Creating Conversations To Build Belief

Technology disruptions, evolving media landscapes and socio-cultural shifts are transforming our worlds. Organisations are getting increasingly vulnerable, with reputation damage sometimes just a click away. Stakeholders and consumers are demanding accountability, responsibility and transparency, as much as performance, from organisations. While times are challenging, there are good opportunities for organisations to engage, foster strong relationships and grow. Corporate Reputation communication undoubtedly plays a crucial role in this.

Building Belief

In a dynamic business environment, organisations with a clear purpose have an edge and the ability to ride these changes seamlessly. Purpose is built on the pillar of Belief. Belief is the central axis around which organisations can build reputation and success.

Belief transcends logic and trust. Rooted in values, Belief is the unconditional acceptance of something that exists or is true, even when there may be insufficient facts to support it.

Organisations need to discover, understand, and align with the values of its stakeholders and consumers, create sharp Corporate Reputation communication strategy to drive the bond of strong Belief.

The Belief narrative

Corporate Reputation communication strategies should endeavour to drive conversations to build the Belief narrative. Some focus areas could include.

• Leadership vision, commitment, and responsibility
• Talent transparency and engagement
• Harnessing data for deeper, genuine understanding of stakeholders and consumers.
• Evocative, relevant, and original content creation

Today, everybody is a communicator. The power to influence decisions or change opinions has gone beyond the responsibility of a few to many. The proliferation of media and digital platforms have not only made it more complex to connect and engage with stakeholders and consumers; but has increased the risk of reputation attack manifold. It is thus imperative to have a scientific structured outlook in creating an integrated strategy to maximise engagement and impact for the Belief narrative.

In summary

• Transforming business and technology environments are making, organisations increasingly vulnerable to reputation damage and thus to negative business impact.
• Communication strategies rooted in Belief are the cornerstone of building Corporate Reputation for organisations. These strategies will not only guard the organisation from reputation damage but also nurture resilient relationships with stakeholders and consumers and stand the test of change.
• To optimise engagement and impact for the Belief narrative in a rapidly evolving media-scape and digital world, a scientific structure to integrated thinking is imperative.
• The outcome: A journey of Creating conversations that build Belief.

Acknowledgements: Inspired by the Belief Stack, MSL UK

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Parveez Modak

Parveez Modak - Managing Director, Strategy Group, MSL India


With more than 25 years spent across multiple marcomm disciplines, Parveez leads the Strategy Group at MSL India. Parveez started his career in advertising, going on to then set-up the digital practice at MSL India before incubating the strategic planning function. Bringing to the table rich experience in strategy and insights, Parveez is a strong advocate of data-first integrated communications. He works across teams to help develop solutions for clients’ reputation challenges.