When anyone goes to university the hope is to gain a rewarding, enjoyable and well-paying job upon leaving, whilst also meeting friends and having a good time. I’m sure the question as to whether this is achievable has crossed through a lot of student’s minds. I can say from experience that I have questioned university many times, and if I am doing the right thing. For me, the Covid-19 pandemic caused me to question whether I would have a job to go into after university. Covid-19 was preventing industries from functioning, many businesses to collapse and in turn hundreds of thousands of jobs to be lost. Though I do believe that the public relations industry is integral and of great importance I do wonder how the pandemic may have affected my future opportunities. Of course, there may be less availability for employment due to redundancy levels, but I wanted to research and share the changes which have occurred in the way which the PR industry is run resulting from the pandemic.
1) Using a personal approach
We are now living in a time of uncertainty. The news of the vaccination this week lifted spirits, but there are still many questions left unanswered amongst the public. Thousands are still without jobs, unsure what their future may hold. Therefore, I believe that PR professionals need to turn their focus towards being personal and empathetic. You need to know your audience. What do they want to hear? It may be the case that they don’t need your brand adding to the noise and worries in their life right now, but others may be clinging on to a bit of hope that your brand will continue to function and run effectively. The nation needs more hope and less stress.
2) The importance of planning
The pandemic may have halted or postponed big events. Rather than giving up, we should take time to ensure the plans are thorough, current and aware. Life may change, and a new normal be established. During the initial months of Covid-19 everyone was full of panic and questions. Some PR professionals decided that taking a step back and thinking about how to best connect with the public. After all, Covid-19 didn’t hold a direct threat to companies, but instead people.
3) Give back and help the public
Giving back to the public is an easy way to show the personal approach which many campaigns are now run off. However, it isn’t always as simple to execute as it sounds. During lockdown many brands held competitions and giveaways to customers to thank them for their loyalty, or purely for wanting to help. One of these brands was OhPolly. They held many giveaways including one for NHS frontline staff. The winner of the competition was unable to attend the virtual celebration due to working a 12-hour shift, so the brand took away her prize. Whilst this is an amazing and well thought out idea it was executed badly. Removing a prize from the winner due to her working a shift on the frontline, whilst wanting to reward people for doing just that is a complete contradiction. When I saw this, I thought about whether I would want to buy from them again. The idea of putting the public first is an idea I will be taking further in my degree.
I think the focus of a personal response could perhaps be the most important focus to the future of PR. Despite being locked down this year, the nation has been bought together by stories of hope and strength. Overall, I do believe that the PR industry will grow after this pandemic, however it may change to what it looked like this time last year. All companies will need some sort of crisis management framework to follow if this were to happen again, and a team of people to control communications both internally and externally. I’m excited to what the future holds, leaving university and starting work wherever that may be.