Companies are increasingly aware of the role they play in society, the environment and the development of both. But, as this awareness has grown, the use of unethical communication practices aimed at improving reputation and connecting with the public has also increased. Determining What is purpose and what is greenwashing when communicating certain brand initiatives some are found media.
Precisely they have been the protagonists of one of the debate tables held during the third edition of the Public Affairs Forum, the meeting of Public Affairs managers in Spain. The event, organized by NITID Corporate Affairs (formerly MAS Consulting) in collaboration with Apple Tree and Dircom, took place on November 14 under the concept “Social activism on the public agenda: lessons and opportunities for the corporate world.”
Pablo Blázquez, Founder & Editor of Ethics; Natalia Marín, Editor in Chief of reason.Why; and Arturo Larena, Director of EFE Green, in a conversation moderated by Paz Uruñuela, Director of Content and Training at Dircom.
Communication and activism
They all began by analyzing If the media can be activists and they concluded that they are if activism means their commitment to quality and rigorous information. Attributes that have become especially relevant in a context in which misinformation, hoaxes and fake news prevail.
The role of this type of media is also required to shed light on the increasing volume of communication that emanates from companies with the objective of conveying their commitments, purposes or efforts of corporate activism. “There has been a decisive change that has to do with the role that companies want to play in society and that society wants them to play.”said Pablo Blázquez. “But there are times when there is overacting that is counterproductive. There is a certain imposture that can have a pernicious effect”.
In this sense, the three speakers were in favor of communicating the purposes, as long as it is done from truth and transparency. “If you expose yourself, you expand. And in addition, a virtuous “snowball” effect can be generated that infects others. But there must always be an underlying truth“, commented Natalia Marín following a moment in the conversation focused on aid from brands on the occasion of Dana in Valencia. “Our role is to contrast how much truth there is in what brands say they are doing.”.
Value, utility and transparency
The truth is that the communication landscape has changed, especially in terms of sustainability. Companies have also joined the scientific community and environmental organizations, once the main sources of information in this field, which, for better and worse, has multiplied the number of actors convinced of the importance of communicating about the positive impact.
Hence, in part, companies find it difficult to get their messages to society.
Therefore, as the speakers pointed out, it is crucial to have solvent and independent media, and with the collaboration and transparency of the companies themselves. “The media wants to tell about things that are done well”, noted Arturo Larena. “But an empty press release is not enough, we need data. Or that if we have questions we are answered, that the sources are accessible. It is crucial to generate channels of trust”.
That is why they also demand that communication be a game of two between the communication and media departments, in a way that the responsibility does not fall only on the side of journalists. “If something is newsworthy, it will be news. We are not a ‘strainer’ through which corporate messages pass“said the Editor in Chief of reason.Whyhighlighting the importance of contributing useful information and stories that are relevant. “You also have to be self-critical and perhaps communicate the mistakes, challenges or work that still needs to be done at the level of sustainability, for example, to inspire society both in the positive and in the things that can be improved.“.
“Purpose is not an objective to achieve. It is a question of brand truth, of a life path that is always followed. You will never reach the end of the purpose”added Natalia Marín. “When the purpose becomes something peripheral that comes out of the brands only at specific moments without a strategic sense, as journalists we lack continuity in those stories”. Thus, he highlighted the need for power live the evolution of the brand from communication, something that only happens when the purpose is positioned as that long-distance path.
Regulation and independence
On the other hand, the media also highlights the formula of alliances, in many cases materialized through branded content actions or advertorials, as a lever to transfer the commitments of companies. They remember, in this regard, that the establishment of an economic agreement does not mean the rental of a space or a community of followers, nor does it imply editorial interference.
“Sponsored content has been mistreated, using it as a toll for access to audiences and hiding the fact that it is paid for”
“Alliances can exist, always respecting the independence of the medium, specifying what and how we cover it and also including critical voices”said the Director of EFE Verde. “But if it is a clear greenwashing campaign, we are not going to do it, there is no agreement that is worth it”.
Natalia Marín added in this sense that, in addition, these economic agreements should not be understood as the rental of a space that brands use and dispose of. “If we make sponsored content, all the more reason we should work hand in hand because it means that you believe in what you want to tell, you want to value it and you trust my good work, which is why you have chosen me. We must get rid of the view that paying is something negative. The problem is that the resource has been mistreated by using it as a toll for access to audiences, also hiding the fact that this content is paid for.”.
In parallel, this entire reality will be transformed when the European Directive against greenwashing. “Regulation is going to be key in the way companies communicate, and we hope it will be efficient regulation.”said the Founder & Editor of Ethic. “Greenwashing is not about telling and communicating what is done in the environment, which is something necessary and mandatory in many cases. It is intentionally creating false information, and this affects citizens and the fight against the climate emergency.“.
Beyond the regulatory frameworks, the speakers agreed, in conclusion, on the driving force that the market and society will make to convert the coexistence of positive impact and business objectives as the only way of business development. Despite the growing threats of involutionism in this area, purpose will be what drives the economy.
