Are you ready for the future? One of the major challenges facing organisations today is to reach and engage with their diverse stakeholder audiences. Your corporate website is now regarded as the ‘port of call’ for corporate information. The Black Sun 2018 Digital FTSE research discusses how companies are increasingly setting out their view of the future, and investing in ways of using digital technologies to better get their story across. This year we have seen a dramatic shift to shine a light into the company’s future. As the user journey fragments across channels, companies are increasingly realising websites as one of their most important channels to articulate their corporate story coherently and compellingly. This is being achieved by focussing on compelling content and exceptional experience. Our research reveals best practice, trends in content and user experience through 5 key lenses: *The Corporate Narrative: Building confidence in the future Investor Engagement: Greater openness *Sustainability: Evidencing a sustainable future *Employees and Careers: Attracting future talent *Media: Amplifying your corporate story

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LIGHTING THE WAY

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• Presentation of the research
• Panel discussion of key trends
– Chris Gurney, Lead Investor Engagement consultant
– Alex Annaev, Lead sustainability Consultant
– Anne Kirkeby, Lead Corporate Reporting Consultant
• Discussion and feedback
• Summary and close
AGENDA

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION
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#LightingTheWay
www.blacksunplc.com/horizon

4. INTRODUCING BLACK SUN

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WHO WE ARE
We are an international
stakeholder communications
agency
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WHAT WE DO
We help clients
articulate their
purpose and
communicate
how they deliver
value to their
stakeholders
Corporate reputation
Corporate Reporting
Sustainability communications
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WHAT WE DO
We help clients
articulate their
purpose and
communicate
how they deliver
value to their
stakeholders
We deliver
inspiring
communications
that reach,
engage and
influence
stakeholders
Employee
communications
Investor
engagement
Customer
communications
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WHAT WE DO
We help clients
articulate their
purpose and
communicate
how they deliver
value to their
stakeholders
We deliver
inspiring
communications
that reach,
engage and
influence
stakeholders
We exploit
digital channels
to transform
how
stakeholders
experience your
corporate story
Websites
Moving image
Social media
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OUR LISTED DIGITAL CLIENTS
ReportingSustainability
Employee
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10. OUR ANALYSIS

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OUR ANALYSIS
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DATA POINTSCONTENT EXPERIENCE

12. EXCEPTIONAL
EXPERIENCE

13. COMPELLING
CONTENT

14. WHAT ARE WE SEEING?

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IN SUM…… A TRANSFORMATION
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• Growth of digital
• Consumer marketing led digital development
• Controllable, multi-stakeholder channel
• Trusted go-to resource
• Typically a first point of call
• Enabled by technology advances
DRIVEN BY….
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1. Companies are ‘looking to the future’
2. Investing in the strategic corporate narrative
3. Evidencing their market leadership
4. Investing in latest digital techniques to better tell their story
KEY TAKE OUT FROM THIS YEAR
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
70% now disclose specific
strategic objectives
Clarity on
strategic priorities
+13%
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
69% include news, thought-pieces and blogs
to evidence their market leadership
Evidencing
market leadership
+14%
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
79% provide their specific
sustainability commitments
Committing to a
sustainable future
+20%
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
77% now list job vacancies
Attracting
future talent
+15%
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
72% of sites now contain video
in more than one section
Exploiting rich media
+6%
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
of sites enable users
to share this content
Looking to a
social future
47%
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24. EXCEPTIONAL
EXPERIENCE

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EXPERIENCE: SINCE 2015
2015 2016 2017 2018
PEDESTRIAN
• Lacklustre
• Functional
MODERNISATION ENGAGING
• Responsive
• Better designed
• Quick access
• Navigation
• ‘Live’
• Interactive
• Video
• Social
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EXPERIENCE: 2018
BRINGING YOUR
STORY TO LIFE
Have a distinctive
creative identity
77%
Use video in
multiple sections
72%
Growth in
interactive features
(timelines/maps etc.)
+20%
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EXPERIENCE: 2018
But more to do….
Enable sharing to
social media
47%
Have social media
feeds / walls
6%
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28. CREATING
COMPELLING
CONTENT

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CORPORATE NARRATIVE OVER TIME
2015 2016 2017 2018
FOCUS ON FACT
• Profile
• Structure
• Board
• History
NARRATIVE UNIQUENESS
• Strategy
• Business model
• Market
• Purpose
• Leadership
• At a glance
• Clarity
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CORPORATE NARRATIVE: 2018
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
IN THE FUTURE
Publish individual
strategic objectives
70%
Describe their
business model
51%
Have a dedicated
Governance section
92%
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CORPORATE NARRATIVE
But more to do….
Include an overview of
their KPIs
30%
Highlight their
principal risks
12%
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INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT: SINCE 2015
2015 2016 2017 2018
LIBRARY
• Results
• Reports
• RNS
• Share price
• Shareholder
info
UTILITY COMMS
• Quick access
• Archives
• Alerts & tools
• Investment case
• KPIs / highlights
• Video
• Linkages
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INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT: 2018
GREATER OPENNESS
Share their financial
highlights
68%
Provide a good
archive of webcasts
84%
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INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT: 2018
But more to do….
Include an investment
proposition in their
website
34%
Provide a
downloadable
factsheet
32%
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SUSTAINABILITY: SINCE 2015
2015 2016 2017 2018
‘INVOLVED’
• Summary
• Approach
• Focus areas
‘ENGAGED’ COMMITMENT
• Case studies
• Stakeholder
engagement
• Objectives
• Performance
• Data
• News
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SUSTAINABILITY: 2018
EVIDENCING A
SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Provide their
sustainability
commitments
+20%
Share information
on stakeholder
engagement
74%
Provide performance
data
67%
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SUSTAINABILITY: 2018
But more to do….
Clearly identify their
material issues
49%
Provide
sustainability
specific news
32%
Explain their
materiality
determination
process
46%
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CAREERS: SINCE 2015
2015 2016 2017 2018
SHOP WINDOW
• Why here
• Culture
• Training
• Roles
ATTRACT INSPIRE
• Employee profiles
• Audience specifics
• Values
• EVP
• Benefits
• Video profiles
• Search & apply
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CAREERS: 2018
ATTRACTING FUTURE
TALENT
Share specific job
opportunities
77%
Enable ‘search &
apply’
+28%
Give audience
specific content
75%
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CAREERS: 2018
But more to do….
Provide a clear
‘why work here’
57% 40%
Use video in people
profiles
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41. PANEL DISCUSSION

42. IN SUM…

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CORPORATE SITES HAVE TRANSFORMED
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From functional repositories
of information

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To a dynamic
destination to
experience your
corporate story

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At the heart of your communications programme

47. AND WHAT’S NEXT?

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• Layered content
• Visual content (e.g.
iconography)
• Video, animations,
cinemagraphs
• Interactive features
• Content loading styles
• ‘Live’ content – news / social
• Amplification of purpose/
uniqueness
• Narrative content
– Investment case; strategy;
• Enhanced content linkages
IN THE SHORT TERM
EXPERIENCE CONTENT
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• Greater effort to bring to life
• Extended ‘news’ style content
• Voice search and advanced search
• Virtual reality websites?
AND FURTHER AHEAD?

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5
0

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FTSE
Digital
Launched today…
FTSE
Reporting
Launch 28 June…
FTSE
Social
Coming soon…
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Results
Coming soon…
www.blacksunplc.com/horizon

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THANK YOU