Interview by Flavia Giovannelli for the newspaper “Entreprise Romande” of June 4, 2021.

Photo by Fred Merz, Monday 13.

After working in well-known communications agencies in Geneva, Elisabeth Tripod-Fatio continued her career at the canton’s economic promotion office, then at the State of Geneva’s general directorate for economic development, research and innovation. Finally, she founded her own company, de facto, three years ago. A long-held dream, which she enjoys every day, having found a kind of freedom that suits her.

Did you hesitate to leave the State in 2017, when your department was on a roll?

No, although some people thought I wasn’t making the right choice. Actually, I was involved in exciting projects until the end. The day I turned off my computer, I hadn’t found any clients for my business. I really started from scratch, except for my rather solid experience and the connections I had made over the years with people who were themselves in important positions. This made it easier to consider talking to them, since they knew my work. But I could also tell you that, when you are an entrepreneur, you are afraid every day or almost every day!

You have launched yourself into consulting and public relations, a field already well represented in Geneva.

The important thing is not the competition: everyone has their own niche. I’m not worried about that, there’s room for everyone. My approach is to rely on human relations, on knowing the client, on understanding his issues. Trust must be established; it is essential and is earned over time. Moreover, my experiences have given me a legitimacy in institutional communication. I am able to propose a complete strategy or to act on specific requests, while following protocols. You need real know-how. Ethics, too, are very important. In other words, this profession cannot be improvised, even if it is not regulated.

Does your agency have any areas of expertise?

The agency works on a variety of subjects and with very diverse clients, which makes the day-to-day work particularly rewarding. My list of clients includes Geneva’s professional associations, government institutions or even non-governmental organizations and multinationals, for which I offer a professional writing service in both French and English. I offer strategic thinking, “classic” internal and external communication, digital PR and press relations. I believe I was one of the first in Geneva to specialize in crisis communications. I have developed a module to be integrated with my clients, which focuses on the detection and preparation of a crisis, in order to be ready to communicate properly and effectively if it occurs.

Has the pandemic been an opportunity to put these notions into practice?

I hope so. In any case, I imagine that everyone took the opportunity to think strategically about their risk management abilities. As for me, I lost half of my clients overnight, those who wanted to stop everything, but I gained others in the process. Since then, I have never worked as hard as I did last year. I’m still convinced that you should always be one step ahead and I’ve been preparing for the end of the crisis since the beginning of the pandemic. In my opinion, it is better not to remain in a frightened position. I think that those who have been able to react and take measures will be stronger to face the future.

You have a client, the Union Maraîchère de Genève, which is playing a big role in the upcoming elections. How do you support them in such a case?

I am lucky that this client has a line based on a clear and honest positioning. Concerning fruits and vegetables production, we are extremely thorough about fact checking, in order to  sort out what is true and what is not, because there are many misconceptions. We must not hesitate to repeat certain truths to avoid voting results based on incorrect reasons.

Our main goal is to convey the message that it is possible to eat healthy and local food thanks to environmentally friendly channels. A message that was very well understood during the pandemic, when we were forced to refocus on the essentials. In addition to reducing our carbon footprint, this generates jobs for local workers in ethical conditions.

How do you see yourself evolving?

I hope to continue to do what I enjoy. In three years, I have grown to a team of four employees (including myself). I don’t have the ambition to grow further, with the stress that this brings. However, I have complementary life projects or causes that are close to my heart. For example, the place of women in professional life and the possibility for them to have a career equal to men.

de facto communications is the first PR agency in French-speaking Switzerland to join the Swiss Association for Crisis Communications (Schweizer Verband für Krisenkommunikation VKK). The association promotes crisis communications practice by enhancing exchanges of experience and the creation of an interprofessional network of experts. With its experience in crisis communications, the agency is looking forward to this collaboration.

To celebrate the arrival of the VKK in French-speaking Switzerland, let’s take a look at the main concepts that govern this practice:

What is a crisis?

A crisis is an unexpected event whose magnitude affects the reputation of an institution, and which can call into question the legitimacy of its services, activities, leaders. It can undermine its credibilitý, its trust capital, cause image damage and diminish the trust of its stakeholders. These can emerge from an industrial accident, a mismanagement, but also from a publication on the networks or a press article with accusations. No company is protected from a crisis.

A context conducive to crises

Internet and the democratization of social networks have developed a cult of transparency and immediacy: everyone can give their opinion and all opinions are equal. A simple publication, whether true or not, can destroy the reputation of an organization. In this context of transparency and with the rise of a large number of social movements (social rights, environment, food, gender issues…), organizations are more than ever under the radar of public opinion and cannot underestimate their communications.

The importance of preparation in times of crisis!

So what can organizations do? Prepare and communicate. Crisis communications is thought out, anticipated and based on an in-depth audit of the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Many crises can be avoided if they are correctly anticipated. When a crisis emerges, when journalists take an interest in the organization, when social networks go wild and when cameras are focused on managers, it is essential to have defined a response strategy beforehand. This work helps preserve the reputation of the organization and its managers. The chain of command and the doctrine of engagement must be established, the crisis communications manual must be written, and the spokespersons must be trained to speak to the media.

Our 6-step crisis communications module

As specialists in crisis communications, de facto communications has developed its own module-based tool that enables managers to approach this with confidence and readiness.

de facto communications is the first PR agency in French-speaking Switzerland to join the Swiss Association for Crisis Communications (Schweizer Verband für Krisenkommunikation VKK). The association promotes crisis communications practice by enhancing exchanges of experience and the creation of an interprofessional network of experts. With its experience in crisis communications, the agency is looking forward to this collaboration.

To celebrate the arrival of the VKK in French-speaking Switzerland, let’s take a look at the main concepts that govern this practice:

What is a crisis?

A crisis is an unexpected event whose magnitude affects the reputation of an institution, and which can call into question the legitimacy of its services, activities, leaders. It can undermine its credibilitý, its trust capital, cause image damage and diminish the trust of its stakeholders. These can emerge from an industrial accident, a mismanagement, but also from a publication on the networks or a press article with accusations. No company is protected from a crisis.

A context conducive to crises

Internet and the democratization of social networks have developed a cult of transparency and immediacy: everyone can give their opinion and all opinions are equal. A simple publication, whether true or not, can destroy the reputation of an organization. In this context of transparency and with the rise of a large number of social movements (social rights, environment, food, gender issues…), organizations are more than ever under the radar of public opinion and cannot underestimate their communications.

The importance of preparation in times of crisis!

So what can organizations do? Prepare and communicate. Crisis communications is thought out, anticipated and based on an in-depth audit of the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Many crises can be avoided if they are correctly anticipated. When a crisis emerges, when journalists take an interest in the organization, when social networks go wild and when cameras are focused on managers, it is essential to have defined a response strategy beforehand. This work helps preserve the reputation of the organization and its managers. The chain of command and the doctrine of engagement must be established, the crisis communications manual must be written, and the spokespersons must be trained to speak to the media.

Our 6-step crisis communications module

As specialists in crisis communications, de facto communications has developed its own module-based tool that enables managers to approach this with confidence and readiness.

Crisis communication must be anticipated. Do not hesitate to contact our team so that we can help you audit your communication tools, prepare your crisis plan and protect your reputation!

The environment in which companies navigate is increasingly uncertain and competitive. Social movements dictate opinion, health while environmental crises transform societies. Moreover, the cult of transparency and accessibility forces organizations to adapt their practices and management. At a time when a simple tweet can destroy an organization’s reputation, organizations need legitimacy as well as efficiency and effectiveness. In this context, public relations can help managers to build and preserve this capital.

The importance of legitimacy in management is becoming increasingly important in the scientific literature. It is generally described as “the perception that an entity’s actions are desirable or appropriate within a system of norms and values” (Suchman, 1995). An organization can be legitimate at three levels:

• Pragmatic: the firm provides a tangible service to its customers,
  “The product that this company offers is of quality”. 

• Moral: the company respects the norms and values present in its environment,
  “This company seems to respect the rules of the game”.

• Cognitive: the degree of institutionalization is such that it is taken for granted,
  “This organization has always been there, it is impossible to imagine that one day it will disappear.” 

Companies that neglect their legitimacy run the risk of being quickly sidelined, criticized and sanctioned. They have an obligation not only to conform to the values present in their environment, but also to influence them. Public relations are therefore central to any legitimacy strategy. 

Building legitimacy

New companies or new services need to build this capital quickly. It has been shown that simply respecting the standards of the profession significantly increases their chances of survival (Dimaggio & Powell, 1983; Ruef and Scott, 1998). An organization has every interest in influencing its environment so that it is favorable to it. Public relations help to achieve this goal by providing institutional communication, public affairs, rhetoric, framing and media relations strategies (Suddaby & Greenwood, 2005; Benford & Snow, 2000). 

Maintaining Legitimacy

Once an organization has gained legitimacy, it must maintain it. This is done by highlighting its accomplishments, innovations, and products (Suddaby et al., 2017). In practical terms, this means sending out press releases and creating institutional and digital content reminding the public of the company’s pragmatic utility and moral compliance while continuing to occupy the institutional landscape. 

At this stage, an organization should anticipate changes and address threats by implementing a crisis management process as early as possible. Many companies neglect this step, even though it is probably the most important. Every organization will eventually face a crisis of legitimacy and it is important to be sufficiently prepared beforehand to deal with it. Public relations firms offer crisis communication strategies that include auditing, training and writing, and that helps avoid and minimize the impact of a crisis on legitimacy and reputation. 

Regaining legitimacy

A company may find itself in the perilous situation of having to regain its legitimacy. This loss can be the result of a poorly managed organizational crisis, but it often comes from a lack of understanding of its institutional environment. The emergence of the internet and social networks has accelerated the speed of societal change. Practices that once took centuries to evolve are now losing their legitimacy in a matter of weeks. How should KFC react to the emergence of the vegan movement? How should organizations position themselves in relation to the #metoo movement and CSR requirements? Companies no longer have the luxury of leaving these questions aside.

Building, maintaining, or regaining legitimacy is a long-term task that requires establishing a dialogue between the institution and its environment. In this context, public relations firms become privileged partners capable of accompanying and helping organizations build and preserve the relationship of trust that links them to their market. 

Hugo Marchand

 
Benford, R., & Snow, D. (2000). Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 611-639. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.26.1.611

Dimaggio, P., & Powell, W. (1983). The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields. American Sociological Review, 23. 

Suchman, M. (1995). Managing Legitimacy: Strategic and Institutional Approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20, 571-611. The Academy of Management Review, 20, 571. doi:10.2307/258788

Suddaby, R., & Greenwood, R. (2005). Rhetorical Strategies of Legitimacy. Administrative Science Quarterly, 50(1), 35-67.

Suddaby, R., Bitektine, A., & Haack, P. (2017). Legitimacy. Academy of Management Annals, 11(1). 

Ruef, M., & Scott, W. R. (1998). A multidimensional model of organizational legitimacy: Hospital survival in changing institutional environments. Administrative Science Quarterly, 43(4), 877-904.

As the head of a public relations agency, it is always difficult for me to explain in clear terms what the job entails.

The profession is not well known and still evokes, in the minds of some, networking at cocktail parties… a very 20th-century vision of the profession where the public relations manager would hobnob around while maintaining his address book. Others think, wrongly, that PR work consists of commissioning articles from journalists or buying media space for an advertising campaign. The job is quite different, let’s decipher!

How to define public relations ?

The Public Relations Society of America PRSA offers the following definition: “Public relations is a strategic communications process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics or stakeholders. It fulfills an essential duty to inform society. Its importance will certainly increase in the coming years.

The proposed definition raises two major issues:

1. The relationship is mutually beneficial, no one is cheated and each party wins.
2. Public relations are part of a corporate strategy. They are not not due to chance and are deployed by managers in pursuit of a specific objective.

Public relations is a part of communications: promotion of a product, nomination of a person, valorisation of an idea, designation of a value, sustainable or digital transformation… Unlike advertising (paid content), PR is based on non-monetized communications methods (earned content) which are not “won in advance”, and are part of a dialogue. A real work of persuasion.

Whether it is traditional media, social networks, conferences, publications, studies, positions or opinions, we communicate through reliable and transparent sources, in accordance with a demanding ethical practice, which is the basis of all relationships.

Information is therefore not entirely “under control”. It passes through the expertise of a third party: journalist, speaker, researcher, opinion leader, partner… until it finds its place in public opinion. Once approved by this public of experts, it is all the more valuable.

The job requires listening, personal relationship work, attention to the interlocutor, frankness and transparency as well as a balance between action and communications, far from empty phrases and concepts that can often be counterproductive.

In the same way that medicine guarantees health and law guarantees order, the aim of communications and public relations is to maintain trust and mutual understanding and thus to contribute to the development of society. In these times of crisis of confidence in political and economic leaders and in the face of fake news and other manipulations, communications are more important than ever in order to create a positive image of the company in the long term and to establish a climate of trust.

Elisabeth Tripod-Fatio