IMC Hawks Blog

What is Corporate Communication?

Written by

imcclass

in

Defining Corporate Communication was a bit of a challenge for us as a group.  We spent nearly an hour trying to generate a common definition that encompassed all our ideas of what the subject truly is.  As a class, we broke up into five different groups and came up with definitions that had similar starting points but all were worded differently.  Then, with the help of our professor, we selected key words and phrases that stood out and that would lead us towards a more appropriate definition.

We find it interesting that 20 college juniors and seniors all registered for a course with varying opinions on what it would entail.  This is more than likely due to the fact that Corporate Communication is such a broad subject.  Our textbook, Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice by Joep Cornelissen, defines it as “a management function that offers a framework for the effective coordination of all internal and external communication with the overall purpose of establishing and maintaining favourable reputations with stakeholder groups upon which the organization is dependent.”  However, explaining that definition to someone else is more difficult than it seems which is why we find it important to put it in our own words.

Terms that proved relevant to our own understanding included reputation, narrative, persuasion, brand, symbolism, identity, integration, consistency, building, and maintaining, just to name a few.  From these key words our group decided that Corporate Communication is the communicative interaction of building and maintaining a reputation and consistent brand while fostering relationships internally and externally.  We realize that our understanding of the subject matter is still rather vague and that as the semester progresses we will continue to edit and expand both our understanding and definition of Corporate Communication.

…So this is our definition.  What is yours?

-Haley, Arielle, Lora, Danielle

Comments

4 responses to “What is Corporate Communication?”

  1. Erin Hamil Avatar
    Erin Hamil

    After reading your blog “What is Corporate Communication” I realized that corporate communication may have a lot more to do with IMC than I initially realized. The words that deemed relevant to understanding corporate communication including narrative, persuasion, brand, identity, consistency and maintaining were all words that also proved important in the understanding and success of IMC. In Branded Nation, Twitchell stresses the importance of a narrative or a story whose purpose is to captivate and inspire a potential consumer to say yes to a product. Twitchell argues that the typical consumer generally makes buying decisions based on “the sizzle, not the steak”. In other words, the identity of a product, along with its unique story, are what ultimately influences someone to commit to a certain product and brand.
    I also agree with your conclusion where you defined Corporate Communication as “the communicative interaction of building and maintaining a reputation and consistent brand while fostering relationships internally and externally”. This definition is also true as far as communication in integrated marketing. Twitchell uses the Episcopal religion as an example of a “brand in distress”. He continues on to explain how not only must a brand establish itself but it must also strive to maintain its reputation, story and brand. I agree that maintaining consistency and a compelling narrative is very important both for Corporate Communication and IMC.

    Reply
  2. Lindsay Combs Avatar
    Lindsay Combs

    One of the first things I noticed in the difference from your definition and your book’s definition, was the fact that you used the word “relationship” in your meaning. While I was reading the book’s interpretation, I thought to myself, “not once did they mention that word.” To me, relationship is the most important aspect of any successful communication. It is a key fundamental. It is considered one of the “key amino acids” to the life of communication. Organizational Communication has a professional connotation. In the professional world you want to be successful. In order to be successful, you need to start by building good relationships.

    Reply
  3. Laura Hogan Avatar
    Laura Hogan

    I agree with your definition of corporate communication mainly because of your idea that it’s not just about building a reputation, but it’s also about maintining it. When a lot of new companies launch they focus on what is current and will catch people’s attention. However what matters is how their ad campaign will be able to change and grow with the public. An ad campaign may do great as it begins but as time goes on it is seen as outdated. And if the idea cannot grow into something that can be more current than the idea will most likely fail. Maintaining a reputation is a vital part of coporate communication.

    Reply
  4. Stephen M. Deininger-Bell Avatar
    Stephen M. Deininger-Bell

    I completely agree with your definition of corporate communication because it covers all fields. You say that you need to keep a consistent brand both internally and externally, and not only do you focus on building a good reputation, you focus on maintaining it. I think this is the best definition of the previous definitions i read because it is not ambiguous or lengthy- it tells you what you need to know as a broad definition and the details can be filled in later. Maintaining consistency and being able to adapt positively is number one when it comes to corporate communication.

    Reply

Leave a comment

More posts