Coronavirus (Covid-19) has hit the world hard. Really hard. It has put a big, brutal spanner in our personal and professional works. The ‘new normal’ is anything but normal.
It’s unsettling and scary. The only certainty is uncertainty.
In a business context, we’re having to adapt to digital meetings and engaging over email. Office banter is now a Youtube link or a meme. Work colleagues, families and friends are separated. The daily commute is bedroom to dining room. Boardroom directors are finding out that controlling maverick marketing managers and budgets is childsplay compared to home schooling. Teachers have been elevated to hero status in most UK households. NHS staff to superheroes.
Which leaves us PR and Marketing professionals feeling humbled and in awe. But we still want to do our bit to help – to keep products and services selling and businesses surviving. We can’t throw in the towel onto a growing pile of budget cuts and furloughed out of office notices. And while we’re not saving lives or educating future generations, we can still do our bit to help businesses keep their employers informed and clients engaged – just with an added dose of sensitivity. We can also help them maintain a healthy-ish pipeline and new business leads for when all of this is over. And be ready with some much-needed positive news stories.
This pandemic has brought out the very best in people – and the very worst. But as stone blunts scissors, good blunts evil. Families, neighbours and business communities are closer than ever despite the physical distance – finding new and innovative ways to connect and communicate to fight the good fight.
Connectivity was the buzz word last year. We were all connected socially and professionally by thousands of webinars, podcasts, apps and social media – 24/7, 365 days a year. Success was measured by amassing followers and likes.
Success today is about survival.
And connectivity has taken on a new meaning. Nothing to do with tech. Nothing to do with big data, IoT or generating retweets or comments.
It’s about being truly connected to everyone and everything that truly matters – friends, family, clients and work colleagues who if you’re lucky, become friends and like an extended family. If you’re reading this – you know who you are.
Being connected in April 2020 is knowing everyone we care for is safe and healthy.
On that note, Cameron Wells will be connected at 8pm tonight to pay tribute and give immeasurable thanks to the real heroes who are giving up being physically connected to their families – so that we can take care of ours.
