Greentarget

Professional Services

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The past few months have seen communications professionals reaching for their crisis manuals over and over. Yet while these manuals may serve as constructive guideposts to start, their use is limited: how many playbooks, for instance, contain guidance on “abrupt, plague-induced lockdown” or “mass anti-racism movement and worldwide protests?”

Some fundamental crisis tenants, like communicating with empathy and transparency, apply in any scenario. But if these latest crises have shown us anything it’s that there’s no one way to plan for everything. Instead, the sudden lockdown and the pressure organizations felt to respond to last week’s events underscore why today’s communicators need an improvisational mindset.

Defining an improvisational mindset

To be clear, improvisation does not mean quickly coming out with vague platitudes and hollow statements expressly designed to meet the expectation for some sort of response. Nor does it mean – in this context, at least – moving ahead heedlessly, without any thought at all.  

Rather, an improvisational mindset encourages communicators to pivot fast to meet changing conditions, move the conversation forward, and back up words with action – the way a musician or comedian adapts to the scene or song at hand and acts in ways which progress it.

Frank Barrett, author of Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons From Jazz, summarizes the challenge well:

We live in a high-velocity world with so many cues and signals that don’t come to us with clear messages. We are always facing incomplete information, and yet we have to take action anyway. Improvisational mindset means you have to leap in and take action to say yes. If you’re just in a problem-solving mindset, your imagination is going to be shrunk. You have to have a mindset that says ‘yes’ to the possibility that something new and interesting and creative can emerge.

What’s more, we perceive improvisations as truly authentic not simply because they’re made up on the spot. But it’s precisely because the performers are so practiced and credible that they can improvise effectively.

In the corporate world, authenticity tends to stem from a company’s track record. Nike, for example, could quickly improvise an ad denouncing racism because it had “built equity with its inclusion of Colin Kaepernick in a 2018 ad campaign.” For many others, the better choice was to donate to relevant groups or outline steps to improve their own diversity.

Embracing “yes, and…”

The “yes, and” approach that drives improv is always useful, but especially in today’s increasingly unpredictable business environment. Fortunately, in the past few months we’ve seen our clients embrace this mindset. Here are a few examples.

  • Internal stakeholder coaching – We’re helping several clients coach their lawyers or consultants on how to leverage earned COVID-19 media coverage and content in client conversations and outreach. The thinking here is that the “last mile” of client outreach, which happens one-on-one, is most impactful – and now more than ever. They’ll have to be ready to think on their feet and lead with their humanity. If your organization’s professionals are unaccustomed to this type of touchpoint, an improvisational approach can help make them more effective in off-the-cuff situations.
  • Flash surveys – A few clients of ours quickly pivoted their quantitative research efforts to better understand emerging client needs and concerns. One law firm, for instance, launched a flash survey of its clients because they had been conducting a survey that felt suddenly, if temporarily, irrelevant. We moved fast to help them generate a new survey that yielded relevant results and insights. Ultimately, the flash survey findings grabbed media headlines in top tier HR trades and national business media.
  • Online focus groups – Similarly, we have several clients launching virtual focus groups as a way to obtain qualitative measures/feedback on various issues and offerings. These insights are critical in empathizing with particular audiences, and in avoiding tone-deaf positioning of products and services.
  • Agile content production – For another client, we developed a three-part podcast series about the impacts of COVID-19 on the energy industry. The process, which would typically take at least a month, was finished in about a week. Similarly, we improvised to quickly edit a survey report – originally fielded before the world was sheltering in place – so it could elucidate how the findings became even more relevant and useful in light of COVID-19.

It’s unlikely we would have conceived of these projects in typical times – but then, atypical times require atypical responses. As communicators, it’s our job to say “yes, and” to new situations and find creative ways to address them head on.

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Our Director of Social & Digital and Director of Content & Editorial Strategy provide a roadmap for using LinkedIn to help professional services firms garner leads and improve their social selling capabilities. In our latest video installment, they offer tips and strategies in the following areas:

  • Effective Thought Leadership
  • Optimizing Your Profile
  • Connecting with Potential Clients
  • Creating Content
  • When & How Often to Post

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How do we design immediately actionable research with longer term implications? In our latest video installment, we explore a few different nimble and flexible approaches to research that help professional services organizations demonstrate true subject matter authority and drive door opening conversations for client development during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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With COVID-19 disrupting life around the world, staying informed matters more, to more of us, than ever. And that’s causing a somewhat surprising side effect:

Authorities are back. And not just the kind who order you to stay home and wash your hands a lot. I’m talking about true subject matter authorities – those experts who have the knowledge and experience to help us make sense of what’s happening.

With information overload, and particularly misinformation overload, plaguing all of us, now is a big moment for authoritative spokespeople who can provide clarity. “People realize when the chips are down, and everything is on the line, and you can be the next person in the hospital bed, it’s the experts that you want to listen to and the experts you wish you had listened to all along,” Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, recently told the Associated Press.

As McNutt and others explore this topic, they typically emphasize experts on health-related issues. But even a glance at the news shows us that the COVID-19 crisis is wreaking havoc on nearly every aspect of our lives. With audiences and journalists alike desperate to know what it all means, now is also the time for those with deep understanding of critical issues of all kinds to engage.

That goes for legal minds who can explain how rules and regulations apply to an unprecedented scenario, policy experts who can explain moves by the Trump administration and other officials, and consultants who can speak to how business leaders can guide their organizations through a “new normal.”

At Greentarget, we believe authorities like that not only have the opportunity, but the responsibility to contribute to the conversation at this pivotal time – both by speaking for themselves and by working with journalists to help disseminate their point of view through the media.

Public Trust for Industry Spokespersons Was High Before the Pandemic

One bit of good news: Even before the pandemic hit, trust for industry spokespersons was high, according to the Edelman’s 2020 Trust Barometer, which measures the average percent of faith in institutions like NGOs, business, government and media. Further, the findings showed that 92 percent of employees said CEOs should speak out on issues of the day, including retraining, the ethical use of technology and income inequality.

The public already trusts individuals in positions of authority and wants them to speak out more. That’s significant because it underscores how effective thought leadership – as opposed to more noise – can stand out, even in normal times.

And now, as journalists desperately try to keep up with COVID-19’s unprecedented impact in all its forms, they have an increasing appetite for experts who can provide passionate, insightful views that break down how this will affect businesses, healthcare, employment and other critical issues.

Tips on Engaging With the Media

If you’re new to the game of thought leadership but don’t know where to start when speaking with reporters, keep these points in mind:

  • Be Specific: Journalism and research are and will be increasingly data driven, and spokespeople must adapt their messaging accordingly.
  • Be Credible: As public trust in journalism continues to build, it will be increasingly crucial that spokesperson messages are trustworthy while delivering valuable content.
  • Empathy Counts: As newsroom staffs shrink, media relations strategies must be thoughtful, deliberate and empathetic to reporters.
  • Raise the Thought Leadership Bar: Commercial messaging is already a challenge, but the bar for thought leadership is getting higher. Editors will look for content that not only communicates expertise but provides information their audience needs to know.

Thought leaders have a real opportunity to rise above the noise in a moment when expertise is especially valued.  We need our smartest and best thinkers to engage and direct a smarter conversation. Now more than ever.

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We now interrupt your relentless COVID-19 coverage to bring you this analysis of the public relations efforts around Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s split from the British royal family.

Through the wedding drama, pregnancy announcements, family feuds, celebrity intervention, paparazzi madness, and now, the exit, we have meticulously followed their public relations strategy. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not just severed ties with Windsor Palace, they’ve rejected the monarchy’s historically conservative PR strategy.

We took a break from pretending not to care about Meghan and Harry to take a look at their PR moves through a Greentarget lens. We found a few hits and some misses for the young couple:

PR Blunders

Choosing authority over authenticity: This month Harry and Meghan shared a lengthy letter declaring that they would no longer work with four major British tabloids. This isn’t the first time the couple has tried to control the tabloid narrative this way. In January, Harry and Meghan announced their desire to choose their own press pool, excluding certain media outlets – including those same UK tabloids – from official engagements. The move was perceived as retaliation for negative coverage of Meghan, rather than an effort to support “credible” outlets. What could have been an opportunity to shake up the traditional royal rota system to incorporate social media, new journalists and other trusted media organizations, backfired and became a war on the press.

No defined strategy: Harry and Meghan communicated their messaging seemingly without input from the royal family, resulting in contradicting messages. In fact, in an attempt to beat the news cycle and a potential leak, Harry and Meghan rushed out their messaging on their own channels. This resulted in a back and forth release of statements and misinformation from media outlets that was public and messy. Even if you think the couple was right to get their message out, perhaps they needed a better strategy from the outset.

Unclear objectives: Harry and Meghan claimed their exit was in search of a simpler life out of the spotlight and away from the paparazzi. But a month into their royal-less life, they were house hunting in Los Angeles – another paparazzi hub – and are set to speak at high-profile conferences. While too early to tell, it seems the new life they are chasing closely resembles the royal life they left behind. At least, it wouldn’t fit under most people’s definition of a simpler life. Assuming their plan wasn’t to simply move to a different spotlight, the couple’s objectives didn’t correspond with their actions.

PR Triumphs

New media channels: Harry and Meghan effectively broke the mold with their personal Instagram account and website to communicate directly with their audience – something unheard of by royal family terms. This was a smart move, one that was particularly crucial in communicating their exit. It was best exemplified by complete transparency with their follows on the spring transition with a FAQ sheet released in February, and accounted via Instagram Stories, a relatively new channel.

Designate a spokesperson: While there isn’t much alignment between the royal family and Harry and Meghan, the couple made a smart decision to make Harry designated spokesperson while Meghan has stayed fairly off the radar. He has communicated their plans, the reasoning behind those plans, and personal experiences that have impacted his decision to abandon his title. Harry, amid a lot of criticism, has demonstrated a strong, unified message and avoided further miscommunications from too many voices chiming in on the same matters.

Humanizing yourself: More so than other members of the royal family, Harry has opened up about his personal experiences. In October, he made a rare statement in a lawsuit against British tabloids comparing the treatment of Meghan in the press to his late mother’s. And following the birth of the couple’s son last May, Harry and Meghan deviated from the usual royal protocol and waited days to release formal photos and speak with the press, a move that many could relate to.

Now that the breakup is official – and now that they’re in the limelight of Hollywood – Harry and Meghan will likely have a host of new PR opportunities and challenges. Will they learn from their mistakes while building on the smart moves they’ve made? Only time will tell.

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The COVID-19 pandemic looks like a blessing and a curse for journalism.

As Donna Gordon Blankinship news and politics editor at Crosscut, a regional publication serving the Pacific Northwest, eloquently noted, “ The public seems to have an almost desperate need for information, guidance and clarity. Journalism has become essential again.”

But while journalism has never been more important, the media business has rarely been so unstable, as publishers begin to feel the impact of an economy on lockdown.

The Good:

  • Readers Can’t Get Enough News: The unprecedented nature of this pandemic has inspired consumers to lean on the media during this time of crisis. Pew Research Center confirmed, “around six-in-ten U.S. adults (57%) say they are following the news about the virus very closely, and an additional 35% are following it fairly closely, according to the survey of 11,537 adults who are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel.”
  • Traffic Is Up: According to data from Parse.ly, a company that measures content performance for more than 3,000 high-traffic news sites, readers’ hunger for coronavirus coverage has driven record-breaking page views for several prominent news sites. The Atlantic confirmed multiple days of historic traffic, and significant subscription growth, particularly since covering the coronavirus.
  • COVID-19 News Output Reaches Great Heights: The number of articles generated on COVID-19 has also exploded. According to Cision’s Global Insights team, which tracks COVID-19 media in real time, 39,596,388 total news articles have been written globally about the virus since January 1. In addition, according to social media monitoring and analytics platform Talkwalker, as of April 17, there had been 11.1 million mentions of COVID-19 on social media, blogs, news websites and forums. And that was just in the previous 24 hours!
  • Cable News Riding High: We aren’t just reading the news. “As millions of Americans are in self-quarantine and practicing social distancing, a huge boost in television ratings, including cable news networks that have been providing roughly 24-hour coronavirus coverage,” Fox News reports.

The Bad:

The economic fallout from COVID-19 has, however, been devastating for the media business.

  • Reporter Layoffs Prevalent: The New York Times reports that about 28,000 journalists have been laid off, furloughed or taken pay cuts as a result of the economic downturn.
  • Alt Weeklies Face Uncertainty: As reported by The Daily Beast, “The pandemic has gutted revenue for alt weeklies, causing mass layoffs and threatening their existence.” The Associated Press also recently wrote an extensive piece on how “local newspapers are facing their own coronavirus crisis.”
  • Popularity of News Podcasts Declines: According to NiemanLab, people staying at home all the time is harming podcasts. U.S. weekly podcast download growth was:  -3% the week of April 6-12, -1% the week of March 30 – April 5, -4% the week of March 23-29, -2% the week of March 16-22, and -1% during the week of March 9-15, across all Podtrac measured podcasts. 

The Future:

  • Ad Revenue Dying: The COVID-19 crisis will force media outlets to make crucial decisions, much sooner than they expected, because of their heavy reliance on ad revenues. Twenty global news publishers recently surveyed by the International News Media Association expect a median 23% decline in 2020 ad sales as a result of coronavirus fallout.
  • Non-Profit Models: A Lifeline? Elizbeth Green, a founder of the nonprofit education news organization Chalkbeat and co-founder of non-profit organization, the American Journalism Project, an organization that supports social entrepreneurs in building sustainable nonprofit news organizations where they live, recently told the New York Times that her non-profit organization might offer a good solution. “The time is now to make a painful but necessary shift: Abandon most for-profit local newspapers, whose business model no longer works, and move as fast as possible to a national network of nimble new online newsrooms. That way, we can rescue the only thing worth saving about America’s gutted, largely mismanaged local newspaper companies — the journalists,” she said.
  • Facebook Offers Support: While Facebook made a commitment in January of 2019 to invest $300 million in local news programs, partnerships and content over the next three years; the company recently announced an additional $100 million investment to support the news industry during the COVID-19 crisis—$25 million in emergency grant funding for local news through the Facebook Journalism Project, and $75 million in additional marketing spend to move money to news organizations around the world.
  • The CARES Act Could Help: NiemanLab recently reported that media companies with fewer than 1,000 employees will turn to the $300-billion-plus allocation for the Small Business Administration for support. It’s to be determined however whether it will be the lifeline they need to stay afloat.

As news organizations across the country adapt to these new challenges and opportunities, we will continue to carefully monitor and report on the resulting data and trends. We believe the principles of journalism play a critical role in driving a smarter conversation and that true authorities have a responsibility to participate skillfully in the ongoing conversation. We know that earning opportunities to express a point of view through traditional media is an effective way for professional services firms to move audiences through the sales funnel, despite the uncertainty facing media outlets today.  

What is certain from our standpoint is that in an era of smaller staffs and a 24-hour news cycle, at Greentarget we will strive to continue be empathetic to reporters. We know reporters are in dire need of authorities with perspectives that serve the rapidly evolving needs of the audiences they serve as this pandemic continues to evolve. We will continue to deliver.

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