Strategic communication Strategic communication can mean either communicating a concept , a process , or data that satisfies a long term strategic goal of an organization by allowing facilitation of advanced planning , or communicating over long distances usually using international telecommunications or dedicated global network assets to coordinate actions and activities of operationally significant commercial , non - commercial and military business or combat and logistic subunits . It can also mean the related function within an organization , which handles internal and external communication processes . Strategic communication can also be used for political warfare . Definition of strategic communication . Strategic Communication refers to policy - making and guidance for consistent information activity within an organization and between organizations . Equivalent business management terms are : integrated ( marketing ) communication , organizational communication , corporate communication , institutional communication , etc . ( see paragraph on ' Commercial Application ' below ) . In the U . S . , Strategic Communication is defined as : Focused United States Government efforts to understand and engage key audiences to create , strengthen , or preserve conditions favorable for the advancement of United States Government interests , policies , and objectives through the use of coordinated programs , plans , themes , messages , and products synchronized with the actions of all instruments of national power . Strategic communication management could be defined as the systematic planning and realization of information flow , communication , media development and image care in a long - term horizon . It conveys deliberate message ( s ) through the most suitable media to the designated audience ( s ) at the appropriate time to contribute to and achieve the desired long - term effect . Communication management is process creation . It has to bring three factors into balance : the message ( s ) , the media channel ( s ) and the audience ( s ) . An alternative view of Strategic Communication is offered by Steve Tatham of the UK Defence Academy . He argues that whilst it is desirable to bound and coordinate communications together - particularly from governments or the military - it should be regarded in a much more fundamental manner than simply process . The ' informational effect ' should be placed at the very epi - centre of command and that all action must be calibrated against that effect - including the evaluation of 2nd and 3rd order effects . This is , he argues , proper Strategic Communication ( communication singular - an abstract noun ) whilst the actual process of communicating ( which include Target Audience Analysis , evaluation of conduits , measurements of effect etc . ) - is Strategic Communications ( plural ) . In the August 2008 paper , DoD Principles of Strategic Communication , Robert T . Hastings , Jr . , acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs , described strategic communication as " the synchronization of images , actions and words to achieve a desired effect . " Application objectives . Strategic Communication ( SC ) provides a conceptual umbrella that enables organizations to integrate their disparate messaging efforts . It allows them to create and distribute communications that , while different in style and purpose , have an inner coherence . This consistency can , in some instances , foster an echo chamber that reinforces the organizational message and brand . At minimum , it prevents contradictory , confusing messaging to different groups across all media platforms . Defense application . The recently approved NATO Policy on Strategic Communication defines Strategic Communication as " the coordinated and appropriate use of NATO communications activities and capabilities – Public Diplomacy , Military Public Affairs , Information Operations and Psychological Operations , as appropriate – in support of Alliance policies , operations and activities , and in order to advance NATO ' s aims " ( SG ( 2009 ) 0794 ) . " It is important to underline that Strategic Communication is first and foremost a process that supports and underpins all efforts to achieve the Alliance ' s objectives ; an enabler that guides and informs our decisions , and not an organization in itself . It is for this reason that Strategic Communication considerations should be integrated into the earliest planning phases - communication activities being a consequence of that planning " ( MCM - 0164 - 2009 ) . Commercial application . Strategic Communication is communication aligned with the company ' s overall strategy , to enhance its strategic positioning . Concept Development and Experimentation ( CD & E ) . Strategic Communication is currently subject to multinational CD & E , led by the military , because communication is always an indispensable part of crisis management and compliance strategies . Across the spectrum of missions and broadly covering all levels of involvement in a civil - military , comprehensive approach context , the function of Strategic Communication and its military tool for implementation – Information Operations – have evolved and are still under development , in particular concerning their exact delineation of responsibilities and the integration of non - military and non - coalition actors . Three major lines of development are acknowledged as state of the art , with practical impact on current crisis management operations and / or multinational interoperability : ( 1 ) U . S . national developments , which one can argue have resulted in the most mature concepts for both Strategic Communication and Information Operations so far ; ( 2 ) NATO concept development , which in the case of Strategic Communication is very much driven by current mission requirements ( such as ISAF in Afghanistan ) , but also has benefitted much from multinational CD & E in the case of Information Operations ; and ( 3 ) multinational CD & E projects such as the U . S . - led Multinational Experiment ( MNE ) series and the Multinational Information Operations Experiment ( MNIOE ) , led by Germany . Intensive discussions involving civil and military practitioners of Strategic Communication and Information Operations - with a view on existing national and NATO approaches to Strategic Communication , and current best practice - have questioned whether a new approach and definition of Strategic Communication really is required . Consequently , a reorientation of CD & E efforts was suggested , focussing now on the theme of " Integrated Communication " , which better reflects the shared baseline assessment with a broader scope , including but not limited to Strategic Communication : - the ineffective top - down approach to communication ( mission - specific , strategic - political guidance for information activities ; information strategy ; corporate vision ; shared narrative ) and - the insufficient horizontal and vertical integration of communication ( cohesion of a coalition ; corporate identity ; cultural awareness ; communication by words and deeds - the " say - do - gap " ; involvement of non - coalition actors - participatory communication ) . This change also should prevent false expectations of potential customers of resulting concepts who currently are reluctant to engage in CD & E on the widely implemented subject of Strategic Communication .