We asked Jill Zuckman, Partner and President of D.C. Public Affairs with SKDKnickerbocker, to answer some of our most pressing questions about handling communications during the COVID-19 pandemic:
How should clients approach their communication strategy in light of the current health crisis?
With the COVID-19 health crisis dominating the nation, clients must rethink everything they say, as well as everything they do. It's no longer business as usual. Consumers are looking at everything through the lens of the virus. They're worried and they're stressed. That means that television and digital ads can't have the same look, feel and sound that they normally do. Every external communication must be thoughtful and concerned. Every internal communication must be focused on the well-being of your employees.
Although this is unprecedented, are there takeaways you've gleaned from dealing with other times of crisis, such as the aftermath for 9/11?
First and foremost, the world has changed. Companies have to catch up to the new reality. In this new world order, people are more concerned about their friends, colleagues and neighbors. Everyone's world has been rocked.
That means companies should be looking for ways to give back. How can they support the community where they are based, or where they have offices? How can they support first responders, hospital and others who are working for the collective good?
How should clients approach internal communications right now, particularly those who may be laying off workers?
Internal communications is more important now than ever before. Everyone is hurting, in small companies and in large ones. Workers are scared of getting sick, losing their jobs or not enough food to put on the table.
With a big chunk of America working remotely, companies need to work even harder to stay in touch with their workers. For some, that means daily check-ins and regular video conferences in place of in-person meetings. For other companies, it means hard decisions about whether they have the resources to maintain their workforce, or whether it makes more sense to lay off employees so those workers can apply for unemployment insurance.
With any communication, empathy and concern must be front and center. And with some companies applying for federal assistance from the recently passed Rescue Plan, external messages must strike a note of humility, gratitude and appreciation for taxpayer support.
How should clients approach their communication strategy in light of the current health crisis?
With the COVID-19 health crisis dominating the nation, clients must rethink everything they say, as well as everything they do. It's no longer business as usual. Consumers are looking at everything through the lens of the virus. They're worried and they're stressed. That means that television and digital ads can't have the same look, feel and sound that they normally do. Every external communication must be thoughtful and concerned. Every internal communication must be focused on the well-being of your employees.
Although this is unprecedented, are there takeaways you've gleaned from dealing with other times of crisis, such as the aftermath for 9/11?
First and foremost, the world has changed. Companies have to catch up to the new reality. In this new world order, people are more concerned about their friends, colleagues and neighbors. Everyone's world has been rocked.
That means companies should be looking for ways to give back. How can they support the community where they are based, or where they have offices? How can they support first responders, hospital and others who are working for the collective good?
How should clients approach internal communications right now, particularly those who may be laying off workers?
Internal communications is more important now than ever before. Everyone is hurting, in small companies and in large ones. Workers are scared of getting sick, losing their jobs or not enough food to put on the table.
With a big chunk of America working remotely, companies need to work even harder to stay in touch with their workers. For some, that means daily check-ins and regular video conferences in place of in-person meetings. For other companies, it means hard decisions about whether they have the resources to maintain their workforce, or whether it makes more sense to lay off employees so those workers can apply for unemployment insurance.
With any communication, empathy and concern must be front and center. And with some companies applying for federal assistance from the recently passed Rescue Plan, external messages must strike a note of humility, gratitude and appreciation for taxpayer support.
