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Public
Affairs and Advocacy |
Corporations
exist within societies. Societies, on the other hand, are in
constant flux, being regularly impacted upon by government
laws, rules, regulations and policies. Government regulation
is in turn largely impacted by public opinion.
Corporations need their point of view to be heard clearly
and their message properly understood, not only by
government and policy/law makers, but also by key segments
of the larger society. The meeting point of corporate
interests and public concerns ought to be understood to be
mutually beneficial to corporation and society alike. Only
then can corporations and organizations proactively impact
on current as well as emerging government policies.
XLR8 can help organizations mould and modulate public
opinion. We can help to decipher and analyze the issues,
trends, challenges and opportunities in your business or
activity sector and positively steer the course of public
discourse.
Our unique edge comes from having staff and associates who
have been key players on both sides of the divide, as
industry practitioners or as opinion leaders and
influencers.
Our core areas of interest include
• Information and Communications Technology (including
telecommunications, broadcasting and core IT)
• Consumer Marketing
• Economic growth and development
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Corporate
Practice |
The
socio-economic and political environment of business in West
Africa and indeed most of the developing world, poses
interesting challenges for corporations and organizations.
On the one hand, social and economic difficulties result in
severe challenges in such critical areas as unemployment,
housing and
provision of basic amenities like water and electricity. On
the other, in addition to facing critical basic
infrastructure and social challenges, corporations have to
increasingly manage the public expectation of social
responsibility, including investing in areas traditionally a
purview of government.
Corporations face an increasingly pressing need to build and
safeguard, not only reputation, but also character. Is the
company a great place to work? Does it empower its people to
perform at their best? How does it relate with its various
communities? Does it truly have the interests of its
stakeholders at heart? Is it trustworthy? These are some of
the questions that critical stakeholders ask today of
corporations.
At XLR8, our communications management approach is holistic.
This approach is founded on our conviction that for every
brand, every single interface with the public presents an
opportunity to build the brand.
We can help our clients to analyze and prioritize the issues
that could potentially affect their operations, prepare
response plans and implement accordingly. From labour and
workplace issues to media relations management; executive
communications and visibility to corporate positioning and
image enhancement, we have the expertise to proffer winning
counsel and guide effective
implementation.
Media Relations
Media Relations is a specialist section of our
corporate practice. We believe that the best
approach for managing relations with the media
is one that deliberately focuses on long-term
synergy. We create rapport with the media on the
basis of the value we add to the work and lives
of practitioners as well as the media
institution.
Media relations management is for us, about
relationships, associations that foster better
understanding of the business of our clients. It
is about empowering the media with the
wherewithal to make more informed analysis and
reportage not only about our clients’ businesses
but also about the industries in which they
operate and the correlation with the common
good.
We believe that professional relationships are
important. But we place heavy premium too, on
human relations, our inter-personal
relationships with media practitioners and media
organizations. We will continue to strive to
ensure that our relations with the media remain
unparalleled, driven by the value we constantly
strive to bring to this association.
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Employee
Relations
Employee Relations is a specialized aspect of
our corporate practice. Though many
organizations are quick to proclaim that “our
employees are our greatest asset”, the common
reality is that often, huge gaps exist between
company proclamation and employee perception.
Our experience is that even the best company
intentions usually become fraught with negative
connotations and extrapolations, often sequel to
a failure of communications. At XLR8, we
recognize that organizations are complex
institutions and that all the component parts
need to work in a manner that truly synergizes
one another.
We can help organizations to properly diagnose
pertinent organization issues. We can help
provide viable, sustainable employee
communication models for your organization. In
so doing, we will correlate the cultures and
goals of the individual with those of the
organization. We believe that excellent
communication is at the heart of maximizing the
asset which employees truly are to their
organizations.
While we recognize that good employee
communications may not necessarily solve all
employee problems, we are quick to point out
too, that good communications can help the
proactive management nip potential problems in
the bud and indeed create a great work
environment.
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Community
Relations
Community Relations is a specialized aspect
of our corporate practice. The increasing
complexity in the socio-economic
inter-relationship between corporations and
their various communities especially in the
developing world make it pertinent for
corporations to be increasingly proactive and
deftly creative in the management of this
dynamic relationship. It is in the long term, in
the best mutual interest not only of
corporations but also of their various
communities, to have robust engagement platforms
and programs
We can assist corporations and organizations in
the development and deployment of dynamic
corporate social responsibility initiatives with
strong community engagement components. Further,
we can assist in the implementation process,
serving as a vital trusted link with communities
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Customer
Communications |
All over the
world, the market is getting increasingly competitive. More
and more, goods and sundry variations of the same goods are
chasing the same customers. In the process, the customer is
assailed by a growing clutter of communications, as
companies struggle for his ears, heart, mind and wallet.
All this is happening even while the basic characteristic of
the customer is rapidly evolving. Where once, customers were
driven by price, price is not necessarily the prime driver
of today’s customer. Today, the customer is searching for
better value for money. While price may be critical at
narrowing his choice, other product characteristics quickly
acquire more relevance and enable him differentiate the
products vying for his pocket.
At XLR8, we can help organizations cut through the clutter
of information and communication overload, with targeted
communications initiatives that produce measurable results.
Our model of customer communications is founded on a few
basic principles
• We believe that customers welcome and indeed seek
relationships. They want to be understood and to be
appreciated. Many would gladly connect with a brand that
deliberately strives to provide them with an unforgettable
positive emotional experience.
• Good customer communications can help to build a great
experience, making the complex simple and helping customers
derive more satisfaction, rooted in better understanding and
appreciation of the product or service. (We will complement
the excitement of the product and service with the
innovative communication of features that relate to benefits
which are meaningful to the consumer).
• In keeping with our holistic philosophy of communications,
we believe that customer communications is an integral part
of the brand building effort.
XLR8 can assist corporations to identify the best tools for
communicating with current and prospective customers. In
addition, we can develop them and deploy them for your
organization.
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