IMC Hawks Blog

Corporate Communication in a Nutshell

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Corporate communication is one of those terms that appears simple, but when one starts analyzing the true meaning of the concept it’s not easily defined.  The previous few blogs all had to deal with trying to define or explain the meaning for the broad term corporate communication.   As a group we summed up what the other groups said about corporate communication and got these key points from their blogs:

-Corporate communication includes many aspects including corporate identity, narrative, reputation, brand, symbolism, integration, persuasion, etc.
-It’s vital that the communication within an organization stays consistent since the corporate world is ever changing and. Therefore the communication process or pattern must be a constant to keep everyone on the same page
– Crisis management is vital to have a plan for a crisis within a corporation or organization.

Giving a one sentence definition for something that covers such a huge area is a difficult task but our group came up with this as out definition:

“Corporate communication is the process of building and maintaining a corporate identity, reputation, and image through persuasive communicative interaction that creates a consistent brand narrative.
There is also a huge focus on maintaining communication internally and externally using public relations and marketing strategies to constantly engage their stakeholders to create a strong long-term relationship.”

Ari Nateman

Fran Greene

Lacey Inman

Megan Regele

Comments

4 responses to “Corporate Communication in a Nutshell”

  1. Breanna Alexander Avatar
    Breanna Alexander

    As a member of both the Corporate Communication and IMC classes, it is extremely evident that the topics are interconnected. I am constantly thinking about what I have learned in my classes and having to ask myself “Did I hear that in Corporate Comm or IMC?” I’ve learned, though, that it doesn’t really matter which class I heard it in, but that I’ve learned it and made the connection. Corporate Communication deals with similar issues that are discussed in James Twitchell’s, Branded Nation. For example, the way churches are becoming “megachurches” is due to their Corporate Communication. They’ve realized that the way to get people interested in the church and keep them in attendance is to appeal to the things they desire. This church in particular went out and questioned people in the community about what they wanted in a church and why they were not attending. They found that people desired features such as a live band, television screens, cafes, nursery options, large buildings, ample parking spaces with shuttles to and from the church, a bookstore, specialized group classes, etc. They did exactly what corporations do, market research, which leads to getting to know the stakeholders of the company and better catering to their needs, which leads to overall better Corporate Communication. In my opinion, however, Twitchell poses the question as to whether or not it is right that a church is having to resort to this type of behavior. His frank delivery makes me ask myself if what churches are doing is right. Shouldn’t it be about the relationship with God, not about the material items individual churches offer? Is there a boundary to Corporate Communication or a place where it should not be implemented or should it be involved in all organizational processes, regardless of subject matter?

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  2. Jeff Teeters Avatar
    Jeff Teeters

    “Corporate Communication” is definitely a broad term that encompasses so many communication aspects that breaking it down and fitting it all in one sentence is a daunting task. The definition offered here is good and includes much of the more prominent features for the term, I would add or at least emphasize the necessity of unity in corporate environments.

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  3. Hillary Avatar
    Hillary

    I think that the definition you all constucted is a good basic summary of what corporate communication is. I believe that today, some corporations take it a little too far at times, such as Higher Education. Some “brand name” universities have become so obssesed with maintaining a high reputation and status that they forget about the important things. Students want to go to a university where they will learn something that will help them in the future. We pay a high price to obtain education, and I know thats what I’m paying for, not for the name of the school. It would be nice to know that we are getting an education because people actually care that were learning and going to be successful, not how much money they can squeeze out of students to fund some new research study.

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  4. Tim Condie Avatar
    Tim Condie

    I understand the definition of corporate communication is very broad but I think this definition placed too much emphasis on the corporation. The corporation would be nothing without the customer. As opposed to conveying so much in the way of uphold image and identity the corporations should be letting the costumers create corporate reputation. Listening to what the consumer wants goes much further than telling them what they want to hear.

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