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How to Communicate Corporate Citizenship, More or Less
by Ken Freitas
June 2008
 Corporate citizenship has arrived. And it seems there’s a mad rush to issue a press release.
After decades of debate on its value to business, it’s now safe to declare a more accepted and credible position among business leaders for corporate citizenship. After all, if The Economist magazine declares it to be “mainstream” who among us would argue? The great majority of executives now recognize, and have at least begun to act on, the need for meaningful corporate citizenship strategies and initiatives.
This good news has been quickly followed by a rush by many businesses to talk more about their citizenship. The number and volume of social reports continue to rise dramatically each year. Cause marketing remains one of the high growth categories in marketing investment. And there’s now a crowd of expert consultancies and gurus offering absolute truths on how best to communicate your corporate citizenship. It seems more and more corporate citizens want their story told and many are rushing to tell it.
I’m glad this shift toward communication is happening. Ultimately, a more informed conversation will advance the field of corporate citizenship. But, I believe there is reason to be a bit wary.
First, except for buffet lines, I’ve learned to be wary of a rush to anything.
Second, the reality is, corporate citizenship issues are complex and solutions don’t come easy. At the same time, people prefer things simple and want their problems solved. That combination of what people want and what you will likely deliver should fill no executive with the urge to rush outside declaring intentions, promising results, or even trumpeting success. Excellence in communicating corporate citizenship is still taking shape. We are still learning. In fact, the current state of play is characterized more by challenging dichotomies than absolute truths.
Be Faster, Have Faith in Slow
Have you heard that communication is now happening with more speed? It’s been in all the papers. I mean on all the blogs. Communication executives are blessed to live in a time when new communication models are being born. Unfortunately, there’s a curse, too. While new models are being born, old models are dying. You know, the old models we could control and rely upon to perform as we expected them to. They’re being replaced with models that are still maturing (some may never) and are built on speed and shorter attention spans. Being slow in communications is no longer an option.
But substance can typically be pretty slow. And effective corporate citizenship is rooted in substance. Genuine, substantive change on real social and environmental issues takes time. So, interested in communicating your corporate citizenship? Talk fast, move slow. Got it?
More Truth, Less Certainty
In his book, “The Naked Corporation,” author Don Tapscott cited the quote “It is wise to disclose what cannot be concealed.” I’ve not found a better rationale for corporate transparency. But if nothing can be concealed, then everything can be seen, interpreted and commented upon. And remember, all of it gets done crazy fast as mentioned above. Now combine it all with complex social and environmental issues and it can get pretty hard to tell truth from informed, biased perspective efficiently delivered. Ready to introduce your corporate citizenship communications into this mix?
Boldness and Humility
Effective communication is bold. It captures your imagination and invites you to believe in new possibilities. Restrained, timid communication is overlooked and forgotten. Want to be heard and remembered? Be bold.
But effective corporate citizenship requires humility. The social and environmental problems faced are complex and difficult. Companies will not solve them alone. To boldly declare your mastery of the problem is to invite attack from stakeholders and set the stage for spectacular public failure. Acknowledging the fact that you can’t solve these problems alone is essential. Just be bold while doing it. Easy, right?
Hey, I told you I was wary. But wariness is not disagreement. Moving toward more corporate citizenship communication is clearly the right instinct. I believe effective corporate citizenship communication is essential, and an opportunity for companies to build leadership and competitive advantage. But let’s move with a clear, sober view of the unique challenges.
Ken Freitas is a member of the Boston College Center's faculty. He teaches the course "Communicating Corporate Citizenship," which focuses on building a communications plan as an integral ingredient of the company's corporate citizenship strategy.
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