This past year has been tough to say the least. Lives across the globe were turned upside down. Local entrepreneurs watched their businesses dwindle away due to nationwide shutdowns. Polarizing politics and differing opinions destroyed relationships and upended neighborhoods. And through it all, PR teams around the world found that they needed to change the way they were communicating with the public or risk getting lost in the pandemic shuffle.
After reading this list from PRSA about things learned while communicating through a pandemic, our team at DRIVEN put our heads together to compile the top 3 themes we noticed in 2020 as marketers, communications professionals, and story tellers.
Transparency - Transparency is the number one learning lesson reaffirmed through all of 2020. We watched companies and brands try to skirt around facts and then, what did we find? It’s not a guarantee that your audience/following will remain loyal when you stand up and speak out, but it is a guarantee that you will lose loyal customers and supporters when you are caught not being truthful in some way shape or form.
Creativity - Last year also taught us that the ability to navigate any situation strategically and creatively is a skill that not everyone possesses, but for those who do have it… they were able to turn lemons into lemonade in phenomenal ways. For example, a company who supplied the tenting for music festivals could’ve easily fell to the wayside, but instead were able to pivot and began supplying tenting for pop-up Covid testing sites, ultimately ensuring that they were still able to bring in revenue during a time where many businesses were losing everything.
Flexibility - In previous years, remote work was starting to increase; however, most companies still held a stigmatized view that employees could not (or would not) be productive if they were given the opportunity to work from home rather than in the office. But what we found when businesses were forced to go virtual was that employees not only demonstrated productivity, but were (and are) happier being able to balance work and life better. We saw kids who busted into Zoom meetings, dogs who barked in the background, and overall, employees who weren’t stressed out trying to keep their kids quiet for fear of judgement from coworkers.
We saw over and over again many events going virtual, businesses quickly turning their employees’ dining rooms into work-from-home sanctuaries, and agencies like ours who were able to bring clients into the spotlight during an unprecedented year.
While the pandemic brought a lot of heartache, frustration, sorrow and grief, we were glad to find some positive experiences throughout the past 16 months. Whether it was being able to eliminate long and short commutes alike and enjoy more time with our families, or watch businesses thrive thanks to superior customer support. Who knew turning those lemons into lemonade could really help make for a sweeter year?
We’re glad you’re still out there and working on your victories as the pandemic appears to be drawing to a close. DRIVEN360 is still here too for all of our clients both present and future! We are ready to develop and deliver relatable public relations strategies and smart brand marketing services for those in-need.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us in order to have a conversation on how we can help your business to thrive in the post-COVID world.
Stay healthy!
