Annual Reports continue to be the key document to communicate the company’s strategy and performance to a broad stakeholder group. After years of increasing in size – mainly due to regulatory requirements – substantial effort is now being put into streamlining Annual Reports, for example by cutting clutter and duplication, moving certain information onto the web and presenting corporate strategy and business models in a more connected and concise manner.
Rather than focusing solely on the Annual Report, we also see companies analysing their entire reporting suite including sustainability reporting to ensure they provide information in an effective and efficient way. The key word here is ‘core and more’: providing the Annual Report as one central document for all stakeholder groups, but adding smaller, targeted publications, which are tailored to a specific target group both in terms of content as well as language, layout and format (i.e., print, pdf vs. online).
Examples of such targeted publications are investor factsheets, highlight versions of the Annual Report with more storytelling elements, sustainability reports, online reports on microsites, or brochures on compensation or AGM-related information.
In spite of that changing landscape in corporate reporting the Annual Report was, still is and will be the most reliable, reputation and trust building communication instrument in the future.
Dr. Petra Nix, owner and managing partner of Petranix (corporate and financial communications) (Zurich, Switzerland).