We help our clients articulate their ESG strategy and performance in a clear, compelling and transparent way, combining multiple media and channels with traditional reporting solutions.
While a report is often the centerpiece, the most effective communications plans leverage the investment in reporting by creating a suite of communications tailored to key audiences. Working closely with our clients, we co-create a strategic approach based on an understanding of their stakeholders and objectives. We then work side by side across all phases of the project to deliver award-winning reports and other communications using established and emerging frameworks.
The most successful sustainability strategies are integrated with the company’s business model and culture, address its most important issues, establish vision and direction, set inspirational but achievable goals and specify targets and indicators. The reporting process can contribute to strategy development by providing a tool for evaluating and communicating performance.
We use a tailored approach to working with companies on their strategy journey, providing services including:
+ Materiality analysis
+ Competitive assessment
+ Development of communication platforms
+ Assistance in setting goals and identifying key performance indicators
Materiality analysis – that is, identifying the issues, risks and opportunities that are most important to a company and its stakeholders – is the foundation of successful sustainability and communication strategies and a requirement of leading reporting frameworks.
BuzzWord was one of the first practitioners of materiality assessment in the sustainability context 15 years ago, developing a methodology to help Ford Motor Company identify and prioritize its most important sustainability issues. We’ve refined our proven approach to be useful for companies of any size and in a range of industries. We tailor our proprietary methodology to be as efficient and informative as possible while meeting the client’s objectives.
The reporting landscape is more complex than ever. While BuzzWord has extensive experience with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) – the leading framework for sustainability and corporate responsibility reporting for nearly two decades – we are also experts in integrated reporting and other frameworks, including those of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and other issue- and industry-specific guidelines. Our approach is to advise our clients on the best frameworks to use given their objectives and audiences and then help them effectively implement the right ones using gap analyses and other tools.
We also help clients navigate the increasingly complex maze of organizations that evaluate, rank or rate companies on their sustainability and corporate responsibility performance, prioritizing the most relevant raters and developing a response strategy that makes sense for each individual company. See our recent presentation on this topic: Score! Making the Most of Raters and Rankers.
Through long-time partnerships with some of the best graphic designers in the business, we deliver projects that seamlessly integrate innovative, fit-for-purpose editorial content with cutting-edge print and web design. Translating complex topics and technical information in a way that is meaningful to diverse audiences requires both visual and verbal skills. By collaborating with expert design partners, we create a compelling narrative that uses infographics, images, video and animations to tell the client’s story.
