Public relations in COVID times

Madhurjya Singha Lahkar

(Corporate Communications, NTPC Limited. He can be reached at mslahkar@ntpc.co.in)

COVID 19 has posed unprecedented crises across the world and has created an environment of uncertainty and unwarranted stress across all age groups. Governments across nations have been juggling with all sorts of permutations and combinations to control the small virus from mutating and spreading to unknown territories. From a complete lockdown to unlocking in series and then again weekend lockdown has created a great level of flexibility in terms of policy change in organizations, institutions, and corporate houses. And on this National Public Relations Day celebrated on 21st April every year by the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) across the country, the challenge of COVID-19 has opened new paradigms of information flow, channelizing the content for a specific audience, and also shifted gears on the strategies of corporate houses and its communications policy which has taken a faster pace of mobility than the pre-COVID times.

As the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus observed, "The only thing that is constant is change." And even if the virus has locked us in a room, newsrooms continue to alert us, some apps constantly check on our well-being, and then there is the Prime Minister addressing the nation on COVID precautions from time to time. In such as volatile environment, the underlying concept of Public Relations has taken a new leaf during this Pandemic. Gone are those days when a traditional house journal or video magazine or a World this Week ticker kept us waiting for weeks to get a new update. With the future of work being talked about in various publications and board rooms, the COVID scare has created a different mindset in the area of Public Relations or Corporate Communications.

According to the Public Relations Global Market Report 2020-30: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery, the global public relations market is expected to grow from $95.9 billion in 2019 to $96.2 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.4%. The low growth is mainly due to economic slowdown across countries owing to the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures to contain it. The market is then expected to recover and grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2021 and reach $117.8 billion in 2023.

WhatsApp owned by Facebook, even though negated as an informal channel of communication has been used extensively for business and information dissemination in the COVID times and this social media app is going to invariably occupy major space in our smartphones. With the world being fragmented into containment and non-containment zones, the Whats-App messages will continue to be at the forefront considering its ease of handling even though it runs the risk of spreading fake news. Government, political parties, and Corporate brands are seen subtly making and crafting messages for WhatsApp which is a very easy consumable snack for Indians staying at home. APP-based communication by organizations for internal and external stakeholders will be seen as a huge leverage point for accessing any vital information about the company.

While organizations continuously try to break the monotony by giving non-COVID news to various media houses, it is imperative to be practical and use common sense when pitching such news and updates. Very few stories will cut through unless they are related to coronavirus. Public Relation professionals must understand the nuances of the situation and every sector be in B2B or B2C must realize and keep this as a bible that- COVID is not a time to 'sell' a story, a product, or a company; but it is a time to support the greater good with stories that inform and add to our national response.

Strong media relationships begin and end with trust: Being a helpful, honest Corporate Communications professional, it is of utmost importance to understand what journalists are going through and how they do their jobs. Public Relations professionals must have an eye for compassion during these trying times and assimilate the fact that journalists are human beings who are dealing with their unique stresses. In this coronavirus period when things are in complete disarray—it's all the more important to be concise with data, statistics, images, video, or infographics that can support or make your story more empathic and relatable. At present times, screen time is up, and driving time is down. With fewer people slogging through the daily commute, organizations may re-think their communication strategy on the spend done on billboards/ hoardings which could be better allocated to real-time digital advertising with a strong data analytics and social media listening tool. Digital transformation is not a transient situation or a mere juncture. It is a complex, multi-dimensional and evolutionary process. It occurs when continual technological development is integrated into the design, production, and provision of products and services. Coronavirus is acting as a digital accelerator that likely will leave an important legacy. Whether we re-quarantine, find a coronavirus cure or not, the tendency will be to remain more digital than in the past and to that end, organizations must have a social media policy, social media calendar, Do's, and Don'ts for employees in Social Media, etc. An off-shoot of digital space and low data costs in India, the binge-watching trend in the country is up by more than eight hours a day. In such a scenario media relations strategy by PR agencies must focus on crafting the perfect pitch to land your client on a local morning show or the evening news.

Effective two-way communications are the hallmark of any successful PR campaign or reputation management strategy. It's more important than ever, and consumers expect it more than ever, for brands to "read the room" and truly listen to consumers before blasting out messages. It is imperative to scan the comments on the social posts and solicit feedback via surveys to help better understand your stakeholders' wants and needs.

Finally, when there is an environment is full of crisis every other day and the second wave of COVID has hit the nation hard, the thumb rule of any PR today is to have a crisis communication plan in place and the second is to spread the message of social distancing, the importance of masks and hand sanitization continuously in the local language so that the mindset of an average Indian is head-banged with the same message over and over unless and until he/she becomes a pro-COVID warrior.

In every dark cloud lies a silver lining and with the hope that this pandemic reaches its culmination point, as Public Relations practitioners it is the onus of all agencies and brands to adapt to the wave of changing trends brought on by the pandemic and fare well in the post-COVID court of public opinion.