Covid-19 and the state of PR: A personal experience
It is no news that the Covid-19 pandemic has foisted a new reality on our world. Since the disease broke out on the global scene with accompanying implications for public health and the economic system, the general anxiety has also hit the communications space with practitioners concerned about the possible impact on the industry. PR has not been left out.
I think it is a good thing that stakeholders are having robust and frank discussions on the way forward. This write up is a contribution to the discussion. My desire is that it will take the discourse a notch further. If not, then I hope that it, at least, waters the field for more useful deliberations. As always, I welcome reactions from both assenting and dissenting voices across the divide.
Caveat: this piece is largely distilled from my experience as a PR consultant. It needs be said that we are only about three months into the Covid-19 era (at least from the Africa perspective). Events are still unfolding and like my father never tires of telling me: The future is pregnant. There is no telling what it would give birth to. So, we may as well make the best of the present.
That said, here are my four key takeaways from the Covid-19 practice:
1. Covid-19 will reinforce the importance of PR: I have read comments from some industry pundits suggesting that the crisis will have a debilitating effect on the practice. Their argument is that when marketing budgets shrink, PR is usually among the first to go. So, with the current job cuts and revenue decline, many organisations will re-evaluate their need for PR.
I admit that while I understand the basis of this viewpoint, my experience couldn’t be farther from that. Pre-Covid-19, we were witnessing the increasing ascendency of PR as a management function. I believe that the current atmosphere has reinforced the relevancy of the practice in that role. Almost all my clients have had to re-evaluate and reposition their businesses in line with the times. Without exception, they have all needed strategic communication plans to get stakeholder buy-in without fueling further instability in the already tense atmosphere.
Some businesses have had to make the difficult decision to furlough or permanently lay off staff or slash salaries. Others may need to sustain investor or board confidence in their ability to weather the storm. For some others, the raison d’etre of their industry is threatened so they have had to make extensive changes to their business models and need to carry stakeholders along.
At the core of each of these challenges lies a PR-centric solution that can help the organisation beat a path to survival, profitability and sustainability. And so, it behooves us as professionals to rethink our craft beyond the box (of marketing) and place ourselves at the epicentre of where the demand is. If well played, this may well be one of the biggest opportunities PR has to reassert itself and we should be redefining our priorities to take advantage of this.
2. Adjust to the reality of a job loss/revenue slash: The International Labour Organisation, ILO, says up to 195 million jobs could be lost to the pandemic. The PR industry is not immune to this. The fact is that not every business will survive the pandemic and for every PR practitioner that loses their job or firm that closes shop, it is a loss to the industry.
My Agency has had to take a hit in billings too. My belated advice to practitioners on the consultancy side is to tighten their belts. For small firms and freelancers especially, consider scaling down the scope of your services to accommodate the reduction in fees. You don’t want to have to carry operational costs you are unable to cater for. The trick is to figure out a reasonable threshold from which you can still deliver services without compromising on quality. Having frank, two-way conversations with your client(s) is key. Thankfully, my clients have been wonderful in this regard and for those who requested a review in fees, I was happy to acquiesce (pending when business improves, of course) and we worked out mutually satisfactory arrangements.
One thing consultants should have in mind during these discussions is that it’s not just about the negotiation. Rather, it could be a unique opportunity to show the client that you regard the relationship as a partnership and so your interest extends beyond financial gain to you. Seek to build empathy. The times are already testy, don’t make it more uncomfortable for your clients. The goodwill you show during these times can swing the tide in your favour when the next contract cycle comes; especially if the choice is between retaining your firm and taking on a close competitor.
Finally, on this point, I often wonder whether as practitioners we can do more to provide support systems for colleagues that have become casualties. I stumbled on an initiative by PRovoke Media, the leading industry intelligence platform, which opened up its paid subscription service, Global Jobs Platform, to enable out-of-work PR professionals access employment opportunities. I consider this commendable and urge industry stakeholders to explore ways that we can leverage resources and strengths to reach vulnerable members of our community. To borrow from the common saying: if each one should reach one.
3. Technology will be even more critical for PR: Before Covid-19 crashed its way into our daily lexicon, I was one of several million people that had never heard about Zoom, let alone use it. Today, I am one of the more than 200m users of the app. In fact, I must have had close to 10 Zoom meetings within the last two months. I shudder to think how I would have coped without this technology; just as I expect technology to play an even more critical role in PR as the world adjusts to the travel restrictions, lockdowns and social distancing advisories of the Covid-19 era. For instance, what roles will AI and predictive technology play in the coming months? How will technology reposition PR in the emerging social system? These are questions that stakeholders should be actively seeking answers to.
4. Covid-19 will test our mettle like never before: A month ago, I received a frantic call from a client. Their business was severely affected by the pandemic and losing money so the board of directors had called an urgent meeting to assess the situation and find a way forward. During the meeting, it was decided that the company would implement some radical measures to stem the tide. I received the brief right over the phone, with additional inputs communicated as they were reached by the board. The client wanted a communication plan that would not further unsettle stakeholders as they introduced the new, stiff measures. That was not all, they also requested PR ideas that would directly impact business goals. Our Agency had less than 24 hours to deliver so we spent one sleepless night and a very restless next day working on the brief and thankfully, beat the deadline. Barely. The client’s response compensated for all the hard work and sacrifice:
“Thanks guys. We love your recommendations!’ That was a big relief. So, what’s the point of this anecdote you may wonder? Besides blowing my trumpet, since no one else will do me the honours, I want to emphasise that this period will test our mettle as professionals. Clients, due to no fault of theirs, will make difficult demands of us. The times are unstable so don’t expect to have everything in place to do excellent work. It doesn’t matter that our budgets have been slashed. It doesn’t matter that the very publics you are pitching to are either more preoccupied with keeping up-to-date on the latest news about the pandemic or have tuned out the news all together due to fear or lethargy or both. Brace up guys. We still must earn our spurs as professionals. Vanity metrics like press clippings, page views, and the like, will not cut it anymore. Perhaps, one of the good things that will come out of the period is that it will help sanitise the landscape and put an end to gate-crashers who do nothing but soil the good name of the profession with quackery. The best metals are always tested by fire.
Written by Henry Omafodezi, Founder/CEO at 7Gongs Brand and Media Limited
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