The new "Page Report" on Corporate Communications - A Review from China
We have read the new “page report” on corporate communications and are reviewing it here from our own perspective as communication professionals in China
The Arthur W. Page Society has just published a very good report summarizing the status quo of corporate communications worldwide.
It is called:
“The CCO as Pacesetter - What it Means, Why it Matters, How to Get There”.
“Page”, as the society is usually called, is a professional association for public relations and corporate communications executives. They talked to more than 200 senior communications leaders worldwide, surveyed some more, and did a real good job in providing an overview of what is currently happening in corporate communications worldwide, and also in outlining the future trends that have started to shape it.
I think everybody working in communications will probably benefit from reading it. I certainly did. Working as a strategic communications advisor in China and reading the new page report from my particular vantage point, I would like to share which parts I believe are of particular importance for corporate communications and public relations professionals in China.
Working with clients in China in strategic communications on a daily basis, I shouted “yes” on numerous occasions while reading the report. I will also share my observations on how the findings are often reflected - or could be implemented for companies still catching up - into concrete communications work in China.
I shouted “yes” when reading the following statements, because they confirm my own observations while working with the CEOs and heads of communication of MNC and SME in China:
“Pacesetting CEOs are playing a key role in helping CEOs transforming their companies.”
This is indeed happening here in China, in industries as diverse as healthcare and life science, finance, tourism or performance materials, and it accelerates a trend that has been around for a few years - the growing importance of the Chief Communication Officer for tackling all kinds of strategic tasks together with the CEO or country president and other colleagues in the leadership team.
Many businesses in China, still operating in a high-growth environment despite the recent, relative slowdown, see the need for a rapid transformation of their business models and the need for new communication practices. With the Chinese market contributing an ever-growing part to manz company’s earnings, they are hard at work to find strategies that work in China, and simultaneously search for new ways to engage with their stakeholders in China.
The best multinational corporations I have had the honor to work with over the last decade have recognized that marketing their products or services in the same way they would do that anywhere else in the world just doesn't cut it here in China. They realize that they need to constantly proof their specific value for China to succeed in the fast-growing, fast-changing and culturally unique business environment in China.
And what is true for marketing, is also true for communications in China. It is just no longer enough to “localize” a global communications strategy handed down from headquarters in - say - Boston, Munich or Paris, by adding a few local narratives and proof points in Beijing or Shanghai. The best companies I had the pleasure to work with - the page report calls them “pacesetters” - have instead started to formulate their own China Message House.
These forward-looking companies in China try to learn how they can adapt to this country's inspiring speed, how they can leverage the very agile business practices in China for their own advantage, while at the same time preparing for unique challenges, mostly of the political nature, with proactive crisis communications. I see them, for example, cutting certain reporting lines in their communications teams to give “China”, meaning the Chinese business of a global group, more direct access to key decision makers at HQ.
And I see their CEOs or presidents involving corporate communications, government affairs and HR on an equal level for almost all transformation projects in China - be it in innovation or startup engagement, a new China strategy, localization, operations, distribution or stakeholder engagement via social media. It is always teamwork, and the CCO is always there.
Watching this play out in real-time, and sometimes being called upon to support these efforts with strategic communications advice, I agree with this statement from the page report, as far as China is concerned:
“…CCOs are playing a key role helping CEOs transform their companies by defining, reinforcing or reviving corporate character - the unique, differentiating identity of the enterprise.”
I see this happening, and I like it. For example, many clients we work with realize that the era of the internet and social media have brought along unique new chances of stakeholder engagement, yet at the same time it is becoming more and more difficult to have your voice heard through all the noise and clutter of “content marketing”.
Competing with the endless amount of content raining down on everybody on any given day, anybody who wants to get heard must find his or her niche first.
Realizing this, many clients in China are doubling down on one of the most important foundations of good corporate communications, which is accurate positioning. Before you dive into multi-channel strategies, learn the intricacies of Weibo, WeChat or TikTok, you need to clearly define who you are, and how you differ from your competitors.
The last point applies both to brands and executives. Asia Waypoint, the company I have founded in Beijing in 2012, has assisted dozens of CEOs and country presidents in China with CEO Positioning (sometimes also called “Executive Positioning”).
More and more, stakeholders in China - customers, journalists, business partners, government officials and others - expect brands to “communicate with a human touch”. And increasingly, they expect that the company’s chief representative assumes the role of chief spokesperson him- or herself. Stakeholders in China expect the CEO to demonstrate thought leadership, to be visible.
And before he or she can go out and talk and write and post something, there must be internal alignment about which particular value proposition should be communicated. There can be no thought leadership campaign, for example, without first clearly defining the purpose messaging and considering the stakeholder expectations of a company doing business in China.
So that is where CEO positioning comes in, and I am happy to watch more and more companies to realize the value of this exercise. It also often works wonders for internal alignment across business units and functions, by the way.
Based on these real trends that I see unfold in corporate communications in China, here are two more statements from the page report that I couldn't agree with more:
The first one:
“Both young enterprises experiencing hyper-growth and established players confronting disruption need to strengthen or perhaps redefine their unique, differentiating identity.”
Yes.
Sounds easy, alright, but in reality this means integrating diverse branding and strategy documents, communication plans, existing key narratives or mission statements into something that has both focus and a certain “bite”, but more importantly that really works in China. It is a methodological process over several weeks with usually two or three workshops involved. But the rewards are usually visible very quickly: Key messaging with a clear focus, targeted in the right way at the right audience in China.
And the second statement I completely agree with is this one:
“…the most meaningful transformation arises from understanding what we must NEVER change.”
Yes.
A clear positioning has to come first. This hasn't changed and will never change. The choice of channels and content formats comes next.
The whole page report, which of course takes a global view, summarizes many more interesting trends, from the rise of “techcomm” to an increasing emphasis on “societal value creation”.
It can be downloaded here:
https://knowledge.page.org/report/the-cco-as-pacesetter/
What do you think? What important trends in corporate communications have you observed in China? Where do you agree or disagree with my observations? Please leave your comments below.
