Reputation management and communications consultancy

Launching Insignia, a new communication consultancy, amidst acute economic and business uncertainty might seem like bad timing. Not in my view. Whilst that’s partly because my glass is never less than half full, it’s also because purposeful communication that drives against business objectives is more important now than ever.

As businesses strive to maintain competitiveness, a strong reputation fuelled by effective communication can set you apart from the crowd. In early December, legions of stories about struggling retailers filled the media. But Visa and the Internet retailers bucked the trend with a clever and well planned twist on this – "Mega Monday" which predicted a bumper on-line shopping day on Monday 8 December. The story was splashed across the Sunday and Monday newspapers, statistics from Visa were featured widely on-line and Play.com's managing director appeared on the main TV channels talking about unprecedented demand for products from their site. All in all, a great example of grabbing the media agenda and using communication to skilfully promote a business.

Other corporations are looking at ways to reduce their cost base to stay competitive and moving manufacturing, finance and customer service centres from western Europe to lower cost economies. The market may demand this, and the sums may add up, but unless the changes are communicated well – to employees, investors, customers, the media - they can cause major reputational damage, virtually negating the financial benefits they bring. So, well planned, thoughtful communication is in high demand here too.

And in an environment where some businesses are fighting for survival, the need for thorough crisis and issues management is crucial. Whereas businesses can take their time to recover from mediocre crisis management in buoyant economic times (not that I'm recommending this approach!), in a tougher climate it can be fatal. So prevention, preparation and high quality crisis communication are essential.

So, there's certainly no slush fund to lavish on random spin doctoring as we brace ourselves for a challenging 2009. But there is demand for high quality, purposeful communication targeted directly at meeting business imperatives. The organisations that embrace this approach are likely to be the ones that emerge from the economic gloom stronger, more competitive and with enhanced reputations.

If I'm right, there’s never been a better or more relevant time to be launching a consultancy offering communication with a purpose.