5 minute read
Communications as a performance factor
Taking control of building the brand
Until 2012, communication matters in Kesla had been handled largely by each person alongside their own work. Much of the visible work had been outsourced. When Mika Tahvanainen was appointed Marketing Director of the company in 2012, Tahvanainen set one condition for his accepting the post: the company must hire a marketing communications professional. “It was already agreed at the interview stage with the then CEO that a full-time specialist would be sought for marketing and the main responsibility for building the brand’s core would be taken into our own hands.” According to Tahvanainen, it was not easy to convince the CEO of the importance of the matter. “I pressed quite hard on the issue because I thought it was very important for the development of the company. I think this is one of those really big changes – it is a big cultural change about understanding of the importance of communication.”
Marketing Designer Miia Tirkkonen describes Kesla as a traditional engineering house, which tenor so years ago had not yet internalised the importance of communication. Digitalisation, the importance of employer image and the pressure of global competition have been such strong drivers of change that even an engineering house has found the flexibility and will to think in new ways.
Communication is leadership, commitment, motivation and at the same time a service and its continuous development. External communication does not work without internal communication, emphasises Miia Tirkkonen, tackling the age-old misconception that the necessary information would just fly by itself from one workplace to another and from one person to another. “A typical situation is that people in different parts of the organisation do their work incredibly well. They create many great innovations, services and products. But unless things are relayed and communicated onwards, the work done does not bring benefits. Communication is needed.
"We communication professionals need to be able to push things forward, sometimes against the wind.” Kesla operates in three factory locations in Ilomantsi, Joensuu and Kesälahti. The total number of employees is around 250. Open, understandable, honest and prompt communication is not only a key part of leadership, but also the key to employee engagement and motivation.
- says Tirkkonen.
Success in planning and implementing internal communications depends to a large extent on the level of commitment of the company’s management to communication. In 2010, Kesla did not have a designated full-time communication office. Today, Miia Tirkkonen is assisted by Marketing Assistant Aleksandra Ihno. Tirkkonen cooperates closely with Human Resources Manager Maria Mustajärvi in the implementation of the company’s internal communications.
Operating environment change
Competition in the global market is intensifying. The importance of meeting the end customer is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, companies are competing for skilled labour. All of the above are big issues that can also be influenced by communication. “The communication aspect should be included in everything,” says Tirkkonen. Over the last 10 years, the communication environment has more or less turned upside down.
The media field is fragmented. Social media has transformed companies, organisations and people into their own “media”. The boundary between internal and external communications is blurry, if there is one at all. Each employee of an organisation can be simultaneously an employee, taxpayer, shareholder or otherwise just a loud citizen. Communication has also accelerated – things happen 24/7.
Transformation of Kesla
Kesla also faced plenty of changes. The change in corporate culture initiated by the change of CEO has progressed rapidly. The management approach has been transformed into participatory and servant leadership. In 2017, Kesla’s product portfolio was divided into the business areas of logging equipment, truck-mounted and industry cranes and tractor attachments. At the end of 2019, the segment of life-cycle services is becoming the fourth business area. At the same time, digitalisation has become an increasingly important part of customer contact. Kesla’s social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn – see a lot of use. There are dozens of brochures and technical materials in both electronic and print format. Internationality is reflected in an increased number of language versions. Trade fairs in Finland and abroad are repeated annually. “A lot of things have been done and are being done, but we also constantly get more work to do and things to develop. We don’t have an advertising partner; most of everything is done in-house. This choice has suited us well, because Kesla has wanted to be quite down-to-earth.”
“Opportunities for development and self-improvement”
When Miia Tirkkonen started her work as a marketing assistant at Kesla in 2013, she became responsible for coordinating and implementing Kesla’s marketing. More than six years later, the job description has expanded into comprehensive marketing communications.
Tirkkonen graduated as a bachelor of applied science in International Marketing in Kuopio. Since then, she has supplemented her skills with community communications studies and a degree in management. During her time at Kesla, she has also completed a specialist qualification in audio-visual communication. She also plans to complete a specialist qualification in service design during 2020.
Tirkkonen says her co-workers are amazing. She also welcomes the fact that the company is receptive to new ideas.
“I’ve been able to test myself and introduce new kinds of activities. Kesla has pushed forward and dared to do bold things.” In Tirkkonen’s opinion, progress must be realistic and the available resources must be taken into account. All Kesla’s businesses need communication support. “Communication is marketing and marketing is communication. Target group analysis is needed in both. For target groups – internal and external customers, partners and stakeholders – Kesla wants to be profiled as being close to the customer and easily accessible.”
Miia Tirkkonen, Marketing Specialist
