This profile is taken from the report Award-Winning IR – Asia 2018. Click to download your copy now.
Ayala Land strives to use communications platforms like its website to advance its IR program, particularly given an interconnected global audience. The primary challenge involved achieving the best user experience by balancing design, accessibility and functionality. Design necessarily involves creativity and alignment with corporate branding. The careful selection of design elements is paramount to avoid clutter and cumbersome back-end maintenance, especially for a small team.
Meanwhile, accessibility demands consideration of the platforms on which the website can be viewed, from smartphones to computers. Graphic-heavy pages can hinder proper access, particularly with high-speed internet not widely available. Finally, functionality dictated that the website be an updated repository of information for the investment community, including presentations, stock data, company reports and material news and disclosures, among others. The IR website would also provide easy access to the wider company website, including different priority areas (such as sustainability and corporate governance), business lines and subsidiaries.
IR manages the website through a back-end platform that enables real-time updating of data. The micro-site is tested to ensure content is readable on different devices, and the team observes corporate branding and ‘refreshes’ the website visuals every year by using striking imagery from the annual report. The team also observes protocols about updating data and uploads to ensure the latest information is always available. This information is organized in defined categories that appear as primary access points on the home page, while a specific breakdown of links to content and other sections of the corporate website appears at the bottom of the page. Contact information for the IR team and other key offices are also made available.
Feedback from analysts and investors about the website has been positive, with comments highlighting ease of access and the completeness of information. Analysts, for instance, have related they can immediately access the most recent disclosures and presentations, including recordings of quarterly briefings, via the IR micro-site. This has been instrumental in maintaining the professionalism of the IR program. Identifying the members of the IR team on the website has empowered stakeholders to establish direct lines of communication with the team. As well as several IR-related communiqués, the team has been able to field inquiries not directly related to its line of work, and quickly connect stakeholders with the appropriate departments.
