Researched Carefully and Done Sensitively, Media Pitches, Product Launches Can Work During Virus

Late last month, PRNEWS gathered a panel of senior communicators for a webinar: “Media Relations Strategy in the Midst of a Global Crisis.”

The nearly 100 attendees submitted more questions than could be handled during the 60-minute session. To tackle the questions left unanswered, we gathered a virtual roundtable of PR practitioners to respond to some of them.

Those communicators were: Annie Scranton, founder and president of Pace PR, Todd Hansen, principal of O’Malley Hansen Communications and Tarn Morrison, director of PR & partnerships at TULA, the skincare company.

The questions and edited responses are below.

PRNEWS: What are your recommendation for companies that have major brand or product launches in the coming months of 2020? Should they postpone or continue with them?

Annie Scranton:If you’ve postponed a launch, use the down time to make sure your messaging and branding are well-thought-out and consistent across all of your social media platforms for when you conduct the launch.

If you are planning a launch in 2020, you need to make sure it is thoughtful, given that we are in a pandemic. Make certain you have the cash flow to support a launch and also feel very confident about sales. To attract media, build your lists only with journalists you have researched and that you know are covering news other than the coronavirus.

Todd Hansen: The primary inclination is to hold off right now, while much of the country shelters in place. But every case is different, so here are questions you should ask:

• Is there a good chance [the product or service will be] purchased in the short-term because it would be appealing to the stay-at-home lifestyle?
• Is there a compelling business reason that will help you determine your timing?
• Is there a way to redesign the launch so that it more appropriately fits how people are getting their information and living their lives now?

Tarn Morrison: Communicate with internal and external stakeholders. It’s important to get a range of opinions about the content of campaigns and language used in any external communications.

While it can feel like the wrong moment to launch a campaign or product right now, if executed well, it can actually be a welcome distraction.

There are examples of recent product releases that were successful. A key is that the companies ensured the launch materials emphasized benefits that were relevant to consumers in this moment.

Timing for Brand Awareness

PRNEWS: What recommendations would you give to companies that are planning to roll out a brand awareness campaign for the post-COVID-19 period? What is the ideal timing on this type of campaign?

Hansen: Sensitivity to the concerns of your key target audiences is the primary factor. It’s an unusual balance. For many people, life now is routine and a little monotonous, so there is a desire to do something different. Trust your instincts and run ideas by members of your target audience.

Scranton:I think it’s fine to start initial conversations with media you are close to now for brand awareness campaigns [later]. I would, however, hold off on launching those campaigns until we are closer to a resolution of COVID-19.

Ready for Non-COVID-19 Pitches?

PRNEWS: How will you judge or measure when it’s time to pivot to non-COVID-19 pitching?

Scranton: You can pitch non-COVID-19 issues now, but you have to make sure the journalist you are pitching actually is covering those issues. Some fashion reporters, for example, are still on their usual beat

Hansen: It’s not nearly as straightforward as everyone thinks. Monitor the news and talk to your journalist targets. Many of them are still working and need content for their stories.

Judging Message Tone

PRNEWS: How do you assess whether your pitch is right or tone-deaf for this moment?

Scranton:I can’t say it enough: research the journalist you’re pitching. By reading what they have recently written, you will be able to assess if your pitch is on track.

Morrison: As always, but especially during this time, our focus is on the well-being of our team, our community and our relationships. We’ve been looking at our plans through this lens, and prioritizing this view, which has helped us to gauge if the tone of our plans will land as we’ve intended them to.

PRNEWS: How do you respond when your brand is hit with continued criticism about something it’s handled poorly during the pandemic, even if it’s on the rebound? For example, we have recently heard about companies that received PPP loans only to return them.

Scranton: When your brand has been hit hard with criticism, and the court of public opinion has ruled that your company erred, the only thing you can do is to apologize thoughtfully, and then make sure you have consistent messaging on your website and social channels about how you are making an effort to change.

Hansen: It’s important to make amends as quickly as possible and change your business practices so that it doesn’t happen again. People will have long memories about how brands behaved during this time; organizations that have the public’s best interests in mind will benefit in the long term.

Do You Hold Political Messages?

PRNEWS: What recommendations do you have for political messages? Since these will remain relevant until early November, should these announcements be postponed until the fall?

Hansen:Generally, political announcements are held to the fall because the country tunes out politics during the summer. This year that will be impossible, so we would not consider the traditional timeline this year, especially with the conventions coming up. Decide when to make the announcement based on when it will best capture people’s attention.

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Note: You can listen to a replay of the webinar, “Media Relations Strategy in the Midst of a Global Crisis.” Register at: shorturl.at/hqJO5