The COVID-19 outbreak has affected all of us and disrupted our way of life. It has wreaked havoc in many markets and industries, with its impact on businesses apparent — in terms of operations, sales and headcount.
The communications industry has, undoubtedly, seen its own set of challenges, especially on brands’ reputation and corporate image. The last few weeks have certainly been rough for everyone, especially in the communication industry — we are, after all, the first line of defence when crisis strikes.
A few days ago, we ventured into hosting our very first webinar, where we invited a panel of expert communicators hailing from the startup industry to discuss how to tackle communication challenges and why brands matter more so than ever during such times to remain relevant and trusted during these turbulent times.
When I made the call to some of my friends while thinking about getting them all together for this online panel, Jacquelyn Cheok, Communications Manager, gojek (Singapore) said: “We surely do need some distraction in the midst of all the crisis that has come upon us. This can be educational and we certainly can learn from each other.” That was my starting point.
Keep the channels open
As communicators, our lives have also become unpredictable. The daily news has controlled how our day goes. That got me thinking: Are brands thinking that way? Do they realise that communicating during bad times is as crucial as communicating during good times?
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We work with several startups, some of whom we have seen grow far and wide in this region over the last few years. This pandemic has forced us all to pause, think and absorb. The effect is way beyond just your consumers. It now affects your employees, your partners, and probably even their families. Hence, keeping the channels of communication open becomes more important today.
Prantik Mazumdar, Managing Partner, Happy Marketer, said during the webinar: “Keep the focus on your staff, customers, partners and leverage social media to amplify positive happenings or just ensure your current communication is truthful, positive and helpful.”
Don’t kill your brand
Brands should maximise the downtime wisely by working on their recovery plans, planning for the future with current assets, and utilising the time to remain visible and afloat. This can be done through methods such as website marketing, email marketing and phone calls.
Chope, one of the oldest startups in our local ecosystem and a disruptor in the F&B sector, has been the forefront of this crisis with an estimated 200,000 people in the F&B industry at risk of having their livelihoods disrupted. Being in the midst of this industry, they play a crucial role to better understand the impact on their partners.
Their recent white paper in collaboration with Professor Sheryl E. Kimes, Emeritus Professor of Operations Management at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and a visiting Professor of Analytics and Operations at the Business School at the National University of Singapore, unveiled findings on restaurants’ preparedness for long term impact of more than six months, decline in revenue and reservations, and more.
The white paper also provides advice to restaurants on mitigating strategies, apart from covering key risks and recommendations for F&B businesses on handling unprecedented closures and mandatory measures. This was a responsible step taken by Chope.
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It clearly positioned them as one that cares for its partners, a player that is taking its role seriously. Some of the key findings of this report were alarming — not to forget, this research was done and released before Singapore went into the ‘circuit breaker’ mode on April 7, 2020.
- 93 per cent of restaurants surveyed saw a decline in revenue
- Close to 80 per cent of restaurants reduced casual labour hours as cost-cutting measures
- Chinese restaurants were the most affected, while cafes and alfresco spots proved more resilient
- More restaurants turned to takeaway and delivery but found it less effective compared to targeted discounts and 1-for-1 offers and even special occasions
“Through social media marketing, prioritise the spread of positive messages and encourage discussions of positivity in these tough times. Pause campaigns that do not make sense and allow social media to be another Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) channel,” as rightly put by Heather Cheong, Vice President (Regional Marketing) of Chope, during the webinar.
She further elaborated: “This is the time to protect your brand and price. Never cheapen it as it will be hard to recover. What brands decide to do now will have an impact in years to come. Instead, brands should relook at their partnerships, use this time to engage with companies with deeper resources.”
Being connected is key
This pandemic has surely taught us that being connected is both good and bad. The world is at a point today where it took no time for a crisis like this to spread far and wide. Guess those are some of the ill-effects that come out of a digitalisation process.
The irony as communicators is that we can’t live without it today. Neither can a business. It is the only way to reach out to employees, customers, media, and the public at large, especially at a time like this.
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Hence, it is important to use this time to understand that digitalisation will be the new normal or sure remains a critical communication platform untill the virus situation stabilises. Nothing compares to physical connection, but until we are able to do so, the digital world is giving us options to stay connected nonetheless.
Pause, think, read, listen and analyse
Aptly put by Prantik: “This breakdown has surely forced us to feel the need to pause, think, read, listen, analyse and strategise because marketers usually are always too busy ‘doing’. It is important to look at a macro view and realise every bit count.
The governments in this region have set great examples for us to follow by keeping the channels of communication open. This has surely helped us to stay positive and better understand the reality.”
For any communication professional, crisis communication is probably the best on-the-ground learning process, but who would have thought it would be of this scale and nature. This may turn out to be the most challenging case study any marketer in any part of the globe has worked on during their professional career.
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