How To Communicate In The Conoravirus Era

Dora Nikols (pictured below) is a PR and social purpose specialist who runs Social Mission and consults to agencies and corporate clients to create initiatives and communications that brings a companies social purpose to life. In this guest post, Nikols says rather than go into lockdown, now’s the time for brands to be yelling their messages loud and clear…
We are living through some challenging times as the coronavirus epidemic has grounded not only many companies but planet earth. Every one of us has had to stop and think, reflect and in many ways, develop. Health and safety have risen to the top of our priority list with a renewed focus on being more caring, compassionate and community-focused in a new world that dictates social distancing.
Our isolation has forced us to reflect on what is valuable in our lives and what our purpose is. This rediscovered sense of self and a newfound appreciation for the world around us means companies will also need to reconsider how they operate and communicate both during and after the coronavirus.
To try and understand and even attempt to navigate this new market terrain, many companies have scrambled to conduct market research. In the ‘Brand trust and the coronavirus pandemic’ report, Edelman found that 81% of people believe confidence in a brand to do what’s right is a deciding factor in their brand buying decision.
While the ‘Covid-19 Tracker Insights for a time of crisis’ report by Porter-Novelli found that 77% of people believe companies must make decisions that are in the interest of the broader community. In this moment of global need people are watching, and the companies that will thrive will be the ones that were of service to individuals, society and the environment during this epidemic.
The Porter-Novelli study went on to find 71% people feel better about companies that publicly announce what they are doing in response to the pandemic. While 75% say, they will remember which companies stepped up to provide coronavirus support when this is all over.
So now is the time to think about how you will support the health and wellbeing of employees? What products, services and resources can you deploy in service of the community? How can you contribute to society in a powerful and meaningful way? How can you be more conscious and purpose-driven in how you operate and communicate?
Right now, we need to navigate a new norm and acknowledge that we are all in this together. To do this, we need to be more conscious of how we communicate and act during the coronavirus crisis following these critical steps:-
- Create a coronavirus crisis team –
Swiftly establish a ‘coronavirus crisis team’ consisting of senior executives and department heads, including the CEO, human resources and public relations to monitor the crisis and develop communication protocols and messaging. - CEO to be vocal and visual –
The CEO needs to show leadership and compassion to ensure staff are healthy, motivated and engaged. By using Zoom to share how the company is handling the virus and what extra steps they are taking to support staff. For example; Aldi in the UK is offering staff a 10 per cent bonus for working through the coronavirus outbreak. While corporate CEOs are taking voluntary pay cuts including Qantas CEO Alan Joyce - Focus on your social purpose –
All PR, social media and marketing interactions should be meaningful by only focusing on the company’s social mission. Messages should only include their commitment to the community, employees, consumers and the environment. For example; Woolworths is using their marketing voice to announce an exclusive shopping hour for seniors and people with a disability. - Support the community –
Companies should put their social purpose into action by making in-kind donations to support our healthcare workers and people affected by the coronavirus. For example; McDonald’s is giving healthcare workers free coffee, Johnson & Johnson is donating millions of masks while Crocs is giving healthcare workers free shoes. - Be prepared for media Inquiries –
It is vital to prepare for media inquiries, which requires several critical steps, including anticipating difficult questions; developing factual messaging that conveys empathy, transparency, and concern; establishing and media training a company spokesperson; and monitoring social and other media commentary.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Dora NikolsLatest News

Dynata’s Latest Economic Crossroads Report Shows Consumer Trends From Around The Globe
Across the world, rising costs are causing anxiety and financial struggles for consumers. The worldwide impact of inflation is affecting their outlook and behaviour. More than half of consumers globally are struggling financially because of inflation and the increasing price of fuel, housing and everyday goods. Russia’s war on Ukraine intensifies their concerns around supply-chain […]

InMoment Bring Major Updates To Their XI Platform For Greater Customer Experiences
Making people's lives easier one update at a time. Because nowadays it's all about accessibility, right?

US FCC Commissioner Wants Apple And Google To Take Down TikTok From Their Stores
Anyone who wants to ban TikTok clearly doesn't understand how cool Anna Paul is.

Fullbright Scholar Teams Up With CQUniversity For New Opportunities In Queensland
It's nice to know the Sunshine State might finally be using said sunshine for something productive.

“Talk About Soft!” Mark Levy Blasts The Project Over Interview With Climate Change Activist
The world is actually burning, but sure let's be mad at the protestors.

Best Of The Best Judge, Ben Pellow Nabs Group Sales Director Role At Forbes Australia
Here at B&T, we love to remind you about all the fancy friends we have. Mainly because they never cop to it in public.

Visit Victoria And Endemol Shine Australia Announce New Partnership
The new series will allow Sydneysiders to appreciate Melbourne from their couches, just the way we like it.

Sydney Set To Host South By Southwest Festival For 2023
This comes as part of a wider plan to steal Texan culture, with Sydney set to take on plentiful Cowboy boots and rodeos.

Nine’s Big Dog Mike Sneesby Announces EOFY2022 Bonuses For Permanent Staff
Bonuses were decided after staff declined MAFS merch as a thank you.

Tony Armstrong Reveals The ABC’s Reaction To His OnlyFans Account
Armstrong proving that even a Logie can't save you from boring meetings with your bosses.

Wednesday TV Wrap: MasterChef Owns Demos But Nine Dines Out On The Night
Thank you MasterChef for normalising cooking while crying.

FutureBrand Australia Grows, Makes Two Senior Appointments
Bringing the "future" to Australia's business industry.

Sedona Lands Cinnamon Darvall As Executive Producer
If Sedona can acquire some Milk, Eggs and Flour as well, they'd be on their way to a nice crepe recipe in the C suite.

Jaywing And Frank Digital Nab Rai Campbell For Commercial Director Role
Campbell will be called to drive the Jaywing to success. That's not a phrase out of a sci-fi series by the way.

Are Media Launch Body Positivity Initiative ‘BODFest’ With OGX Haircare
Cause there's nothing that will make you feel better about yourself than seeing Em Rata on stage.

Quantcast Launches New Advertising Solutions For Marketers
With the rate at which Quantcast is attempting to solve problems, Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea may need to get in touch

Nielsen To Publish Global Annual Environmental, Social And Governance Report
Nielsen is releasing its global annual environmental, social and governance (ESG) report to share information in six key ESG topic areas including diversity, equity and inclusion, human capital, governance, data privacy and security, environment, and communities. The report is designed to demonstrate how Nielsen does what it does with responsibly and with integrity—and how that […]

ARIA And PPCA Welcome Newest Paper From ACMA
Having the word Phonographic in your company name is a sure-fire way to jerk the B&T editor awake first thing.

AO Metaverse And Run It Wild Set New Standards For The Industry At Cannes Lions
Pretty soon tennis games will be played between virtual avatars. Because that doesn't sound creepy at all.

“Always Look For Ways To Challenge Yourself And Grow”: 10 Of The Best With Mindshare’s Chris Solomon
Chris Solomon opens up to B&T, but declines to tell us what washing detergent he uses to keep his t-shirts glistening.

What Businesses Are Looking For When They Hire An Agency
Tips include: wearing a black t-shirt and oversized glasses won't make you standout. A beret on the other hand..

Telstra Names IAG’s Brent Smart As Its Chief Marketing Officer
Brent Smart has landed a very cool new gig, we are talking ripped jeans and complicated coffee order cool.

Introducing Postmatch, A New Sports-Focused Creative Agency
Who better to promote sport than the people who live, breathe and speak about it on a daily basis!

Pinterest Appoints Former Google Executive Bill Ready As CEO
Bet you're not "Ready" for all the changes coming to Pinterest (pun completely intended!)

Facebook And Instagram Remove All Posts Attempting To Sell Abortion Pills
The world of social media is having its own reaction to the many "interesting" things going on lately.

Lighthouse Foundation Partners With Aussie Artists To Bring Awareness To Youth Homelessness
With the art available for just $2, it makes the series affordable even for those bankrupted by the fall of crypto.

Welcome To Microsoft Advertising Where The Key To Results Is Collaboration With Care
Communication is key, people! That's how Microsoft Advertising produces the work that it does.

Gerety Awards Celebrate Shortlist Announcement With BBQ
Awards nights and big outdoor parties go together like greasy burgers and far too much beer.

Lendi Group Expands Media Relationship Appointing Initiative As Media Agency Across Brand Portfolio
One of Australia’s fastest growing fintech, The Lendi Group has appointed media agency Initiative with its media strategy, planning and buying services across its powerhouse property brands and networks Lendi and Aussie. Initiative was previously appointed by Aussie in February 2020, before the brand merged with Lendi becoming Lendi Group.

Azerion Integrates With Inskin Media For Australian Launch
Azerion enters the JAPAC region. Everyone's confused over whether that's a FIFA World Cup thing or not.

Veridooh Launches Independent Verification For Programmatic DOOH Advertising
Simpsons fans across the world can sit down, this particular DOOH article isn't about you lot.

“Speaking From The Heart!” Scott Cam Doubles Down On The Block Influencer Saga
After calling Elle Ferguson and her husband Joel Patfull "a bit unAustralian" Cam offers a heartfelt... clarification.

oOh!media Expands Brisbane Locations, Secures Queensland Rail Portfolio Assets
The digitisation of Brisbane is great for everyone, except those trying to sleep across the road from a billboard.

Kantar Study Shows Native Video Ads Boost Brand Awareness By 26% As Part Of Larger Media Mixes
Taboola, a global leader in powering recommendations for the open web, helping people discover things they may like, today announced the results of an independent Multichannel Brand Impact study from Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company. eMarketer forecasts show digital ad spending in the U.S. will reach $270B in the U.S. by […]

Next&Co Win SEO Strategy Rights For New Aim
Because if you want to "aim" for success, you need to have the right people beside you.

Triple M Celebrates 90 Years On The Wagga Wagga Airwaves
To this day, no-one in radio will answer our questions on what happened to Triple L and Triple Q.