The Annual Report is one of the most important projects of the year for many organisations.
In a busy Marcoms department, care has to be taken when planning and committing to other projects in the lead up to this time as the Annual Report generally takes precedence and absorbs valuable resources for around three weeks of the year.
I have worked in organisations that just want to meet the basic requirement of getting the figures out there (and that is its main purpose after all), but I have also worked in other companies that demand a little bit more from their Annual Report.
Generally speaking, the Annual Report is a comprehensive report on the company’s activities over the previous year. It is intended to provide shareholders and other interested parties information about financial performance and in some cases an overview of business activities.
Where resourcing allows, it is the perfect opportunity to get the communication and creative professionals involved to weave a strong story/compelling message about strength, growth, sustainability, or even what the company’s aims and objectives are.
If the team is fairly junior, or you are not used to producing documents of this nature, it can be a stressful time in the office. However, with careful planning and a talented committed team, it’s another opportunity to create something that’s a pleasure to read, instead of a purely figure-based, text heavy, jargon-filled piece of accounting.
Send to Kindle
