For
this week’s assignment, I decided to interview the head of my department, Mark
Kern, SVP, Communications. During our discussion, I reviewed the readings for
this week to provide a general understanding of each article. I in particular
enjoyed reading Argenti, Howell and Beck’s article, The Strategic Communication Imperative because it stresses the
importance and use of strategic communications for any company, which is what
my department does literally everyday (2005).
As
part of The Hub TV Network’s launch in 2010, the clear understanding and one of
the primary goals of Kern was to ensure there was clear messaging of what The
Hub was and the type of programming it would air. Kern felt that in order for
the network to compete with other networks in the children’s television
landscape, media and viewers should know that the network aims to enlighten and
engage. Since launch this messaging has been used to gain media coverage in trade,
online, print and electronic media outlets. Sometimes as publicist, we feel
almost like robots because we are all strategically pushing out the same
messaging (in an organized manor), in so that we stand out from other
children’s networks. Being a start up network, Kern agreed with the article
that strategic communication is “communication aligned with the company’s overall
strategy, to enhance it’s strategic positioning” (Argenti, Howell & Beck,
2005, p. 83).
Further
into my interview with Kern, we also discussed the importance of making sure
employees are aligned with brand messaging. Prior to the network’s launch,
under the direction of Kern, all employees were required to take part in a
network branding meeting so that the companies messaging was clearly explained.
Kern highlighted the importance of consistent messaging, along with making sure
everyone knew to direct all communication related inquiries to our department.
Through meetings like this, employees were prepared at launch and remain aware
of our brands messaging a year and a half later.
Reference:
Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication
Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89
Crystal, it's interesting to hear about the communication strategy at The Hub. If you evaluate The Hub's plan in light of Argenti et al's (2005) 5 lessons, how well do you think your company does?
ReplyDeleteI can imagine that in the competitive industry of children's television, keeping an eye out for key 'environmental' trends would be particularly important. Do you think The Hub has "developed a reliable radar", as discussed by Bonini, Mendonca, and Oppenheim (2006)? How does your organization stay on the lookout for key trends? Who are your primary stakeholders?
Hi Jessica,
DeleteFunny because Argenti, Howell & Beck's article The Strategic Communication Imperative was my favorite reading from this week. During the interview I couldn't help but relate to Dell in that my boss is ALWAYS pushing messaging out to anyone inquiring about the network. As mentioned above, we are all like robots (in a good way though). I definitely agree that Argenti et al's (2005) Strategy & Constituents guide is exactly what we do. All strategies are created internally, then pushed out to respective parties. Responses are then filtered back to the specific departments. All a learning and servicing cycle.
In terms of watching out for trends, our Research Dept. not only monitors our network ratings, but they also lookout for successful or similar shows airing on other networks. Furthermore, each department has their own sources for watching for new trends. PR in general keeps a close eye on programming listings found in popular entertainment magazines, trade magazines, press releases distributed by all of our competitors, etc. Our primary stakeholders include: our parent companies (acting investors), the board of directors, employees, parent advocate groups, media outlets and competitors (other children's networks).
Crystal--
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to hear about the importance of strategic communications from the perspective of your Sr VP, Communications. It seems that consistency in communicating the company's messaging is of primary concern to the Hub as exemplified by the "branding meeting" you described.
Nice job!
Thanks, Dawn.
DeleteCrystal,
ReplyDeleteIt was great that you were able to get a branding prospective from Mr. Kern. I liked his direction on providing clarity. Certainly, in the competitive realm of entertainment, it is important to have a boss who understand the companies objectives and provides a clear direction.
It sounds like your boss follows many of the principles we read about this week in "The Strategic Communication Imperative." I enjoyed reading about the how Mr. Kern promoted brand marketing in by having a meeting to promote the company through a consistent and clear message. I was curious during this meeting, if he asked for employee impute and thoughts?
Hi Joshua,
DeleteEmployee impute and thought were and continue to be apart of our network's goal of unified messaging. Having an open dialogue with employees has enabled our department to consider many situations, that we may not have originally thought of. Ex: Why create a new children's network when there are other networks out there? or How do certain departments respond to viewer feedback (positive and negative)?
Things like this help us keep a unified front.
Crystal,
ReplyDeleteI agree that having consistency of a brand is of utmost importance in maintaining brand image and keeping with marketing efforts. At an old job of mine, it was important that all new employees be immersed into the company culture, and that in turn aligned them with the company brand.
What were some of the ways your company translated its brand messaging to its publics?
Hi Shane,
DeleteHopefully I'm answering this correctly, but we've had several corporate, industry and media based events where we've tried to push our messaging out with Hub signage, trade media stories that highlight why we are different from other networks, and more. We've also tried to have a fun and engaging on-air feel that really speaks to kid's and their families. We are constantly evolving our programming (to grow with our core fans), yet never swaying from our messaging.
Hi Crystal,
ReplyDeleteThe Ugenti piece was my favorite reading of the week, as well! Sounds like your company has mastered the plan for strategic communication. My question is at the conclusion of your interview, did you have a chance to summarize and discuss the readings with Kern? I think it would be interesting to hear his perspective regarding his implemented strategy and those of the companies mentioned in the reading. I also wonder if he would agree with you about having a strategy similar to Dell's. Thanks for the interesting read!