ABSTRACT
Just as the surrounding business context is what makes a corporate story interesting, it is the financial marketplace that provides the context in which communication of the story is implemented. This makes it important to understand that context, including how the market works, who the key players are and what the influences are on their decision-making. In financial markets, information has value, especially in how it influences stock prices and wider perceptions. From a communications perspective, it is how that information is presented that unlocks real value. While a lot of communication intent is focused on shaping perceptions, it is in the financial marketplace that those perceptions come up against a hard reality that has many guises. “Perception is reality” is a common cliché, implying that communication conquers all and that image overcomes substance. In the tough world of financial markets, peopled with astute investors who are focused more on finding stocks that perform than those reflecting talk of potential performance, communication needs to account for the reality that markets understand. It is not that perceptions are irrelevant — far from it — but communication of a corporate story has to be conscious of how those in the market see the world. A corporate story is about how a stock exchange-listed company presents itself to key investment stakeholders. This presentation is ultimately converted into a number, its stock price, but that number is the outcome of how stocks are traded and the myriad of views that guide the thinking of why those trades take place. Consequently, it is unfolding the mysteries of the financial marketplace, across equities and debt, that informs how communication with these markets might be most effective.
