Company press sites as online media relations tools

Abstract

Since the early 1990's, the internet has fundamentally changed the ways in which companies communicate and interact with their audiences. Today, international companies widely utilize web-based media centers i.e. company press sites as online media relations tools to offer the media different kinds of materials and information about the company. These online press sites work as centralized, easy access hubs to company-related information and digital assets, and offer companies a way to centralize most of their daily media inquiries.

Earlier research indicates that despite the growing demand for online media relations tools, most corporate press sites are "far from being complete, efficient, easy-to-use, reliable and updated on a daily basis". Media relations practitioners tend to believe that their press sites provide the media with high-quality information and materials, while the media often feels that corporate webpages actually fail to deliver the information they are looking for.

This study explores literature and theoretical recommendations for a successful company press site and formulates six content, structure, and features categories with key learnings for each category to create an analytical framework for building an efficient company press site. As a case company, the study analyses the content, structure and features of Nokia press sites, and suggests practical implications for their improvement.

In the analysis, the press site content is explored according to six categories formulated in the analytical framework of the study. The objective for the analysis is to find out how well the case study press sites meet the theoretical recommendations.

The key findings suggest that 1) clear and consistent navigation, 2) logical information grouping, and 3) providing a channel for dialogue are the most important factors of a successful company press site. Practical recommendations for the case company are formulated according to these findings.

The findings and practical implications of this study are important for both academics and corporate communications practitioners working with media relations. The analytical framework for corporate press site content building formulated in this study has the potential of guiding the website content research further as well as offering practitioners a concrete case example to explore when planning and maintaining their online media relations.