Four lessons from the legacy of Joan Costa and Justo Villafañe

The theories of Joan Costa and Justo Villafañe, leaders in communication and reputation, are and will continue to be relevant in the management of strategic communication.

Probably all of us who are dedicated to the management of strategic communication learned the basics of the profession at university from the theories of Joan Costa and Justo Villafañe, two leaders in communication and reputation, who passed away recently (2022). We would like to remember their legacy with four key aspects that they taught us and that are, without doubt, still valid today and will continue to be so in the future:

1. Joan Costa (1) reinforced the concept of the company as a “whole”, as a single organism. In this sense, it is clear to us that communication and reputation management is not fragmented and disjointed from business management. On the contrary, reputation is the responsibility of the entire organization. Through their actions and messages, the CEO, as well as their management, business and support teams, contribute – or not – to the consolidation of the company’s credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of their target audiences. In conclusion, we are all part of the coherence between what we say, think and do as an organization.
2. For Costa (COSTA, 2005) there was a golden rule: communications management should focus not on the sender, the message or the medium, but on the receiver. We do not think about the message first or the means at our disposal, such as the mental order for many. Our current challenge is to be clear about who the audience we are going to address is and to get to know them in depth: what their interests are, what they connect with, why we could be an option for this interlocutor and what cultural guidelines permeate them, among other aspects of their context. After this, we construct the message that best responds to all these aspects, the ideal means of reaching it and the most appropriate moment to address it.
3. For his part, Justo Villafañe (2) stated that for a company to be reputable, it has to be responsible. But corporate social responsibility, while necessary for reputation, is not a sufficient condition. Today’s companies, beyond philanthropy, are thinking of a business strategy based on sustainability, in which all the variables of reputation: quality and innovative products; service that meets the needs of customers; financial soundness; credentials as a good corporate citizen; a clear vision of the future and leadership; and a suitable working environment in which to develop, are thought about and implemented in terms of the positive impact they will have on humanity and nature.
4. Villafañe (VILLAFAÑE, 2013) taught us that products can be copied, but not reputation. It is common practice that, with the publication of corporate reputational measurement rankings, companies analyze the competition and review what other companies that stand out in these lists are doing, with the desire to climb positions. However, this precept invites each organization to do the exercise of looking inward to verify what it can consolidate – both from a strategic management and an integral communication perspective -, to understand where it is located on the path of positioning itself with its audiences, where it wants to go and, based on this, define how it will achieve it. There are no magic formulas that work in the same way for all companies, the recipe is to be authentic and consistent between thinking and doing as a social actor.

 

(1) Costa, J. (2005). Máster DirCom. Los profesores tienen la palabra (1st ed). Bolivia. Grupo Editorial Design. Pp.14.

(2) Villafañe, J. (October 25, 2013). Justo Villafañe: “To overcome the trust deficit, the extractive industry must make reliable commitments.” Diario Gestión. Peru.

 

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