This morning I headed to the Ivy Club for a discussion on communications over coffee and croissants. It is a great opportunity to hear what the leaders in this field are thinking about for their biggest clients.

The speakers were Founder of Trust PR Kate Hinton, Head of Corporate Reputation & Purpose at Novelli Eleanor Turner, Co-Founder at Purpose Union Lewis Iwu and Director of Sustainability and Purpose at The Communications Store Esther Maughan. It was chaired by Katie Simpson Managing Director: Corporate Communications at Hanson Research.

Key Takeaways

Purpose means knowing and sharing the social change you want to see in the world so reorganise your business around your social purpose. 

Co-create with staff supply chain and customers. 

Articulate your purpose- succinctly.

Audience attention – the share of voice – how do you stand out?

Authenticity. Discipline. Focus. What’s the one thing you can anchor to your brand to, to share your mission?

Voice. Are you taking a stand? Influence and leverage your voice for social issues. 

Who’s the hero of the story- how do you position yourself to empower your people to share rather than tell. 

Most Gen Z sees themselves as activists. Social campaigns are the future. 

Everyone mentioned the impact of THAT Gillette advert. 

WHO IS THE HUMAN behind the campaign?

Comms people can hold all people’s perspectives in their hands. 

Megatrends and future-proofing your business – climate change and loneliness were discussed. The Communications Store is currently looking into the impact of loneliness.

Read the Economic Forum Global Risks summary. Lewis Iwu suggests that sustainability is the biggest issue with potential civil unrest. 

Engage with supply chains as a Comms specialist. 

Mega-Trend: Globalisation and the reaction against it. 

Mega-Trend: Social Media. Opportunity to send messages and hold power to account with speed and low budget. 

Ends with the question – how deep can we go and how ambitious can we be?