Tomi Korhonen, Director of Communications at Business Finland: “Reputation management is not the sole responsibility of the communications department”
“Reputation is incredibly important for 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 subject because it can never be fully controlled. Reputation arises from the experiences of those who receive it.
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 worked in communications management at Tekes and Teosto, as well as a reporter at YLE and Helsingin Sanomat.
The first step in reputation management 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 paint an honest picture of the current situation
Business Finland was established in 2018 when Finpro and Tekes merged. Korhonen believed it was crucial to assess the organization’s baseline reputation right at the start of the transition.
“When you set out to work on your brand, the most important thing is to create a completely honest picture of where you stand. This gives you a clear view of 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 just by running in place, but that doesn’t really get you anywhere.”
Once the baseline for the brand had been established, efforts were launched to raise awareness of Business Finland through marketing and communications. Korhonen emphasizes, however, that these measures were just one part of the brand-building process.
“Reputation management is not the exclusive domain of the communications or marketing department; rather, it is created and 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
