Digital and technological strategies, with a specific focus on people, prove to be the two communication keys that make organizations successful today

ATREVIA, a global Communication and Corporate Affairs company, celebrated its III Ibero-American Congress about the current trends in Marketing, Communications, and Public Affairs. This well-known conference took place at the CaixaForum Auditorium in Madrid. Its aim was to address the key aspects that are defining the evolution of these three areas with the help of renowned professionals.

Núria Vilanova, president and founder of ATREVIA, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing corporate activism and talent and the new challenges that arise for communication in an increasingly diverse and multifaceted society that demands strategies that place people at the center more than ever.

The first block of the congress focused on “Creativity that only thinks about people” and featured Endesa’s General Manager of Communication, Ignacio Jiménez, and the Director of Communication and Public Relations of the United Nations Global Compact, Vanesa Rodríguez, who highlighted the value of communication in companies’ sustainability strategy. They emphasized prioritizing restoring the trust that companies have lost today. “Without trust, there is no market,” said Ignacio Jiménez.

The event also focused on how companies must learn to “communicate their mission,” which must be based on four keys: content distribution models, target audience identification, collaborative alliances, and educational and instructive digital strategies.

Also, during these first sessions, the Communication Director of Twitter Spain, Elena Bule, the Communication Director of AstraZeneca, Natalia Díaz, and the Communication Director of Ecoembes, Nieves Rey, all agreed on the importance of developing strategies that go beyond marketing, that are people-centered and focus on their needs, that listen to them, “truly do so.” All three stressed the need for organizations to be transparent and gain the trust of their audiences, as both are pillars for growth.

The role media´s role was another topic analyzed at the meeting. Interviewed by the vice president of ATREVIA, Isabel Lara, the director of Trece TV and Trece al Día, José Luis Pérez, and the director of The Objective, Álvaro Nieto, concentrated on vindicating journalism’s traditional role in a context in which social networks are full of fabrications. Both also emphasized the difference between what the conventional media does and its informative task and what influencers are doing, “something closer to entertainment.”

The congress also included an overview of technology’s role in the communications field and showed how it could be combined with people-centered marketing. The director of Analytics and Advanced Social Listening at ATREVIA, Rebecca Rico, assured us that “we have gone from what to why,” and this is where technological tools “help us understand what is happening in our organizations to make decisions.”

The director of Digital Communication of Banco Sabadell, Noemí Urdampilleta, César Santamaría, from the team of Inequality and Power in Latin America and the Mediterranean at Intermon Oxfam, and the director of Communications and Marketing at BlueFloat Energy, Isabel Rodrigo, also highlighted the value of analyzing the digital conversation so that “organizations can make courageous decisions that can change society.”

David Cierco, executive director of the 2030 Digital Alliance Foundation, moderated the table, which included Iberia, Neoris, Web3 Foundation, and Telefónica. During this session, they covered topics including the technologies that are currently emerging with significant transformative potential in most sectors and industries, such as blockchain and the metaverse. They also shared several applications they use with these tools in their own organizations. In this regard, the Director of Communications of the Web3 Foundation, Ursula O’Kuinghttons, said: “We are witnessing the beginning of new digital worlds that will generate a multitude of opportunities, and an example of this is the metaverse,” which is commonly discussed nowadays.

Internal Communications in times of disengagement

There was also a focus on internal communications and the challenges organizations face to restore engagement and improve the employee experience. The director of Culture and People of ATREVIA, Angélica Gómez, moderated an interesting debate with the director of HR Management and Organizational Behavior Area at IE Business School, Custodia Cabanas, the HR director of Beam Suntory, Patricia de Blas, and the director of Internal Communication of the Santander Group, Alberto Baltanás. They emphasized that, in internal communication, it is not necessary to fall into over-communication. They assured that “companies must be able to design an environment that attracts talent, but also retains it, while at the same time promoting innovation.” The HR director of Steelcase Spain, David Martin, who spoke with the partner of Exec Avenue and senior advisor of ATREVIA, Alfonso Jimenez, pointed out that “there has been a technological avalanche which has given rise to the possibility of using this technology in favor of work productivity.”

Global transformation, social mobilization, and influencing relations

The second day of the congress was distinguished by the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, who highlighted the capital´s likelihood of becoming one of the best cities in the world.

Ukraine’s situation was also analyzed by Juan Luis Cebrián, honorary president of El País and Senior Advisor to ATREVIA. He claimed that dialogue is the only possible solution to the conflict. In this regard, he added that “there cannot be stable peace and security in Europe in the future without an agreement with Russia.”

Citizen mobilization, for its part, was pointed out at the meeting as the real lever for driving the necessary changes in the world, and technology as a fundamental support to be used to achieve it. In line with this, the program did not forget to address the risks of disinformation and the current polarization in social networks, an issue that was discussed by Maritcha Ruiz, Director of Communication of PSOE, who warned that “disinformation is a stain that, even if you rub it, leaves a mark.”

Regarding impact investment and finances, the general director of SpainNAB, José Luis Ruiz de Muniain, emphasized that “capitalism will continue to be present, but it is necessary to rethink it and prioritize environmental and social sustainability among future investment criteria.” Muniain participated in a conversation with Belén Romana, senior advisor at ATREVIA, who indicated that financial entities are an example of listening to their employees and clients.

Another topic analyzed during the second day of the congress was urban mobility. The former general director of UN-Habitat and senior advisor of ATREVIA, Joan Clos, appealed to a permanent reinvention of the urban grid to satisfy the different publics and, in this “mobility is primordial” framework. Spokespersons from OUIGO, EMT Madrid, and Ryanair, present at the debate, highlighted the value of technologies, especially AI and Big Data, to face the significant future transportation challenges.

The last blocks of the day focused on the Spanish presidency, Europe’s role, its proximity to citizens, and the opportunity for European funds. All of this was presented by leading European officials.

Finally, the event closed with a relevant space given to everything related to sustainability, governance, and ESG strategies, with the participation of companies and organizations promoting sustainable policies that have a real impact on society. This block also addressed the phenomenon of greenwashing and how companies generally communicate “more than they do” in terms of sustainability.

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