Imagination at work.

Gary Sheffer Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs @garysheffer

Getting Engaged— a Smart Idea?

Engagement’s new place in our lexicon

2 @garysheffer

Technology democratizes your brand

And empowers stakeholders

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@garysheffer 4

@garysheffer

16 key attributes to building trust

5

Rebuilding trust hinges on engagement

DELIVERS CONSISTENT FINANCIAL RETURNS TO INVESTORS

HAS HIGHLY-REGARDED AND WIDELY ADMIRED TOP LEADERSHIP

RANKS ON A GLOBAL LIST OF TOP COMPANIES

OPERATIONS

WORKS TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT

ADDRESSES SOCIETY’S NEEDS IN ITS EVERYDAY BUSINESS

CREATES PROGRAMS THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

PARTNERS WITH NGOs, GOVERNMENT AND 3RD PARTIES TO ADDRESS SOCIETAL NEEDS

PURPOSE

IS AN INNOVATOR OF NEW PRODUCTS, SERVICES OR IDEAS

OFFERS HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

TAKES RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS TO ADDRESS AN ISSUE OR CRISIS

HAS TRANSPARENT AND OPEN BUSINESS PRACTICES

HAS ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICES

INTEGRITY

COMMUNICATES FREQUENTLY AND HONESTLY ON THE STATE OF ITS BUSINESS

LISTENS TO CUSTOMER NEEDS AND FEEDBACK

TREATS EMPLOYEES WELL

PLACES CUSTOMERS AHEAD OF PROFITS

ENGAGEMENT

Source: Edelman Trust Barometer (2014)

COMMUNICATES FREQUENTLY AND HONESTLY ON THE STATE OF ITS BUSINESS

LISTENS TO CUSTOMER NEEDS AND FEEDBACK

TREATS EMPLOYEES WELL

PLACES CUSTOMERS AHEAD OF PROFITS

ENGAGEMENT

Honey Maid: This is Wholesome

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Head-on, fast and smart

7 @garysheffer

Engagement can = advocacy

8 @garysheffer

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Sochi: Engaging at slower speed

10 Photo courtesy of Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi

Industry Source Ideas Lab is a credible source for thought leaders .

A Platform for Industry Leaders

A North Star in Branded Content

Top Voices Ideas Lab directly connects GE to industry leaders & policy players .

Convening a Powerful Community

Connecting Prominent Influentials

C-Suite/VP

Senior Execs

Other

Engaging on policy: GE Ideas Lab

60% 30%

10%

150+ Contributors

199,000 People Reached on Twitter

1MM Unique Page Views

Businesses

Government Think Tanks Academia

Media

5K Daily Readers

“Ideas Lab is a way to keep those conversations going.” –Nieman Lab, Sept ‘13

Ideaslaboratory.com @ideaslaboratory 11

GE Garage in D.C.: Experiential engagement

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Big Moments 4/3: Future of Work Event

4/10: African Delegation Visit 3/31: Vets Day 3/28: STEM Event

3/27: TechCocktail Reception

30 Unique Media Moments

25% FirstBuild Comm.

Growth

2,500 Total Visitors

1.5M Media Impressions

4M Social Media Impressions

600 Influencers Convened

Engaging stories: GE Reports

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• Strong storytelling & l visuals = media attention – 50,000 views on Gizmodo

• Published on Tumblr

• Media, analysts, investors, employees, tech afficianados

• 51,000 subscribers

Surprise!

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But is more engagement always the answer?

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Rules for getting it right

How important is it to your company?

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1

How engaged are your stakeholders? 2

Are those who disagree likely to be persuaded? 3

Are your critics credible? 4

What kind of engagement is appropriate? 5

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@garysheffer

Purpose is the foundation for engagement

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‘The GE Works Equation’

x A belief

in a better

way

A

relentless

drive to invent

and build

things that

matter

+ =

We look at what the

world needs

A WORLD that WORKS

BETTER Building,

Powering, Moving &

Curing

@garysheffer

“The new goal is not merely to shape the opinion, sentiment and perception of

individuals, but to spur them to action, continuing behavior and advocacy.”

Arthur W. Page Society

New Model for corporate communications

Engagement drives authentic advocacy

@garysheffer 18

This is a revolution…

In a world of heightened expectations and remarkable tools at our disposal, there is more opportunity for creativity and strategy in corporate communications than ever before.

We need the best students in the field to fuel us, and our businesses, forward.

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A question:

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Do you believe that with the rise of social media, trends of engagement, and CSR initiatives that there may be an increase in skepticism from audiences regarding the authenticity of corporations in respect to engagement initiatives? If so, how do you see “engagement” and relationships between corporations and stakeholders evolving in years to come?

Jessica Couloute Marquette University

College of Communication ‘14 @garysheffer