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Corporate
Communication Research
Client
The client is the United States
holding company for a multinational financial and insurance
corporation. The holding company has seven corporate members
located in the U.S. Their industries are diverse and include
insurance, credit, finance, and funeral services.
Challenge
The client has been responsible for (1) branding the seven U.S.
companies,
(2) standardizing employee communication, human resource practices
and procedures among the companies, and (3) centralizing several
corporate functions, which included public relations, and mergers
and acquisitions. The member companies appeared to be somewhat
resistant to the new brand image and loss of some corporate
autonomy. The holding company needed to develop an all company
employee communication vehicle that would effectively promote the
new corporate identity and serve as the central communication
vehicle for all of the U.S. employees.
Research Application
The client contracted with McGrath
Marketing to assess the communication needs of the U.S. companies
and their employees. In addition to interviewing the chief
executive at each company, focus groups were held with company
management to identify communication priorities and obstacles. An
employee survey was undertaken to identify employee preferences,
including types of articles, depth of information, and
communication vehicle. Based on management and employee input, a
web-based newsletter was developed that contained news from the
European parent, the U.S. holding company, and the individual
member company. A query program was developed to measure employee
readership rates and a web-based survey was attached to the
newsletter at periodic intervals to measure reader satisfaction.
Outcome
The first
version of the weekly newsletter was released in the 3rd
quarter of 2002. Survey results indicate a medium to high level of
reader satisfaction. Based on survey input, several modifications
were added to the newsletter in the 1st quarter of
2003. McGrath Marketing has scheduled focus groups and an employee
survey for the 2nd quarter of 2004 to evaluate the
newsletter’s effectiveness.
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