July is World Affairs Month at PRSA. Be taught extra in regards to the programming right here.
Christoph Horn is senior vice chairman of company communications and advertising at ZF Group, a worldwide know-how firm supplying methods for automobiles, business autos and industrial know-how, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
He grew up in Germany, Belgium and the USA and has labored as a journalist and with numerous corporations together with Normal Motors Europe and Adam Opel AG. Previous to ZF, he led worldwide communications and launches at DaimlerChrysler and was head of communications for Mercedes-Benz Automobile manufacturers for a few years.
As a CCO/CMO, what greatest practices are you seeing globally along with your groups?
After the primary 12 months of COVID we reorganized communications and advertising at ZF. Sharing greatest practices among the many groups was one driving component. One other was to react to de-globalization with a extra resilient group.
Firstly of 2022 we began with a brand new organizational setup and a worldwide management crew that now contains regional leaders from North America and Asia Pacific in addition to divisional leaders from the larger divisions.
Are you able to describe an instance the place native observe and wish for nuance may trump how issues are finished globally? How a lot flexibility do you give native groups?
With the brand new construction, the regional practices are shared on the highest degree within the group. Native groups get all the flexibleness they want as a result of they’re near the enterprise. There may be much less flexibility in terms of company id/design and model points. That is an space the place we really feel that central governance is required
My purchasers in China rely closely on tremendous app WeChat, growing interactive content material and driving gross sales with intricate, but easy content material that enables for interplay and typically the flexibility to buy gadgets in-app. Are you able to describe your method to WeChat in Asia and are you seeing an equal wherever?
Our crew in Asia-Pacific expertly makes use of WeChat and different social media channels to tell and work together with completely different stakeholder teams. They faucet into world content material, decide and select after which tailor it to satisfy regional necessities. This content material is then shared with world groups and typically translated to work in company or different regional social media channels.
Are you optimizing world workflow by utilizing time zone variations to your benefit?
Sure, and we additionally ask regional groups to co-lead or lead world actions of their area. In a world with journey restrictions, it doesn’t make a lot sense to run a Shanghai Auto Present venture or a buyer TechDay from (ZF HQ) Friedrichshafen.
Are there cultural moments like holidays that your world groups have actually embraced internally and on social and maybe moments that aren’t so world the place the native crew has flexibility however content material isn’t shared globally? Do you could have tips round how far and huge you acknowledge non secular holidays?
We respect all areas and their holidays however in communication, we deal with our firm’s values and ideas which embody accountability, anticipation, empowerment, ardour and variety. These are common for ZF‘s workers and join all of us at ZF. In case you are take a look right here.
How a lot content material is your crew producing and adapting for native markets? Do you could have an 80:20 rule to maximise effectivity?
We’re a know-how and B2B firm with robust divisions that assist us in creating content material for purchasers, media and different stakeholder teams. Most strategic content material comes from the company crew however the pattern within the divisions — particularly within the electrical Powertrain and business car divisions — is to contribute increasingly more.
Are there fascinating greatest practices in disaster mitigation that you simply’re both taking to markets or studying from them?
Experiences and good concepts are at all times shared. If a disaster has a possible to go world, we cope with it with a disaster crew that represents all areas of the corporate.
Are some markets extra proof against U.S./HQ efforts to rejoice inclusion? How do you handle that?
Isn’t the query whether or not a globally working firm can anticipate that every one central initiatives are accepted by its groups in all places on the planet? I suppose you may’t promote range with out respecting cultural variations. That doesn’t imply such initiatives shouldn’t be promoted — it signifies that you could have to just accept ignorance and push-back and begin to have interaction in a significant dialogue.
Any tendencies in giving and CSR globally that both you’re sharing with markets which have come from HQ, or that you’re studying from areas/markets?
We’ve a worldwide CSR marketing campaign by the title of ZF Helps. It’s centrally orchestrated and the areas can carry their very own actions underneath its wing. In occasions of disaster, we’ve got skilled unprecedented solidarity within the ZF group. Our ZF colleagues within the German Ahr Valley had been hit by a devastating flood final 12 months. ZF and its world groups donated greater than 1,000,000 Euros to assist and donations got here from so far as China and Japan.
Hale World Communications founder Trevor C. Hale helps corporations and leaders articulate and amplify their tales. Having led world communications for Fortune 100 corporations in APAC, EMEA and the Americas, he now collaborates with purchasers and corporations throughout mobility, AI, crypto, management, ESG and luxurious sectors. He’s the 2022 PRSA worldwide meeting delegate.
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