Why holdings and corporations need the permanent PR-support and promotion? The company's reputation and its brands are very interrelated, and thus, PR for the group of companies can not be identified with PR-programs for some of its structures or brands.

PR-promoting benefits for the corporation are similar to the benefits for the manufacturer. So its positive reputation is almost automatically goes to all that it produces (and often tens of brands). Therefore the PR and communications program for the manufacturer is a kind of reputational "air bag" for all products and brands produced.

Similarly, the fame and reputation of the corporation or holding company help in achieving business goals to structures are in them.

Promotion of different directions, trade marks and brands of the corporation can make as internal PR-department, as independent PR-agency, and sometimes even different for different brands. The main thing is to take care of the corporation brand in general - because in case of reputation problems in parent company - the image of subsidiary companies and brands fall apart in a domino effect.

PR-activities of the corporation or holding company have its own features.

Firstly it’s a diversification of working fields. Its forms a multilayer structure of PR-activities, where is needed to deliver actual and accurate information to the target audience effectively, and also make a clear fringe between the group of companies and its individual companies and brands.

Secondly because of the "large size" of corporations and holdings, slows down the speed of decision-making - so sometimes reaction to crisis situations from their is rather slow.

The third feature is that the goals put to the PR of corporation or holding company. In most cases that’s are reputational goals. Indeed, most business results of corporations derived from the achievements of their structures, and marketing goals are put just before the last. The share of the corporation is the business reputation and social entity (corporate social responsibility).

But now it is important to understand that reputation can and should be converted into money. So agencies that promote corporations and holdings in solution of reputational problems must not forget about marketing questions - attracting investors, increasing the value of companies in general, the effective coming on the IPO, and also using the GR, M&A processes support.
Experts predict the number of outputs of the Ukrainian companies on IPO in 2011 will be twice higher than in 2010 - mainly because of companies of the agricultural sector. Such activity must necessarily be accompanied by a PR-support.

Special attention in the promotion of corporations also should be gave to working with local audiences - whether it's local community of a small town, townspeople or the foreign public. Wherever are holding companies operating, it’s needed to take care of a positive relationship from the "local" public. Moreover different kinds of audiences perceive the same information in different ways.

Corporations, holding companies and large enterprises in general, today understand the importance of social responsibility - doing business not only in terms of commercial interests, but also the interests of society.

"With all the diversity, in any CSR program we can divide three main areas: environmental protection, the solution of social problems and cultural and educational projects. Decision which one of them make a priority depends on the working field, positioning of the company and other factors. In any case, when a large company actively involved in social life - it brings her right and a positive reputation - and thus strengthen the loyalty and trust of the target audiences and reducing reputational risks", - said general director of strategic communications company Publicity Creating Valeriy Kureiko.

Importance of social responsibility is understood most of the major Ukrainian companies and representative offices and branches of foreign companies. Many companies initiate and support social projects, and they can not do it without a competent PR-support. And who will carry it out (internal PR-department or company-outsourcer), and what tools to use - let's deal.

It must be noted there aren’t two same promotion programs - each of them individually designed depending on the goals, market conditions, stage of development and priorities, and budget of the client.

What tools and methods of promotion are most effective in corporate PR?

In the first place - it is traditional methods, such as the spreading of company news, reviews, interviews with key speakers to the leading print and Internet media and events for mass media, partners, customers and other audiences. It should be noticed about the regularity of all these activities. Indeed, sometimes about the media relations remembered only in crisis situations.

Particular attention is paid to PR of first-person of corporation or holding company. Usually it is the company president or CEO. Ordinary statements usually did by corporation spokesman, or the PR-director. Interviews and statements of the first person is a great opportunity to voice plans, development strategies, the outcome of work. Professional PR-agencies know how important it is to build the correct image of the head, promote him as credible and competent expert of a particular market sector.

For a corporation or holding company which usually consist of several enterprises with numerous branches in the regions are very important various "uniting" programs. This are, for example, general corporate events, issue of the corporation online digest, an internal social network… ...

In the last year or two on the PR-market lasts "Internet-boom" - a wave of new media has reached the Ukraine, and all the PR-specialists - both general corporate and branded - rushed into the social networks and blogs to promote their companies and products.
It is important to understand on what audience we must influence. For example, should the large industrial corporation, which name is not known by a simple man create accounts in the "consumer" social networks and realize there some contests? Better to choose more "professional" social network, bringing together representatives of B2B sector (e.g., LinkedIn). But the FMCG-corporation in a social network, e.g. VKontakte or Odnoklassniki will feel like a fish in water, isn’t it?

On the other hand, a lot of positive information in the Internet wouldn't be a bad thing - no specialized medium-sized company or a large holding of any mass brand. Experts in the field of PR will help you choose the appropriate forms and methods of saturation of Internet space by positive information.

On the other side of «PR-spectrum" is such a problem of neutralization of the negative in the Internet. And unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly important. Corporations must continually monitor the situation and react to the appearance of negativity, the more that the reasons for its spread can be different - from the banal misunderstanding or lack of information from official sources, to planned attack of competitors. According to unofficial reports, competent "stripping negatives" in the Internet today is one of the most popular service of PR-agency.
 

Corporations, holding companies, group companies are also interested in a reliable reputation in the business and social areas, strong and established relationships with partners, investors and other types of public. That reputation can now become the main competitive advantage, which is the hardest to "take away" during the competition. Reputation is a safety factor or creditworthiness of the company in a crisis situation, such as product recalls, industrial accidents or the various problematic issues in the corporation.

Valeriy Kureiko confirms this idea: "Publicity Creating company develop programs for the promotion of corporations and holding companies that combine not only PR of a particular brand (but most orders arrive precisely on such work), but also the parent company. For example, recently while we promote one of the medicinal substance, we also suggested that PR-support of social activities of pharmaceutical company, and this proposal was successfully put into practice".

According to expert there is and vice versa – while were engaging in the promotion of corporation in the field of reputation PR, the agency offers communication programs for individual sectors, enterprises, companies that operate within it. Such mutual addition only strengthens the position of the corporation in the market.

Summarizing, we can say that the PR-promotion of corporations, holdings or groups of companies is important to consider in the complex. Such work is better to trust the professionals, because the PR-agency have enough trained specialists, technologies and communications which will complete the task in optimal time and with high efficiency.

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