Effective Communication Strategies in the
Digital Age –
The Success Story of BASF
Ho Chi Minh City, May 31- June 1, 2012 Ingrid Nienaber
Senior Regional Manager Corporate Communications ASEAN
2 INTERNAL 6/11/2012 FOR EXTERNAL USE 2
1 | Overview BASF
2 | Communication for a B2B company
3 | Traditional Media
4 | Social Media
BASF – The Chemical Company We create chemistry for a sustainable future
Our chemicals are used in almost all
industries
We combine economic success, social
responsibility and environmental
protection.
Sales 2011: €73.5 billion
Employees ~111,000
Organized by Business and Functional
Units both regionally and globally
About 1,050 new patents filed in 2011
6 Verbund sites and about
385 production sites
3
Platzhalter für Bild
BASF in Asia Pacific
*By location of customer; Data as of December 2011
#Some sites are not shown due to scale
Customers from more than 15
countries
More than 17,000 employees
130 production sites
9 R&D sites
Sales* in 2011: Approximately
€14.4 billion
EBIT: €1.13 billion
4
Sub region: ASEAN
5
8 wholly owned subsidiaries
11 joint ventures
20 production sites
22 sales offices
Approximately 3,840 employees
Sales* in 2011: Approximately €2.4 billion
1 R&D site
*By location of customer; Data as of December 2011
#Some sites are not shown due to scale
Performance
Polymers
Polyurethanes
Structure of BASF’s 6 segments
6
Chemicals Plastics Performance
Products
Functional
Solutions
Agricultural
Solutions Oil & Gas
Inorganics
Petrochemicals
Intermediates
Dispersions &
Pigments
Care Chemicals
Nutrition &
Health
Paper Chemicals
Performance
Chemicals
Catalysts
Construction
Chemicals
Coatings
Crop Protection Exploration &
Production
Natural Gas
Trading
7
Care Chemicals
8
Construction Chemicals
9 INTERNAL 6/11/2012 FOR EXTERNAL USE 9
1 | Overview BASF
2 | Communication for a B2B company
•Branding
•Traditional Media
• Social Media
• When not to use the media
We create chemistry
Our promise:
We are connected to deliver
intelligent, sustainable solutions.
And prove every day that we don„t
just make chemicals:
We create chemistry for a
sustainable future.
The combination of everything we do
brings our brand to life ...
… in Corporate Advertising
Strategic Planning &
Implementation of
internal & external
communication
…through all BASF organizations and
communication channels
REGIONS/ COUNTRIES OPERATING/ FUNCTIONAL
DIVISIONS
GROUPWIDE
e.g. Trade Fairs/
Annual Meeting e.g. customer contacts e.g. Marketing events
e.g. brand architecture
(buildings, meeting rooms,
lobbies)
… and in general
BASF brand touchpoints
15 INTERNAL 6/11/2012 FOR EXTERNAL USE 15
1 | Overview BASF
2 | Communication for a B2B company
•Branding
•Traditional Media
• Social Media
• When not to use the media
Does a B2B company even need to
engage with the media?
Consumers
don‟t buy our
products!
Yes.
Overall competitive positioning of BASF brand
Demoralize the competition
Market intelligence
Prevent mistakes from appearing in the market
Enhance share price
And, yes, promote products
… because we want to be the ones telling our story!
It’s not that simple: the right influencer for
the right purpose
Media
NGOs
Academics
Regulators
Community
leaders
Industry
associations
Online
communities
Mainstream media are (still) the principal
influencer online
A)
B)
C)
D)
NGOs have a wide reach through their
own “media”
(paper) magazines
e-newsletters
Twitter feeds
online magazines
research reports
Unaffiliated individual influencers exist
but are rare
“An online influencer can come from anywhere, but not everyone
can be an online influencer.”
Bringing technical topics to mainstream
audiences
Community activities
Big investments
VIP interviews
Feature interview
Commentary
Media tour
Making best use of trade media
Time preview releases well before trade shows
24 INTERNAL 6/11/2012 FOR EXTERNAL USE 24
1 | Overview BASF
2 | Communication for a B2B company
•Branding
•Traditional Media
• Social Media
• When not to use the media
What are social media?
Interact Opinion
Blog Discussion
Voting Campaigns
Private & Public
Worldwide
(Micro-)Blog Share Connect
Change in communication because of
socialisation through the Internet
75% of social network users
have visited a brands profile.
30% become a fan of a brand.
72% of those who joined a
brand community have a better
brand perception than before
connect.BASF
Conscious decision of BASF:
Interaction on social media platforms
to positively influence the image of
BASF.
Wave 5 – the Socialization of Brands, UM 2010 http://www.slideshare.net/tlinz8612/wave-5-the-socialisation-of-brands-report-5465006
BASF Strategy:
Opportunities Through Social Media
We innovate to make our customers
more successful
Open innovation through
collaboration
New ways of customer support
Market research
We form the best team
Cater to digital generations
Expand networks, know-how
transfer, problem solving
Support leadership culture
We add value as one company
Strengthen brand and reputation as
one company
Create value through cooperation
Network for the Verbund
We drive sustainable solutions
Build trust through openness
Engage in dialogue, influence and
impact
Drive solutions to the public
Overview: BASF Online Communications
Internal
Online Business Network connect.BASF
External
Monitoring
Corporate Blogs & Widgets
Social Media Channels
Intranet Internet
Guidelines Governance Training Consulting
News channels “BASF today”
Publishing Concept
and Cross-Linking with BASF.com
In Depth Information: BASF.com
Content: YouTube, Slideshare, Flickr
Newsflow: Twitter Business: LinkedIn
Dialog: Facebook, Google+
Website Integration
Hosting social media discussions
(on our platform)
We believe our own platform is the
best place for a controversial
discussion
Best practices:
Transparent use of authorized
individual spokespeople
Professional style
Reference to published
information
Impartial “reporting” with our
point of view
Quick responses
Entering social media discussions
(on managed platforms)
Best practices:
Refer to website
Respond publicly if possible
Respond quickly that you will respond later,
even if you can‟t actually respond quickly
Entering social media discussions
(on others’ platforms)
Want to get to know a journalist /
influencer? Commenting on her
blog is a great way to do it!
Provoking social media discussions (on
managed platforms)
Best practices
Keep topics relevant to the
stakeholder – not just yourself
Use Twitter for “arms-length”
relationship building
Start discussions with @replies
Use #hashtags
Retweet liberally
Retweet clips to enhance
media relations
Entering social media discussions (on
others’ platforms)
In controversies: get your
side of the story heard by
the silent majority
Best practices
Consistent, approved
core messages, but
authorized
spokespeople have
some autonomy to
implement them
Address the issue,
more than the
comment
Creating social media discussions (on
managed platforms)
Best practices
Keep the topic relevant to the
audience
Solid “infotainment” style
content
Explicitly invite discussion
Lessons Learned – How To Engage
Don‟t open a social media channel
and not use it
Don‟t tell secrets – e.g. confidential or
proprietary information
Don‟t speak marketing language or
include too marketing-driven posts
Don‟t post too much, especially do not
publish irrelevant posts
Don‟t leave your activities unattended
DOs DON'Ts
Engage regularly with your audience,
setting goal for posting (e.g. once a
day)
Respond quickly to posts (response
within 24 hours)
Act in an authentic, honest and
respectful way
Consider your target group, offer
interesting mixture of content
Show personality, include “human”
stories and interesting facts
37 INTERNAL 6/11/2012 FOR EXTERNAL USE 37
1 | Overview BASF
2 | Communication for a B2B company
•Branding
•Traditional Media
• Social Media
• When not to use the media
When not to use the media: working with
influencers
“Small group” communications: follow the continuum
Attend the
same
conference
Speak at the
same
conference
Sponsor
their
event
Invite them
to your
event
Co-
organize
an event
Hostile
stakeholders
Cooperative
stakeholders
When not to use the media: working with
influencers
“Make friends before you
need them”
Prepare rich content
Follow up
opportunistically
Leverage multiple
platforms for initial
introductions
When not to use the media: working with
influencers
Take a structured approach (it‟s not just schmoozing)
Identify and track influencers by name; keep a mailing list
Assign ownership of important relationships (“key account
management”)
Nurture the relationships: be generous with time and introductions
When not to use the media: don’t always
go solo
Industry issues are
better handled by
associations
Support behind the
scenes with
information,
resources, content,
expertise
Collaborate, but
don‟t collude: abide
by ethical principles
Building a brand like BASF is like creating
chemistry
Questions
?
Find or follow BASF on:
Website:
asiapacific.basf.com