In today's fast-changing digital landscape, innovation is an essential part of reputation management. A cultural shift from deference to reference, the decline of traditional broadcast media, and the rise of internet-powered social networks have all transformed the way that influence works and the way that brands, organisations and individuals are perceived.
The nature of modern communications ensures that such change will be continuous. The internet itself is evolving at a quite exceptional rate, with users' behaviour and consumers' attitudes to different online channels shifting on an almost monthly basis.
In this environment, awareness of changing patterns of influence and an ability to evolve new approaches in response are essential for success. The innovations described in this section are just some of the new approaches developed by Chime agencies to help clients turn the challenges of the changing media landscape into opportunities.
Web mapping
Audiences at PR and marketing conferences have been hearing for years that they need to become part of an "online conversation". At the same time, they are acutely aware how little control they have over the way the way such conversations are interpreted, and how their reputation develops as a result.
Chime's proprietary "web mapping" software has been developed to fill this gap in understanding and deliver a clear, usable picture of how influence works online. Webmaps reveal the most important online voices and the precise course that opinions take as they travel around and between different networks; they light up the internet conversations that really matter. Chime webmaps have helped clients such as Sony Playstation, O2, the Arts Council and the Labour Party to understand the online relationships that matter most to them.
Search Relations
Search engines are the gateway to the world wide web and the starting point for the millions of online journeys happening everyday. In the digital world, they are the first port of call when consumers are researching a product, reacting to a news story, finding information or seeking out communities and connections. At Chime, we think about search in a more innovative and strategic way. We know how influential it can be in helping to build strong brands and to develop and protect reputations. We understand how search overlaps and integrates with social media, with PR and with the wider marketing mix. We think about a brands ‘search relations’ strategy in addition to how the channel can drive sales and response in very competitive markets. Search is one of our core specialisms and we help clients ranging from international government administrations to FTSE 100 companies like Sage and major brands from MTV to Cheapflights.com to realise its potential.
Visual narrative
VCCP is an advertising agency with a difference; it doesn't talk to clients about ad campaigns but about "Visual Narratives". Visual Narratives are designed for the role that advertising must play in an increasingly diverse, interactive media environment; they focus on creating a truly coherent visual expression for a brand that helps it to achieve iconic levels of integration across all channels, platforms and formats. It's an approach that plays to advertising's strengths, as testified to by the shelf-load of Effectiveness Awards won by visual narratives for O2 and ING Direct.
Brand reputation
In today's media-led environment, brand awareness and recall are only vague indicators of how a company's marketing is performing; brand reputation is the measure that truly matters. Whilst a brand image belongs to a brand, a brand's reputation belongs to its public. It is all the more powerful for that – and all the more difficult to measure and control. The success achieved by Chime's three divisions over the past 12 months comes from adopting strategies that work with the reputation revolution.
Read Chris Satterthwaite's Campaign feature on the Brand Reputation Revolution (pdf)
Debate
This is a deliberative process which provides participants with relevant facts, from various perspectives, and time to discuss and think critically about the issues before them, along with an opportunity to enlarge their perspectives, opinions and understandings. This method is very different from traditional qualitative research (such as focus groups). The process allows participants to come to informed decisions about issues which are often complex. Participants are empowered by knowledge and are able to reach informed conclusions. It also provides a means of conducting consultation in a manner that is open, transparent and accountable.
Over the past fifteen years, Opinion Leader has led the way in the development of a range of participation methods - from citizens' juries and forums to summits involving thousands of people. Opinion Leader's deliberative techniques have been used by the Department for Work and Pensions and Sky, and were instrumental in helping over 1,000 business leaders discuss climate change at the Prince of Wales's May Day Business Summit.
Online Debate
In a connected world, many of the important and influential debates are occurring online in blogs, in forums and in a variety of social networking communities. There are no set patterns to when and where these discussions occur, but what is certain is that they happen 24/7 and in many cases very publicly. Many clients want to draw out the insights from these interactions and others even aspire to be part of the conversation; the question is how to do this in an efficient and effective manner.
With that in mind we created CaucusWorld, our digital engagement platform, built to bring together our clients’ key audiences in a private environment to debate and discuss the issues as seen by these key influencers - whether they be customers, clients, employees or important stakeholders.
These debates can be organised at a moments notice and take the form of live video online groups facilitated by our moderators directly to participant desktops wherever they are in the world. Our moderators have at their fingertips a variety of multimedia content to stimulate discussion and a full range of interactive engagement and research tools (e.g. surveys, polls, simulators, trade-off and brand sorting exercises) to help bring hard-to-reach insights to the surface.
Climate SMART
Climate SMART is an integrated service offered by Corporate Citizenship which enables an organisation to understand and address its environmental impacts in an appropriate and sustainable way. At a time when customers, politicians, campaign groups and the media are focusing on the environmental performance of business, it is vital that companies understand and manage the risks and opportunities associated with this aspect of their operations. Climate SMART offers a solution which is:
- flexible - meeting individual organisations needs
- comprehensive - including strategic development, stakeholder engagement and communication
- cost effective and credible
Whether an organisation is seeking to enhance its reputation by becoming carbon neutral, or wants to reduce costs by becoming more energy efficient, the Climate SMART process effectively combines credibility, creativity and communication to deliver improved performance and address broader environmental management goals.
