Navigating COVID-19 communications

Ljiljana Boljanović, Managing Director of Olaf & McAteer, and Maja Stojanović, Executive Director of the communications and advertising agency, shared guidelines on how to adjust to times of crisis.

The ban on public gatherings and movement restrictions, affecting company staff and the general population alike, are a challenge for firms’ communications, both internal and external. Speaking about internal communication, Ljiljana suggested placing an emphasis on transparent information about employee safety but not neglecting efforts to cultivate the firm’s image as a good employer – an aspect that gains in importance at times of elevated anxiety such as these. Companies weathering the emergency the best are those that prepared in time and have crisis communication manuals and trained crisis teams in place.

The internet and television have come to the fore as sources of news for the general public. There has been a worldwide increase in audiences for these two communications channels, with TV consumption in the 18 to 29 age group rising by more than 50%; as many as 82% of this cohort are internet users as well. ‘Even though increased use is driven by people’s desire to learn more about what’s happening, there’s been an attendant increase in traffic in other areas as well’, said Maja Stojanović, noting that ‘people want to see content that’s got nothing to do with the pandemic. We expect growth in online advertising, and especially in online sales’.

The webinar also discussed online channels and working with the influencer community during the crisis.

‘Communications won’t change drastically after the crisis, but there certainly won’t be a return to things as they used to be. Some standards have already shifted and many products and services have become available online for the first time. This situation should be seen as an incentive to change and improve both the content of communications and their technical arrangements’, Maja concluded.

The webinar was moderated by Strahinja Mitrovski, AmCham’s Communication Manager.

Watch a full video of the webinar here!