Best use of multimedia for IR: What the Greater China and South East Asia judges are looking for

The self-entry nominations are now open for both the IR Magazine Awards – Greater China 2022 and the IR Magazine Awards – South East Asia 2022. Deadlines for admissions are midnight (HKT) and midnight (SGT) on Friday, August 19.

At last year’s awards, ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co took home the trophy in Greater China for best use of multimedia for IR. In South East Asia, the same award was won by Singapore’s CapitaLand China Trust.

Vijay Natarajan, real estate and real estate investment trusts analyst and judge for the IR Magazine Awards Greater China – 2021

‘First, I look at it from the point of view of an analyst or investment community: does this [multimedia] help make things simple and easy for the investment community to understand? Multimedia should be a tool to help you get to the point within the next two to three steps. The same goes for company websites.

‘I also look at some of the statistics the company has mentioned and the journey it has taken. I want to understand what the problem was and how the firm is trying to solve it.

‘Many companies say, for example, that previous investment feedback pointed to a difficulty in finding certain information and that, off the back of that feedback, the company revamped the website, increasing traffic and making for a smoother experience. If I read this, the first thing I will do is try to find that information myself. I will look at the scale of the multimedia the company is using, too, as well as which platforms, because that is quite interesting and important.

‘I also try to look at multimedia from a retail investor point of view: multimedia needs to be scalable, it needs to be about reaching a wide audience and it should offer an opportunity to be more creative in the way companies present data. Institutional investors know a lot of ways to reach companies but retail investors may not be as savvy, may not have the same level of access. Those are the innovations I think really matter: the ones that help retail investors want to get engaged.

‘And effort counts. It’s not just about putting a dollar amount on something or getting the big brands or big consultants in to get things done. Multimedia that looks good is important, but that has to be adjusted and looked at through a lens of what a corporate is trying to do in terms of getting its message across.’

This year, the as-yet undecided judging panel will choose the best in IR from across eight categories at each event:

• Best annual report
• Best crisis management
• Best ESG materiality reporting
• Best investor event
• Best IR during a corporate transaction
• Best IR website
• Best use of multimedia for IR
• Rising star.

Click here for more information on the self-nomination awards categories for Greater China and South East Asia or to begin filling out your nomination form today.