BY BART KING
One of the themes that has emerged from the coronavirus pandemic is that some good things will likely come from the disruption to business as usual. We’ve already seen a drastic reduction of carbon emissions and air pollution. Clean waterways in Venice. The opportunity to rethink fast-paced lifestyles.
Positivity is necessary for the human spirit, and I hope individuals recognize and share these silver linings. But when it comes to brand messaging, it’s too early for rosy, aspirational thinking. In the U.S., we’re still trying to hold off a full-blown, public-health crisis. We don’t yet know how bad the impact will be on people’s health or livelihoods here, or around the globe.
So what should businesses and other organizations do to stay in touch with their stakeholders without being insensitive to fear and suffering?
The answer is to provide useful information until we make it through the response phase of the crisis. The buzzword several years ago for this communication strategy was brand journalism.
What Is Brand Journalism?
Brand journalism is a content-marketing approach through which organizations build loyal audiences by providing useful or enjoyable updates about topics or industries.
The Cleanest Line, for example, is Patagonia’s channel for inspiring outdoor adventure stories. Red Bull actually produces a magazine, the Red Bulletin, to keep people informed about the latest and craziest in action sports. And creative software company Adobe produces a website narrowly tailored to chief marketing officers.
As a former reporter and editor, I’ll admit I’m partial to the idea of brand journalism. However, I’ll also admit that—as a content-marketing strategy—it doesn’t provide the same bang for the buck as evergreen, search-engine friendly content. That’s why only large brands with multi-level marketing strategies have made long-term commitments to brand journalism.
But a lot of the evergreen content that’s piled up on the Web over the last decade has wilted in the last few weeks. Much of it will need to be updated to remain useful in a new, post-pandemic reality. And none of it addresses the rapidly evolving information needs created by the coronavirus response.
That’s why in the short-term, organizations can best serve their stakeholders by reporting on the emerging challenges, solutions and changes taking place in their niche of the economy or community.
What Does Brand Journalism Look Like Right Now?
You’ve likely seen a few good examples of brand journalism come through your inbox already. I’ve been impressed with the daily emails sent out by my local government tracking infections and giving useful information about small-business relief and food banks.
Daily messages aren’t necessary, though. And there’s no need to produce anything fancy. In fact, simple and straight-forward is arguably better, because people are trying to absorb a lot of information and don’t want fancy bells and whistles. Similarly, the more personable you can be, the better.
A weekly or biweekly text email, signed by an actual person in your organization could be sufficient. Alternatively, you could record a simple video or podcast to share updates. Again, high production value isn’t important. What’s important is that you share useful information and communicate what you’re learning about the problems and solutions that matter to your stakeholders.
How To Get the Ball Rolling
To produce valuable updates, a communication director must stay in regular contact with department heads to identify emerging challenges and solutions. Then, like a good reporter, he or she should follow the story. That may mean talking to the sales rep who uncovered a new customer need, or sitting down with legal to learn what contract clauses are being triggered, or contacting a supplier that’s running into logistical problems.
An objective investigation of the pandemic’s impact will also have internal value. Briefing the leadership team regularly will allow the communications director to disseminate information and gain approval for what information to share with stakeholders, and when.
Ultimately, a journalistic approach is the most authentic and empathetic approach to communicating with stakeholders during difficult times such as this—helping to meet the basic needs on Maslow’s hierarchy. As we eventually move through the crisis and into recovery, brand messaging can then appropriately return to aspirational thinking.
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