ABSTRACT
Strategic communication has been defined as “the purposeful use of communication by an organization to fulfill its mission” (Hallahan, Holtzhausen, Van Ruler, Vercˇicˇ, & Sriramesh, 2007, p. 4). It is “not random or unintentional” (p. 27) although unintended consequences can ensue; it is not aimed at control but takes environment into consideration through dialogue or emergent strategy. From this standpoint, strategic communication is inclusive and flexible, but still fundamentally managed, purposive, and organization-centered—at least, within its home organization. This chapter focuses on the problem of what happens after such communication enters the public arena, where it shares space with random unwanted associations that distort the original intent of the message. Ultimately this chapter poses two questions that grow out of this contextual dependence:
How strategic can “strategic communication” be, given the distortions imposed by the environment outside?
What can organizations do to maintain some semblance to the original content and intent of their message after it leaves their hands?
