Interactive CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Taking responsibility to new levels in the gaming sector
The gaming industry is faced with reputational issues and often comes in for criticism from vocal political and public opponents. Negative perceptions about the sector mean that some employees and customers can be almost ashamed to tell friends where they work, or reveal that they play online. G3 interviewed Paddy Power’s Catherine Colloms about corporate reputation in the gaming sector and the recent establishment of a new online industry body, Senet Group, aimed at addressing these issues.
A good reputation is a strategic asset (even though intangible) that is rare, highly valuable and difficult to imitate - how do you build a good repu- tation in the gambling industry with the odds stacked against you from the start?
I think it’s the same for any industry. A good repu- tation is fundamental to any business and the key is understanding how you build that reputation.
In the gaming industry, fundamentally this is about a company’s licence to operate. We can only function with the consent of our stakehold- ers - be it our customers, investors or employees. We know there’s no silver bullet and that building a solid reputation involves working across multi- ple channels and business functions, including brand, PR, HR and corporate responsibility. Everything you do affects your reputation.
If you look at well-respected companies in the corporate sector, those with strong reputations share a common approach. The first fundamental principle is that responsible business practices have to underpin business operations. Corporate responsibility isn’t something that sits alongside the everyday running of the business. If corporate charitable giving is just a PR exercise, then you’re not engaged with your stakeholders and this type of charitable ‘act’ just doesn’t work.
You have to be authentic and open and engage with your audience. Trust is fundamental to busi- ness, but it is very easily lost. In the gambling sec- tor you probably have to work harder than other sectors to build trust, but the principles are the same. Gaming companies have to be brave, offer a
6 4
vision and engage in broader debates, especially those relating to important social issues.
A reputation should be grounded in strategy if the organisation wants to gain a sustainable competi- tive advantage. How much does a good reputation benefit the company - and does this mutually benefit the industry as a whole? Can one compa- ny make a difference?
I think that one company can make a difference. What you want in any industry is strong leader- ship - leaders who are not brought down to the lowest common denominator. It comes down to a question of regulation and whether the regulator regulates ‘down’ or ‘up’.
I believe the Gambling Commission would like to regulate up, and would like operators to establish leadership positions in social responsibility that have a real impact in the sector.
Paddy Power is one of the founding members of the Senet Group - which is designed to be an industry wide body, with broad membership. The aim of the Senet Group is similar to that of the Portman Group in the alcohol sector. It has been established to help underpin the legitimacy of the gaming industry and set best practice standards. As part of Senet, we aren’t just one company but individuals belonging to a group that can set benchmarks that help raise the bar for everyone.
The gambling industry still almost apologises to the rest of the business community for being a key economic player, but is the economic contri- bution of the industry within communities the
Catherine Colloms, Director of Corporate Affairs, Paddy Power.
Catherine is director of corporate affairs at Paddy Power. She is responsible for devising and implementing Paddy Power’s corporate communications strategy, including media relations, public affairs and Corporate Responsibility. Catherine spent 6 years at Brunswick Group working on a variety of campaigns for clients including PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser, IKEA & NBC Universal. She also spent 6 months in working on the BP Deepwater Horizon crisis. Catherine started her career in the Foreign Office where she worked on a range of crisis situations, including the Government’s humanitarian response to September 11th. She also worked on post-conflict issues and the Balkans including in Sarajevo as Personal Political Adviser to the High Representative for Bosnia, Lord Ashdown.
Paddy Power is one of the founding members of the Senet Group - which is designed to be an industry wide body, with broad membership.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78