Tomi Korhonen, Director of Communications at Business Finland: “Reputation management is not the sole responsibility of the communications department”
“Reputation is incredibly important to any organization, but it’s also a devilishly difficult topic,” saysTomi Korhonen, Director of Communications at Business Finland.
According to Korhonen, reputation is a difficult topic because it can never be fully controlled. Reputation arises from the recipients’ experience.
However, much of it is in the hands of the company or organization itself. A company can actively manage its reputation.
Tomi Korhonen, Director of Communications, Business Finland
A professional in communications, marketing, and public relations. Previously held leadership positions in communications at Tekes and Teosto, and worked as a reporter for YLE and Helsingin Sanomat.
The first step anseende is to assess what the organization’s reputation is right now.
“This gives us the most comprehensive picture possible of what our key stakeholders think of us,” Korhonen says.
The most important thing in reputation management is to create an honest picture of the current situation
Business Finland was established in 2018 when Finpro and Tekes merged. In Korhonen’s view, it was crucial to assess anseende , right at the start of the transition phase.
“When you want to start working on your reputation, the most important thing is to create a completely honest picture of where you stand. This gives you insight into what we’re doing well and what needs work. That way, we can focus on doing the right things along the way.”
“If you don’t do this kind of initial assessment, you’ll still end up doing the right things, but it’ll be more like floundering and wandering aimlessly. Sure, you can work up a sweat even by running in place, but it doesn’t really take you anywhere.”
Once anseende had been assessed, efforts were launched to raise awareness of Business Finland through marketing and communications. Korhonen emphasizes, however, that these measures were only one part of the brand-building effort.
“Reputation management is not the exclusive domain of the communications or marketing department; rather, it arises and is built through the collective efforts of the entire organization.”
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Text: Anu Räsänen
Video production: Vesa Koivunen, Harri Leinikka, Tuuli Pohjola, and Riku Ruokolahti
