Storytelling in the time of COVID-19
I held a webinar from Madrid last week on the use of PR, communications and storytelling for the cultural sector during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. The webinar was attended by several representatives from several areas across Spain’s cultural sector - museums, foundations, art fairs, consultancies, government bodies, educational institutions, artists, journalists and more.
Here are some of the main points that were covered at the webinar…
Handling a crisis
In the wake of the pandemic, many organisations will be making difficult and often unpopular decisions - whether that means restructures, redundancies, cancellations, delays or even entire closures. Whatever the scenario, a communications strategy is essential, including reactive messaging, mitigation activities, response plans and internal comms. Even if a business is about to close down, a strong communications plan can save its legacy.
Refresh your narrative and messages
We stand before a radically transformed world and an uncertain future - so, it is important to closely evaluate what our role will be in that world. What are our activities contributing to society? How can we be instrumental to the recover of our sector? What solutions do we provide to the problems that lie ahead? These are critical questions to ask ourselves when redeveloping the narrative and messaging of our communications activity.
A transformed media landcape
The media is currently having to work in an unprecedented ways. TV interviews are carried out on Skype; news desks are operating from home; and magazines and newspapers are being produced remotely. Nonetheless, there is a strong appetite for stories about how the world is responding to and looks to recover from this crisis. So, if you are looking for visibility, your communications activity should be adapted to fit with the current needs and interests of the media.
Digitalising is not enough
The lockdown has provoked an explosion of digitalisation across many sectors. However, in just a few weeks, there is a high level of scrutiny and scepticism as to the effectiveness of these models. Be sure that your activity designed to stand out from the rest and that your communications plan should be led by this innovation.
Timing is everything
The COVID-19 crisis is evolving on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Ensure that your communications activity is built with equally precise timing, so that it fits with the developments that are likely to occur in your sector. Think about the external forces at play at various points in your timeline, and how you might navigate most effectively.
Act local, think global
With international travel restricted for the foreseeable future, it is easy to respond by limiting our international scope and vision. However, the COVID-19 crisis means that countries all over the world are now united by a common history, identity and experience like never before - so, it would be a shame to take a step backwards by isolating ourselves from our global community. Instead, the key is: to act as locally as the current situation demands but still continue thinking on a global scale. The visibility secured by communications is an excellent way to maintain and international reach during a time like this.