Trick or Treat - Investor Relations Style
October 31, 2008
In the world of Investor Relations, no one wants to think of anything as a “trick.” Yet, as Halloween approaches, I can’t help but use the holiday theme. So today, we talk about IR Trick or Treat!
The Fun Size Snickers Bar Treat: The Investor Relations Society will be awarding their IR Best Practice awards next month at a November 25 ceremony. Several categories make certain that there will be a little something for everyone when the judge’s remarks come out. Check out the “shortlist” here: http://www.ir-soc.org.uk/index.asp?pageid=267
The Vandalized Neighborhood Trick: The recent financial meltdown has left no corner of the markets unscathed. Unfortunately, not all the bad actors will be punished, and several of those who have no blame will be scarred in some way by recent events. Let’s hope that all the financial maneuvering by various governments and central banks make things better soon.
The Snack Size M&Ms Treat: The IR Magazine 2008 Continental Europe Awards were given out in October. While the magazine does not release its findings and reasons to the general public in order to be able to sell them as a for-fee study, the results give IR departments world wide a place to look to see what good cutting edge IR looks like.
The Toilet Paper Covered Trees Trick: When things go bad, it is human nature to try and find the bad guy that caused them. When things go bad and the media is around, the first finger pointed is the last point reported. The media (and thus the politicians who crave their attention) have pointed their quick finger at “excessive executive compensation.” No one would disagree that corporate boards at some companies have become rubber stamps especially when it comes to CEO pay, but if we “fixed” executive compensation tomorrow, would that make everything better? Probably not. Let’s hope that the focus here doesn’t preclude thoughtful examination of other potential problem areas.
The Healthy Snack “Treat”: There is one in every neighborhood, that family that gives out carrot sticks or some other healthy snack to combat all that candy. No one likes to see the kind of mess the economy and markets are in right now, but the silver lining is a wake-up call to all investors, lawmakers, regulators, companies, and employees. Things can and do go wrong. Going out on a limb just because something “seems safe” is a recipe for disaster. Recent events should cause some of the hundreds of people I’ve seen laughing at good solid financial advice because they found the “secret” in some book or website to re-evaluate their financial situation and hopefully make moves to more solid grounding.
The Ratings Agency “Trick”: Those of us who work in the world of investing and finance have been wondering since day one what the media has just started noticing. How could all of these HIGHLY RATED investments just up and crash like this? What good is a rating or a ratings agency if they can’t see a train wreck this big coming? Hearings in the US Congress have been predictable, but people remember.
The truth is that at the end of the day, times are tough for the IR world, and they aren’t going to get easier any time soon. But, the good news is that there is a renewed focus on investor communication, especially from those companies who are eager to show that they are not in the same boat as others. Investor Relations has sometimes been slow to evolve usually due to regulation and uncertainty about liability. Now, with the focus on transparency and making sure investors are getting the straight story, maybe the IR industry will be able to leap ahead.
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When Brands Attack - The Rise of Comparative Advertising
October 31, 2008
Did you ever take “The Pepsi Challenge”? Have you seen the Mac Guy vs. PC Guy commercials? Chances are at some point you’ve seen some form of comparative advertising that could more accurately be called a “Brand Smackdown”. Not unlike two brands entering an ultimate fighting ring, comparative advertising has become an all-out battle among some of the world’s top brands.
In the news of late has been the Dunkin’ Donuts vs. Starbucks taste test ads where Dunkin’ Donuts tells consumers that more “hard-working” people prefer their coffee than the high-priced Starbucks, “elitist” coffee. Rumor has it, Time Warner is preparing to launch a comparative advertising campaign against Verizon. Read more
Sustainable Energy Websites : Flash Games Lead The Way
October 31, 2008
A review of the FTSE100 Energy Sector demonstrating the importance of interactive content in helping consumers understand the sustainability challenges facing every industry.
The vast majority of our power comes from huge, centralised plants which consume natural resources in order to produce electricity (and carbon emissions!).
As a consequence, the energy sector is permanently under the sustainability microscope. There are renewable energy options but they’re not going to be built overnight.
In the meantime, many companies hesitate about what to invest in which technologies; near future technologies appear to promise ever more efficient alternatives and many believe that he who waits will win.
There are three energy sector companies in the FTSE100: International Power, British Energy and Scottish and Southern Energy. It would be churlish to leave one out on a whim, so all three are part of this FTSE 100 Website Review.
Google is Reading Your Mind
October 29, 2008
Not even your brain waves are safe from the all-powerful reach of Google. According to Zdnet.com, Google and MediaVest have been studying brain waves to determine psychological responses to ads on video content. It seems it’s not enough to know whether or not you click on an ad in an online video, now Google wants to know your internal, Freudian response to it, too.
Google tapped the skills of NeuroFocus to measure, “skin responses, eye movement and EEG brain scan” to determine internal, psychological responses to in-video overlay ads. That all seems quite technical, yet the results of the study are not quite as technical. Read more
AccountAbility AA1000AS 2008 Launched
October 28, 2008
The AccountAbility AA1000 Assurance Standard 2008 Edition (AA1000AS 2008) was launched in London last Friday at an event attended by several clients and practitioners.
The newly released standard replaces the original AA1000AS, launched in 2003. Since then the importance of corporate sustainability has grown with other organisations launching competing products for different markets. Read more
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