Page 16 - PR COMMUNICATION AGE July - December 2020

It must be remembered that many practices which we have your audience in the current environment, then you
acquired these days will be carried forward as our daily shouldn't delay your lunch. Think about what your business
lifestyle. A good PR agency can take note of this point and can offer to assist your audience. This may be in the form
plan their client's communication strategy likewise.As of content that provides timely advice and tips on working
people adjust to the new normal and businesses restart, PR from home, staying safe, remaining healthy and active, and
being a reasonable investment as compared to other forms keeping kids busy.
of marketing, will enjoy more work in the coming days. The
industry thus needs fresh ideas - that are sensitive to the Moreover, the communication strategy should be able to
situation and are also effective. be expressed through a planned campaign rather than being
designed for one-time consumption. Regularity is very
Amid all the negativity because of the pandemic, people essential. Single communication/proclamation will become
now want to hear positive stories. Brand building requires stale quickly as audiences have ample time these days. Such
a positive vibe in the communication strategy and thus, this an announcement will not break the clutter and will be lost
is a good time for the brands to express themselves. But, it in the noise.
should be kept in mind that the story should be authentic.
We must remember that we are at a state of 'Physical Hence, a PR agency should be able to adapt their
Distancing' which has given rise to 'Social Media Nearing'. communication plan according to the situation and churn
out story ideas regularly at quick intervals. The content
With Covid-19 dominating headlines, how should you adapt need not be long, but it has to be interesting. The
your public relations strategy? Find out how you can consumption of videos has increased many folds and hence
leverage public relations to position your business to flourish it should be used as a medium. Digital press conferences
in the new normal. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed just are a new trend these days.
about everything in terms of how we operate - personally
and professionally. Your PR strategy should pivot in the face In short, a PR agency needs to come up with smart
of this "new normal," but it's critical to not lose momentum communication plans in which the content should be
during this time. Businesses that maintain their PR efforts motivating, educating and entertaining, besides providing
will be positioned to recover faster as the economy the core message of the client.
improves by preserving their brand awareness, or in some
cases even growing it. Even saying it seems like an oxymoron it's not exactly normal
if it's completely new. Truthfully, the new normal will be
According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, defined by the choices we make today and most importantly
companies that invested in marketing during past global tomorrow. While it's been said many times, the present
recessions flourished after the slowdown and outperformed experience is rather unprecedented. We can certainly learn
rivals. But how do you adapt your PR strategy to retain from recent mistakes, but what we choose to learn and how
stability while staying relevant? Here are some practices we choose to change will define the new normal. But
we're implementing for our clients. enough of the philosophy, if we focus on one specific topic
that of public relations and marketing - the question is how
Trying to reach them with messages that aren't related to these professionals will be changing strategies,
their current needs and concerns will not only fall on deaf communications, and audience perceptions?
ears, but could be perceived as insensitive. Take a step back
and truly analyze your company news and announcements. Understanding the winners & losers in
If they aren't helpful to your audience at this time, then
hold off. I understand you may have been gearing up for a this period of pandemic:
product launch for a year and were finally ready to hit the Before we get to the new normal, it's important to discuss
go button, but it's important to assess whether your product who some of the winners and losers have been throughout
launch will be received well during Covid-19. the Covid-19 pandemic. In general, the market and
consumers are being forced to embrace a new way of life
If your product delivers a benefit that will bring value to that includes virtual meetings, online fitness, food delivery

16 PR COMMUNICATION AGE July - December 2020