As part of its partnership with the Social Media Club, Wiztrust brings together communications directors to discuss the challenges of their profession. Digital technology has made it possible to measure communications actions more immediately. Yet, while reporting is useful, it remains insufficient to justify communication strategies. The relevance of indicators is also in question. This is all the more crucial as communications teams have many levers to activate: innovative projects, recommendations, internal communications, and more.
There is no universal recipe for showcasing communications actions, but the environment is becoming increasingly favorable over the years.
"Doubt about the need for communication is much less widespread," notes Paul Michon, Corporate Communications Director at Kering, a role reporting to Kering’s Chief Communications Officer, who sits on the Comex. "It’s easier today to justify one’s ambitions in communications than it was ten years ago," he continues.
In a world where digital technology allows everything to be measured and provides a wealth of quantitative data, the development of technology and the growing precision of measurement tools seem to reassure management.
"One of the major challenges today is reputation protection. While public affairs and lobbying communications haven’t changed much, the public-facing side has been revolutionized by digital. Everyone remembers Elon Musk’s tweets that can send a stock price soaring or plummeting," illustrates Maxime Dubois, Digital Performance Strategist at Total.
"There’s a shift in communications toward the brand, with recognition of an intangible asset," adds Cécile Ribour, Communications Director at MAIF. "Especially in times of crisis, the brand’s protective impact is much more recognized than it was a decade ago."
« Today, with more measurement tools, it’s easier to secure budgets and undertake ambitious communications actions. It’s easier to measure communication’s contribution to company performance, and this is becoming essential. » Pénélope Pontet de Fouquières, Communications Director (ELSAN)
This awareness and recognition are also reflected in organizational charts. The presence of the Dircom on executive and management committees is increasingly common. Their representation on the Comex has risen by more than 15% in four years, with 65% of French Comex now including communications departments, according to the Union des Marques barometer. Among the companies represented at the Social Media Club roundtable, Dircoms are at least attached to general management, even if not always systematically present on the Comex.
"Being part of the Comex was a key element of my integration," shares Marine d’Anterroches, Dircom at Spie batignolles. She joined in a context where the role was vacant and not previously included on the Comex. "There’s a real awareness of the strategic importance of communications in supporting and promoting the company’s project. Today, I’m given time to work on the quality of messaging and brand image. There aren’t yet quantified performance objectives, but rather a qualitative approach" , she emphasizes.
Corporate cultures and mindsets are evolving, but the challenge of highlighting quantified results in such a complex field as communications remains. KPIs vary from sector to sector, and tools favored by some companies are completely rejected by others. Does the number of Instagram followers measure a campaign’s effectiveness? Is the frequency of Twitter mentions necessarily indicative of a company’s reputation?
«For a company leader, receiving messages from their network after a communications action is an informal way to gauge its success-sometimes more relevant than numbers or press reviews », observes Paul Michon (Kering).
«The real question is which indicators we choose to report», explains Maxime Dubois (Total). "We mustn’t confuse key management indicators with illusory ones. We also need to define indicator families segmented by priority issues, or choose simple ones that are easy to share internally". «Every month, we hold performance committees where each department reports its numbers. We’re increasingly integrating digital metrics, trying to cross-reference them with others (growth, profits, sales, for example) to get a 360-degree view », he adds.
At MAIF, numbers are also not at the heart of the results highlighted. « We report the main indicators annually. Reporting on our communications actions is a long-term issue, with effects that can’t be measured monthly or quarterly», explains Cécile Ribour.
« We need to select indicators that match the purpose of our actions. Results measured in clicks or engagement rates aren’t necessarily the ultimate goal of corporate communications. The purpose comes first; the measurement criteria come after.» Paul Michon, Corporate Communications Director (Kering)
With this constant oscillation between qualitative and quantitative approaches, most Dircoms seem to opt for a hybrid method. They aim to take a step back from new measurement tools to integrate them into a more strategic and qualitative analysis. The strategy is based on other indicators such as brand image, reputation, or influence capacity.
« Not all formats have the same impact. I try to take a dual approach-qualitative and quantitative-while training my teams on quantitative methods so they can monitor new tools. »
Julien Landfried, Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs (Gecina)
Strategy must therefore be adapted according to the project, objectives, structure, and context-and sometimes even the company culture and the leader’s personality.
« I’m lucky because my CEO is very involved in communications », notes Julien Landfried. « She places great importance on social media, so she has many personal sensors and demands a lot ». « When a leader embodies the company on social media, they become a communications partner», he analyzes. And sometimes, even in such a collaborative environment, recognition comes from unexpected places. «When we launched our podcast, it was very powerful because management received a lot of qualitative feedback from peers», he adds.
Effective communications actions seem to be those based on a strong working relationship between the Dircom and management. When they agree on the value of indicators, a dialogue and strategy can be established.
«Our management naturally understands that the indicators aren’t the same for the corporate brand as for the group’s other brands », explains Paul Michon (Kering).
Within this framework, the Dircom’s role can resemble that of a conductor-developing strategy amid the myriad data at their disposal.
«For example, it’s still difficult to precisely measure a brand’s likeability on social media. However, we can get close by mixing indicators », suggests Maxime Dubois (Total). «That’s also one of the Dircom’s roles: to cross-reference data, bring out meaning, synergy, and provide guidance! ».
«We shouldn’t pit the TF1 evening news against social media-they’re complementary. The impact and target just differ. It’s the same within the organization. We increasingly approach projects with a 360-degree logic. Social media must work more closely with press relations, and vice versa. I even think these professions are destined to merge. » Maxime Dubois, Digital Performance Strategist (Total)
With the arrival of GDPR and increasing legal risks for digital communications, many roles are now converging around the Dircom. This is evidenced by the emergence of the reputation risk manager role in Anglo-Saxon countries-a new function requiring profiles that combine communications, legal, and technological expertise. Communication is therefore becoming embedded in all professions and departments within the company. Tools continue to be optimized to find the right formula for each structure and specific situation.