COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION: PR Done Well or Wrong in the Coronavirus Era

Included in Kelly’s and Mary Beth’s discussion with Molly and Jules:What to do as an independent practitioner, when faced with sudden loss of bookings and businessHow a “rising tide lifts all ships” mentality in the PR profession and a sense of connectivity between public relations professionals will help our community of colleagues Why being bold and calling out bad PR examples is important for the improvement of the profession to elevate trust and ethical codes in public relationsEntities doing PR wrong or right during COVID-19: WeWork, Gov. Cuomo, Texas Roadhouse, the tourism / hospitality industry, mega-brands versus small-businesses (among other examples)What happens when there are disparate value systems, mixed motives and disconnects between leaders and staffHow PR needs to be mobilized to fight fear that’s pervasive in teams, organizations, communities and entire societies right nowWhat it means to “have the difficult conversation” to acknowledge from the beginning of a crisis situation that a crisis is – indeed – happening (and how skipping this key incremental step is a major mistake)Why information-hoarding is one the most common – yet most damaging – behaviors leaders engage in, that damages (or even destroys) trustWhat roles ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY play in the current crisisIs COVID-19 the PR industry's “moment of truth” to prove our worth in serving our clients / employers AND the public… and if it is that moment, are we making effective use of it?Observations of small and regional PR firms being the culprits of bad PR pitches tied specifically to coronavirusHow LEADERSHIP is the common (yet uncommon) thread that must undergird strategy and basic good decision-making What it means when “doing the right thing” can mean completely different realities to completely different entities (such as a commercial retail interest versus public health official)Use of humor as a coping mechanism by individuals (such as on social media) versus as a connectivity tactic by brands in their advertisingHow strategic communicators should help brands stay human and real in this crisisHow COVID-19 is going to force companies to build better, stronger cultures of communicationsHow being labeled an “essential” versus a “non-essential” business factors into messaging and decision-making during COVID-19And much more.  Links:Follow the #MsInterPReted hashtag across social mediaFollow Julia Angelen JoyTwitter: @JuliaAngelenPRLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaangelen/  #PrimeTimePRchatFollow Molly McPhersonTwitter: @MollyMcPhersonLInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/Confident Communications podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confident-communications/id1441897190 Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest