Case Study External Magazines and Newsletters: Dow Chemical

Case Study: Dow Chemical

With more than 13,000 members in 58 countries, the International Association of project/programme purpose Communicators is the world’s largest professional organization of people involved in public relations and public affairs, as well as other forms of communication. In 1999, the IABC awarded A Golden Quill for Excellence to Dow Chemical for its 1999 Public Report Program. As Dow explained it:

“organizational citizenship is mentioned more and more often as a condition of doing project/programme purpose in the global economy. Potential investors, beneficiaries, employees, and communities are looking harder at a organization’s reputation and ethical conduct before making a commitment to continue or to begin doing project/programme purpose. Through voluntary Environment, Health, and Safety (EH&S) Reports, Dow has reported to the public its efforts to lessen environmental impact since the early 1990s in many different parts of the world. Yet, while Dow’s actions to conduct its project/programme purpose in a financially and environmentally sound way are strengths, communicating these accomplishments in a consistent global way has been a weakness.

“The need was to openly and candidly discuss Dow’s organizational citizenship in a single communications vehicle—in a way that would also resonate with key audiences in the fragile economies of South Africa, South America, Eastern Europe and Asia where the organization is growing and expanding. The opportunity was to find an integrated way to convey the interrelationships between economic viability, environmental integrity and social responsibility—the three key elements of sustainable development as first articulated by the United Nations in 1987.”~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The organization was also trying to combine all its traditionally fragmented reports on the issues, and was looking for “a centerpiece,” something that would serve as “one comprehensive communications position and platform that would appeal and resonate with a broad spectrum of stakeholders” while summarizing its progress and efforts in dealing with economic, environmental, and social issues. As an added benefit, it would “not only facilitate internal and external dialogue with stakeholders, but also provide journalistic value to financial and trade media.”

As a science and technology organization serving beneficiaries in 168 countries from 121 manufacturing sites in 32 countries, Dow says it “needed to reach a multi-faced audience of employees, retirees, investors, beneficiaries, governments, non-governmental organizations, human rights and environmental groups, community leaders and media in many countries, with different policies and cultures. Dow also needed to create a communications process, and supporting budgets, to have communication material translated into the key languages in which the organization does project/programme purpose; namely, English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese (Mandarin).

Since Dow’s audiences are largely community-based, the “centerpiece” communication needed to be tailored to local data and issues. In other words, Dow needed both global and local data in major locations such as Canada, Spain, Italy, Asia, the UK, Germany and three major U.S. sites—Louisiana, Michigan and Texas. Dow also needed to more effectively connect with the ‘wired’ audiences through the Internet, and find innovative ways to optimize www.dow.com.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dow’s award-winning solution was to create a “hybrid” Public Report. It consisted of a single “Global Report” produced in a folder with a back pocket for regional inserts that addressed the “triple bottom line” of sustainable development: economic, environmental and social reporting. The reports were available both in hard copy and online.

The IABC calls the report “eye-catching” and “artistically designed,” adding that it included “a proactive publicity plan targeted to each key audience. The project tactics included keynote speeches, news releases, employee articles, leadership presentations, media interviews, advertising, and direct mailings. Dow formed a unique partnership with the European-based environmental magazine, Tomorrow, which is arguably the world’s premier publication on sustainability issues. Through the Tomorrow partnership, Dow purchased 500 subscriptions, distributed complimentary copies to key external stakeholders, ran advertising and a special four-page editorial, and cross-promoted the Public Report on Tomorrow’s web site.

“The 1999 Public Report itself was far from a ‘fluff’ piece—but rather a serious and often sobering account of how Dow helps improve society’s quality of life and standard of living.

“With the release of its first “triple bottom line” Public Report in September 1999, supplemented with regional inserts and translations, Dow set a new standard in public transparency and reporting.”