WHEN OPERATING WITHIN A MULTINATIONAL COMPANY, HOW DO GLOBAL STANDARDS AFFECT CORPORATE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY IN LOCAL MARKETS?
As part of the global company PepsiCo, we are driven by a business philosophy that obliges us to use the profits we make to strengthen our businesses, give our employees the opportunity to grow, improve our industry and be a responsible citizen of the world. We are also leading the way in the Balkan markets. This means that we have the exclusivity to build our business and, among other things, our communication activities on strategies that are globally designed, set up and tested in over 200 markets and territories in which PepsiCo operates across the globe.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ARE CONNECTED TO SERIOUS BUSINESS CONTENT. WHAT ARE THE SECRET INGREDIENTS OF EASILY UNDERSTOOD CORPORATE STORIES
At PepsiCo, corporate communication strategies are designed to give our business the confidence to lead, act with confidence and create lasting trust among all stakeholders. Although business value is the goal that drives us, our approach to corporate communications begins with creating a narrative that depicts the vision, culture and direction of the company. The narrative is always preceded by the creation of a stakeholder map, and we keep attention through the use of different channels and tools – media relations, B2B communication, management profiling, employee engagement or any other combination that is needed to support the goals of achieving business value, i.e. preserving the reputation that represents the most important asset of a company.
IN WHAT WAY DO NEW COMMUNICATION CHANNELS INFLUENCE THE CREATION OF A CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY?
Organizations are now facing an era in which business circumstances require companies to be prepared to mitigate the effects of the pace of today. Social networks, the rapidly growing expectations of industry, consumers and regulations have created a growing gap between the reputational risks and the capacity of an organization to cope with them. All of the above shapes the way companies make their approach and build long-lasting relationships and trust within society. Our communications provide support to businesses and are there to overcome the barrier between business on the one hand and words, or more precisely stories, on the other.
TO WHAT EXTENT ARE CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS THE “GUARDIANS” OF A COMPANY’S REPUTATION?
Over the last 10 years, the risks and crises with reputation have escalated dramatically. At PepsiCo, we firmly believe that increasing our level of trust in the company is a cornerstone in maintaining our reputation and strengthening our relationships. Our strategy integrates employees, deepens our relationship with consumers and is harmonised with public interest. Every day we strive to work in accordance with the following values: to be excellent at everything we do, to be brave to do the right things and to be committed to the well-being of society. Here at PepsiCo, reputation is written with a capital R.