What are the functions of corporate communication in a large company?
Corporate communication in a large company fulfils a strategic and cross-cutting function: building, protecting and projecting the organisation’s identity, ensuring consistency between what the company is, says and does.
Its role goes far beyond the dissemination of messages. It involves:
- Supporting the business strategy, translating it into narratives that are understandable to different stakeholders.
- Managing corporate reputation in highly complex contexts.
- Facilitating internal alignment, especially in complex, multinational, multi-country organisations that are constantly changing.
- Anticipating risks, managing crises and sustaining stakeholder confidence in the long term.
In a large company, communication is an enabler of change and a key asset for business sustainability.
What characteristics define it?
Corporate communication is defined by several essential characteristics:
- Strategic: it is aligned with corporate objectives and facilitates decision-making.
- Comprehensive: it articulates internal, external, digital and leadership communication under a single vision.
- Consistent: it ensures narrative coherence across all channels and audiences.
- Proactive: it does not merely react to events; it analyses scenarios, detects risks and prepares the organisation.
- Human: it puts people at the centre, even when communicating complex decisions or moments of transformation.
What are its foundations?
Corporate communication is based on five pillars:
- Internal and cultural communication: connects people with the strategy, reinforces the purpose and accompanies change processes.
- Corporate reputation and positioning: builds trust with the media, opinion leaders, institutions and society.
- Leadership and spokesperson communication: supports leaders in communicating with clarity, consistency, confidence, transparency and credibility.
How do they complement each other?
These dimensions reinforce each other. Strong external communication is not sustainable without aligned internal communication.
Credible leadership is built on consistent messages and visible actions.
Digital communication enhances reputation, but also requires greater consistency and responsiveness.
The strength of corporate communication lies precisely in its ability to integrate all these fronts under a single narrative, tailored to each audience but aligned with the corporate culture.
How does this type of communication differ from that of smaller companies?
The main difference lies in the scale, complexity and level of impact.
In large companies:
- Audiences are more diverse.
- Messages have reputational, regulatory and economic implications.
- Multi-country coordination requires defined governance and guidelines.
While communication in smaller companies may be more tactical or reactive, in large corporations it is structural, strategic and long-term.
To what extent do new technologies affect corporate communication?
New technologies have radically transformed corporate communication.
Technology enhances communication, but the value remains in strategy, content and credibility.
Beyond technology, the real challenge lies in communication criteria: knowing what to communicate, when and in what tone, in a hyper-connected environment where transparency and consistency are not optional.
Some tools or technologies that can be implemented are:
Artificial intelligence, which optimises processes, personalises content and improves the ability to anticipate.
Advanced analytics and digital listening, which enable data-driven decision-making.
Collaborative platforms, which bring strategy closer to teams and strengthen culture.
