Future of Stakeholder Engagement Report 2013

The Future of Stakeholder
Engagement
Views of Senior European Communicators on
Current and Future Best Practice
February 2013

2 | 2013 | © BRUNSWICK INSIGHT
Table of contents
Introduction
Key findings
The current state of stakeholder engagement
Benefits and risks of stakeholder engagement
The future of stakeholder engagement
Blueprint for success: What does it take to build a successful programme?
Implications
About the study
3
4
6
11
18
25
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29

© BRUNSWICK INSIGHT | 2013 | 3
Conventional wisdom holds that “Stakeholder Engagement” is important and organisations should be doing it.
But there’s very little data available about what “it” is, or about the benefits and risks organisations see from
engaging in new ways with groups they may not have dealt with in the past.
The purpose of this survey was to explore what stakeholder engagement looks like with those who are closest to
the front line: senior European communicators at large corporations, government bodies, NGOs, associations
and other organisations.
Several questions drive this research project:
• What exactly are organisations doing in terms of stakeholder engagement – and with whom?
• What are the risks and benefits they associate with engaging with “non-traditional” stakeholders?
(i.e., stakeholders other than employees, suppliers, business partners, or customers/members)
• And, perhaps most importantly, what does the future of stakeholder engagement look like from senior
communicators’ perspective?
We were able to include communicators across a variety of organisational types and sectors in the survey.
However, respondents were predominantly from the corporate world and half were based in the UK (nearly 4
in 10 of the UK respondents were from FTSE 100 companies). The remainder were distributed across Europe,
with sizeable proportions of respondents in Brussels/Belgium (15%) and Germany (11%). Where significant or
interesting, differences between the UK, Brussels/Belgium and Germany are highlighted in the report.
While the results of this survey offer a unique perspective and provide a blueprint for creating a successful
programme, they tell only part of the story. To provide a more global context, Brunswick Insight is currently
conducting similar research in the United States and China, and will issue the results as soon as they
are available.
Introduction

Key findings
Senior communicators across Europe (82%) consider stakeholder engagement to be important to their
organisation’s success, with 55% saying it is “extremely important”. The scope and scale of stakeholder
engagement activities are expected to increase dramatically in the next five years, with a sizeable increase
in the percentage who say engagement will be important to their organisation’s success (90%) and nearly as
many saying their organisation will be doing more engagement in the future (82%).
Most(80%)believeseniormanagementattheirorganisationunderstandandappreciatethevalueofstakeholder
engagement. However, while the team at the top appears to understand the value of engagement, more
work remains to create buy-in across and down the organisation, as respondents say lack of understanding,
particularly at these levels, is the biggest internal obstacle to creating engagement programmes.
One way to increase understanding and buy-in could be to have a more strategic approach, where success is
clearly demonstrated. Currently, at most organisations, stakeholder engagement tends to be ad hoc (79%)
rather than strategic and just three in ten (29%) use specific KPIs to measure the success of their organisation’s
engagement. Communicators appear ready to make this shift as more than eight in ten (85%) say it will be
important for their organisation to have an engagement strategy in five years’ time.
Currently, communicators are much more likely to engage with traditional (e.g., employees, suppliers, business
partners, customers/members) rather than non-traditional (e.g., NGOs, consumer groups, special interest
groups, activist groups) stakeholders. Communicators acknowledge that engagement with non-traditional
stakeholders carries sizeable risks, the biggest of which is the possibility of not meeting expectations (60%).
Four in ten or more are also concerned about possible damage to their organisation’s reputation (45%), wasting
time and money (42%), and loss of control (41%).
Nevertheless, most communications professionals have already seen compelling evidence of the benefits of
engagement for their organisation. The biggest benefits include improved reputation (89%) and increased
understanding of their organisation and its activities amongst stakeholders (89%).
Primary responsibility for engagement activities tends to reside with communications (32%) and corporate
affairs (23%). Currently, two in three communicators (68%) feel overwhelmed by the amount of time and
resources required to engage properly. This suggests that securing additional resources for engagement
will be important for communicators if they are to cope with the pressure, navigate expected risks and
deliver results.

The blueprint for creating a successful stakeholder engagement programme now and in the future is
surprisingly consistent, requiring:
• Trust
• Mutual respect
• Commitment from the top of the organisation
• Alignment with the organisation’s long-term goals
At present, social media and online engagement activities tend to involve more monitoring than active
engagement – but that is expected to change in five years’ time. While 79% currently monitor social media
channels, just 30% blog, 28% map online influencers, and 19% create online panels at present. However, one
in three (34%) think social media and online tools will be the most effective ways to engage with stakeholders
in general in five years’ time.
In contrast, when it comes to engagement with non-traditional stakeholders, in-person meetings (75%)
are expected to remain the most effective way to build deep and lasting relationships. While there is no
substitute for in-person meetings, communications professionals recognise that they will need a combination
of engagement techniques to work effectively with both traditional and non-traditional stakeholders
in the future.

“Reputation management” is the top priority for corporate
communicators, followed by stakeholder engagement
When asked to rate the importance of a variety of activities they encounter
in their jobs to the success of their organisation, senior communications
professionals are most likely to say that reputation management (93%),
stakeholder engagement (82%), internal/employee communications (82%),
crisis communications (79%), and media relations (79%) are “important”
(rating of “4” or “5” on a scale of 1 to 5).
(% who rate each as…)
• Views on the importance of stakeholder engagement differ by market: while 91% of those in the UK rate
it as important, fewer in Brussels (65%) or Germany (50%) consider it as important
• Communicators in Brussels are especially likely to rate “public affairs/lobbying” (80%) as important, while
those in Germany are more likely than others to rate “marketing/brand and consumer communications”
(71%) as important
Q. Here are several
activities that
communication
professionals may
encounter in their
jobs. For each, please
indicate how important
you believe it is to
the success of your
organisation [1 to 5
scale, where 1 = not
at all important; 5 =
extremely important]
(Base=130)
93%
82%
82%
79%
79%
78%
77%
74%
67%
65%
65%
49%
6%
16%
17%
16%
19%
19%
19%
11%
19%
25%
22%
35%
1%
2%
2%
5%
2%
3%
4%
15%
15%
11%
13%
17%
Reputation management
Stakeholder engagement
Internal/ employee communications
Crisis communications
Media relations
Issues management
Corporate communications
Investor relations
Public affairs, lobbying
Marketing/brand and consumer communications
Corporate social responsibility and sustainability
Social media engagement
Top box (4-5) Middle box (3) Bottom box (1-2)
Few believe that
stakeholder engagement
has no impact on
the success of their
organisation. In
fact, only 18% of
communicators say
they have yet to see any
compelling evidence that
has a direct impact
on the success of
their organisation.
The current state of stakeholder engagement

Talking to the people who
matter to your business about
the things that matter to them.
Defining stakeholder engagement: a dialogue for understanding, mutual benefit and
business success
There is widespread consensus in how communicators define “stakeholder engagement”. When asked to
describe stakeholder engagement in a sentence or two, six in ten (61%) respondents define it as a two-way
dialogue with those who have an interest in, are affected by, or can influence your organisation.
(% who describe stakeholder engagement as . . .)
Q. How would you
define “stakeholder
engagement” in a
sentence or two?
8%
2%
2%
3%
4%
4%
5%
13%
61%
Other
Demonstrate you are open to stakeholders /
their concerns
Involving stakeholders in / listening to
outside opinion in the decision making
process
To ensure positive attitude of key parties /
positively influence stakeholders
Regular communication with relevant parties
Ensuring coordination with stakeholders on
issues of mutual interest
Identifying who your key stakeholders are
and understanding what their views /
expectations are
Ensuring key stakeholders are well informed
/ have access to information about your
company
Two-way dialogue with key parties who have
an interest in your company or organisation /
who may be affected by your decisions / can
influence your organisation and its decisions

Communicators more likely to engage in traditional stakeholder engagement activities at
present; online activities lag behind
When asked to say which of a number of stakeholder relations or engagement activities their organisation
is currently doing, communicators are much more likely to mention traditional rather than non-traditional
activities. The top five activities are: monitoring traditional media (94%), membership in industry groups
(87%), creating lasting relationships with stakeholders (86%), attending networking events (85%), and hosting
events (80%). In terms of social media, while most (79%) say they are monitoring social media channels,
respondents are much less likely to be blogging (30%), mapping online influencers (28%), or creating online
panels to share information (19%).
(% who say their organisation is doing each of the following…)
Q. Currently, which of
the following types of
stakeholder relations or
engagement activities
does your organisation
do? Please select all
that apply. (Base=130)
94%
87%
86%
85%
80%
79%
79%
72%
69%
68%
62%
61%
56%
52%
52%
30%
28%
19%
Monitor traditional media
Membership in a trade association or industry
group
Long term engagement to create lasting
relationships
Attend networking events
Host events
Monitor social media channels
Ad-hoc engagement on specific issues of concern
to your organisation
Survey stakeholder’s views and concerns
Map stakeholders
Host roundtables or panels
Map issues
Have a stakeholder engagement strategy
Use social media for purposes other than
marketing
Undertake consultation exercises as you develop
policies and programmes
Publish and share thought leadership work
Blog
Map online influencers
Create online panels to share information

• Communicators in the UK are particularly likely to say they survey stakeholders’ views and concerns (80%),
use social media for non-marketing purposes (67%), and undertake consultation exercises as they develop
policies and programmes (61%)
• Communicators in Brussels are particularly likely to say they map stakeholders (85%), host roundtables or
panels (85%) and have a stakeholder engagement strategy (80%)
• Communicators in Germany are particularly likely to say they are members of a trade association or
industry group (93%) or they host events (86%). They tend to be less likely than others to say they attend
networking events (57%), map stakeholders (57%) or issues (36%)

Traditional rather than non-traditional stakeholders top the list of important stakeholders
Most communicators rate their company’s business partners (84%), national government (83%), employees
(83%), and traditional media (76%) as important stakeholders. Fewer say EU institutions (64%; 95% for
Brussels/Belgium) and local government (60%) are as important.
“Non-traditional” stakeholder groups, such as activist groups (30%), online communities of interest (28%) and
charitable organisations (23%), are much less likely to be rated as important.
(% who rate each stakeholder as “important”)
Top Box
rating of 4 or 5
Q. Likewise, how
important to your
organisation would
you say engagement
is with each of the
following stakeholder
groups currently? [1-5
(Base=130)
84%
83%
83%
76%
64%
60%
52%
50%
45%
44%
40%
40%
30%
28%
23%
Business partners
National government
Employees
Traditional media
EU institutions
Local government
Consumers
Local communities
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
Consumer groups
Special interest groups
Universities/academics
Activist groups
Online communities of interest
Charitable organisations

Prompted biggest benefits: improved reputation, increased understanding of the company, long-
term relationships and better understanding of stakeholder concerns and expectations
When asked to rate a list of possible benefits of stakeholder engagement in terms of their importance,
communicators are most likely to say improved reputation (89%), increased understanding of the organisation
(89%), developing long-term relationships (88%) and better understanding of stakeholder concerns and
expectations (84%) are “important”.
The benefits they are least likely to rate as important are demonstrating to others that you’re engaging (53%),
product innovation (44%), and facilitating social change (35%).
(% who rate each as “important”)
Q. How important
to you or your
organisation are each
of the following as
possible benefits of
doing stakeholder
engagement? [1-5
(Base=130)
Benefits and risks of stakeholder engagement
89%
89%
88%
84%
78%
78%
77%
74%
68%
65%
63%
62%
60%
59%
57%
53%
44%
35%
Improving your organisation’s reputation or
image
Increasing understanding of your
organisation and its activities
Developing long-term relationships
Better understanding stakeholders’ views,
concerns and expectations
Better understanding of views of those on
the other side of an issue
Influencing the views or actions of other
stakeholders
Building a network of advocates
Avoiding conflict before it emerges
Resolving or reducing conflict
Identifying and mitigating the risk of crises
Creating better public policy
Attracting and retaining high calibre
employees
Sharing expertise
Collaborating to develop programmes and
policies for the organisation
Finding a solution to a complex problem
Demonstrating to others that you’re
engaging
Product innovation
Facilitating social change

• Communicators in the UK are more likely than others to say increasing understanding of their organisation
(95%), avoiding conflicts before they emerge (81%), and attracting and retaining high calibre employees
(73%) are important benefits of engagement
• Those in Brussels are more likely than others to say building a network of advocates (90%), creating better
public policy (90%), and finding solutions to complex problems (70%) are important benefits
• Communicators in Germany are more likely than others to say product innovation (57%) is an important
benefit of engagement
If done well to the right people, they
will tell your story for you much more
powerfully than you can. Customers
will want, not just need, to buy from
you, investors will increase their
holdings as trust and confidence grows
- and in a crisis, you will be given the
benefit of the doubt.

Volunteered biggest internal obstacles to stakeholder engagement
are lack of understanding and buy-in, and lack of resources
(people, budget and time)
Several factors emerge as internal obstacles to conducting stakeholder
engagement programmes, most importantly lack of understanding and buy-
in (29%), lack of people and budget (18%), lack of time (15%), and the lack
of a joined-up approach (13%).
Two thirds (68%)
of communicators
agree that stakeholder
engagement is
important but they feel
overwhelmed sometimes
by the amount of time
and resources required
to do it.
Lack of understanding
about the importance
of engaging in a timely,
consistent and credible
way with stakeholders.
To many colleagues,
looks like a PR exercise,
which does not deserve
time and effort.

Volunteered biggest external challenges or risks are identifying and prioritising stakeholders, loss
of control, and expectation management
When asked to volunteer what they consider to be the biggest external challenges or risks to stakeholder
engagement, one in ten or more communicators mention: being able to identify who to engage with (12%),
loss of control (12%) and expectation management (11%).
Dialogue carries risks - people may not
always ‘get’ the message or love it… but
people will talk about you anyway, so we
need to be in there shaping the debate
about ourselves and our industry.

Prompted biggest potential risks of engagement for their organisations
Respondents were also asked to rate a list of possible risks to their organisation from engagement with
non-traditional stakeholders (i.e., stakeholders other than employees, suppliers, business partners, or
customers/members). Expectation management emerges as the number one potential risk (cited by 60% of
communicators), followed by concerns about reputation damage (45%), waste of time and money (42%), and
loss of control (41%).
(% who rate each as “significant”)
• Communicators in Brussels are more likely than others to see loss of control (65%) and reputation damage
(60%) as significant risks
• Those in Germany are more likely than others to think criticism or attack (57%) is a significant risk
Top Box
rating of 4 or 5
Q. How significant
a potential risk do
you think each of the
following is for your
organisation when
conducting stakeholder
engagement with
non-traditional
stakeholders? [1-5
scale, where 1 = not at
all a risk; 5= extremely
significant risk]
(Base=130)
60%
45%
42%
41%
39%
39%
37%
35%
30%
30%
28%
27%
24%
18%
Not meeting expectations
Reputation damage
Waste of time and money
Loss of control
Compromised principles or goals
Internal tension within your
organisation
Criticism or attack
Exploitation of your organisation
Loss of credibility
Creates conflicts of interest
Dilutes the message your
organisation is trying to communicate
Slows down the organisation
Loss of intellectual property
Harm to sales

Primary responsibility for engagement rests with communications and corporate
affairs organisation’s
More than half of all respondents (55%) say that primary responsibility for coordinating their organisations’
stakeholder engagement activities rests with the communications (32%) or corporate affairs (23%) department.
A quarter (25%) say that no single department has responsibility.
(% who say…)
Just four in ten (39%) say there is one person in their organisation that has ultimate responsibility for managing
their organisation’s stakeholder engagement.
(% who say…)
• Among those that have one person with ultimate responsibility, this person either reports to the most
senior person in their organisation (42%) or reports to the most senior person and also sits on the board
themselves (40%)
• Among those organisations that do not have one person with responsibility, engagement is most often
managed by a department or business unit (32%) or the comms/corporate affairs team coordinates
engagement (21%)
Q. Is there one person
who has ultimate
responsibility for
managing stakeholder
engagement in your
organisation?
39%
55%
7%
Yes
No
Don't know/ no answer
Q. Which department
within your
organisation has
primary responsibility
for coordinating
stakeholder
engagement activities?
(Base=130)
32%
23%
9%
3%
3%
1%
25%
4%
Communications
Corporate affairs
CEO, Chairman or Organisation Board
CSR/foundation
Operational or business unit level head
Strategic planning and risk
All the above departments/ No single
department has responsibility
Other

Half measure the effectiveness of their engagement
Half of all communicators (52%) say their organisation measures the effectiveness of their engagement efforts.
Only three in ten (29%) measure the effectiveness of their stakeholder engagement with specific KPIs.
(% who say…)
Among those who measure the effectiveness of their stakeholder engagement efforts formally with KPIs,
market and opinion leader research is the most common method of doing so (50%).
Nearly half (44%) of
communicators agree
that they feel pressured
by their organisations’
senior leadership
to quantify their
efforts.
Q. Do you measure
the effectiveness
of your stakeholder
engagement efforts?
(Base=130)
Yes, 52%
No, 37%
Don't know,
12%

Importance of stakeholder engagement expected to increase in the next five years
When asked to rate the importance of stakeholder engagement to the success of their organisation,
communicators believe stakeholder engagement is set to become even more important in five years’ time -
going from 82% today to 90% in the future.
(% who rate each as “important” to organisation success)
• There is little change in perceptions for UK and Brussels communicators, around nine in ten respondents
in each market rate stakeholder engagement as important both at present and in five years’ time (UK 91%
now, 89% future)
• However, communicators in Brussels and Germany believe the importance of stakeholder engagement
will increase (Brussels 65% now, 90% future; Germany 50% now, 79% future)
Q. Please indicate
how important you
believe stakeholder
engagement is to
the success of your
organisation [1 to 5
(Base=130)
Q. Now looking ahead
to the future. How
important do you
think stakeholder
engagement will be
in five years’ time to
the success of your
organisation? [1-5
(Base=130)
The future of stakeholder engagement
Now In five years’ time
82%
90%
Now In five years' time

Quantity of stakeholder engagement expected to increase in the next five years
Not only will stakeholder engagement be more important, but communicators expect to be doing more of it.
Four in five (82%) communicators believe their organisation will be doing more stakeholder engagement in
five years’ time.
(% who say…)
• Communicators in Germany (86%) and Brussels (85%) are slightly more likely than those in the UK (77%)
to say their organisation will be doing more stakeholder engagement in five years’ time
Q. In five years, do
you expect your
organisation will
be doing more, the
same amount or
less stakeholder
engagement?
(Base=130)
More, 82%
Same, 18%
Less, 1%

Communicators believe traditional stakeholder engagement
activities will remain important but view online activities as
increasingly influential
When asked to say how important various types of stakeholder relations
or engagement activities will be to their organisation in five years’ time,
communicators are increasingly focused on developing a more strategic
approach, mapping and considering their online options within their
stakeholder engagement strategy.
There is a sizeable difference between the proportion of respondents who
have a stakeholder engagement strategy now (61%) and those who believe
that having one will be “important” in five years’ time (85%). Communicators
also expect to see substantial increases in the importance of mapping
stakeholders (79%) and issues (78%).
Similarly, in terms of social media, majorities (73%) think monitoring social
media channels and mapping online influencers (60%) will be important in
five years’ time. However, while creating online panels to share information
(46%) or blogging (36%) is predicted by some to be important in the future,
these percentages are still below half.
Most communicators
(87%) agree that social
technologies offer new
opportunities to build
relationships.
Clearly, developing a
strategy will be a
key focus for many
organisations in the
next five years, as
three in five (58%)
agree that currently
their organisation
has a wide variety of
programmes, but no
overarching engagement
strategy.

Q. Currently, which
of the following
types of stakeholder
relations or
engagement
activities does your
organisation do?
Please select all that
apply. (Base=130)
Q. How important
do you expect each
of the following
types of stakeholder
relations or
engagement
activities to be to
your organisation
in five years’ time?
[1-5 scale, where 1 =
not at all important;
5 = extremely
important]
(Base=130)
(Base=130)
Organisation
is currently
doing
Activity
rated as
important
in five
years'
time
Net
Difference
Hot
topics
Mapping online
influencers
28% 60% +32%
Creating online panels
to share information
19% 46% +27%
Having a stakeholder
engagement strategy
61% 85% +24%
Mapping of issues 62% 78% +16%
Publishing and sharing
thought leadership
work
52% 65% +13%
Mapping of
stakeholders
69% 79% +10%
Blogging 30% 36% +6%
Using social media for
purposes other than
marketing
56% 62% +6%
Undertaking
consultation exercises
as you develop
policies and
programmes
52% 58% +6%
Long term
engagement to create
lasting relationships
86% 88% +2%
Conducting surveys of
stakeholders views
and concerns
72% 71% -1%
Monitoring social
media channels
79% 73% -6%
Hosting roundtables
or panels
68% 59% -9%
Cooling
topics
Hosting events 80% 62% -18%
Monitoring traditional
media
94% 69% -25%
Attending networking
events
85% 56% -29%
Becoming a member
of a trade association
or industry group
87% 56% -31%

• Communicators in the UK are particularly likely to say that in five years’ time the following activities will be
important:longtermengagementtocreatelastingrelationships(91%),conductingsurveysofstakeholder’s
views and concerns (77%), monitoring social media channels (77%), using social media for non-marketing
purposes (70%) and undertaking consultation exercises as they develop policies and programmes (67%)
• Communicators in Brussels are particularly likely to say attending networking events (70%), and becoming
a member of a trade association or industry group (75%) will be important in five years’ time
• Communicators in Germany are particularly likely to say that publishing and sharing thought leadership
work (79%) will be important in five years’ time. While two in three (64%) say having a stakeholder
engagement strategy will be important

14%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
3%
4%
4%
4%
6%
6%
7%
7%
8%
15%
34%
Other
Dedicated departments / specialists / skilled
individuals
More regular / active communications
More direct contact
More time / resources invested in stakeholder
engagement
More long term engagement
More central to companies' activities
Joining focus to solve problems for mutual
benefits
More engagement with non-traditional
stakeholders
More monitoring / measurement /
assessment
Broader engagement across organisation -
beyond CEO / comms team
Coordinated / aligned across organisation
Similar to present / current principles will
remain
Building personal relationships will remain key
More transparency / honesty
Face-to-face will remain key / become
increasingly important
Social media / online
Volunteered: Future engagement expected to use more social media and online, to complement
on-going face-to face interaction
Communicators volunteer a range of suggestions as to how stakeholder engagement will look in the future,
with social media and online (34%) and face-to-face engagement (15%) considered to be the most effective
ways to engage with stakeholders in the future.
(% who describe it as…)
If an organisation does it in a structured way with a consistent strategy, and relationship-
management, then not much will fundamentally change. The channels to reach key constituencies
will change, with a growing focus on social media, but even here this should never usurp strong
face-to-face engagement where trust and mutual respect are best fostered.
Q. In a sentence or two,
what do you think the
future of stakeholder
engagement will look
like? What will be
the most effective
ways to engage with
stakeholders in the
future? (Base=130)

Prompted: In-person meetings the most effective way to communicate with non-traditional
stakeholders in five years’ time
When asked to rate several channels of communication in terms of how effective they would be with non-
traditionalstakeholdersinfiveyears’time,respondentsratein-personmeetings(75%),web-basedcollaboration
tools / applications (43%) and working groups (36%) as most likely to be effective. This suggests that a mix of
communication channels will be necessary, but that face-to-face communications will remain the best way to
build trust and mutual respect with non-traditional stakeholders.
(% who rate each as “most effective”)
The best way to engage with stakeholders is to build long-
term relationships and be open and honest, even in the
difficult times.
Q. Which of the
following do you
think will be the
most effective ways
to communicate
with non-traditional
stakeholders in five
years’ time? Please
select up to three.
(Base=130, multiple
responses allowed)
75%
43%
36%
26%
25%
22%
20%
12%
9%
6%
3%
3%
In-person meetings
Web-based collaboration
tools / applications
Working groups
Website
Trade or industry
association
Blogs
Conference speaker
opportunities
E-mail
Panels
Videoconferencing
Conference calls (voice
only)
Mobile text messaging
Two thirds (68%) say
developing alliances
with non-traditional
stakeholders will
be key to successful
programmes and
policies in the future.

Developing a successful stakeholder engagement programme and achieving your organisation’s objectives
involves putting in place several elements, some of which will likely require collaboration with internal
stakeholders, as they may be outside the control of the communications team.
Factors that are considered most important to success for programmes
Communicators say the most important factors for creating a successful stakeholder engagement programme
are trust (95%), commitment from the top of the organisation (93%) and mutual respect (92%). Nearly as
important are alignment with organisation’s long-term goals (88%), transparency (86%), and long-term
focus (84%).
(% who rate each as “important” to success)
Blueprint for success: What does it take to
build a successful programme?
Q. Thinking now
about creating
successful stakeholder
engagement programs.
How important are
each of the following
for a stakeholder
engagement program
to be successful? [1-5
(Base=130)
95%
93%
92%
88%
86%
84%
80%
79%
71%
65%
60%
58%
44%
37%
Trust
Commitment from most senior
people in the organisation
Mutual respect
Ensuring the program aligns with
your organisation’s long-term goals
Transparency
Long term focus
Identifying areas of mutual interest
Being clear about what success looks
like
Personal relationships
Identifying and avoiding possible
conflicts of interest
Shared values
Increased credibility from working
with others
Building alliances with non-traditional
stakeholders
Focus on social purpose

• Communicators in Brussels are more likely than others to say
transparency (95%) and shared values (80%) are important
• Interestingly, while communicators in Germany are more likely than
others to say identifying and avoiding possible conflicts of interest is
important (79%), they are less likely than others to say identifying areas
of mutual interest is important (57%)
Almost all
communicators
agree companies
that acknowledge the
link between their
and core business goals
are more likely to be
seen as honest and
credible (99%) and
that success requires
long-term commitment
(98%).
Four in five (80%)
communicators agree
that senior management
at their organisation
understand and
appreciate the value of
stakeholder engagement.

Factors considered most important to success for programmes now will be equally important in
the future.
Communicators tend to rate the factors for creating a successful stakeholder engagement programme at
present as similarly important in five years’ time. While there are slight differences in the order of importance,
the top six factors remain unchanged: commitment from the top of the organisation (97%), trust (95%),
alignmentwiththeorganisation’slong-termgoals(92%),long-termfocus(91%),transparency(90%)andmutual
respect (87%).
(% who rate each as “important” to success)
• Communicators in Brussels are more likely than others to say mutual respect (100%), identifying areas of
mutual interest (80%), identifying and avoiding possible conflicts of interest (70%) and building alliances
with non-traditional stakeholders (65%) will be important in five years’ time
• Communicators in Germany are less likely than others to say transparency (79%), mutual respect (71%),
shared values (50%) and a focus on social purpose (36%) will be important in five years’ time
Q. Thinking now
about creating
successful stakeholder
engagement programs.
How important are
for a stakeholder
engagement program
to be successful? [1-5
(Base=130)
Q. How important will
be for a stakeholder
engagement
programme to be
successful in the future,
say in five years’ time?
[1-5 scale, where 1 =
not at all important; 5
= extremely important]
(Base=130)
95%
93%
92%
88%
86%
84%
80%
79%
71%
65%
60%
58%
44%
37%
95%
97%
87%
92%
90%
91%
74%
85%
75%
59%
65%
79%
55%
57%
Trust
Commitment from most senior people in the
organisation
Mutual respect
Ensuring the program aligns with your
organisation’s long-term goals
Transparency
Long term focus
Identifying areas of mutual interest
Being clear about what success looks like
Personal relationships
Identifying and avoiding possible conflicts of
interest
Shared values
Increased credibility from working with others
Building alliances with non-traditional
stakeholders
Focus on social purpose
Now In five years

The results of this survey demonstrate that communicators believe stakeholder engagement is important to
the success of their organisation, and will only grow in importance in the future.
As organisations contemplate engagement with non-traditional stakeholders, several important implications
emerge from the research that should guide thinking and behaviour:
1. Internal understanding and buy-in are a prerequisite to success. They exist but, as we see, even greater
understanding and buy-in across and down the organisation are needed if programmes are to be as
effective as possible
2. Alignment with the organisation’s long-term goals is an important element of this buy-in process, and
requires greater integration with the overall business strategy. Senior communicators will need to ensure
they are part of the process of setting their organisation’s strategic compass
3. Short-term, ad hoc engagement is likely to be less effective than a long-term, strategic approach. A
strategic, joined-up approach will enable organisations to engage in the most effective ways, both in terms
of time and budget. Such an approach will involve a clear engagement plan for each stakeholder group,
and the ability and flexibility to use traditional and new modes of engagement as required
4. The sheer amount of time and effort needed for engagement activities is likely to increase significantly.
Communicators will need to lobby for additional resources to cope with the growing internal pressure for
results and external expectations for sustained engagement
5. Managing the expectations of non-traditional stakeholders will be key to creating programmes that deliver
on objectives. As we see, establishing trust and respect, as well as being transparent about where the
organisation’s and stakeholders’ interests converge and diverge, will be critical to keeping expectations
in check
6. Measurement is a useful way to demonstrate effectiveness and justify increased focus and budget.
Communicators need to establish realistic, outcome-focussed KPIs for their programmes and track them
over time
7. As part of future best practice, we are likely to see a blending of traditional and new approaches. We can
expect greater integration between online and traditional activities, and a combination of channels being
used to engage successfully with stakeholders. While online activities will increase in importance, face
to face interaction will remain vital to forging the close relationships based on trust and respect required
for success
What will successful engagement look like in the future? As we have seen, on the surface, in many respects
it will be similar to what it is today. But digging deeper, we uncover a number of implications related to
engaging with non-traditional stakeholders that will require significant changes from communicators in
approach, tools and techniques. Communicators who factor these implications into the development of their
engagement blueprint, and then follow through with sustained programmes, can expect to be more successful
at achieving their organisation’s objectives, as well as to grow the influence of their function within their
respective organisations.
Implications

Methodology
The research was conducted by Brunswick Insight, the opinion research practice of Brunswick Group, a
corporate communications consultancy. Brunswick Insight conducted an online survey of 130 European senior
communications professionals between 30th August and 23rd October 2012 to understand their views and
practices in the area of stakeholder engagement. Interviews were conducted online in English and respondents
work in a wide range of industries and sectors in Europe.
Survey participants were drawn from several sources, including our own and publicly available databases, as
well as members of the European Association of Communications Directors. Most respondents were from
companies, but a sizeable number of associations, government organisations, NGOs and other organisations
also took part. Qualitative research in the form of 8 in-depth interviews with senior corporate, association and
NGO communicators preceded the quantitative phase and was used to design the survey instrument.
Note: Percentages may not total 100%, due to rounding or multiple responses.
About the study

Demographics
18%
17%
12%
11%
8%
6%
5%
3%
20%
12%
10%
10%
9%
9%
8%
8%
5%
4%
3%
22%
Head of
Communications
Director of
Communications
Public Affairs Director
Communications
Manager
Global Communications
Director
Head/ Director/
Manager of IR
Communications
Director
Head of Public
Relations
Other
Finance
Healthcare
Industrial Goods
Professional Support
Services
Telecoms Technology
Food and Beverage
Energy Resources
Consumer Goods
Transport Logistics
Construction Building
Materials
Other
Type of company
Years in role
Gender
Country
Job title
Participant sector
69%
14%
6%
5%
3%
3%
15%
39%
22%
19%
4%
2%
55%
45%
49%
15%
11%
3%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
13%
Listed company
Private company
Industry association or
trade body
Governmental organisation
Non-profit organisation
Other
Less than 1
1 – 3 years
4 – 5 years
6 – 10 years
11 – 15 years
16 – 20 years
Male
Female
United Kingdom
Brussels/Belgium
Germany
France
Italy
Austria
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Sweden
Other

About Brunswick Insight
Brunswick Insight operates globally with colleagues located in the Americas, Asia and Europe. We specialise
in assessing global business issues and corporate reputation. Brunswick Insight uses a range of qualitative
and quantitative research techniques to help companies and organisations inform and measure their
communications and policy strategies. We work across a broad spectrum of sectors, geographies, languages
and mandates and offer a wide range of services, from stakeholder and issue mapping through to opinion
polling and focus groups.
If you have questions or would like more information about the research please contact Phil Riggins at
Brunswick Insight on 0207 396 3564 or at priggins@brunswickgroup.com.

Future of Stakeholder Engagement Report 2013

Future of Stakeholder Engagement Report 2013

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