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COVID-19 Comms: Business tool kit: COVID-19: PR & Marketing Response Strategy
AM+A Marketing & Media Relations
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COVID-19 comms: Campaign Recommendations Are revenue streams low? Do you need to adapt fast? Have you created your COVID-19 exit strategy? Based on our agency COVID-19 modelling, AM+A can provide integrated plans along with PR and marketing activities.
• Merging Content - Improving Owned Content - Campaign Building - Improving existing content systems with post production - Animation, digital and post production • Brand Reminder Campaigns - Reminding consumers you’re active - Marketing messages creating desirable reasons to stay connected and follow - Campaigns that educate and benefit the current situation (‘giving back’) • Communications Strategies - Strategy focuses and product offerings are likely to change as the climate shifts - Develop your products to be desirable and fitting to consumer demand • Implementing New Revenue Streams - The internet economy presents opportunities to develop products that can become virtual - AM+A have knowledge and a network to develop websites to build online commerce through your traditional offer - Consideration of third party supply chains • Diversify Online Platforms & Increase Web Traffic - Creative campaigns, media orientated content connected to online conversation - Creating marketable, saleable stories around your product offering • COVID-19 Exit Strategies - Develop sales and product reminders - Appropriate community messaging and environmental policy changes
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COVID-19 comms: Three-stage strategic focus & guidance plan Strategy 1: Three-stage recovery plan PLAN > IMPLEMENT > RECOVER 1. Plan: Know what government support is available to you and plan new revenue streams to keep your business functioning. 2. Implement: Make alterations to your business model to cater for the stay-at-home economy / make updates to your website & owned channels. 3. Recover: Work with other local tourism businesses and engage with regional/national tourism bodies to maximise future marketing, sales and promotional opportunities.
Strategy 2: Three-stage recovery plan EDUCATE > INSPIRE > ENCOURAGE 1. Educate: Compile assets and branded content shift your comms strategy to information and education. Maintain brand presence and remind audiences of your unique selling points. 2. Inspire: Inspire engagement with your brand and encourage consumers to spend money - themed online campaigns i.e. courses, competitions and live streams. 3. Encourage: Implement campaigns with clear calls to action to drive bookings and web traffic.
Five-Stage Economic Action Strategy 1. Identify growth areas & make recommendations Outline economic growth areas for business (e.g. tangible businesses, avenues for online commerce, marketplace & payments, logistics / food delivery). 2. Online Community & Partnership Forums Facilitate online forum for local businesses to discuss and form new commercial partnerships (food, marketing, online commerce to logistics support, online video course). 3. Forming Partnerships & Actions Identify business connections and key location growth areas, formulate working partnerships and implement actions. 4. Marketing Packages & Commerce Systems for Partnership Businesses Create agreements and actions of collective business partnerships with new online products. Implementation of business teams - online set-up, tangible set-ups (online workshops, shops etc). 5. Business Support, Marketing & Promotion Creation of marketing and PR strategy with an aim of using local and national media for support.
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COVID-19 comms: UK Media Analysis In the wake of Covid-19 the UK media have focused their attention on a collection of repeated themes that are outlined below. Predominantly, story angles are being tied to the concept of ‘Armchair Travel’ meaning audiences can experience destinations through online tours, virtual experiences, cooking classes and more.
1. Positive News: Content relating to ‘feel good’ stories such as communities coming together, environmental news and stories not related to Covid-19. By sharing uplifting stories, the media is able to provide an outlet for those seeking stories to alleviate the mental pressures of self isolation and spread a little joy. 2. Spending adaptations: With travellers needing to be more cautious on spending, the media are interested in promoting packages and destinations that cater to a variety of budgets. Through offering alternative affordable destinations, tourism boards are able to use this opportunity to highlight smaller cities for late summer and autumn breaks. 3. Looking Forward: UK media is keen to remind audiences that the travel ban will not be a permanent restriction. One of the key messages that travel journalists are interested in conveying is using extra time gained from self-isolation to plan post-quarantine holidays. By looking past the summer season, travellers can now discover destinations that they may have not previously considered for postpandemic travel. 4. Vouchers, online sales guides and gift experiences: Although we are unable to travel at the moment, there is an increasing interest in new ways to support the tourism industry through buying redeemable vouchers that can be used at a later date. These may include travel tickets for transport such as Eurostar, hotel stays or vouchers for activities in destinations abroad that don’t have a short expiry date. 5. Higher Post-Produced Content & Virtual Travel Experiences: Providing the opportunity to sample a destination from their own homes through virtual tours, cookery classes etc. The UK media is interested in providing both entertainment and education for British audiences, thanks to the shareable nature of online content, destinations are not limited by physical geography.
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COVID-19 comms: Ideas for the Future The unfolding Covid-19 situation means media outlets have had to reassess and adapt their content strategies. From AM+A’s extensive research of global media outlets including The New York Times, The Australian and China Daily, here is a selection of future content ideas based on our analysis. 1. The rise of the first person feature: As travel remains restricted, the media landscape has turned to more personal travel stories. For example, The New York Times has begun to regularly feature ‘Transporting Travel Stories’ that are more descriptive, non-fiction style pieces. Instead of dwelling on the present situation content will become much more retrospective focusing on insightful personal travel stories. 2. People behind the pandemic: Good news and positive stories will continue to be a major content trend. Audiences are increasingly looking for a break from the Covid-19 news, with community-led initiatives, positive news stories and people-led features continuing to grow in popularity. 3. Reader storytellers: Many media outlets have previously relied on ‘36 hours in…’ style features, sending journalists across the global to showcase unique itineraries. As countries remain in lockdown, this form of content is being continued by readers. The New York Times have begun creating ‘readergenerated itineraries’ with readers sending in recommendations, creating a stronger sense of community. 4. In-depth destination guides: Traditional destination features are being replaced with longer pieces providing an in-depth view of a destination’s history. From getting to know Paris by its bridges to the unknown history of Berlin’s cherry blossom, readers will be transported to a place without having to leave their homes. 5. Image galleries & photo-stories: People continue to look for inspiration whilst stuck at home, with image galleries providing a different side to well-known places. For example, China Daily has increased visual content including sharing aerial views of some of China’s most iconic sites including the country’s spring blooms. 6. Insider guides: With travel restricted media outlets are turning to influential characters to share their stories and experiences of places, from celebrities, filmmakers & authors to locals and local businesses, audiences are given a different perspective and more in-depth articles on a destination.
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COVID-19 comms: Ideas from International Media 1. Reader generated content: The New York Times, are asking locals to highlight the best travel opportunities where they are. Embracing the ethos of travel and appreciating your home as an undiscovered destination, generating good levels of engagement with key audiences. 2. Virtual Reality Mapping & Experiences: One of Germany’s biggest newspapers Süddeutsche Zeitung looks to escapism without the need to step on a plane. Süddeutsche Zeitung introduces readers to virtual reality and looks at its potential for allowing travel to far-flung places all from the comfort of your home. Virtual reality offers a new medium for destinations to welcome visitors whilst still following government guidelines. 3. Return to nature: The global pandemic has led to dramatic reversal of pollution, from China’s pollution levels dropping to Venice’s waterways welcoming back an abundance of wildlife. The media continues to focus on the positive environmental benefits of the pandemic. For example, De Telegraaf, the Netherlands’ biggest newspaper, highlighted the country’s islands that have been returned to nature.
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AM+A Marketing & Media Relations
AM+A AM+A AM+A
www.welcometoama.com