Corporate communications strategy
Corporate communications strategy that leaders can act on.
For heads of communications and senior leaders who need more than a plan on paper. This is how I approach it, drawing on more than a decade across Tetra Pak, Ikea and Gore.
My approach, in four steps.
- Step 1
Start with the business decision, not the message
Every strategy I build begins with one question: what does the organisation need to decide, change or protect? The message follows from that — never the other way round.
- Step 2
Map stakeholders before writing a word
Who needs to understand, who needs to agree and who needs to act? Knowing that across regions and functions is what turns a plan into alignment.
- Step 3
Measure from day one
Agree what success looks like before launch, so communication is judged on what it changes — not on how much of it there was.
- Step 4
Stay through the difficult weeks
Strategy is tested after the announcement. I stay close to the people who decide and adjust as the organisation responds.
The through-line
Sustainability: closing the say–do gap.
The strongest test of any communications strategy is the distance between what an organisation says and what it does. In sustainability that gap is visible to everyone. Overclaiming invites scrutiny; going quiet — greenhushing — hides real progress. A good strategy chooses precision over both.
What a strong strategy includes.
- Purpose
- Why the organisation is communicating, tied to a business goal.
- Audiences
- Prioritised stakeholders, internal and external, and what each needs.
- Narrative
- One clear, human story that leaders can tell consistently.
- Channels
- Where each audience is reached, and in what order.
- Governance
- Who owns the message, who approves, who speaks.
- Measurement
- Indicators agreed upfront and reviewed regularly.
Common questions.
What is a corporate communications strategy?
A plan that connects what an organisation says to what it is trying to achieve — defining audiences, narrative, channels, ownership and how success will be measured.
How long does a communications strategy take to build?
It depends on the size and complexity of the organisation. The stakeholder mapping and alignment with leadership usually take the most time — and are worth it.
How does sustainability fit into communications strategy?
As a test of credibility. Saying too much invites greenwashing claims; saying too little — greenhushing — leaves real progress unseen. Precision is the answer.
Who should own the strategy?
Communications leads it, but leadership must own the narrative. Without that, a strategy stays a document.