Conveying the company’s values and taking care of IBSA’s reputation are the daily challenges of the Corporate Communication department. The key quality is knowing how to tell the company’s values with languages and through channels suitable for the different targets, in order to enhance both contents and corporate image. Communicating strategic value creates a competitive advantage: today Anna Villa, Sr. Corporate Communication Manager at IBSA, will talk about it
Conversation with Anna Villa, Sr Corporate Communication Manager
CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
In IBSA I hold the role of Sr. Communication Manager, and I deal with the company’s brand identity at a global level. Consistency in the use of the brand reflects corporate values and is functional to business objectives. Protecting and enhancing the brand image reinforces our reputation in the market. Communication activates and develops relationships, because we need to constantly convey the uniqueness of our brand through narrative threads, in order to promote the company’s image, in accordance with the Group’s vision and mission. It’s very important that communication is consistent and recognisable across all institutional channels, both online and offline (for example with regard to the tone of voice, the correct use of the logo, etc.). The company is us; everyone contributes to building IBSA and its reputation; each of us promotes the brand inside and outside the company, even if we don’t always realise it.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES AWAITING THE CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT IN THE COMING YEARS?
The increasingly international vision, combined with the digital transformation in our company, is introducing a new way of working, as well as interesting opportunities, opening the doors to technological innovations and to the new digital channels. The challenge is to find the right balance between the “do first, and then communicate with moderation” and the race towards digital innovation; finding this synergy will help us overcome any obstacle. “Think local, act global”: this must be our mantra. The international reach – which involves the management and sharing of values so that the brand is perceived and conveyed in its uniqueness and is recognizable in every market – is a major aspect to consider. Promoting the uniqueness of the brand everywhere creates value and strength.
IBSA’S PILLARS ARE PEOPLE, INNOVATION, QUALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY. WHICH AMONG THESE DO YOU FEEL CLOSEST TO YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES?
The first pillar that supports and guides us is the Responsibility to communicate the company’s true identity, its heart. We have to understand the personality enclosed in the brand, which is expressed in IBSA’s values and mission. Our work as communicators consists in transforming these concepts into actions, tools and strategies, taking the utmost care and respect for what the company is and will be. The second pillar is the People – both from the Communication team and the rest of the company – who has the task of introducing innovation and creativity to convey the messages outwards in an engaging and integrated way. People are essential: thanks to their skills and competences, they allow to develop new digital strategies. Indeed, let us not forget that the technological Innovation and the Quality of the contents we disseminate are distinctive features of our profession, to be managed in the best possible way by updating and distinguishing ourselves with fresh languages and original expositive methods.