Company: TECO Energy
Timeframe: April 2004 to present
Budget: $13,500 annually
It is one thing to point and shoot a company or organization's PR arrows out into the world, but it is perhaps more challenging to share the PR message with the workforce
within. Internal communications serve a trio of purposes: Keeping the workforce abreast of corporate information, inspiring continued commitment to the common goal, and ensuring
the image of a team (or even a family).
For TECO Energy in Tampa, FL, there was also the need to unite a workforce spread across five different business units in two continents. The workforce itself was an
extremely diverse one, ranging from blue collar workers out in the field and white collar executives in the corporate suites - not to mention a Spanish-language division based in
Guatemala.
If that was not enough, there was an additional challenge: rebuilding the internal communications machinery that was torn apart years earlier under previous management.
"We had corporate communications publications years before," recalls Jennifer Smith, manager of internal communications. "But they were discontinued at the end of 2002 because
the CEO at that point wanted to decentralize communications. He eventually left and a new CEO arrived in early 2004 with different thinking for pulling us together."
Smith notes that in the period between 2002 and 2004, the different companies under the TECO Energy umbrella had already begun their own newsletters. Smith was able reunite
nearly all of the internal communications into a single product (one subsidiary insisted on continuing with its own newsletter). But rather than go the newsletter route, Smith
believed another concept was in order.
"We wanted to do something different," she continues. "We wanted to take a fresh approach to encourage a feeling of belonging and pride in the company. We also wanted to show
how all of our business units are supporting the holding company. Furthermore, we wanted to save money and deliver consistent messages through one publication."
The result was the April 2004 creation of TECO Energy Insight, a monthly magazine that would be produced in house. Unlike some corporate communications strategists who
mistakenly believe editorial content is much more important than art direction, Smith wisely realized the look and feel of the publication was a primary element in determining the
acceptance of the new magazine.
"Perception is everything," she emphasizes. "We chose to print on glossy paper, which also happens to be more affordable than matte paper." She adds balancing cost and style
required a two-color approach; this was less expensive than going the four-color (let alone full-color) route.
Getting content for the magazine was never a problem. "We have more news than we can cover," Smith says, with articles and ideas pouring in from all parts of the company.
However, Smith tries to keep the focus on the human element of TECO Energy, offering in-depth profiles of employees who have achieved significant accomplishments in their off-duty
life. A reader favorite was the August 2005 article "From Russia, with Love" that profiled an engineer who went to Russia with his wife and returned with a newly adopted
child.
"This helps to put a face on the company," Smith adds. "These are stories that people want to read, rather than just the corporate message."
Of course, the corporate message needs to be included, and Smith notes the average magazine (which runs between eight to 12 pages) is "60% corporate message and 40% human
interest." Department managers also need to sign off on all articles before they appear in print.
TECO Energy Insight also has a Spanish version available for the aforementioned Guatemalan employees. While that version is only printed for that particular operation,
the Spanish version can be downloaded from the corporate intranet for any U.S.-based worker who wants to access it. For the TECO Energy units that want to emphasize their own
news, Smith's office enables two-page customized inserts with unit-specific information.
TECO Energy Insight has, with the sole exception of a single edition, been published on time and on budget since its first issue. It has a 10,000 circulation and is
available for both pick-up at the workplace and via mail to TECO Energy retirees. From an emotional ROI impact, it seems the magazine has become something of a must-read hit.
"We did a readership survey and found that 85% read every issue," says Smith.
The Pros and Cons of Internal Communications Media
Internal communications vehicles come in a variety of formats. Each has its own benefits, in terms of production and delivery, and each also has its own drawbacks. Let's
consider the pros and cons of the different internal communications choices available today:
- Glossy Magazines and Newspapers. Not unlike the TECO Energy creation profiled here, a glossy magazine or a newspaper (either a tabloid or broadsheet) gives
the visual impression of a professional, newsstand-worthy publication. Of course, the editorial content would need to match the visual sense of professionalism, otherwise there
will be a serious imbalance between substance and style. As with TECO Energy, it can be used as a marketing tool to highlight the company's activities and corporate philosophy.
But mailing these magazines can be cost-prohibitive, particularly given the recent postal rate increase. Plus, production costs can take a nice bite of the PR budget. And if the
project is outsourced to a custom publishing company, there is another set of concerns which need addressing.
- Paper Newsletters. Although are less expensive than a glossy magazine or a newspaper, there is also the question of production costs (particularly if the newsletters
are being printed in color and are being printed in mass quantity), plus postage (if they are being mailed far and wide). But thanks to software programs such as PhotoShop, they
can also be created with relative speed and ease.
- E-Newsletters. In regard to production and delivery costs, this is the least expensive option to pursue. One can easily put together a full-color newsletter for e-
mail distribution - or for that matter, keep it as text-only and abstain from illustration. (One can also transmit e-newsletters via fax broadcasting.) But the cost-effectiveness
is also weighed down by the basic problems of the format: readability (not everyone likes to read newsletters from a computer screen) and deliverability (some people may delete
the e-newsletter without bothering to open it).
- Corporate Blogs. The newest member of the internal communications media family, these do not require a great expense to set up and maintain. Short and succinct
commentaries and news pieces can be added with an immediacy the other formats don't possess. But at the same time, corporate blogs are so new and trendy that some people may have
difficulty accepting them as a genuine information source. Furthermore, the blog format opens the possibility for reader commentary which could be compromised by wise-guy
malcontents making toxic remarks that would dilute the blog's attempt of enhancing the brand message - which, of course, is ultimately what internal communications is all about.
Contact: Jennifer Smith, [email protected].