The impact of mediatization in the modern environment

Introduction 

Currently, the media plays a significant role in corporate communication. There is a continuous evolution of the aspect of corporate media communication, and in the process, minor practices like owned media and content production are gaining traction in the modern business environment (Pulizzi, 2014). Modern companies have embraced complexity in their integrated communication strategies, and as a result, the effects are felt by communication power and the overall content marketing concerning the companies in question (Baetzgen & Tropp, 2013). Thus, the study establishes the effects of mediatization on the structure, operation, and communication of modern companies. The study embraces qualitative techniques in the assessment of marketing professionals about the specific company’s public relations. 

Literature Review 

The impact of mediatization in the modern environment should not be underestimated as it is directly linked to the changes in the current media communication changes in the corporate world. Mediatization contributes to the alterations in the planning and implementation of medial communication among corporate stakeholders (Lundby, 2014). These alterations are attributed to the changes in the traditional perceptions of media communication in the present environmental conditions. According to Lundby (2009), understanding the operation of the society and the media as a whole requires meditation. These incorporate the aspects of social and cultural changes through the application of modern media advancements. Lundby further elaborates on the contribution of media logic as a vital aspect during mediatization. 

Media is a broad field whose definition cannot be limited to a few aspects. Krotz and Hepp (2011), emphasize an independent meaning of media and mass media. Whereas media entails a range of issues that affect and change communication, mass media is part of a type of communication media. The definition and view of company mediatization in the 20 th and 21 st century differs a great deal due to the continuous technological advancements and media components (Finnemann, 2014). Ihlen and Pallas (2014) view mediatization in two broad perspectives which are; the presence of diversification, expansion, and development of the companies in their initiatives; and the company engagement of digital content production and publishing. Companies also transform traditional aspects of communication to fit into modern environmental requirements. 

Communication Power 

Communication power encompasses the influence that the management and the company have over the specific stakeholders in the corporate environment. The power is depicted by the extent to which the stakeholders agree with the decision making and non-decision-making processes in the corporation in question. The progress of these corporations highly depends on the extent of influence that the company in question commands. Unlike the case of coercion, this form of power is considered to be soft power as it does not impose the decision-making process but rather negotiates the decisions with the relevant stakeholders through the communication process. Public relations are components of mediatization that promotes communication power within the corporations (Berger & Reber, 2013). Therefore, it incorporates strategic communication through the inclusion of socialization and influence with regards to the corporate mediatization. 

Method 

Principles for empirical qualitative analysis and limitations 

The study embraces a qualitative case study methodology. The technique is crucial in the establishment of communication processes in both structurally developed and undeveloped corporations. The method further embraces the responses and comprehension of the shareholders in matters regarding strategic communication in organizations. On the downside, this methodology embraces generalization, which affects interpretation and conclusions (Yin, 2009). Thus, caution should be exercised during the analysis and interpretations of the overall findings. 

Selection of the company and sources for the analysis 

The primary consideration of the choice of a company to be applied as a case study was the presence of communication transformation from the traditional to the mediatized one in the modern environment. The choice offers room to deal with the expected media changes in an in-depth manner directly. The study utilized three significant sources for analysis which were; information from interviews on the company stakeholders, information from the secondary sources in the company, and information from observation of changes from the year 2013 to 2015. The data was then coded, analyzed, and interpreted to make conclusions. 

Case Study 

Case Study Description 

The company used for the investigation falls under the financial services sector, and it is located in Slovenia. It has a reasonable market share and 3000 employees a number, which plunged it into an operational crisis back in the 2008 crisis. The government directly contributes to its operations, and this has harmed its overall reputation. The mass media used this aspect to spread negative publicity about it. 

The company’s communication sector is made up of the marketing and public relations departments, with a total of 21 employees. Before the crisis, the company utilized traditional forms of communication, which failed to meet the expected results during the duration of the crisis. The crisis was the basis of the changes and restructuring of the management and the operation of the company. Part of the reorganization entailed the introduction of a publishing sector, which was the basis of the new communication approach. The program hastened the rate of communication and embraced in-house communication with the stakeholders. In 2013, the company achieved a milestone of new corporate-owned media and redesigned the existing media to meet the modern business environment requirements. 

Establishing the in-house Production of Media 

The company resolved to build its own media for three main reasons. First, there was a need to change the communication strategy to meet the needs of the stakeholders efficiently. Here, rather than focusing on logic communication with the stakeholders, the company changes are directed to logic communication with the public. The company’s brand image relies on the people and as such, there is a need to alter the direction and communication technique to online-based elements like internet portals and emails. Second, communication changes are linked with the attitudes of the consumers if their products. There is a need to increase the knowledge of the operation of the services of the company through the mediatization process. Ultimately, this increases its professional and trustworthy standards before the customers. Third, the incorporation of the mediatization process was orchestrated by the ineffectiveness of the traditional types of corporate communications. 

The Production of Content and Media 

The company has shifted from the traditional company operation techniques like traditional marketing and advertisements to modern techniques like production of own content through online and printed platforms. Currently, there are three editors in the two communication departments. Rather than the sole familiarity of the traditional communication, the company is developing and managing its media content and communication elements. 

Impact of new media communication practices and organizational change 

Due to the changes, the company is customer-cantered as the media is directed towards changing their perspectives of the company products and the company as a whole. It further enhances positive and productive relationships with the stakeholders. The changes have also improved the reputation of the company on the public and increased its connection with the audience (customers). Notably, the marketing and public relations departments’ functions are well defined with the adoption of the mediatization process. There are new operational logics in these departments, and as such, they work towards meeting the set mediatization goals and objectives. 

Discussion 

Based on the case study, the introduction of the new mediatization elements has directly impacted the strategic communication process and the overall structure and operation of the company. The company applies this technique in enhancing the relations, communication, and influence on the relevant stakeholders. The communication crisis is the basis of the company’s realization of the strength of the corporate-owned media in the digital environment. In the quest to influence the actions and thoughts of the stakeholders in question, the company realizes the need to change its communication process and shift from the traditional to the modern digital aspects. The changes and improvement of communication in the company are attributed to the knowledge of the new management regarding the power of proper communication to both the general public and critical stakeholders in the corporate environment. The basis of the success of this financial company is the establishment and building of its own brand through its new in-house mediatization. The implementation of these factors keeps the company close to its audience and improves the efficiency of its overall communication process. 

Conclusion and Recommendation for Future Study 

Mediatization is continuously evolving in the modern environment, and this calls for changes in public relations through the inclusion of new owned media competencies in the corporate world. These changes are the basis of the changes in stakeholders’ ways of thinking and actions. To enhance the aspect of strategic communication, new mediatization has continuously gained traction in the modern world. It further encompasses the shift from traditional to advanced elements of communication that are driven by the changes in technology and the presence of the internet. The conventional techniques are not entirely abandoned as they are blended with the new ones to get a synergistic effect in the company. Markedly, the new mediatization, communication power, and corporate communications are the basis of operation of the modern corporate environment, and hence they should be continuously monitored and improved to improve the productivity of the corporate environment. There are three recommended areas for further studies with regard to the current research. First, further studies should be done on the analysis of public relations in relation to the new media matrix. Second, further research should be conducted to address unique digitalized characteristics that impact on the stakeholder’s decision making, and finally, the analysis of the influence of the behaviors of the key stakeholders should be explored. 

Opinion 

With the evolving business environment, mediatization is the primary element in the establishment of control of the company as it encourages the development and ownership of corporate content. Even the brand of the corporation improves with the inclusion of the new mediatization element. Since the main emphasis is its contribution to the stakeholder decision making and thinking, it embraces communication which is the backbone of the operation of companies in question. Mediatization is a sensitive element in the corporate world (Hepp & Hasebrink, 2018). It should be carefully handled to realize the optimum productivity in the business environment. Thus, it follows that its proper application leads to increased communication power and improved public relations. 

References 

Baetzgen, A., & Tropp, J. (2013). Owned media: developing a theory from the buzzword. Studies in Media and Communication, 1(2), 10. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/smc.v1i2.172 

Berger, B. K., & Reber, B. H. (2013). Power and influence in public relations. In A. Z. Krishnam Sriramesh, & J.-N. Kim (Eds.), Public relations and communication management, current trends and emerging topics (pp. 178–192). New York, NY: Routledge. 

Finnemann, N. O. (2014). Digitalization: new trajectories of mediatization? In K. Lundby (Ed.), Mediatization of communication (p. p. 297). Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter Mouton. 

Hepp, A., & Hasebrink, U. (2018). Researching transforming communications in times of deep mediatization: A figurational approach. In  Communicative Figurations  (pp. 15-48). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. 

Ihlen, O., & Pallas, J. (2014). Mediatization of corporation. In LK (Ed.), Handbook on mediatization of communication. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter Mouton. 

Krotz, F., & Hepp, A. (2011). A concretization of mediatization: how ‘mediatization works’ and why mediatized worlds are a helpful concept for empirical mediatization research. Empedocles: European Journal for the Philosophy of Communication , 3, 137–152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/ejpc.3.2.137 

Lundby, K. (2009). Introduction: mediatization as key. In K. Lundby (Ed.), Mediatization: concept, changes, consequences (pp. 1–18). New York, NY: Peter Lang. 

Lundby, K. (2014). Mediatization of communication. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter Mouton 

Pulizzi, J. (2014). Epic content marketing: how to tell a different story, break through the clutter, and win more customers by marketing less. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. 

Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research. Design and methods (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.