Comms in a time of COVID

I’m sure many of us started our lockdown comms in the same way. WhatsApp groups to replace water cooler chat; shaky videos recorded on mobile phones; Teams / Zoom / Whereby (remember that?) beaming us into our colleagues’ makeshift workspaces.

What will stick?

Firstly, the change in attitude towards face-to-face. There will always be situations where face-to-face is best, but it is no longer the default, not least because of the environmental impact of planes, trains and automobiles. We have become much more adept at communicating remotely. For example, I see the investor agenda alternating between in person meetings and virtual programmes, to reap the benefits of being able to meet with investors in Sydney, Paris, London, Boston and San Francisco in the course of a single working day.

Second, much more imaginative use of video. Is the best way to tell a company’s story really for a couple of stale, pale, white males (still…) to stand behind a lectern and in front of a Powerpoint presentation, talking to analysts who will pass on the story, Chinese whispers style, to the real decision makers? At HomeServe, with the help of ace brand experience agency Cheerful Twenty First, we engaged 300 global delegates in a 4 hour worldwide event using 20+ videos, which generated 950 comments in the chat room and 100% download of post conference materials. I am looking forward – one day - to producing my first all-virtual investor day - with the proviso that investors whose interest is piqued by the event are likely to want to see the whites of our eyes, in person, very soon afterwards.