References
Review of the organization & operating model of the Communications Department
We helped a leader in the premium tourism sector, in a context of renewed governance, to thoroughly rethink the organization and role of its Corporate Communications: diagnosis of practices, clarification of scope and reporting lines, professionalization of leadership communication and reinforcement of the coherence of Corporate messages in France and internationally.
Mission
With the arrival of a new CEO and the departure of the Communications Director, this tourism operator sought to redesign the organization of its Communications Department to:
- Redefine the role, scope and structure of its Institutional (Corporate) Communications, currently intertwined with Lifestyle topics.
- Clarify the hierarchical and functional reporting lines of the future department (recruitment in progress).
- Delineate the boundaries between Corporate Comms and Lifestyle Comms and clarify the interface with Public Affairs.
- Strengthen international coordination of Corporate actions and messages within a group operating across multiple continents.
- Professionalize leadership communications and ensure that new ways of working build toward a collective Corporate media plan.
Approach
Antheus deployed a three-step approach to deliver a robust diagnosis and a target organizational model:
- Conducted 24 interviews with 19 head office and regional employees and analyzed internal documents and existing practices.
- Review of scope and workload:
- Detailed mapping of External DirCom activities (France and International).
- Identification of key pain points (Corporate/Lifestyle porosity, fragmented messages, insufficient articulation with Public Affairs, lack of a shared Corporate media plan, artisanal communication by managers, weak structured international presence).
- Analysis of companies in other sectors (premium, international presence, French origin or presence in France…) and formalization of target model:
- Review of organizations facing similar challenges (Air France-KLM, Evian, Longchamp, Lacoste, Volvo).
- Identifying best practices.
- Co-design of a target model integrating:
- A clarified scope and reporting lines for the Corporate DirCom (direct to the CEO).
- Enhanced governance (editorial board, cross-functional committees, messaging house, global calendar).
- Internal corporate communications pillar, coordinated with the HR department.
- Professionalizing leadership communications (collective media agenda, media training, editorial consistency).
- Global governance framework to plan, validate and disseminate institutional messages and ensure international consistency.
Results
This premium tourism operator now has a complete and operational plan for :
- Clearly separate Corporate and Lifestyle Comms (distinct targets, objectives, media) while optimizing synergies.
- Secure corporate positioning with internal and external stakeholders (institutions, investors, business media, etc.).
- Professionalize and harmonize leadership communication and strengthen personal branding.
- Implement a global editorial governance, ensuring coherence and visibility of institutional messages in France and internationally.
- Clarify the interface between Corporate Comms and Public Affairs, with joint teams on sensitive topics and a shared calendar.
- Develop an action plan to broaden the themes addressed by the Corporate Comms (ESG/CSR, innovation, digital, destination development).
