Scroll
Insights
Explore our insights into communications trends and discover how your company can communicate more effectively.
Banking and Finance
Blog
When companies communicate their commitment to electronic Know Your Customer processes, they can reflect their values and build lasting brand equity.
Companies seeking to leverage mobile payments in Asia should consider tailored messaging for digitally native generations.
Communication is central to the successful growth of FinTech start-ups – allowing them to tell a coherent and credible brand story.
Technology
Blog
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing technology that is being adopted by various industries to enhance their processes, products and services. But while AI can help organisations make quicker and more informed decisions, the energy consumption to train and power AI models is vast. Green AI can help.
The idea of the metaverse is enormous. Terms such as mirror-world, digital twin, mixed reality, blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) have found a home within its conceptual bounds. So how should we think about this phenomenon? As communicators, what implications will there be on how we tell company stories?
Digital assets continue to provoke thought and intrigue, but there is still uncertainty as to how we should think about them in reality. What factors are attracting investors and how are communications adapting to this form of investment?
Many established organisations, particularly those in the financial sector, are currently in a state of evolution. Driven by customer demand, this involves moving from being a traditional data holding business, into an agile service provider, offering innovative products and services. This shift means operating as a data-first organisation that uses data effectively to generate business insights and make positive change possible.
Data has long been considered the new oil, yet its power to influence internal communications is often underused. We discover how data analytics can transform internal communications strategies.
As artificial intelligence technology has developed, its use cases in communications are increasing, generating new opportunities for those working in the field.
Communicating messages on accessibility and inclusion is vital for firms wishing to present telehealth as a viable alternative to traditional healthcare services.
Communication is central to the successful growth of FinTech start-ups – allowing them to tell a coherent and credible brand story.
Asia Matters
Blog
The COVID-19 pandemic has not held up the economic development of China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Rather, it has led to an acceleration of the region’s growth with Hong Kong acting as a super connector to link the city cluster to global markets.
Billie Lau, a veteran journalist that has written about Hong Kong’s financial and banking sector for over 25 years, recently published Banker食堂, a wide-ranging book featuring interviews and stories from Hong Kong’s banking sector. This interview is an exploration of Billie’s motivations for writing the book and a dive into her experience and perspective.
WeChat matters, and our WeChat series aimed to introduce the application, its functions and what it can do for a company doing business in China. Throughout the series, we have covered WeChat Official Accounts, content etiquette and strategies. We are drawing this to a close with a round-up of the need-to-know takeaways.
There are a number of content strategies supported by WeChat functions that can help you engage your audience in China. In the fourth article of our introduction to WeChat series, we introduce several of the content strategies available to businesses getting started on the platform.
Observing proper WeChat content etiquette can help your content resonate with audiences in China. In the third article of our introduction to WeChat series, we provide a guide to the cultural concepts you will need to keep in mind when creating engaging content.
In the second article of our introduction series, we look at WeChat Official Accounts, which are company accounts that have differing functionality depending on the type selected.
WeChat may seem like a whole new world to those who have not used it before or are just beginning to familiarise themselves with its capabilities. In our first WeChat series article, we provide an introduction to the application and discuss its relevance when doing business in China.
Concerns about privacy and data security will require a nuanced approach to messaging about 5G networks, highlighting the benefits of the technology and explaining how data will be used.
For companies involved in BRI projects, strategic communication has a central role to play in promoting sustainability and cross-cultural awareness.
ESG
Blog
Thinking of the environment in this way, as a stakeholder without a voice, provides a compelling basis for making sustainability strategic and the net-zero transition both good for business and good for the planet. If the global business community has contributed to the state we’re in vis-à-vis the environment, we have a responsibility to change course and forge ahead in a new direction. But this is obviously easier said than done.
The focus on sustainability has never been higher. For example, ReThink HK, Hong Kong’s largest sustainability expo and conference, taking place in mid-September. is expected to attract more than 6,000 attendees, looking to learn about or demonstrate the latest trends. Yet, the focus comes at a time when communications in this area is becoming more and more complicated and less unified globally.
The conversation around greenwashing is evolving. While originally concerned with deliberate acts of deceiving the public on matters related to a firm’s sustainability claims and commitments, greenwashing now includes non-deliberate acts such as exaggerated language and misleading imagery. Being able to spot these more subtle signs of greenwashing has become an imperative.
We sat down with Rebecca Self, Founder and Managing Director of Seawolf Sustainability Consulting, a firm which advises financial professionals and management teams on sustainability, to hear her insights on the importance of communicating impact.
The Guidance for Enterprise ESG Disclosure launched on 1 June 2022 is the first China-focused ESG disclosure standard issued in the country. While its reporting guidelines are not mandatory, it represents a step forward for the private sector and a good foundation in this huge market for further regulatory developments.
An impact report is a way to present your company’s ESG efforts in a more concise, visual and data-driven way. As stakeholders increasingly look for concrete metrics and signs of greenwashing, relying upon lengthy traditional annual reports can be ineffective in communicating key points to audiences.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing technology that is being adopted by various industries to enhance their processes, products and services. But while AI can help organisations make quicker and more informed decisions, the energy consumption to train and power AI models is vast. Green AI can help.
Imagery used in ESG communications tend to have optimistic visual themes of greenery and progress. But ‘feel good’ imagery is not always the best way to communicate with audiences who are increasingly sceptical of corporate claims. Visuals need to be aligned to key messages and be realistic about the substance, while overused images should be avoided.
Companies face challenges of how to build trust and how to communicate with an audience that is both connected and disconnected. There is a greater need than ever to show the value that corporates bring to customers, employees, and society as a whole.
The commitments to net-zero targets in recent years have been impressive in their velocity and scope on the surface. In the wake of COP26, a climate conference of nations held in Glasgow in 2021, around 87% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and 89% of its economy are now covered by net-zero targets. This should be cause for celebration, even a tentative toasting to significant progress on meeting climate change goals. But that’s not happening. At least not yet.
Strong corporate ESG performance has become a non-negotiable. Pressure is rising for transparent progress from a variety of stakeholders, be them employees, customers, investors or regulators. Failure to deliver may result in unfavourable consequences, as the latest developments around Tesla showcase well.
Greenwashing is an ongoing issue that investors and stakeholders are becoming increasingly watchful for. Therefore, for a company that wants to effectively and legitimately communicate its ESG efforts, there is a need to be transparent and ready to back their claims with data.
As the need for clear, targeted and concise ESG messaging grows, we have outlined several key principles that can help you achieve effective communications in this area.
In this interview with professor Amin Rajan, CEO of CREATE Research, a network of independent global investment management specialists, we discuss the business impacts of environmental commitments, ESG trends, and some of the business and governmental politics surrounding the upcoming COP26.
Ralph Lee, Paradigm’s Assistant Director for Media Relations, spent 15 years as a journalist before making the switch to communications. In this interview he shares what the experience has been like and tips on how to build long lasting relationships with the media.
Over the past few months, we interviewed a range of experts to explore how they are experiencing the rapidly growing ESG space. Here are some of our key takeaways for communications practitioners.
In the second of a two part interview, Prof. Amin Rajan, CEO of CREATE-Research, shares his insights on the challenges facing ESG communications and view on the way forward.
In the first of a two-part interview, Prof. Amin Rajan, CEO of CREATE-Research, shares his insights on investors' shifting priorities relating to ESG.
Brian Ho, Partner, Climate Change and Sustainability Services at EY, explores the heightened investor and regulator expectations for ESG communications and how corporations are responding.
Eleanor Tan, Global Head, Corporate Communications and Simon Bennett, General Manager, Sustainable Development at The China Navigation Company share their thoughts on effective ESG communication.
In our latest ESG interview, Kate Okrasinski, Director of Innovation at MAKE Studios, shares how companies can take a more human-centred approach to sustainability and ESG through design thinking.
In our first 'ESG and the Communications Imperative' interview, Catherine Dannaoui from HandsOn Hong Kong explores how sustainability and communications professionals can drive employee engagement.
Remote working capabilities have become commonplace among companies. Internal communicators will need to adapt their strategies to the new working habits and shifting business culture.
In part two of our article exploring the issue of gender pay gaps, we look at how companies should seek to communicate to external stakeholders around this sensitive issue.
As discussions on gender pay abound, with rules requiring some companies to report gender pay data publicly, we explore how to approach internal communications around this sensitive issue.
Corporate communications is an essential element of organisational culture, which is increasingly viewed as critical for effective talent development.
Communicating green values is becoming increasingly important for companies faced with a global trend towards sustainability, growing political support for green finance development and rising investor interest in sustainable projects.
