Q.
What have been the positive experiences you’ve felt across PR as we inch towards a post- pandemic world?
Mario R. Kroll, UberStrategist: When the COVID pandemic surprised most of us, we had just committed to doubling down on our physical events services. Most of that came to a screeching halt, and we had to pivot to virtual events. In many ways, interactions with editors became more friendly, less frenzied. At least initially, a lack of travel and in-person events left everyone a bit more available and eager to connect. We’re all ready for at least some in- person events to return to allow us all to share a drink or meal and have quality conversations where nuances don’t get lost like they can on a video screen. However, it was nice to reaffirm that not everything has to be in-person and there are numerous creative ways to combine physical and virtual meetings and activations to more effectively deliver truly global services.
Dean Barrett, Bastion: The industry has enjoyed a positive perfect storm through the pandemic: large numbers of new players entering the market, existing players having increased play time and lots of cheap investment money around to help fund growth, in addition the industry has increased awareness and understanding with the media, government and the public as a whole.
Kirsty Endfield, Swipe Right: Gaming and esports did a lot of good during the pandemic. There were numerous reports on esports filling the void for sports, gaming viewership increasing significantly and gaming connecting people during lockdown. In the first year of the pandemic we supported a fantastic event called You Are Not Alone (YANA) which aimed to be a global gaming day to bring people together. That overall sentiment has gone a long way to driving more acceptance. From a communications point of view it makes conversations much easier with mainstream press.
Stefano Petrullo, Renaissance: I am pleased to see a positive amalgamation of PR practises between traditional PR and content creators.
It is good for the industry to see how those channels and social media work together. Seems to me that, finally, the majority of businesses see the value in both rather than choosing one channel over another.
Julia Herd, Five in a Boat: There have been hugely positive experiences for the PR industry. Firstly, there is now a much greater appreciation for the role of internal comms in helping to navigate the complexities of people working remotely and in putting a spotlight on areas that need improvement such as diversity and inclusion, women returners and mental health. Ironically, not being in the office has forced companies to pay greater attention to their workforces and to really get under the skin of what motivates and, conversely, demotivates their teams. Internal communication has played an intrinsic role in this process. Secondly, in general the industry has become much more purpose-driven with agencies embracing the fact that purpose is critical to a company’s financial success, long-term relevance, and audience engagement.
Mike Hendrixen, Vertigo 6: We feared that the pandemic would have a negative impact on relationships with journalists, as we wouldn’t see many of them face to face for quite some time. However, the relationships grew stronger because digital contact with media intensified and journalists know when to reach out if they need any information.
Caroline Miller, Indigo Pearl: Having video meetings is going to save a lot of travel and whilst it’s better to have certain meetings face to face a lot of them can very reasonably be done on Zoom. I think the pandemic has made some previously regional moments much more global, such as The Games Awards. But I think the real positive experience is how much people in the games industry like seeing other people in the games industry, there is a real hunger for shows and events to be IRL again!
“We’re all ready for in-person events to return to allow us all to share a drink or meal and have quality conversations where nuances don’t get lost like they can on a video screen”
Mario R. Kroll Founder and president, UberStrategist
44 | MCV/DEVELOP February 2022
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