Singapore – How companies respond to global challenges and employee reputation is directly correlated with corporate reputation in today’s business environment, according to the latest ‘Brands in Motion’ global study by global communications firm WE Communications.
Data from the report mainly suggests that a company’s reputation is increasingly determined by its response to immediate and public concerns that have universal reach, such as cost of living and the climate crisis.
This shift has occurred alongside an increase in scepticism, with only 44% of brands seen to be delivering on their commitments, as half of survey respondents said that some brands that do take a stand on societal issues are just doing it for the sake of selling more products and services.
Notably, even as consumers are calling on companies to speak out more about issues such as cost of living (60%), employee pay and benefits (54%), the climate crisis (41%), and the responsible use of technology and artificial intelligence (38%), they expect brands to keep talking about and maintain a focus on social justice, DEI and gender equality.
When it comes to employee reputation on the other hand, social media and crowd-sourced rating sites are now fueling greater openness in the workplace about work conditions, benefits and pay. Beyond business performance, companies now must be transparent about employee experience, with 92% of respondents believing that employer-employee relations are among the essential characteristics of a company to build and maintain a great reputation.
Talking about these findings, Hannah Peters, EVP, corporate reputation & brand purpose at WE Communications, said, “In a world where the need for stability has never felt more personal, companies must go further to demonstrate progress and impact in areas people are feeling most acutely in their daily lives. This being said, long-term commitments remain important, but brands must also meet growing expectations to see and feel urgent action.”
Meanwhile, Rebecca Wilson, executive vice president at WE International, added, “It’s a delicate balance. The old rules of media relations, crisis communications and employee engagement need to evolve to respond to today’s accelerating demands. Brands that successfully pivot to embrace and commit to change will see long-lasting positive effects on their reputation and business success.”
Tag: Social Justice
Australia – Not much has been known about the offshore detention centres hosted by the Australian government and the numerous atrocities it has committed–as the freedom to document these realities has long been taken away from reporters and journalists. With that being said, how can those who suffered prove in court said injustices?
Enter social justice law firm Maurice Blackburn, who has worked alongside Australian creative agency Howatson+Company, to utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to create the first visual evidence of Australian-initiated atrocities in Papua New Guinea and Nauru–as told by those who survived in these detention centres.
To make this possible, the law firm has recorded more than 300 hours of interviews conducted with survivors of offshore detention, putting on record the injustices they faced. Together with AI technicians, the survivors then generated the first ever visual evidence of their experiences. From the colour of the tents to the subjects’ expressions, every detail was made as accurately as possible.
The law firm has also worked with Mridula Amin, three-time Walkley photojournalism award winner, who has remarked that this project is one of the first applications of AI that she has seen with an ethical purpose at its heart.
“When watching the images being created, it was incredible to see the level of detail and care taken, and the multiple prompts required to produce an as accurate depiction of the witness statements as possible, including working with the witnesses themselves,” Amin said.
Aside from creating a special campaign site, the images and statements have also been compiled into a book, and displayed at a powerful exhibition held in the Immigration Museum in Melbourne, created by installation artist James Dive of Scoundrel.
The evidence has been further shared with the public through OOH and social media, whilst the images have been uploaded to editorial site Shutterstock to sit alongside photojournalism.
For Jennifer Kanis, principal lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, these witness statements and images shine a light on a dark chapter of Australian history, adding that they bear witness to the unimaginable inhumanity experienced by the women, men and children incarcerated over many years.
“Along with our clients, it’s our hope that this collection of witness statements and the associated AI images serve as a permanent record and an urgent case for change to Australians and our government,” Kanis said.
Meanwhile, Gavin Chimes, executive creative director at Howatson+Company, commented, “It was a humbling and harrowing experience to work one-on-one with survivors of offshore detention. Nearly a year in the making, we took the utmost care to ensure their experiences were accurately depicted, with some images taking weeks to complete.”
He added, “On behalf of Howatson+Company, we thank Maurice Blackburn and more importantly their clients, whose stories can now be told for the first time, and in a new way. We hope Exhibit A-i contributes to genuine hope for change on what has been a dark and horrific time in Australian history.”