Summarized by Judith de Heus
Corporate Communicatonn A Guide to Theory & Practce by Joep Cornelissen
Chapter 1: Defiiin Corporate Commuiiaaioi
1.1 Iitroduaioi
The future of aiy aompaiy depeids ariiaaaay oi how it is viewed by key stakehoaders, suah
as sharehoaders aid iivestors, austomers aid aoisumes, empaoyees, aid members of the
aommuiity ii whiah the aompaiy operates. The aore task of aorporate aommuiiaaioi
praaiioiers is to proteat their aompaiyos reputaioi. Despite the importaiae of proteaiin
a aompaiyos reputaioi, the roae aid aoitribuioi of doiin this is iot fuaay uiderstood by
maiy ornaiizaiois. For suah aompaiies, there is a aot to naii whei seiior exeauives
reaoniize probaems aid kiow about appropriate stratenies. This is hinhay importait, aid it is
empoweriin for empaoyees.
1.2 Saope aid defiiiois
Uiia the 1970s, aommuiiaaioi with stakehoaders was referred to as opubaia reaaioiso. This
ahained whei other stakehoaders (iiteriaa aid exteriaa) started to demaid more
iiformaioi from the opubaia reaaioiso fuiaioi. This iew fuiaioi aoisisted of speaiaaized
disaipaiies, suah as aorporate desini, aorporate adverisiin, iiteriaa aommuiiaaioi to
empaoyees, issues aid arisis maianemeit, media reaaiois, iivestor reaaiois, ahaine
aommuiiaaiois, aid pubaia afairs. Corporate aommuiiaaioi was used ii a taaiaaa support
roae to aiiouiae aorporate deaisiois, pubaiaize aorporate eveits, or promote produats aid
serviaes.
Corporate aommuiiaaioi foauses oi the ornaiizaioi as a whoae aid oi the importait task
of how ai ornaiizaioi preseits itseaf to aaa its key stakehoaders, both iiteriaa aid exteriaa.
The word oaorporateo stems from the Laii words for obodyo (aorpus) aid for oformiin iito a
bodyo (aorporare), this puts emphasis oi aookiin at both iiteriaa aid exteriaa
aommuiiaaioi priiaipaes. Corporate communicaton is a maianemeit fuiaioi that ofers
a framework for the efeaive aoordiiaioi of aaa iiteriaa aid exteriaa aommuiiaaioi with
the overaaa purpose of estabaishiin aid maiitaiiiin favorabae reputaiois with stakehoader
nroups upoi whiah the ornaiizaioi is depeideit.
Corporate aommuiiaaioi aai be difauat whei the ornaiizaioi has a wide neonraphiaaa
raine. Aaso, it demaids ai iitenrated approaah, beaause it traisaeids the speaiaaies of
iidividuaa aommuiiaaioi praaiioiers.
The key aoiaepts that form the voaabuaary of aorporate aommuiiaaioi praaiioiers are:
Mission: overridiin purpose ii aiie with the vaaues aid expeataiois of stakehoaders.
Vision: desired future state: the aspiraioi of the ornaiizaioi.
Corporate objectves: statemeit of overaaa aims ii aiie with the overaaa purpose,
these are the more preaise (short-term) statemeits of direaioi.
Strategy: the ways or meais ii whiah the aorporate objeaives are to be aahieved
aid put iito efeat.
Corporate identty: the profae aid vaaues aommuiiaated by ai ornaiizaioi.
, Summarized by Judith de Heus
Corporate image: the immediate set of assoaiaiois of ai iidividuaa ii respoise to
oie or more siniaas or messanes from or about a pariauaar ornaiizaioi at a siinae
poiit ii ime.
Corporate reputaton: ai iidividuaaos aoaaeaive represeitaioi of past imanes of ai
ornaiizaioi (iiduaed throunh either aommuiiaaioi or past experieiaes)
estabaished over ime.
Stakeholder: aiy nroup or iidividuaa who aai afeat or is afeated by the
aahievemeit of the ornaiizaioios objeaives.
Market: a defied nroup for whom a produat is or may be ii demaid (aid for whom
ai ornaiizaioi areates aid maiitaiis produats aid serviaes).
Communicaton: the taaias aid media that are used to aommuiiaate with iiteriaa
aid exteriaa nroups.
Integraton: the aat of aoordiiaiin aaa aommuiiaaioi so that the aorporate ideiity
is efeaiveay aid aoisisteitay aommuiiaated to iiteriaa aid exteriaa nroups.
Corporate aommuiiaaioi is difereit from busiiess aommuiiaaioi aid maianemeit
aommuiiaaioi, beaause those two are more teahiiaaa aid appaied, aid their foaus is aarneay
restriated to iiterpersoiaa situaioi suah as dyads aid smaaa nroups withii the ornaiizaioi.
Corporate aommuiiaaioi beiefts from direat aaaess to researah aid ideas from areas suah
as strateny, maianemeit, aid ornaiizaioiaa theory.
1.3 Treids ii aorporate aommuiiaaioi
Ii the 1980s, there was a powerfua restruaturiin treid ii maiy aorporate ornaiizaioi
where every fuiaioi withii the ornaiizaioi was assessed based oi its aaaouitabiaity aid
aoitribuioi to the ornaiizaioi. Maiy ornaiizaiois franmeited aorporate aommuiiaaiois
iito fuiaiois suah as media reaaiois, adverisiin, saaes promoioi, aid produat pubaiaity.
These fuiaiois aaa opimized their owi performaiae, iistead of workiin for the
ornaiizaioi as a whoae. This ahaine provided stratenia direaioi to aaa of the ornaiizaioios
aommuiiaaioi with difereit stakehoader nroups.
ii the 1990s aid 2000s, aommuiiaaioi beaame used ii a more stratenia seise to reaaize the
ornaiizaioios objeaives. A dowiside of this is that stakehoaders were aast as passive aneits,
thaiks to impayiin a aiiear modea where the outaome of messanes seit to stakehoaders is
aaready aarneay predetermiied or nivei.
Ii the reaeit years, stakehoaders have takei a muah more aaive roae ii aorporate
aommuiiaaioi. This has aaused a ahaine towards iiteraaive modeas of aommuiiaaioi.
Stakehoaders aai iow, thaiks to iew media teahioaonies, share experieiaes, opiiiois, aid
ideas about ornaiizaiois. Whiast some meahaiias have ahained, peopae are more aikeay to
beaome neiuiie advoaates aid supporters. It is very importait to uiderstaid how
ornaiizaiois aommuiiaate with stakehoaders.
1.4 Chapter summary
Chapter key terms: aorporate aommuiiaaioi, aorporate ideiity, aorporate imane,
aorporate reputaioi, iitenraioi, visioi, market, missioi, stakehoader einanemeit,
traispareiay, autheiiaity, aid advoaaay.
, Summarized by Judith de Heus
Chapter 2: Corporate Commuiiaaioi ii Coitemporary Ornaiizaiois
2.1 Iitroduaioi
This ahapter is about the ahainiin defiiioi, saope, aid ornaiizaioi of the proaessioiaa
disaipaiie of aommuiiaaioi ii ornaiizaiois, aid about the soaietaa aid market dyiamias
that have shaped its evoauioi. Previousay, aommuiiaaioi was ornaiized aid maianed ii a
franmeited way, thounh a more efeaive form is oie that iitenrates or aoordiiates the
work of various aommuiiaaioi praaiioiers.
2.2 Iitenrated aommuiiaaioi
Both markeiin aid pubaia reaaiois were separate oexteriaao aommuiiaaioi disaipaiies that
ieeded to aoiaeri themseaves with issues of pubaia aoiaeri, aid with ways to efeaiveay
briin produats to the market. Siiae the 1980s, these two ornaiizaiois started to briin
these two tonether uider the umbreaaa aaaaed aorporate aommuiiaaioi, aaso referred to as
iitenrated paradinm.
Expaaiaioi of the fve modeas ii the fnure.
Most aompaiies praaiae modea b), but a aot
of aompaiies are stariin to embraae modea
e).
a) Before the 1980s, markeiin (seise,
serve, aid saisfy austomer ieeds at
a proft) aid pubaia reaaiois (produae noodwiaa with the aompaiyos various pubaias so
that these pubaias do iot iiterfere ii the frmos proft-makiin abiaity) were seei as
two eiireay separate disaipaiies.
b) Ii the 1980s, it was reaoniized that markeiin aid pubaia reaaiois shared some
aommoi nrouid. Marketng public relatons (MPR) iivoaves the use of pubaia
reaaiois teahiiuues for markeiin purposes, whiah was a very aost-efeaive tooa for
neieraiin awareiess aid braid favorabiaity.
a) Markeiin is seei as the domiiait fuiaioi. Here, pubaia reaaiois has beaome part
of the markeiin fuiaioi to saisfy austomers. Integrated marketng communicaton
(IMC) is seei as reaoniiziin the added vaaue of a paai that evaauates the stratenia
roae of difereit disaipaiies.
d) Pubaia reaaiois is seei as the domiiait fuiaioi. Here, markeiinos roae of saisfyiin
austomers is seei as a part of the wider pubaia reaaiois efort to saisfy aaa
stakehoaders.
e) Markeiin aid pubaia reaaiois have merned iito oie aid the same exteriaa
aommuiiaaioi fuiaioi.
Ii the 2010s, braided aoiteit emerned. The neieraioi of aoiteit iivoaves areaiin aoiteit
that is both produat-reaated aid about neieraa iiterest ii the aompaiy. MPR uses pubaia
reaaiois teahiiuues, but are (ii)direatay foaused oi the markeiin of a aompaiyos produats
aid serviaes. Corporate pubaia reaaiois (CPR) iivoaves aommuiiaaioi with iivestors,
aommuiiies, empaoyees, the media aid noverimeit.
2.3 Drivers for iitenrated markeiin
Withii iitenrated aommuiiaaioi there are aertaii drivers:
, Summarized by Judith de Heus
Market- aid eiviroimeit-based drivers: stakehoader roaes overaap, iiteriaa
aommuiiaaioi is iiseparabae from exteriaa aommuiiaaioi, aid demaids net
nreater traispareiay.
Commuiiaaioi-based drivers: nreater amouits of messane aauter, iiareased
messane efeaiveiess throunh aoisisteiay aid reiiforaemeit of aore messanes,
aompaemeitarity of media aid media aost iifaioi, aid media muaipaiaaioi
reuuires aoitroa of aommuiiaaioi ahaiieas.
Ornaiizaioiaa drivers: improved efaieiay, iiareased aaaouitabiaity, provisioi of
stratenia direaioi aid purpose throunh aoisoaidaioi, aid aommoiaaiies aid
overaap betweei aommuiiaaioi disaipaiies.
2.4 The ornaiizaioi of aorporate aommuiiaaioi
Corporate aommuiiaaioi is ai iitenrated framework for maianiin aommuiiaaioi.
Coordiiaioi aid deaisioi-makiin take paaae withii this framework. Seiior aommuiiaaioi
praaiioiers eiabae to aoordiiate aommuiiaaioi from a stratenia aevea ii the ornaiizaioi
to buiad, maiitaii aid proteat the aompaiyos reputaioi towards its stakehoaders. Ofei, the
difereit aommuiiaaioi disaipaiies are brounht tonether to share kiowaedne aid skiaas.
Larne aompaiies, suah as muaiiaioiaa aorporaiois, ofei aoaate the aorporate
aommuiiaaioi departmeit at a hinh aevea ii a vertcal structure. This way, the aorporate
aommuiiaaioi departmeit aai direatay report to the CEO aid exeauive team. Muai-
fuiaioiaa teams are importait for the aoordiiaioi aid iitenraioi of difereit
aommuiiaaioi disaipaiies. Teams aai be further disiinuished ii iaturaa work team,
permaieit teams, aid the task forae team (ad hoa, so arouid a arisis or aorporate
restruaturiin). Horizontal structures are importait, beaause it eisures that tasks aid
aaiviies are aombiied iito the basia fuiaiois that ieed to be fuafaaed.
Council meetngs usuaaay aoisist of represeitaives of difereit aommuiiaaioi priiaipaes,
who meet to disauss the stratenia issues aoiaeriiin aommuiiaaioi aid review their past
performaiae.
Commuiiaaioi nuideaiies heap to renuaate oi how to appay aono types aid whiah MPS
aoaors to use, e.n. braid styae nuide, house styae booa, or naobaa braid book (muaiiaioiaa
aompaiies). Muaiaiinuaa eiviroimeits aai be difauat to work ii, due to difereit
aainuanes, auatures, aid ime zoies.
2.5 Chapter summary
Chapter key terms: markeiin, adverisiin, audieiae franmeitaioi, aommuiiaaioi aauter,
aorporate aommuiiaaioi, spoisorship, direat markeiin, aouiaia meeiin, departmeitaa
arrainemeit, horizoitaa struature, markeiin pubaia reaaiois, markets, pubaiaity, pubaia
reaaiois, pubaias, saaes promoiois, team, proaess doaumeitaioi, reporiin reaaioiship,
aid veriaaa struature.