Future trends

The printed annual report is not going to disappear anytime soon, but as corporate communications gravitate further towards the web, it is going to take a different shape both online and offline.

What will the annual report of the future look like? Three thoughts:

Goodbye to the Summary Financial Statement (SFS)

The SFS was meant to be the annual report 'lite', saving companies money in production and postage costs, while being more accessible to the average shareholder. But it has become ever less light – in some cases running to more than 80 pages – and for many companies has had its day.

Welcome to ... something else

Say 10% of shareholders opt-in for hard copy and another 15% provide an email address, that still leaves 75% of shareholders who are deemed to have accepted e-comms, but need to be contacted by post telling them where to access the report online. It makes sense to send something more like a flyer with the key figures and messages, which should try to entice them to go online – a clear opportunity to get creative.

The online report of the future

Some companies use the power of the web to set online communications apart from paper. Already we are seeing chairmen deliver their letter to shareholders in video format within the online annual report. In time we expect to see a multimedia ‘Year in review’ really bring the business to life online, sitting alongside the audited annual report content.

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