The Relational Factor as a strategic element in marketing communications

The strategic design of corporate and organizational communications requires the implementation of conversational systems and real interactivity with audiences. This goal implies, on one hand, generating relationships, and on the other, taking advantage of the new languages, tools and platforms that technological disruption has provided. In this scenario it is possible to achieve horizontality and audience participation, concepts that are intrinsic to social networks and that digital culture encourages. This article exposes the opportunities Information, Relational and Communications Technology offer public or private organizations in their institutional communications, from an interdisciplinary point of view, and relating to advertising aspects. In this regard, the following cases are provided as examples of the ideas: Hero, UNICEF and Starbucks. The Relational Factor is key to comprehending the present media reality, because it means the technological environment can be understood from the perspective of its conversational and humanistic potential. All this transforms how strategies and communicative actions are designed, as they are now based on audience, leading corporations and organizations to work in a way that has an institutional listening capacity, collaborative creation of content, openness in management and prosumer involvement, both emotional and active. These factors define a new setting to achieve the desired effectiveness in advertising.