We like it because… we completely agree about the need to bolster internal comms”
To improve the reputations of major corporations and their executives, PR staffers should focus on internal communications strategies and go beyond issuing press releases to highlight positive community endeavors, according to a study from the Public Affairs Council.
Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said they have a favorable opinion of major companies. About one-third held unfavorable views. Twenty percent said they are “not too favorable,” and 12% said they are “not at all favorable” toward major businesses, according to the survey.
However, more than three-quarters of respondents (76%) say major companies overpay their top executives. Only 17% say corporations do a good job of not overpaying top executives.
Nearly half of those surveyed rated the honesty and ethics of CEOs as low, meaning some rank-and-file staffers likely also share this opinion, said Doug Pinkham, president of the Public Affairs Council. For that reason, in-house or contracted PR staffers should bolster their internal communications strategies, which are especially important during a contentious event such as a CEO receiving a large bonus or raises following a round of layoffs, he explained.