Corporate Semiosis instead of Corporate Communication.How to apply semiotics pragmatically in the field of entrepreneurship and management.

Paper for the Narrative & Innovation ConferenceKarlsruhe September 2010

What is this about?

• Who is KMB?

• Status quo on corporate communication

• The idea of corporate semiosis

• Consequences for corporate semiotics

• Consequences for enterprises

Who is KMB?

KMB|Dr. Klaus M. Bernsau – professional

• Dr. Klaus M. Bernsau: nearly 20 years experience as consultant and conceptionist for advertising and marketing agencies

• Founder and owner of the consultancy “KMB|Konzept • Management • Beratung für Unternehmenskommunikation” (i.e. Concept Management Consulting for Corporate Communication C4)since 2009 with 2 coworkers

• Clients: Coca-Cola, ContiTech, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Post, Opel, Rewe, but also many small and middle seized companies

• Branches: automotive, energy, finance, retail/FMCG, industry, IT/telecom, logistics, health, fashion

• www.kommunikation-kmb.de

KMB|Dr. Klaus M. Bernsau – scientific

• Dr. Klaus M. Bernsau: Studies of Communication Science, German Literature, Marketing, Physics, Sociology and Information Management

• Magister (M.A.) Degree in Communication Science about “Signs for Sale – Coca-Cola-Marketing looked upon in a semiotic way”

• Dr. phil. Degree about “Changing the economic structure is changing the social meaning – Regional-marketing of the Ruhrgebiet”

• For over 15 years teacher and researcher at University Duisburg Essen main subjects: Corporate Communication, Communication Theory, and Semiotics

• Different presentations and publications about the theory of corporate communication in nowadays globalizing media society

Meanings are results of acting and thinking peopleStatus quo on corporate communication

2 theses:1) it’s useless to reduce this

to too simple models

2) the new media bring back the importance of an individualistic view on communication

Participants in the market or

the communication

The general theory of corporate communication

Purchase ofproduct orservice

Market orientedcommunication

mistakes, errors, resistances, barriers

actcompany

Sender Stimulus =Communication

Receiver Response

Communication is no stimulus-response-connection

„Could everybody please give me 50,- Euro!“

„Could everybody please give me 50,- Euro!“

September 2005

„Could everybody

please give me

50,- Euro!“

September 2005Kommunikation-KMB - Konzept Management Beratung - copyright Dr. K.M. Bernsau, Wiesbaden

„Could everybody please give

me 50,- Euro!“

Participants in the market or

the communication

The general ‘theory’ of corporate communication doesn’t work

Purchase ofproduct orservice

Market orientedcommunication

mistakes, errors, resistances, barriers

actcompany

Sender Stimulus =Communication

Receiver Response

Real communication as a cooperative construction

L CI

„BrandQuality“

BrandQuality

Employee

Client

Public

Success by coordination of behavior and reality

The face-to-face-process and its characteristics are essential even for corporate communication

• subjective• interactive• interpretative• constructive• cognitive• fallible• materialistic• cumulative/historic

The web is personal (again)

“The power of a single individual to shape

perceptions on a massive scale is a dramatic and

fundamental shift.

Brands aren’t defined by campaigns anymore, but by the consumer ecosystems

we nurture to support them.”

Mike Mendenhall, Marketing Chief of HP

5 Behaviours to survive1) Turn consumers into “prosumers”2) Built bilateral brand experiences3) Place context on par with content4) Master the new calculus of communication5) Collaboration is kingBut in

many situatio

ns a fac

e-to-fac

e-like

process is

not possib

le or n

ot inten

ded

The idea of corporate semiosis. What does this mean to our customers?

sender signal/message

receiver

Se RcSi

Representamen Interpretant

Objekt

Se RcSiCR IR

OR

SiCSIS

OS

(acc. C.S.Peirce)

(acc. K.M.Bernsau)

Relation between communication and semiosis:Interpretation instead cooperation

C1 C2

(Self-)Expression Appeal

Reference

metalingual

C1 C2

expressive conative

referentialpoetic

phatic

(acc. K.Bühler)

(acc. R.Jakobson)

Relation between communication and semiosis: multidimensional offers and interpretational aspects

(Self-)ExpressionAppeal

Reference

„final interpretant“ = steady meaning of sign

Sawtooth Diagram of Semiotic Work

Time

Strength of Meaning

Semiotic Work

Depth of Meaning

Clearity of Meaning

Diffusion + OblivionRO

I

ZR

O

I

Z

(© KMB 2004)

The corporate sign process

R

Corporate meaning: from immediate to final

Company

Communication Means

Corporate Interpretation

R e.g. broschures

OI

S

O°R°

I°

S°

O*I*

S*

Distracting sign processes Neutral sign processesS

SS

O

O

O

R

R

R*

I

II

Corporate semiosis back to basics. Factors in the sign process

visions

facts

means

I

O

R

The corporatesign

A simple economic

sign process

L LLogo =Sign carrierer (R)

Brand =Interpretatant (I)

Product =Sign Object (O)

How to controll the complexity of corporate semiosis

• Multiple (single) sign aspects: Peircean, Buehlerean, Morrisean, Jacobsonean

• The temporal, historical and spatial experience with signs of a certain company

• The actual or the virtual communication process

• The emergence and sedimentation of commonly shared interpretations

• We end up in a 4 dimensional space of corporate semiosis

sign paradigma

sign syntagmacommunication paradigma

communication syntagma

Consequences: Elements of corporate semiotics

• Structure description of sign (carriers) and sign systems

• Pragmatic and epistemological model of the sign process

• Interdisciplinary knowledge aboutthe sign objects and formerinterpretations

• Empiric knowledge about recentinterpretations and meanings

Concepts

Methods

static dynamic

Our Vision: an integrated, open, interdisciplinary, generally

accepted theory and methodology of (corporate) semiotics

Consequences for enterprises

Corporate Communication• ‚communication‘ is a very open and

diffuse concept– Advertising & marketing– Internal & human resources– IT & telecommunication– Public & investor relations– Online & social media

• Based on a insufficient model• Ignoring the essentials of the human

communication process• Ignoring the inherent sign process• Ignoring the complexity of modern

communication possibilities

Corporate Semiosis• Starting at the basis: the single sign

process• Focusing on the interpreters power• Offering a possibility of integrating all

aspects of embedded sign processes• Offering new explanatory power to

the companies• Leaving the dead end of the

monocausal technical and medial communication models

• Offering the great challenge to semiotics of further developing theirtheories and results according the companies needs

Discussion!

QuestionsDoubtsCommentsAdditionsImprovements

Thank you very much, and hope to see you soon:www.kommunikation-kmb.de!

KMB|We are looking forward to you

Contact details

KMB | Dr. Klaus M. BernsauKonzept | Management | Beratung für UnternehmenskommunikationHessenring 8D-65205 Wiesbaden / GermanyPhone +49-6122-704324Fax +49-6122-704378Mobil +49-178-2376728 (+49-178-Bernsau)E-mail kmb@kommunikation-kmb.deWeb www.kommunikation-kmb.de

Services offering

• Concept: Development of all future activities in consideration of all relevant and promising instruments and media (effect full, networked, intermedia, contemporary)

• Management: Taking over of the communication projects as virtual "full-service-agency" via the KMB network of competent service providers; management of the tasks with corporate intern resources and with existing extern partners of the client (e.g. temporary management of advertising or projects); accompanying project leader (quick, flexible, good value, experienced)

• Consulting: Analysis of weakness in existing concepts, activities, structures and teams; optimization consulting, goal development incl. buildup of quality- and controlling-processes; accompanying consulting of all relevant steps in corporate communication activities (open in results, critical, competent, goal-orientated)

Pict

u res

: ph o

toc a

se. c

om +

KM

B