SPIE's Editorial Communication Strategy Recognised at the Top Com Corporate Business 2012 Awards

News provided by

SPIE

20 Feb, 2012, 09:32 GMT

CERGY, France, February 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- Top Com d'Or Awards: SPIE Wins Special Prizes for Expression and Sustainable Development for its 2010 Business Review and Sustainable Development Report & First Prize for the Book "Naître et renaître, une histoire de SPIE"

An Engineering Services Group Melds Communication, High Technology and Sustainable Development Together as Never Before to Produce its First Print-Web-Mobile "Digital Origami" Creations

SPIE scoops four of the most prestigious prizes at the Top Com 2012 awards.

Along with its partners BeeBuzziness, Eurokapi and Lettre et Image, SPIE put forward two entries in the Publishing section of the 8th annual Top Com awards, in the "Unlisted companies' annual reports" and "Corporate books" categories. After being selected from among more than 300 entrants and giving oral presentations of its entries, SPIE was awarded four of the Top Com contest's highest honours.

For its 2010 business review and sustainable development report (produced in partnership with Eurokapi and BeeBuzziness), it won:

  • the Top Com d'Or prize in the "Unlisted companies' annual reports" category;
  • the special prize for expression in the Publishing section, rewarding the best oral presentation for all categories in that section;
  • the special prize for sustainable development, covering all sections and categories. The book entitled "Naître et renaître, une histoire de SPIE"  (Birth and rebirth, a history of SPIE) (with Lettre et Image and BeeBuzziness), won first prize in the Publishing section across all categories.

Web 2.0 enabled, responsible "hyper" business review

SPIE's 2010 business review and sustainable development report is a "hyperdocument" (printed document offering multimedia content via QR* codes) at the heart of an unparalleled online and offline multiplatform digital editorial ecosystem (incorporating PC, Android and iPad, etc.). It is accessible to all and can be consulted anywhere and anytime. Its contents can be shared on social networks and a printed version can be obtained within 48 hours.

Following on from the 2009 edition, SPIE's 2010 business review and sustainable development report illustrates the Group's growing involvement in the green economy through day-to-day actions. The aim is to describe and explain the concept of green economy vs. green growth and to highlight the company's long-term performance. This is illustrated across all of SPIE's business fields by nearly 40 employees who share their vision of "green economy" challenges and describe the solutions proposed by SPIE. These interviews, which were conducted in their working environments, may be viewed on smartphone using the QR* codes provided.

This business review is also intended as exemplary communication tool in line with the Group's commitment to corporate social responsibility: digital accessibility lets people with vision or hearing disabilities access the document and make full use of all its animated features in English and in French. Print On Demand (POD*), which has been standard for SPIE publications since 2009, means the strict minimum can be printed in an eco-responsible manner.

So far, the business review has received 4,373 hits from different users (131,747 pages viewed) and has logged more than 3,000 orders for the Print On Demand version.

"Naître et renaître, une histoire de SPIE": launching a new generation of books

In 2006, SPIE regained its independence and readopted its historic name following an LBO (leveraged buyout) which was expected to last about five years. In 2009, the Group confirmed its aims to remain a fully independent company and to increase its number of shareholding employees in the future. In that context, SPIE wished to highlight its century-long industrial, historical and strategic heritage. Written by former Chairman Jean Monville, with a preface by Gauthier Louette, SPIE's current Chairman and CEO, "Naître et renaître, une histoire de SPIE" describes the political and economic events that affected the company's development, the key phases of that development and the achievements along the way. It also tells of the Group's economic success since 2006 and explains a change in shareholder structure planned for around 2011, and requiring further employee involvement alongside a financial partner.

This 340-page work is also a "hyper book" (with multimedia content accessible via QR* codes) which lies at the heart of an online and offline multiplatform digital editorial ecosystem that is unparalleled in the publishing world. It is an experimental project integrating all the innovations implemented in recent years for SPIE publications stored in the online virtual library and, above all, content accessibility for disabled people. Its rich-media digital version, which is free online (http://histoire.spie.com), offers an enhanced-reality experience, a real-time 3D animated feature, 87 other animated features, 189 QR* codes, 21 videos, 40 documentary archives, 529 audio-accessible commentaries, a full-scale 18 m drawing, 60 external links, 74 different sounds, and integral voice synthesis.

Buyers of the book also have access to downloadable multiplatform digital versions (rich-media flipbook, PDF and ePub versions) and to the book's Facebook page.

Recognition for our integrated responsible communication approach

As a commitment that has become a corporate project and part of the Group's descriptive profile, sustainable development is at the heart of SPIE's business activities and communication strategy. Our aims are, firstly, to consolidate SPIE's position as a leading company able to support its customers in the long term in addressing the environmental and energy-related challenges facing society and, secondly, to implement responsible corporate communication that really puts sustainable development into practice.

With no suitable solution on the market to meet its requirements, SPIE has, since 2006, been supporting BeeBuzziness's research and development in the fields of dematerialisation, eco-responsible Print On Demand technology and digital accessibility for disabled people.

Innovative tools consistent with the aims of this policy were soon brought into action, with dematerialisation of publications in 2006, and eco-responsible Print On Demand introduced for the 2007 annual report (winner of the 2008 sustainable development prize awarded by Communication et Entreprise) and extended to all corporate and sales documents in our virtual library in 2009.

Since 2009, the Group has also been supporting Atalan's AcceDE PDF and AcceDE Web research project to develop the digital accessibility of published and web documents for disabled people.

"The ground-breaking responsible communication tools we have developed and implemented since 2006 as part of an integrated comprehensive approach have become part of the Group's identity, both internally and externally," explains Pascal Omnès, SPIE Communications Director. "This innovative approach, which testifies to our environmental and social commitment, was commended by leading communication professionals at the 2012 Top Com Corporate Business awards, and that will encourage us to maintain our efforts to enhance the useful value of our publications for our stakeholders. The 2010 business review and the book "Naître et renaître, une histoire de SPIE" had already received, or been nominated for, prizes at the European Excellence Awards 2011, at the awards organised by Stratégies magazine and at the Communication et Entreprise awards. SPIE is one step ahead of the field with its print-web-mobile "digital origami" assemblies, but we're glad to note that an increasing number of companies are adopting this combination of innovation and responsibility."

Main stages in the rollout of SPIE's responsible communication strategy for publications:

2006:    First step in dematerialising SPIE publications

2007:    Introduction of voice synthesis in the 2006 annual report

2008:    Integral voice synthesis in the 2007 annual report and launch of print on demand (on 100% recycled paper)

2009:    Extension of POD to all SPIE documents, and 2008 business review accessible in PDF version

2010:    2009 business review fully accessible to the disabled (test platform for the AcceDE research project), with printed version available on POD basis only

2011:    The web 2.0 enabled 2010 "hyper" business review

To consult documents online:

SPIE's partners for production of the 2010 business review and sustainable development report and - since 2006 - for implementation of its comprehensive responsible integrated communication strategy:

- Graphic design and editorial consulting: eurokapi

- Digital graphic design, technical integration (dematerialisation, POD process, Print-Web-Mobile convergence, digital accessibility for the disabled and multiplatform compatibility): BeeBuzziness

- Digital accessibility consulting: Atalan

- Implementation of POD (Print On Demand): Alain Gilles Group, a printing company with the following stamps of approval: FSC, Imprim'vert, TCF, ISO 14001, EMAS, European Ecolabel, Nordic Ecolabel and Blau Engel.

About the Top Com awards

Every year, Top Com prizes are awarded to the year's best communication operations, in some 30 different categories, by panels of active professionals working in marketing, communication and HR departments and by other experts.

The Top Com awards comprise eight sections (design, marketing, advertising, publishing, etc.), each made up of between two and five categories.

http://www.lexpressiontopcom.fr

About SPIE

As the European leader in electrical and mechanical engineering and HVAC services, energy and communication systems, SPIE enhances the world around us by helping local and regional authorities and companies design, build, operate and maintain more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly facilities.

With 28,600 employees working from nearly 400 locations in 31 countries, SPIE achieved sales of €3.75 billion and generated a trading profit of €192.3 million in 2010.

* The QR code is a type of two-dimensional bar code (or data-matrix code) consisting of black modules arranged in a white-background square. QR stands for Quick Response, as the code's content can be decoded rapidly. Designed to be read with a bar-code reader, a mobile phone, a smartphone or a webcam, it offers the advantage of storing more data than a bar code, including data that can be directly recognised by applications, enabling actions to be triggered more easily.

* Print On Demand (POD) is an eco-responsible printing service. Internet users can have printed versions delivered to their homes or offices in just 48 hours. The entire "POD rematerialisation" process by high-definition digital printing on recycled paper complies with all the environment-related requirements applicable to the printing industry, keeping consumption of paper, energy and chemicals to the strict minimum. No unnecessary printing is done, so there is no waste paper to be discarded and recycled.

http://www.spie.com 

http://www.myspie.eu