Cox Arizona’s 2007 Community Involvement
Report tilted heavily toward graphs that indicated
the depth and breadth of the cable operator’s
contributions to its community.
Fast Facts
\ Cox Arizona spent $30,000 on the Community Involvement Report.
\ The report was mailed to nearly 2,000 elected officials, business lead ers
and other notable members of the community.
\ All Cox Arizona employees received a copy of the report.
C able operators a nd their satellite and telco competitors sometimes
battle to a standstill when it comes to services and rates—they all offer
ESPN and MTV and CNN and Disney Channel (never mind that satellite
doesn’t offer its own high-speed Internet, phone services or VOD—that’s
another story). But cable has always had an indisputable edge when it
comes to investing in local communities. Cable systems plant roots, and
the smartest ones know how to use them to create positive public profiles.
Cox Arizona’s annual Community Involvement Report speaks directly to
local community leaders and conveys the company’s commitment to the
welfare of its customers and its 3,000 employees. In the past, Cox Arizona
has produced two separate pieces: a small booklet for the report and a
desk calendar. In 2007, wanting to impart a more professional feel, Cox
used a larger format with bigger pictures, more white space and busi-ness-report-style graphs. To keep costs down, one spiral-bound piece was
produced, with the report up front and the calendar in the back. Included
was a gift demonstrating Cox’s commitment to the green movement—a
medallion of seed paper. The meat of the report is its colorful graphs,
charts and short articles detailing the lineup of community initiatives: Cox
Charities; the company’s homegrown green plans; the Cox Votes program;
diversity awareness programs; investments in Cox employees and in its
local origination channel; and support for members of the armed forces.
The orientation of the piece switches from portrait to landscape once one
reaches the calendar section, which is studded with local events—tangible
evidence that Cox is such a good corporate citizen that it built more than
one function into its annual report. ♣
Honorable Mentions:
Cable Positive’s 2005-2006
Annual Report—Cable Positive turned
to creative firm The Watsons’ to produce
its “We Have Work to Do” report, designed
to let the organization’s key stakeholders
know that there is still much to be done
to further AIDS awareness. The report,
animated by black-and-white photography
and bold red text, was nominated for
a Service Industry Advertising Award.
Cox New Orleans’ 2005-2006
Community Report—Cox’s annual
report told the story of the devastation
and massive rebuilding effort in the wake
of Hurricane Katrina, making it a historical
document of Cox employees’ personal
struggles as well as a look back at
the company’s 25 years of service
in the area.
The Cable Center’s 2006
Annual Report—The Cable Center’s first
annual report presented the nonprofit’s
redefined mission to past donors and key
constituents, who were shown that cable’s
educational arm and repository of history
is highly active and fiscally prudent.
