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Creative Corporate CommunicationThis resource is designed specifically for Unit 4 of the Edexcel BTEC qualification, 'Presenting Business Information'. Heineken, the fourth largest brewer in the world, announced that it was not going to advertise its product on TV in the UK from 2006 onwards. You might be forgiven for thinking that the company was somehow 'one can short of a six pack' for taking such a decision. Surely it is madness to not advertise on the most obvious medium that reaches into the homes of millions of people every year? 
Image: Heineken - is their decision to not advertise on TV a good example of creative corporate promotion? Copyright: Gyorvári Gábor Just stop and think for a minute about the things that you associate with Heineken. Can't get this question to work? Then take a look at this... If you have anything remotely similar to the comments we had, then Heineken were doing their job. Creative corporate communication is all about getting your message across to your customers. What that message is might be the starting point of discussions within the firm. The message can be communicated in many different ways. Heineken argued that with the increase in the number of TV channels, they did not feel that they could get their message across to their target market as effectively as they would have liked. As a result, they evaluated their position and felt that other ways they communicate their message were adequate and possibly more effective than running more TV adverts. Heineken are sponsors of the Heineken European Cup in rugby union. It is also one of the sponsors of the European Champions League (Amstel beer is one of its brands). It will therefore get exposure on TV through this and feels that its target market are more likely to be accessed through these sort of events rather than blanket TV adverts. It also believes that it needs to be more creative in the way it gets its message across. In competitive markets where there are many choices, making sure customers associate your product with their needs is crucial. Methods of CommunicatingThere are several main methods of communicating an organisation's image with its end users. Remember that corporate identity is not just something that private sector organisations strive for; it is also very important for many public sector organisations. Mission StatementsMission statements aim to encapsulate what the business is about and what it wants to be associated and identified with. The mission statement is used not only to communicate an external identity but to bind together staff in a common culture and identity. PackagingPackaging is becoming increasingly important not just to maintain quality and to protect products but as a form of communicating messages about the company as well. Colgate, for example, now supplies toothpaste in a small container that sits easily on bathroom shelves as opposed to the traditional tubes (which are still available). What message does this send out? LogosMost organisations now have logos. The designs of these are very important. They often communicate messages that are subtle and may rely heavily on an understanding of our psychology. For example, having three parts of a company's name all in the same size and font may communicate a different message to one which has the first word larger and in a different colour to the other two. Logos are intended to ensure that the company becomes instantly recognisable even if there is no writing or words to convey the message. 
Images: Logos may contain a name but a good logo may not need any words to communicate the company, organisation or message. Copyright: Sándor Balázs, Paul Holmes, Outrequin JC and Kay Pat LiveryLivery is the colour scheme adopted by a business. In many cases, the colour/s used is enough to communicate who the company or organisation is. The company may use this colour scheme throughout all its communications media to maintain consistency and raise awareness and identity. What colours do you associate with Tesco, for example? How about Sainsbury's and easyJet? What are the colours of British Airways? 
Image: BA not only use corporate colours to convey their message, it is repeated throughout all aspects of the business, from staff uniforms right through to letterheads. Copyright: Frank van den Berg StraplinesThis seems to be a relatively new word but has rapidly entered the corporate communication vocabulary. A strapline is a phrase or short sentence that is meant to represent the company or create awareness in customers and end users. The example of Heineken above is a case in point but there are others that are equally memorable:
The idea of using a phrase is not new - many years ago, Kellogg's used the line 'the best to you each morning' and KitKat had 'have a break, have a KitKat' - a strapline that they still use! EndorsementsSome businesses will associate themselves with a famous celebrity or personality to get a message across. The celebrity has to be carefully chosen to ensure that the sort of person chosen embodies the qualities that the firm wants to be recognised for. At the time of writing, this has been brought sharply into focus following the news about Kate Moss, the supermodel, who was alleged to have been photographed taking cocaine. Also, there are the problems faced by Burberry whose image seems to have been overtaken by 'chavs' - much to their annoyance. Put the two things together and you have the wrong message being communicated. 
Image: Burberry have been hit by the chav culture hijacking its products where youngsters embodying violence, lack of respect and anti-social behaviour have worn the famous Burberry check. Then came the news that one of its key models was taking cocaine! Copyright: Jon Wisbey Other MethodsThe whole point of creative communication is the idea that you come up with new ideas. Some that have been used in recent years include getting products high exposure, for example, getting a product used on a top rated TV programme, using famous songs to help sell products (remember the Levi ad?), sponsorship (see the Heineken example above) and having an online presence. In addition, many companies are using so called 'viral marketing' as a means of getting their messages across. (See the Biz/ed presentation on guerrilla marketing(http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-19/business/marketing/presentation/guerrilla.ppt) [369 KB].) What is important in any attempt to communicate effectively is to balance out the costs of the method/s against the exposure that is gained and the effect on sales. This is not always very easy to quantify but it must be a consideration. Clearly Heineken do not believe that the cost of putting further adverts on TV is justified and that the benefits they are gaining from their other activities are sufficient to get the message across that they want. TaskIn your assessment, you are required to select a corporate communication case study of your choice. In the information above, we have tried to give you a flavour of some of the more high profile businesses that you will be familiar with but you are free to choose any business or public sector organisation that you wish.
You could present your ideas for the last part of the task as a presentation - you could try and incorporate video clips, sound clips and so on in your presentation. Some references below point you in the direction of clips that can be downloaded. If you do this, remember the copyright restrictions that will be in place and remember to fully reference any clip that you use.
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