‘Sign of the times: the evolution of the communication function’

3
2016

It is no secret that it’s harder than ever to attract the attention of people we want to influence, whether inside or outside the organisation. But are we really paying attention to ‘attention’? Frenetic change in digital environments makes that...

Recent and forthcoming titles for the communicator's bookshelf

Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity,...

It is no secret that businesses are challenged almost on a daily basis by the pace of change happening in their environment.

Market disruptions, new regulations, economic crises and recoveries, changing lifestyles and consumer habits are...

At the end of 2009, world leaders and national representatives from across the world gathered in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate...

At the 2016 European Communication Summit, a special panel discussed lessons learned – or not, as the case may be – from the Brexit vote. The following are edited highlights from the wide-ranging, sometimes heated, discussion.

Interview by...

This year, the European Communication Monitor (ECM) celebrates its 10th edition and it demonstrates consistency in a long-term trend: linking business and strategy is...

Between you, you represent decades of professional experience in corporate communications. During your careers, what have been some of the biggest developments in the way communicators work?

MARJORIE BENZKOFER The obvious...

As a science-based company, DSM wanted to raise the profile of science and the positive impact science has on society. So it paid tribute to the lives and struggles of real scientists in a campaign strongly connected to the brand promise, purpose...

The most successful companies have traditionally risen to prominence using strategies based on long-term planning. These ideas can drive strong results through differentiation, market penetration and overall brand reputation. Today, in an age of...

In recent years, many industries have undergone some tough times with recessions, increased competition, changing consumer behaviour, rapidly shifting technologies and emerging disruptive business models.

And though you might think that...

Crisis and hardship may be a recurrent feature of human history; however, it is hard to argue against the fact that the challenges facing our world today are more complex, interrelated and faster-changing than anything we have faced in the past...

Artificial intelligence will transform every aspect of our civilization.

That's according to Jürgen Schmidhuber, whose deep learning artificial neural networks are widely used by the world’s most valuable public companies. But how do you...

As the Brexit shows, messages from the financial sector can be too easily ignored by disillusioned audiences. With financial institutions all tarred with the same brush, it has been difficult for the industry to make its voice heard even when it...

Today, corporate communications is a multidirectional conversation across a huge variety of channels and an even larger set of engaged stakeholders. Meanwhile, communicators are increasingly becoming a trusted counsel to CEOs across a range of...

In 2008 I joined a large environmental NGO with a vision of a green and peaceful future.

It revitalised my connection with nature and rekindled my interest in spiritualism. I was brought up atheist and belief in the divine was thought...

When you enter the communications world from an engineering world, as I did, you come from a world of numbers, equations and machines to a world of words, relationships and people.

You also move from a world where you are trained to...

Today’s fragmented and complex media landscape presents an ever-changing set of challenges to marketing and communications professionals.

Confronted by demanding yet distracted consumers on the one hand, and a fast-paced and volatile...

Ever wondered what a resident futurist is doing at a communications agency? Well, wonder no more.

I have been providing futures thinking to consultants and clients at Burson-Marsteller for over seven years now. To the best of my knowledge...