PR Insiders

It is clear that until the pandemic is over, the world will experience constant change and heightened uncertainty. This should be good for PR, as demand for strategic communication will remain strong. In addition, there will be plenty of changes in how PR looks and functions once the pandemic subsides.

There’s no more iconic symbol of US business than the NY Stock Exchange (NYSE). Specifically, its floor. That floor reopened today. How its president Stacey Cunningham communicated it likely will serve as a template for other businesses.

We’ve all heard about the new normal, but what does it look like in the sector you represent? One way to find out is to use predictive landscapes that help communicators build possible behavioral models. Here’s an example using the travel industry.

Social media use has increased significantly during the pandemic. Analyzing social posts during the early part of the lockdowns, three basic user groups emerge. It is likely their emotional states will change as the pandemic continues. Here’s how brands can spot these groups and prepare content for when they begin to change their behavior.

The pandemic shows it’s impossible to predict a crisis. On the other hand, assessing likely risks, preparing a response plan in advance, understanding processes and practicing regularly will ensure success during most crises.

As the pandemic has unfolded, the way people and brands talk about COVID-19 on social has shifted. Social conversations have expanded beyond details about the virus to other topics, such as entertainment for the homebound. Brands that monitor social conversations can build connections to their audiences that will last beyond the pandemic.

Did your brand or organization’s messaging around the novel coronavirus seem authentic to audience members? Did consumers read it or delete it? Did the sexes react to it similarly? Those were some of the questions Clyde Group asked in a recent survey of 1,000 consumers.

The novel coronavirus has resulted in drastic changes throughout the world. Communicators, though, can take solace in that many of the tactics they know from crisis management will apply to communicating during the pandemic.

As the pandemic continues, PR agencies are rethinking how they structure their business, looking at their staffing models and contract templates. Three trends have emerged that can keep agencies above water.

Even though health and safety are top priorities during the coronavirus, it is not time to abandon diversity and inclusion (D&I). Unfortunately, many companies are failing to communicate D&I messages to employees at this moment. Yet protecting employee health and well-being while promoting D&I are, in fact, mutually supportive.