Communicating corporate sustainability in China

While reaping profits for the company is important, building a good corporate reputation has increasingly become just as essential in ensuring success.

Today, it is common to hear companies embrace the corporate social responsibility mantra and for some industries, a commitment to corporate sustainability is vital.

Dow Chemical Company set its sustainability goals more than a decade ago. In its recent 2015 goal setting, the company outlined a more proactive approach towards environmental performance, community engagement, energy conservation, health and safety issues.

To achieve this vision, Dow launched the global Human Element campaign initially for the US and Europe, with the China component launching in July this year.

Many Chinese chemical manufacturers holds poor environmental credentials, with this Dow saw a important window of opportunity to build its environmental credentials and a strong corporate reputation in the country.

Chris Chan, public affairs director Dow Chemical Asia Pacific, says investing in corporate sustainability helps the company achieve its corporate charter of becoming both a good corporate citizen and attract strong talent to the company.

The Human Element campaign in China was localised for Chinese ‘influencers', the strategy and tactics behind the launch and the positive response generated from the initiative.

Target
Chinese "influencers" make up of 5% to 10% of well-educated citizens who care about issues relating to business, science, technology, social development and international events. This market can influence change within business and government.

Objectives
The three-pronged approach included an educating Chinese "influencers" on sustainability to inspire them to take action to help address larger issues such as energy, clean water, food supply, sustainable housing, and workplace health and safety.

Also enhancing Dow's corporate reputation within mainland China to grow and sustain awareness, understanding and advocacy of Dow's commitment to be a leader in this field.

Finally engaging staff to act as Human Element ambassadors to impact "influencers" and the community as a whole.

Strategy
Dow commissioned GolinHarris to launch the Human Element campaign in China. Based on a strategy of combining multi-channel communications from advertising, PR, to internal communications to encourage target audiences to rethink the relation of chemistry to human progress and Dow's role as a leader in that equation. The campaign aimed to evoke an emotionally powerful connection with stakeholders to bring out the company's message and positioning.

Campaign

To overcome cultural sensitivity and deliver its key messages to Chinese people, focus group feedback in Beijing and Shanghai was sought. While the global Human Element advertising used "Hu" to symbolise the "Human Element" that was missing from the periodical table, "Hn" was used in China to avoid confusion. The visuals also featured local indigenous people and voiceovers adapted in Mandarin.

Media placements included national and local TV networks such as CCTV 10, in magazines like Global Entrepreneur, Forbes China, Fortune China and newspapers such as China Business, China Daily and 21st Century Business Herald. Outdoor placements were launched in Shanghai while online channels such as Baidu.com were tapped.

Senior media representatives from Beijing and Shanghai were invited to a weekend retreat held at a resort near the Great Wall where Dow engaged journalists on the company's community and government partnerships, research and development, human resources as well as unveiling the Chinese Human Element print and broadcast advertising. Company executives were able to enrich relationships with media through dialogues and activities such as an evening walk on the Great Wall and a tai chi session.

Dow hosted the Blue Planet Run in Beijing's Changpuhe Park, an around the world run to raise funds and awareness about the need for clean drinking water in impoverished communities around the world. The press event featured executives, runners and former world champion speed skater Yang Yang.

Internally, a communications campaign engaged employees to take the first steps in becoming Human Element ambassadors.

Results
Senior journalists gained a holistic understanding of Dow's role in China and commitment to the larger purpose of sustainability, which resulted in more than 100 media and online stories that appeared following the campaign launch. It also attracted citizen bloggers who commented positively on Dow's role model status for local companies to emulate.

More than 250 Dow employees attended the pre-launch Human Element workshops across its China operations and readership of internal communications materials is estimated at 90%.