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Online corporate communications consultancy, KWD, has recruited Rick Sellers for their London office.
Previously Head of Consulting at The Group, Rick has nine years’ experience in digital corporate communications, advising a wide range of FTSE100 companies and delivering award-winning corporate websites and online reports.
“It’s a very exciting time to be joining KWD. The experience and skills we have both within KWD and the wider King Worldwide family, empowered by our KWD Webranking research, gives us unique insight and the ability to expertly advise clients on all aspects of their digital communications.” says Rick Sellers.
KWD focuses on digital corporate communications, helping companies communicate better and more effectively. KWD specialises in the strategy, design, build and maintenance of corporate websites. Its research arm, KWD Webranking, is an annual survey of over 1,000 corporate websites across the globe.
You can reach Rick Sellers at rick.sellers@kw-digital.com or at direct: +44 (0) 20 79 20 9741
”For the majority of Europe’s 500 largest companies, the biggest gaps between what stakeholders want and what the websites are providing are in-depth IR content, company and investment story, management profiling and market share and industry information,” said Phil Marchant, KWD’s Managing Director (UK), when he presented the key trends, challenges and opportunities in digital [...]
”For the majority of Europe’s 500 largest companies, the biggest gaps between what stakeholders want and what the websites are providing are in-depth IR content, company and investment story, management profiling and market share and industry information,” said Phil Marchant, KWD’s Managing Director (UK), when he presented the key trends, challenges and opportunities in digital corporate communications at the KWD Webranking Forum in London on November 24th.
More than 80 IR-, Communications-, and Web professionals representing 40 listed companied from 13 countries in Europe were assembled in King Worldwide’s offices at Citypoint, London, November 24, when Phil Marchant illustrated key findings of KWD Webranking 2011 and pointed out challenges and opportunities in digital corporate communications for the year to come.
Findings from KWD Webranking reveal that for the majority of Europe’s 500 largest companies by market cap, the biggest gaps between what stakeholders want and what the websites are providing are:
- In-depth IR content
- Market share and industry information
- Management profiling
- Company and investment story
In-depth IR content
“KWD Webranking’s 2011 survey showed that key corporate stakeholders most sought-after information on corporate websites is data on financial targets and achievements – but at the moment 87% of Europe’s biggest companies are not giving them what they want. It’s a real area for companies to work on in 2012,” said Phil Marchant.
Results from KWD Webranking show that only ten of the 500 largest companies in Europe provide both financial targets and achievements on the corporate website.
“A good example of how to do it is Telecom Italia. Winner of KWD Webranking, Telecom Italia, is one of few companies in Europe presenting in depth IR content with the company’s targets, achievements and growth drivers.”
Market share and industry information
“Many respondents in the capital market survey are also keen on profiling information on the company’s industry, regulation and also market share,” continued Phil Marchant.
68% of the 500 European companies failed to provide this information. The UK-company National Express has a well-structured and content rich section covering just what the capital market wants to know: market size, shares, trends, competition, market features.
Management profiling
Phil Marchant then went on to encourage the Forum attendees to look over Management profiling on their corporate website.
“In the current climate, key audiences want to get underneath the skin of management. Yet vast majority of European corporate websites offer just a dull, short “two cats and lives in Surrey” biography. Aviva has gone so far as to integrate interviews and presentations linked to a member of the management team under his or her profile.”
The company and investment story
The capital market look for a reason to invest and very few sites do a successful job in presenting an investment case.
Phil Marchant said, “Our results show that only a few of the biggest companies across Europe take the time and effort to clearly outline their investment case on the corporate website. All the others expect the visitor to do the work – to piece it together from random bits of information sprayed around the site. The 8% that do it properly are surely at an advantage – as a potential investor I can understand the key strengths of the company in just a few seconds.”
Potash does the contrary.
“Under the Investors section there is a clear headline “Why invest”. And bang, already on the first slide you have the answer: The world needs more fertilizers. Simple and straight to the point.”
The presentation was concluded with the other key findings:
- 80% want information on Risk Management – 70% don’t provide it
- Most companies slow to encourage or engage in stakeholder dialogue – even simply through offering feedback – or properly maintained and relevant corporate social media channels
- Group careers portals becoming relevant with large companies with disparate operating companies
- Interactive press sections with multimedia becoming more prevalent, and we are seeing the start of full social media newsrooms
Read more about trends and challenges of corporate websites in Europe
What do you think is the key success factor to an effective corporate website? Tine Babiarz Nielsen, Digital specialist at Danske Bank: On one hand it’s simply about knowing and fulfilling your target groups’ needs through engaging content across all relevant digital touch points, rather than seeing the corporate website as a free-floating satellite. On [...]
What do you think is the key success factor to an effective corporate website?
Sanne Seyer-Hansen and Tine Babiarz - Danske Bank
Tine Babiarz Nielsen, Digital specialist at Danske Bank:
On one hand it’s simply about knowing and fulfilling your target groups’ needs through engaging content across all relevant digital touch points, rather than seeing the corporate website as a free-floating satellite. On the other hand the question is complex, because how do we assess whether a corporate site is doing a good job? Unlike a site with a clear e-commerce function, it has no clear measurability and ROI, so that’s one of our focus areas. Right now we also believe, transparency and authenticity are more important than ever. From an internal point of view, good governance are one of the cornerstones to success.
What do you think are the challenges in digital communication 2012?
Sanne Seyer-Hansen, Digital specialist at Danske Bank:
The rapidly changing media landscape has changed our stakeholders’ contact needs, media behavior and expectations towards us. Understanding how the new media reality actually affects our stakeholders’ media habits and how we should orchestrate our communication efforts is one of our biggest challenges right now.
Over 80 IR-, Web and Communications professionals from 13 countries in Europe attended the KWD Webranking Forum in London on November 24th to discuss the future development of corporate websites.
Jonas Jonell from KWD described how to move the annual reporting from print to digital
while Alessandro Bastoni from Telecom Italia presented how the telecom company has developed its digital communication strategy.
Stuart Bartram, Managing director at Brandex Insight and ex-Senior Manager, Global Brand Digital at Aviva, illustrated Aviva’s project “You are the Big Picture” and how it was promoted online and in social media. Simon Lande, CEO Magus, presented changes in the use of cookies following the EU privacy directive.
Tommy Borglund and Miriam Thunborg from King Worldwide illustrated new trends in sustainability communication and Phil Marchant spoke of key trends in KWD Webranking 2011 as well as the challenges and opportunities for 2012.
Telecom Italia, Eni and BASF received the awards for best corporate websites in Europe. Centrica were awarded for being the best corporate website in the United Kingdom.
More:
- KWD Webranking Forum, London
