Today AkzoNobel published their Annual Report 2013. The company is keen to keep their shareholders, investors and analysts as well informed as possible. Information, nowadays more than ever, is all about being found, being accessible and adapting to the individual needs of the diverse stakeholders.
With the web being the first point of contact for corporate information, it is also important to use web techniques to engage your online audience. For that reason, AkzoNobel decided to provide the information not just as a simple PDF, but as a comprehensive report website – optimised with an adaptive layout for mobile devices – as well as an iPad app.
AkzoNobel did a great job in getting this right: All started well even before the release of the new Report. The upcoming reporting event was featured on multiple channels including the corporate website, press releases, events calendar and social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), announcing the availability and advantages of different formats. Additionally, a teaser page was published on the web address of the report website to raise awareness for the report.
Today the report website was published simultaneously with the press release, the iPad app and a PDF version. Actually an underestimated but very important fact, as a lot of attention is gathered within the first day. From click statistics of our reports we learned that users return frequently throughout a year, once they have found their way to the report website. If an interactive report is published significantly after the publication of the PDF, no clever navigation structure, fancy design or interactive features can compensate for the loss of attention.
To guarantee full accessibility and freedom of choice, direct links to all available formats are featured in all corporate communication channels (corporate website, social media, press releases, e-mail and intranet). On the main communication portal (akzonobel.com) references to the report on multiple sites:
- Teaser on the main homepage for the first days following publication and additionally a perma-link on the cross links box throughout the year
- Teaser on the Corporate page: www.akzonobel.com
- Teaser on the Investor Relations page: www.akzonobel.com/investor_relations
- Perma-links in the News and Publication center and the Investor Relations section