Communicating effectively is more important now than ever, with the current situation surrounding covid-19 meaning that many companies have found that their plans for the year have been uprooted and in need of reassessing in light of these unprecedented times.
Throughout the pandemic Informare has continued to keep communications consistent, timely and relevant. It has been a difficult time for everyone with an ever-changing marketing landscape and the agency has been pleased to help a multitude of clients steer through the challenges.
Informare are a communications agency, so whilst its relationship often starts with the PR element of the mix, it often spills into managing social media, brand strategies and event organisation. Increasingly it is creating unique content for social media in the form of podcasts and film.
The company work with some amazing clients in the contract sector, on the furniture side this includes Bisley, Humanscale, Knightsbridge, Agua, USM, FUTURE Designs (lighting), some dealerships too including obo and Welltek, as well as the brilliant Surface Design Show.
PR within the contract sector does not differ too extensively from PR in other sectors. The principals of clear messaging and developing strong stories and thought pieces, remains the same for all clients. What makes the contract sector great is that it is very collaborative, Informare are very protective of the mix of clients it has, and it is important that they can benefit each other and do not compete in a detrimental way. This also gives more clout when it comes to pitching stories and supporting journalists to identify trends and themes.
When it comes to communication between brands and customers, COVID-19 has really brought communication centre stage. Where some factories have had to slow or close completely, it has been vital that brands have kept up communication with customers. As awful as this situation has been for everyone, it is temporary and like all storm it will pass, so keeping the dialogue active through all the channels has been essential for Informare’s clients.
Whether the changes in communications that have occurred during the pandemic are here to stay will depend on the company, but in these difficult times, there have still been positives that Informare is hoping stay with us post-pandemic.
Founder and Director of Informare Anna King said “in any game changing moment, there will be heroes and villains. The honesty and transparency with which all our clients communicated their actions to their clients, suppliers and the media, whether the news was good or bad, is to be applauded.”
King contends that this is not the time for posturing, “Informare certainly would never advocate that approach, my hope would be that the overt compassion for employees, clients and supplier relationships that has been displayed will be a lasting legacy.”
A key thing that has grown during this time is creativity – with its own clients and the agency itself, Informare have found that when it has been realised that budgets are going to be cut or frozen, the first thing they have looked at is what they’ve got left to play with and have held crazy brainstorming meetings, where every idea is valuable – the resourcefulness of teams has been amazing.
As an agency, it has managed to launch a new business and several new products over the last 7 weeks, without a showroom event and importantly without any reduction in coverage and reach. Although this does not have the same impact as holding launches in the flesh, results have still been achieved, really showing that when we venture out of the comfort zone, we can still move forward, often with new ideas that would never have sprouted in otherwise normal times.
In the times of COVID-19, brands should ensure they approach PR with authenticity at the forefront. In times of crisis we revert to type and you can tell an awful lot about how businesses are run.
Brands have realised that they need to know themselves, what they are about, what drives them and what they exist for. The self-aware brands will have found communicating far more straight forward.
On a more practical level, the most immediate switch during the pandemic was that digital activities came to the fore very quickly, and Informare has had many conversations with clients to work out the best way to pivot every ‘live’ event to a digital equivalent.
Encouraging an increase in social media activity has also been key, the trade publications sadly will have been hit very hard so finding different ways to cut through the noise has been vital.
Post-lockdown, when it comes to PR, Informare advises that brands ensure they consider context most importantly. They must continue to show humility to peers and employees, whilst still focusing positively on the future.
Successful companies have not suddenly become bad at what they do – this is a world emergency and we have all had to react, manage, and get through it. We must all remember what we are good at and why we are needed.
Informare’s top 3 do’s for PR in these COVID-19 times:
- Review the marketplace and make sure you have a good handle on the mood of the market.
- Show compassion for the good competition, don’t forget we are all part of a larger profession and right now we need to ensure the whole sector remains relevant, which is why organisations like the BCFA and the trade press become even more vital.
- PR must be clear, concise and consistent, and the entire company must be on board with the messaging, there is no room for grey areas.
Informare’s top 3 ‘don’ts’ for PR in these COVID-19 times:
- Don’t say “it didn’t really affect us” or pretend COVID19 didn’t happen!
- Attitudes have changed, and the strategy you had in place January 2020 will need to be reconsidered.
- Remember that the COVID-19 factor hasn’t gone away, it is just in remission. so have contingencies in place to switch and pivot again in the autumn.
Above all, getting a brand’s PR tone of voice right is crucial, especially in times of crisis like now. Brands should conduct themselves with honesty, humility, and transparency; this forms the basis for a winning communication formula.