With the government announcing that as of this week, we can all finally visit our loved ones and friends again, albeit capped at two, I have felt my positivity start to lift, as Australia begins to work towards its recovery phase. With Australia’s Covid-19 cases stabilising and the effects felt widespread across the nation, there has never been a better time to reflect on what challenges from this season, will make us more resourceful in future. I for one feel that the PR and media industry will look radically different in the post-Covid dreamland and our biggest mission will be to step up and take our place in helping rebuild the community.
We as an industry are the thought provokers, the brand builders and the mediators on the public’s behalf and so while many practitioners will look to resume business as usual, I can’t say that I’ll be one of them. With many changes anticipated across a range of different platforms, there are some major ones headed in our direction. Here’s where I think they’ll land.
My first supposition (hardly much of a surprise), is that the PR world will become more highly digitised. If you have managed to skew through this time without downloading Zoom, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Tik Tok or Skype, I will be very impressed! Even my own Father (who has, for my entire life been an avid avoider of all things social media), made his own Tik Tok account! Cue gag reflex.
It’s no secret our world is already knee-deep in the technology swell, but I believe Covid-19 will push communicators to maximise the resources at our disposal. Whether it’s through wider reliance on webinars or podcasting, hosting more online events, or simply the way we communicate with our clients, the plethora of technology at our fingertips will enable us to think more creatively and strategically than ever before.
When life resumes back to conventionality, I look forward to seeing the way our newfound digital prowess inhabits the campaigns and communications we pull together. Integration will be key as we move forward.
My second supposition is that PR will become more highly bespoke and targeted. If the news cycle is anything to go off, every day there is a new Covid-19 rule added, yesterday’s trends have changed and the public is onto a new idea – yes, Tiger King is old news!
Obviously, this has a flow on effect to our campaigns, that now may not be as relevant as they were when initially planned. As an agency, we have had to transition our business offerings weekly, making sure our clients’ brands are tailored and will achieve the right cut-through. Moving out of these challenging times, external forces and ‘acts of God’ will still occur and so we as PRs need to be agile, current and willing to offer bespoke approaches to clients in order to maximise their investment.
My final thought, and the one thing I am most excited for, is that creativity will see no bounds! In just a few short weeks, I have seen my team pull creative ideas out of every corner of their brains. I have seen brands and other individuals come up with transformative ways to utilise their business offerings and give back to the community. At first, the pressure to come up with new ideas for our clients every few days felt like a daunting ask, but as often happens in crisis, I can attest to never feeling more challenged or inspired.
Whether it’s turning gin distilleries into sanitiser warehouses or taking classes and events online, to virtual gatherings in your living room, creativity is being pushed at the seams and this will have an astronomical impact on future comms. Yes, while we are in for a lot of hard work and rehabilitation when Covid-19 restrictions lift, I have confidence that as an Industry we will bounce-back bigger, bolder and more creative than ever.
So, I hope you can join me in using this period to push yourself as an individual and as a comms practitioner; to build upon the strategy and creativity that has already started bubbling over in our industry. Get excited to redeem lost methods of communication and embrace completely new ones. Be determined to change through this time and find new and unique ways of communicating on behalf of your clients and brands, in ways you never thought possible. Most importantly, I hope we can use all of this momentum to emerge from this period more empathetic and honest human beings.
By Agent Emilie
Agent99 is an award-winning PR and communications agency based in Sydney. For more information about our services, contact us at info@agent99pr.com.
Further reading:
The ultimate PR checklist – what you need to prepare before you start a campaign
How to choose the right PR agency for 2020 and beyond!
