How brands can shape public discourse for the greater good

From Edelman’s Trust Barometer to the C-Suite Outlook Report, and from WEF’s Global Risk Report to the Page Society’s CCO Views into 2024, one thing is clear: businesses must now be more than profit-driven entities - they must be a force for good.

Today, the agendas of shareholders and stakeholders are increasingly converging. Investors, who once sought only predictable, sustained returns, now recognise that social capital is essential for achieving these goals. Brands, as the critical interface between business and society, are powerful assets in building this social capital.

Forward-thinking businesses understand that brands are more than just a public face; they embody the company’s intent to connect with people, tackle pressing issues, and contribute meaningfully to public discourse. 

In essence, brands become true assets when they make businesses matter to people. The real challenge is how to harness this potential to shape a better future for a world divided.

Three key public relations disciplines might offer a path forward: Thought leadership, reimagining business, and purpose programmes. 

1) Thought leadership

Between 2016 and 2019, I had the privilege of leading communications for a tech MNC in Asia Pacific, where we successfully launched in five markets, empowering people across the region to see and understand their data.

While the concept of “data as the new currency” was well established, our region still largely viewed data analytics as the domain of a select few within organisations, confined to legacy systems. We set out to change this by advocating that data skills enhance productivity, sharpens decision-making, and can drive better outcomes across every function in an organisation. Our goal was to reposition our brand from a Seattle-founded software provider to an indispensable skill set for Asia’s digital economy.

To drive this narrative, we executed a multifaceted strategy. We delivered thought leadership at industry events, authored influential opinion pieces targeting key stakeholders in Singapore’s ecosystem, and introduced an Academic Program to integrate our software into educational curricula, ensuring long-term brand relevance. We also partnered with the Singapore government - a key stakeholder - to train over a thousand public officers in our software, further embedding our presence in the public sector. 

Additionally, we launched a data-readiness index with IDC, benchmarking data maturity across the region, which allowed us to lead critical discussions on data-readiness. 

In Singapore, we decided to actively shape the public discourse on what it means to be a “Smart Nation” - inspiring a movement of getting people ‘data-ready’ that emphasised the importance of a Smarter Citizenry as the foundation of Singapore’s digital future.

2) Reimagining business

Between my time at this tech MNC, I was invited to join a private education institution, struggling with low brand awareness, poor relevance, and declining demand. I’ve always relished a corporate turnaround opportunity. But what truly drew me in was the chance to challenge the social stigma faced by graduates of private institutions in Singapore, who were often viewed as second-class hires. 

As marketing chief, I saw this as an opportunity to reimagine the business and advocate for diverse pathways to success for Singaporeans. 

Given that we didn’t yet enjoy high brand equity, we had to use forum letters to weigh in on public discourse. Gradually, we established ourselves as a voice of reason for the private education sector, and were able to pitch commentaries to emphasise that Singapore’s human capital could be elevated by recognising different learning paths and many more ways Singaporeans could earn merit and their place in our economy.

By championing the idea that Singapore could become a talent magnet, a hub for human capital, and a global schoolhouse contributing to our economy - where education here is seen as a cost primarily borne by the public - we reshaped the public discourse.

This strategic shift significantly boosted our brand’s relevance and demand, boosting our share of voice from under 20% to more than 40% in one year, slashing our cost per lead by 30% and increasing hot and warm leads for the courses we offered. At the end of two years, we had established a ‘marketing engine’ that made revenue generation much more predictable.

The turnaround was so successful, it led to the group's divestment from Baring PE Asia to Intermediate Capital Group in the UK at a favorable multiple. But what was most meaningful for me was how we transformed the public discourse around private versus public education, shifting from an "us against them" mentality to one that embraces an inclusive education ecosystem anchored in the belief that every Singaporean graduate has something to contribute. 

3) Purpose programs

Now, after nearly two decades working with foreign MNCs in the tech sector, I wanted to help build a global digital services firm that Singapore could proudly call our own one day. That’s why I made the decision to join Temus, a start-up whose business involves driving digital transformation for enterprises and the Singapore government. 

Temus recognised from the outset that digital transformation is about more than just technology - it’s a profound management change effort that ultimately hinges on the transformation of people. We believe that firms can lead the charge in creating a more inclusive workforce and a new digital meritocracy.

To support this vision, we launched Step IT Up, a tech career conversion program designed to recruit Singaporeans with no prior IT background, train them intensively, and place them in impactful tech roles. 

Temus guaranteed a tech role to all graduates of the program and was fortunate to secure support from IMDA and the Digital Industry Singapore, which shared our strategic interests, and were keen on encouraging company-led training programs to accelerate tech skill development within the workforce. 

Since its launch, Step IT Up has made remarkable progress. Around 59 career converts from various backgrounds are now actively driving digital transformation across domains such as the public sector, healthcare, finance, defense, environmental intelligence - and more. Our latest cohort has achieved certifications in business analysis, scrum, and software testing and 80% of this cohort is already working on GovTech projects as Digital Business Analysts. 

Through Purpose Programs like Step IT Up and other talent initiatives, we’ve grown our start-up from around 100 when I joined two years ago, to more than 400 today, in tandem with the growing digital demand from our clients. 

These personal experiences are by no means exhaustive - but I hope they offer some thought-starters on how brands can shape public discourse for the greater good. 

In an era where businesses are called to stand for more than profit, the challenge is clear: How do we navigate a world increasingly divided by geopolitical, social, and economic rifts? The answer lies in harnessing the agency and interconnectedness between businesses and society - not just to pursue short-term gains, but to act as true societal institutions and convincingly demonstrate their authenticity through the representation and actions of their brands.

Marcus Loh, director of Temus, was a speaker at PR Asia 2024 where he spoke about Public perception and public discourse: Winning the contest of ideas