In the era of global markets and high intensity consumer and stakeholder engagements, accelerated by the rising might of digital platforms, marketing communications has undergone a massive disruption in the past decade. The rise of online portals as both, means for online sales and as a powerful communication medium, has made it almost mandatory for brands to adopt an integrated marketing communication strategy that is not only effective and customised but also agile.
Marketing Communication, in a broad sense of the term, can be defined as a collective set of practices adopted by a brand / organisation, to communicate and engage with its various stakeholders – both internal and external, using customised and strategic narratives, to drive awareness about the product and services, build brand recall, and build long term trust and market leadership for a company. The messaging may be developed and delivered in various formats, from press release announcements, e-mailers, traditional communication channels like ATL/BTL activities or Public relations, and may involve a combination of digital and offline media platforms, based on the exact purpose and desired impact of the specific marketing communication campaign.
Corporate Communication, on the contrary, deals with a more strategic overview of brand building and positioning, and focuses on the leadership, corporate achievements, and long term growth trajectory. Typically, corporate communication involves a more reputation building and management approach rather than a sales driven approach. Accordingly, the communication strategy is designed to create positive engagement with internal stakeholders – employees, partners and vendors, and external stakeholders – investors, current and potential customers and influencers (Media), ultimately building and managing a desired public image for the brand, one that goes above and beyond its product and service offerings. When leveraged properly, a good Corporate Communication Strategy can be the key to build a compelling image and reputation of a company, among key stakeholders, whose attitude, support, and influence can be key drivers for growth of the brand.Â
Overall Marketing and Corporate Communication services are as much about effective and accurate targeting of audiences as it is about crafting the relevant and impactful messaging and build an impressive narrative. Corporate Communication messages are generally structured to convey the attitudes, beliefs, and goals of an organisation as an institution, while Marketing messages are designed to inform and drive sales of the products and service offerings, specifically in terms of what value they can add to the end consumer.
Modern businesses and brands, seeking to succeed in a highly competitive and fast expanding global marketplace, thus cannot ignore the immense significance of a well drafted and executing marketing communication strategy, which is almost vital for long term growth and success. That is where a marketing communication specialist comes into play! With the fast paced and massive disruptions in business and communications processes brought about by digitisation and the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, it is vital to ensure a brand focus on a customised and well drafted integrated communication strategy, in order to stay visible, relevant, and accessible to its stakeholders.
Right now, there are many businesses, including the established, mid-sized, and starting out ones, who are yet to figure out the perfect communication strategy that is in alignment with their current and long-term business goals. Often, most brand managers and key leadership teams, misinterpret the value of this vital communication tool and assume that an in-house team can adopt and implement a proven marketing strategy adopted by other successful brands, or blindly follow a text book example, and gain desired results. However, with the ever changing and dynamic marketing communication sector and the volatile business environment, makes it imperative to have an expert external marketing communication consultant on board, who can not only bring fresh prospective but also identify the unique business and communication challenges of a brand, and address these to meet the specific business goals of the company. Â
Creating an impactful business communication strategy that is specifically tailored to engage a particular target group of stakeholders, based on demographics, their influence, and relation with the brand and the overall business objective, can go a long way in defining the success and growth trajectory of a company. A seasoned marketing communication consultant like myself can design a successful Marketing and Corporate Communication strategy based on the following.
