One of the concepts I found interesting in this week’s reading was when our book discussed the 5 different messaging styles that can be chosen when a communications practitioner organizes their communications plan. These styles include the rational message style, the symbolic message style, the emotional message style, the generic message style, and the preemptive message style. These message styles can be used both by themselves and in various combinations, based on what the company wants to accomplish and who they want to influence (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 114-121).
A major reason why communication message styles and strategies are important to consider is that they can often have an influence on the reputation that an organization has with its stakeholders (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 122-124). Often, strategies and messages are chosen as a way to bridge the “gap between how the company is currently seen and how it wants to be seen, or even to help the company stand out from its competitors (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 110-123).
Companies also need to be flexible in how they select and manage their messages and be willing to evolve their strategies as they go along. This is important because stakeholder expectations can often change based on various situations in the environment (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 109-113; Broom, 2013, p. 309-311).
One example of a company which I think has an effective media strategy and message style is Marquette University. In 2007, Marquette became one of the first universities “to build a presence on social media sites.” They did this “as a strategy to connect with current students and to reach prospective students” so that they could increase the value of their brand through a more “open dialogue” approach (Stageman, A., & Berg, K., 2013, p. 3-11, 20, 24). Some of the social media platforms they used to do this included Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and others (Stageman, A., & Berg, K., 2013, p. 5).
In formulating this plan, I think Marquette was going for an emotional message style. This style of message attempts “to reach stakeholders at a visceral level,” and is often used to create “greater levels of involvement and affiliation with an organization” (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 118-119). I believe Marquette chose this strategy because they wanted to “build a [greater] sense of community” to help students feel more welcome at their school (Stageman, A., & Berg, K., 2013, p. 3-10).
This strategy builds the value of Marquette’s brand among its stakeholders because it causes students to become more emotionally attached to the school, and “foster[s] [positive] word-of-mouth communication” about the school’s value among students and other stakeholders (Stageman, A., & Berg, K., 2013, p. 3-9). As a result, it also leads to future growth opportunities for Marquette University.
References:
Broom, G. M. (2013). Step Two: Planning and Programming, Chapter 12. In Cutlip and Center’s Effective Public Relations(11th ed., pp. 308-335). Pearson.
Cornelissen, J. P. (2017). Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice. London, GB: SAGE Publications.
Stageman, A., & Berg, K. (2013). Friends, fans, and followers: A case study of Marquette University’s use of social media to engage with key stakeholders. Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2, 3-34. Available online: http://cssc.uscannenberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/v2art2.pdf
