When the business is out of tune, no message can fix the song

May 14, 2025

Esme Arendse, Managing Director of Aprio Group

Communication is not auto-tune – it cannot disguise a melody that is broken.

Imagine a band where the guitarist rushes the solo, the drummer misses the beat, and the singer goes off-key. Instead of rehearsing, they blame the sound mixer, demanding louder volume, slicker effects, or a better microphone to mask the flaws.

But no amount of post-production can save a song that was not played right in the first place.

This is what happens when businesses treat communication like audio engineering, expecting it to polish dysfunction into something listenable.

The limits of lyrics 

Great messaging can frame a story, but it cannot rewrite reality.

• If the product is off-key, no tagline will make it a hit.
• If leaders are singing different verses, no PR spin will unify the chorus.
• If teams are not in rhythm, no internal memo will sync the tempo.

Yet because words are easier to manipulate than culture, strategy, or operational execution, communication often gets treated like a magic equaliser, turning up the volume instead of fixing the composition.

Communication is an amplifier, not an instrument 

As professionals, we are not here to auto-tune mediocrity. Our real role?

• The sound check: listening for feedback before the show begins
• The tuner: spotting when actions and words do not harmonise
• The conductor: Aligning the ensemble so everyone plays the same score.

Because when the business is off beat, even the most brilliant messaging is just noise.

How to write a hit record instead of just turning up the volume

1. Stop mixing a broken track

• If teams are not collaborating, no newsletter will make them harmonise.
• If leaders lip-sync to empty values, no speech will sound authentic.

2. Tune the instruments before the performance

• Fix the product. Refine the service. Align the strategy.
• Then amplify the message – not the other way around.

3. When the problem is the song, rewrite it

• Inconsistent narrative? Clarify the chorus.
• Endless revisions killing momentum? Streamline the creative process.

4. Measure the music, not just the decibels

• Do not just count clicks, ask: Did the message move the crowd?
• Are people humming the tune, or is it just background noise?

Encore: The magic is not in the microphone

A flawless sound system cannot save a band that does not rehearse. A brilliant PR campaign cannot redeem a company that will not align. So, before you ask comms to fix the mix, ask:  Is the problem really the sound – or is the band still learning the song?

“Music is truth,” said the great Bob Marley. And so is great communication. It does not hide the dissonance – it resolves it.

For more information about our crisis communication and reputation management service offering, contact Esme Arendse on esme@aprio.co.za or call her on 082 694 7643.