gary sheffer ge keynote
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TRANSCRIPT
Imagination at work.
Gary Sheffer Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs @garysheffer
Getting Engaged— a Smart Idea?
Engagement’s new place in our lexicon
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Technology democratizes your brand
And empowers stakeholders
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@garysheffer 4
@garysheffer
16 key attributes to building trust
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Rebuilding trust hinges on engagement
DELIVERS CONSISTENT FINANCIAL RETURNS TO INVESTORS
HAS HIGHLY-REGARDED AND WIDELY ADMIRED TOP LEADERSHIP
RANKS ON A GLOBAL LIST OF TOP COMPANIES
OPERATIONS
WORKS TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT
ADDRESSES SOCIETY’S NEEDS IN ITS EVERYDAY BUSINESS
CREATES PROGRAMS THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
PARTNERS WITH NGOs, GOVERNMENT AND 3RD PARTIES TO ADDRESS SOCIETAL NEEDS
PURPOSE
IS AN INNOVATOR OF NEW PRODUCTS, SERVICES OR IDEAS
OFFERS HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
TAKES RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS TO ADDRESS AN ISSUE OR CRISIS
HAS TRANSPARENT AND OPEN BUSINESS PRACTICES
HAS ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICES
INTEGRITY
COMMUNICATES FREQUENTLY AND HONESTLY ON THE STATE OF ITS BUSINESS
LISTENS TO CUSTOMER NEEDS AND FEEDBACK
TREATS EMPLOYEES WELL
PLACES CUSTOMERS AHEAD OF PROFITS
ENGAGEMENT
Source: Edelman Trust Barometer (2014)
COMMUNICATES FREQUENTLY AND HONESTLY ON THE STATE OF ITS BUSINESS
LISTENS TO CUSTOMER NEEDS AND FEEDBACK
TREATS EMPLOYEES WELL
PLACES CUSTOMERS AHEAD OF PROFITS
ENGAGEMENT
Honey Maid: This is Wholesome
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Head-on, fast and smart
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Engagement can = advocacy
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Sochi: Engaging at slower speed
10 Photo courtesy of Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi
Industry Source Ideas Lab is a credible source for thought leaders .
A Platform for Industry Leaders
A North Star in Branded Content
Top Voices Ideas Lab directly connects GE to industry leaders & policy players .
Convening a Powerful Community
Connecting Prominent Influentials
C-Suite/VP
Senior Execs
Other
Engaging on policy: GE Ideas Lab
60% 30%
10%
150+ Contributors
199,000 People Reached on Twitter
1MM Unique Page Views
Businesses
Government Think Tanks Academia
Media
5K Daily Readers
“Ideas Lab is a way to keep those conversations going.” –Nieman Lab, Sept ‘13
Ideaslaboratory.com @ideaslaboratory 11
GE Garage in D.C.: Experiential engagement
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Big Moments 4/3: Future of Work Event
4/10: African Delegation Visit 3/31: Vets Day 3/28: STEM Event
3/27: TechCocktail Reception
30 Unique Media Moments
25% FirstBuild Comm.
Growth
2,500 Total Visitors
1.5M Media Impressions
4M Social Media Impressions
600 Influencers Convened
Engaging stories: GE Reports
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• Strong storytelling & l visuals = media attention – 50,000 views on Gizmodo
• Published on Tumblr
• Media, analysts, investors, employees, tech afficianados
• 51,000 subscribers
Surprise!
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But is more engagement always the answer?
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Rules for getting it right
How important is it to your company?
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1
How engaged are your stakeholders? 2
Are those who disagree likely to be persuaded? 3
Are your critics credible? 4
What kind of engagement is appropriate? 5
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@garysheffer
Purpose is the foundation for engagement
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‘The GE Works Equation’
x A belief
in a better
way
A
relentless
drive to invent
and build
things that
matter
+ =
We look at what the
world needs
A WORLD that WORKS
BETTER Building,
Powering, Moving &
Curing
@garysheffer
“The new goal is not merely to shape the opinion, sentiment and perception of
individuals, but to spur them to action, continuing behavior and advocacy.”
Arthur W. Page Society
New Model for corporate communications
Engagement drives authentic advocacy
@garysheffer 18
This is a revolution…
In a world of heightened expectations and remarkable tools at our disposal, there is more opportunity for creativity and strategy in corporate communications than ever before.
We need the best students in the field to fuel us, and our businesses, forward.
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A question:
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Do you believe that with the rise of social media, trends of engagement, and CSR initiatives that there may be an increase in skepticism from audiences regarding the authenticity of corporations in respect to engagement initiatives? If so, how do you see “engagement” and relationships between corporations and stakeholders evolving in years to come?
Jessica Couloute Marquette University
College of Communication ‘14 @garysheffer