In this op-ed written by Emma Butler, account director, Compass Studio, delves into the evolving role of PR in times of global uncertainty, and how brands can stay relevant without appearing tone-deaf.
I’m opening my news apps constantly, that small rush of adrenaline as I check the latest update and try to make sense of whatever new development has unfolded overnight. This is the reality of the news cycle we live in.
As an account director at Compass Studio, I’ve spent the past few years in PR navigating what feels like a permanently intense media cycle. Global unrest, economic uncertainty, climate events, political instability. There is no neat pause button. The news does not slow down. If anything, it accelerates.
And yet, brands still need to show up. The question is not whether to seek media coverage during these periods. It is how.
There is a misconception that during moments of global tension, brands must either go completely quiet or risk appearing tone-deaf. In reality, neither extreme serves audiences or brands particularly well.
Journalists are still publishing. Audiences are still engaging.
It feels like the pace of the world has quickened, and for anyone working in communications, that intensity is impossible to ignore. That is where PR strategy needs to evolve.
In times of global uncertainty, we often guide clients towards one of two clear approaches: lean in or lean out.
Leaning in means finding a genuinely relevant angle that connects your brand to what people are experiencing right now.
During cost-of-living pressures, for example, we have secured strong coverage for retail and not-for-profit brands by offering practical, data-backed insights. How Australians are changing spending habits, where savings are being found, what consumers should be doing differently.
These stories perform because they are useful and they respect the audience’s reality.
Leaning out, on the other hand, does not mean disappearing. It means shifting the role your brand plays in the conversation.
When the news cycle feels heavy, there is a genuine appetite for relief. We crave moments of lightness, optimism and human connection. (Thank god, a story that doesn’t make my chest tighten!) We also want to feel connected to normalcy; what should my winter wardrobe look like? Where should we go on our next holiday?
And yes, sometimes that means pitching a gift guide when the rest of the news cycle is in freefall. But perhaps, you are offering someone a glimmer of respite in their feeds, and keeping a business in business as a result.
The chaos isn’t going anywhere, however, neither is the opportunity inside it. The brands that earn coverage during uncertain times aren’t the ones who go quiet and wait for a calmer news cycle that never comes. They’re the ones who’ve worked out exactly where they fit, and show up there with something worth saying.
Written by Emma Butler, account director, Compass Studio.
