A drp white paper on the practice of communications has been debated in parliament by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) chaired by MP James Heappey. The report, ‘Perception vs. Reality,’ describes the dissonance between what’s stated and what’s practiced in corporate communications.

Not only has the report found that companies discuss technology and innovation ad nauseum without employing technology and innovation in comms practices but that this gap between what organisations claim to be like and how they actually communicate greatly contributes to a culture where only 43% of people in the UK trust organisations, their messages and promises.

Fear of failure, risk aversion and budgetary concerns appear to be holding back organisations from investing in innovation and technology for their communications work. Drp’s head of insight Callum Gill says, “Right now, our language, mindset and focus have all shifted toward the future. With technology changing so rapidly and innovation the only way to keep pace, many brands are saying the right things. What our research proves is that while they may be talking the talk, they are not walking the work and comms professionals are left dragging their heels for often inexplicable reasons.”

Politicians and comms professionals agree that professional practices need to align their messaging with their outputs or public confidence will not improve. Public confidence generally aligns with public spending, the bottom line that makes this communication breakdown of national importance.

The paper was developed with over 100 comms professionals. Drp will be releasing white papers on a series of industries in the coming year.