Corporate communications doesn't have to be so "corporate"

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Monday, June 28, 2010
I know that Steve Crescenzo has been preaching this for years, but some people just don't seem to be paying attention. . . including IABC. It was irritating at this year's World Conference that everybody (speakers) seemed to be focused on strategy and tactics and plans and blah, blah blah.

There is nothing wrong with those, but that's what people have been (or should have been) doing for years. What's missing is creativity, which was also missing from the IABC conference.

If corporate communicators ever want to gain the respect they think they all deserve, then you have to plan, be strategic, use the vehicles, report results AND be creative. Doing things the same way over and over have never worked before and won't work again just by repetition.

When corporate communication was part of my daily life, I used to drive my bosses nuts with the "How about this..." and "What if we did it this way..." Everybody's worried about being fired, but you're not going to lose your job by being creative. You're going to lose your job but not getting results. And a good way to do that is by being boring.

Look at new tools like digital signage. Write your newsletter articles differently. Use video more. Do whatever it takes to improve communication.

Don't be boring. Vent over.


Comments for Corporate communications doesn't have to be so "corporate"

Monday, June 28, 2010 by Chris Theisen:
Amen. We should start our own company with the like minds that we have :) I am currently dealing with the same thing in regards to our TV spots and I have bosses and ownership who are fairly open. Best of luck getting others to see your "vision"
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 by Andrea Emerson:
Agreed. I was recently hired to breathe new life into a client's marketing materials, and was shocked to learn those materials were originally crafted by one of our city's most reputable PR firms. The first thing that came to mind was a blog post by Seth Godin: If you were to slap the competition's logo on those materials, no one would notice, because they all sound the same. Yet, companies are terrified of breaking the mold. So discouraging...