategy" (Argenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005). I know you mentioned this quote. However, I think its importance lies in the word differentiate. Those CEO's that understand the essential need to communicate differentiation effectively are likely to place a high value on a qualified professional being a part of the upper level management team.
In your workplace or in your observation, have you seen upper level management valuing the communication professional's "place at the table?"
Thanks for the insightful post.
References:
Argenti, P. A., Howell, R. A., & Beck, K. A. (2005). The Strategic Communication Imperative. MIT Sloan Management Review.
I completely agree with what you are saying. The understanding of how to effectively and appropriately implement differentiation by CEO's, plays a vital role to the successful integration of communications leaders at the management level. In my company, Starbucks, the value placed on communications professionals is above par. In an interview with Howard Schultz, the CEO of the company, the interviewer states, "I realized that successful leaders and inspiring communicators do not talk about the product as much as they paint a picture of what the product stands for. Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee. It sells human connection. This makes a big difference in how Schultz articulates the vision behind the brand." (Gallo, 2011)
DeleteThis mentality not only flows throughout the company's upper management. The successful integration of communication has trickled down as a result and we see it at the retail level. As a trainer at my store, we are briefed daily on different happenings in the company via letters from upper management. If our Customer Voice surveys are lower than normal, they give us tips and antidotes that we can use to enhance our customer’s experiences. This covers everything from promotions, regional issues, as well as political occurrences.
In this instance, Howard Schultz understands the importance of differentiation in communication and keeps the company’s communicators well versed in current cultural communication norms.
References:
Gallo, C. (2011, March 25). Starbucks CEO: Lesson in Communication Skills. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2011/03/25/starbucks-ceo-lesson-in-communication-skills/
Hi Rhiana,
ReplyDeleteYou made some excellent points about marketing teams using difference tools but a consistent message for a successful long-term communications strategy plan. One of my favorite quotes is the one used by T. Michael Glenn, president and CEO of FedEx Services, “Communication is at the center of everything. You can’t execute strategy if you can’t communicate about it.” (p. 84)
Isaac posed a very good question about leadership being involved in the day-to-day company operations. In addition to that, I was curious about the usage of Twitter in your workplace. Does your company use Twitter to help communicate internal direction and strategies to the employees? If so do you think that has been effective? If not, how does your company keep the employees informed of their high level strategy?
Thank You very much for a great post!
Ana
References:
Argenti, P. A., Howell, R. A., & Beck, K. A. (2005). The Strategic Communication Imperative. MIT Sloan Management Review.
Rhiana,
ReplyDeleteI love that you brought transparency into the conversation from a social media perspective. While social media certainly opens the gates for an effective means of two-way communication, it definielty allows an organization to become more transparent to a mass audience.
I think it is a large misconception that social media serves mainly as a portal for crisis control management. While crisis control is a large factor in social media, mainly due to quick, real-time responsiveness, but how many issues have derived from ineffective crisis control or simply ineffective message content?
Another aspect is that you bring up customer complaints, rather than mention the benefits of social media engagement with audiences. Think back to Best Buy's campaign, @TwelpForce that created a foundation for two-way engagement that had never been utilized before its' inception. This YouTube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbkS8AnqNGU, depicts an overall view of the campaign.
"Twelpforce has responded to near 28,000 customer inquiries via Twitter, enlisted 2600 employees to share their knowledge, and paid for itself many times over via extensive PR coverage, enhanced brand perceptions, and potential savings to the call center" (Neisser, 2010). This showcases the additional benefits of social media encompassing an IMC strategy in addition to successful two-way engagement, not necessarily crisis control.
The idea that social media only affects crisis control is a 'reputation' that hopefully will turn around with the proper utilization of social platforms, understanding that crisis control is only a small portion of the overall PR and marketing communications strategy.
References:
Neisser, D. (2010, May 10). Twelpforce: marketing that isn't marketing. Retrieved on February 6, 2014 from Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/1648739/twelpforce-marketing-isn%E2%80%99t-marketing
Brianna,
DeleteI am happy you brought up how crisis control as only a piece of what social media can do. I merely brought it up because it is an aspect of social media in which transparency plays a critical role, not to down play the positive value of this type of communication. The positive attributes of social media have definitely begun to out-weigh the crisis control 'reputation', as you had said. Companies like Best Buy, Starbucks and even Victoria's Secret have worked wonders on the social circuit. I can only imagine the immense amount of two-way communication to continue in a positive direction.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRhiana, I enjoyed reading through your blog post on this week’s topic of strategic communication. You shared an interesting point on the hesitation and fear many organizations have toward social media, mainly due to the fact that it allows for free flowing criticism when constituents are dissatisfied with their experience. While researching for this week’s forum I came across an interesting post on a brand management blog that addressed some of the mistakes organizations make when “attempting” to utilize social media. The blog author Carrie Kerpen had this to say, “People aren’t hanging out on social media waiting to see your message. People are hanging out on social media to be social. You’re an interruption, so you’d better hope your message is a welcome interruption, providing value for its intended audience” (2013, para. 2). Her suggestion is to think of social media “as a mirror, rather than a megaphone” (para. 3). Social media isn’t simply a tool for organizations to blast out their own messages. Rather it should be used to “listen” and learn about constituent frustrations, competitors, trends, and so on.
DeleteIn addition to listening, businesses seeking feedback must also have a plan to act on the suggestions received. According to Hughes (2014), “The value of gathering customer feedback lies in doing something with the results” (para. 9).
Reference
Hughes, S. (2014, January 15). Collecting and using customer feedback in the digital age: Ask SCORE. The Times-Picayune. Retrieved from http://www.nola.com/community/st-tammany/index.ssf/2014/01/collecting_and_using_customer.html
Kerpen, C. (2013, May 30). 3 Ways to stop fearing feedback on social media. Likeable Daily. Retrieved from http://www.likeable.com/blog/2013/05/3-ways-to-stop-fearing-feedback-on-social-media/
Hi Rhiana,
ReplyDeleteI love that you brought up how important it is that CEOs understand the strategic communication imperative. As evident from reading the article, there are definitely a number of CEOs and high-level employees that comprehend the key role communications plays in business success. I think sometimes C-suite employees can get so caught up in the finances, sales, etc. of the company that they often forget the importance of communicating changes, happenings and similar activities with their constituencies.
But strategic communications are not successful without communicators with broad general management skills. Argenti, Howell and Beck (2005) mentioned that “effective communications professionals are those who speak the same language as senior executives and have a deep understanding of the business and its strategy” (89). Even if a CEO recognizes the need for a communications manager at the table, it’s of no use if that manager does not understand the business. CEOs aren’t necessarily trained to “speak” to different audiences – that’s what they rely on the communications professional to do. In my current job, I have to take complicated insurance product language and turn it into something our consumer will understand. If our Product department tried directly communicating with consumers I don’t think it would go over so well!
So in the end, it is just as important for communications professionals to understand the business from different functional perspectives in order to create effective messaging.
Great post!
-Lindsey
Reference:
Argenti, P. A., Howell, R. A., & Beck, K. A. (2005). The strategic communication imperative. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(3), 83-89.
Hey Rhiana,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post because you highlighted a lot of key points that I consider take aways for myself, in relation to this assignment. I agree with much of what you say, in regard to CEO's being savvy enough to realize the power of Social Media, and that a Social Media initiative should most certainly have a place in any companies agenda, operating in today's environment.
I also like that you highlighted how Comcast responded to one of their customers who just happened to be sending out negative tweets about their customer service. Social Media allowed them to address this problem in real time, and, because they realized the power of social media, they were able to avoid what could have been very damaging customer feed back. The reason why it would have been so damaging is because of the amount of potential people those negative messages or comments could have reached. This alone has made companies think twice about the messaging they send. According to (Qualman, p.41), it used to be that someone who had a bad experience with a company would tell 6 - 10 people about it. Through the power of social media, based on how many of your followers, and your followers followers choose to spread your messaging, those numbers can easily be multiplied by 10 times. That is ten times the amount of negative press you are getting from one individual. Now multiply that by the masses, and it clearly shows how powerful the messaging we send and receive through social media channels can be.
Great Post!!!
References
Qualman, E. (2013). Socialnomics (2nd Edition). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Dan,
DeleteThanks for your positive feedback. I felt that the situation with Comcast displays quick and intelligent thinking in regards to communicating with consumers. I completely agree with you in regards to how quickly bad publicity can spread through social media. Word of mouth has always been important aspect in the communications sphere, that being said, social media has only made that increase tenfold. Bad customer service can lead from one person's bad impression to a hundred bad impressions in a matter of minutes. However, Brianna brought up a great point. Social media is more than a center for crisis control, it has the ability to connect many walks of life in a positive way.