Supporting business transformation
Bullshit job?
I put the question to ChatGPT (original): “What sectors are associated with bullshit jobs?” and to no great surprise, communications and marketing came out on top very quickly, along with administration and consulting.
However, while it’s clear that it’s impossible to work in an agency without hearing “we don’t save lives” at least once, I’m still convinced that communications is becoming more and more meaningful in the age of corporate transformation.
The role of the company
In 2018, the first subjects I was able to work on for Renault Group were associated with post-Carlos Ghosn crisis management, followed by key figures, employer branding etc… in short, corporate subjects par excellence. It was when we accompanied the Group in announcing its new strategic plan, under new CEO Luca De Meo, that communications took on a whole new dimension.
We had the opportunity not only to witness, but to participate in the revolution of a company: in its organization, its business model, its products and services, its identity. This transformation has only reinforced the role of the corporate brand, and therefore the importance of promoting it.
The constant state of crisis, international competitiveness and new consumer habits make these transformations the norm for major companies. The business model is being reinvented, the ecosystem is becoming more complex and the number of stakeholders to be engaged is increasing, so we need to be able to tell the story of this transformation.
Communicating for understanding
More than ever, the challenges facing companies are intersecting with those facing society: energy transition, new forms of mobility, health… These are subjects that affect us all, even if we are not really in a position to understand them.
That’s where my job as a communicator comes into its own. I had to understand for myself what was at stake in the transformation of the automotive industry, who the stakeholders were, what the levers and obstacles were, in order to best serve the company’s vision.
Our mission starts here: more than ever, the major players in our companies need to involve their entire ecosystem. Communication is the lever for commitment, enabling us to translate and communicate a strategic vision to everyone, over the long term.
On a larger scale
It’s when we become aware of our mission as communicators that we rekindle our passion for our profession. As an account manager, I believe that my first lever for getting teams involved in a project is to translate the customer’s issues and needs, and to provide sufficient context, vision and angles of approach. This gets the whole team involved, beyond the deliverables, and gives meaning to our actions.
