Pandemic Forces PR to Confront Edit Calendars: ‘Is My Message a Priority or Appropriate Now?’

[Editor’s Note: Next in our series of interviews with senior communicators we speak with Julie O’Donnell, who last month was named EVP/global head of digital at health communications and PR firm Evoke KYNE. She joined Evoke in 2017 and is based in Dublin, Ireland. Prior to that she was a senior director at Lundbeck, the multinational pharmaceutical company. We asked her about companies rapidly adding digital activities during this moment, among other things.]

PRNEWS: What a time to be named global head of digital for a health communications firm. What have you learned about digital communications during the pandemic so far?

Julie O’DonnellEVP, GlobalHead, DigitalEvoke KYNE

Julie O’Donnell: Despite much talk about digital integration or multichannel strategies, many organizations – particularly in healthcare – remain overly reliant on face-to-face communication, particularly sales reps and those in events.

Those who really had cross-channel communications engrained in their business have found it easier to adapt. I think this will be a wake-up call for organizations to ensure they finally integrate digital across all business functions.

The old adage, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention,’ is very apparent. Digital transformation is happening overnight. Technology is not as daunting when face-to-face goes out the proverbial window.