2020

February may be the shortest month in the year, but 2020 has certainly packed a punch for Malaysians this leap month.

It began on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, shaking citizens up into what (even as I write) continues to be a rollercoaster ride as politicians and monarchy play snakes and ladders with the fate of a country. A new government collapses; an old Prime Minister crumbles; the stock market tanks; a nation trembles.

As the media find spotlights turned on them as truth sayers, I suddenly found myself being sought out on three occasions by our business radio station, BFM, to contribute my 2 sens on several communications related topics. Here’s a quick take of what went down with some further thought.

Feb 24: Leadership… Leadership… Leadership?

From a PR perspective, how do the events across all of Sunday (Feb 23) affect the public perception of our leaders?

Rumours are more potent than any other source of information and rumours, compounded by word-of-mouth, which in PR is one of the most important mediums of communication, can be dangerous.

As rumours gain moment, they gather more moss, clouding and distorting the initial message. Today, we see rumours being accelerated by WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, Facebook.

The actions by our leaders, as we saw it being played, were interestingly unified in their very sly silence and it was probably to make their (eventual) announcements about defections, resignations and new coalitions, more monumental. The timing for this however, was totally misplaced with today’s uncertain political climate, a looming potential pandemic and a very shaky economic environment. On Monday (Feb 24), following the initial 24-hour political drama, the FBM KLCI fell below the critical 1500 level in late morning trade, the lowest since 2011, clearly indicating leaders who were more focused on their own political agenda than in the economy they were supposed to stimulate. (One week later, it sits at 1,459 edging even closer to our record low of 1,444 points.)

Also, by shunning the media at the onset of this political wrangle, our government and MPs created an environment of distrust in the official channels of news and this distrust allowed uncertainty to be fuelled by what I called ‘mamak stall’ speculations. After all, it is human nature to spread rumours, which they believe in, in the absence of real information.

The game being played out by our leaders in general, sent a clear message of disinterest in the people who put them in office. These leaders created a national motion of no confidence. By not communicating clearly and timely, they lost trust and credibility amongst many voters. This early strategy of hide-and-seek by our leaders who chose to drop hints, communicate with smug smiles or not say anything at all, over coming out with a statement (even if just to buy time), put the power of information in the hands of the common person. By doing this, our leaders pretty much lost control of their messaging, while stripping themselves of any worthy image they have built.

In today’s highly connected, always-on world, the first 12 hours is the shakiest, the most vulnerable, as it is shrouded by uncertainty, anxiety and fear. It also presents a leader with the best opportunity to take the narrative into his own hands, stop the speculations and thus stand out as a leader trying to lead.

Here is what you need to know in a crisis.

• In the 1st 12 hours, people ask what. WHAT on earth has happened?!
• The next 12 hours, comes the who. WHO messed up, cause as regular Joes and Janes, we need to hold someone responsible and we are not opposed to burning an entire organisation at the stake.
• 24 to 36 hours later, as the crisis sinks in, the question that arises is why. We voted you in to make things better. So why are we in this big mess? Why is this happening now? Why is no one thinking about us, the people? Why? WHY?
• Between 36 to 72 hours, people are questioning how. HOW is this crisis going to be fixed?! They are now fed up and angry; they just want to get on with life within a stable and calm environment.
• After that, the conversation in interrobangs surrounds when. When are you going to get your act together?! When are you going to get down and back to the real business of governing?!

Is there a way to regain public trust or improve their public image after this: 

Firstly, this trust has been very hard fought. It was a trust on trial from the last election and it was a very shaky trust. I feel that by what these politicians have done here, by not being forthright, by not coming clean over what was happening, by not sharing the processes that were taking place – that trust, that the people had given them, has been taken away. Regaining it is going to be tough, but the good news is that people generally have short-term memory.

By focusing on more pressing and monumental issues, by deflecting attention from this royal mess, the chances of framing a new image is not that difficult. It just takes a conscious effort and the right support.

Feb 25: Does Malaysia Need An Injection Of Fresh Blood In Our Leadership?

What would fresh blood bring to the table and if so, why does Malaysia need this?

The way we function as a government is basically by rehashing the old ways of doing things.

Ideally, fresh blood should bring in new ideas of how to communicate, how to create a new image for the country, a better knowledge of what the people want as opposed to what they think the people need.

This new situation that has been created, should not be looked at with fear, but as means to a fresh start for the country (remember, in Malaysia, a second chance to form a new government within 24 months has never happened). There is so much distrust for the old guards. An equal amount of distrust for the ex new guards. We have already witnessed first hand that this country is not ready for too many new faces, let alone a complete overhaul. As a society, it appears that we need to hang on to as much of the past as possible – almost a necessary crutch for the majority of the population.

However, fresh blood, which not necessary means younger leaders, will definitely make a difference even if it means only 20% of the government. It is a start; so I think if there are more Hannahs, Dzulkeflys, Anthonys, Gobinds (even a KJ and a Saddiq thrown in) – we are on the right track.

We need to start transitioning into a more youth inspired government, while keeping some stalwarts for continuity, instead of the reverse.

Feb 26: Managing Crisis & Change With Communication

For the successor of this very chequered legacy, how would you advise them to reinvent the brand image of Malaysian politicians and politics?

In any crisis there are opportunities; that’s what we say in business, and the incoming government is actually being given a very clean slate to rebrand itself and they should see it as a gift to make a change.

People are so confused and exhausted that you can shape a compelling narrative.

If we go back to the Malaysian Coat of Arms, it actually reads, ‘Unity is Strength’ and I think this is a great place to start. It is time to play up this motto and actually showcase it by going back to the people and engaging with the people; exactly like what PH did to win the elections in 2018 in the first place. It is a chance to tell Malaysians that there is a place and opportunity for each person.

When this whole incident blew up, a question to ask is how many MPs reached out to their constituents and attempted to allay growing anxiety and fear, and told them that, “Things are going to be okay”.

With today’s technology and social platforms, MPs should have access to their voters to communicate with them. It is time for voters to really know who their representatives are and not solely during campaign trails, but after and always. MPs need to continuously engage with the people and not only when they need them to cast a vote. Malaysian politics needs to build a fresher image of being more involved, more caring, more transparent. They need to project an image of altruism.

If you were to develop how future politicians communicate, especially in terms of crisis, what would you say?

I am a very firm believer that in a crisis you must take charge of the narrative and to communicate as honestly as the law allows you to. When the core of the crisis are people, one of the most important action is to actually apologise for the confusion and fear that had been caused. In this case, apologise for not having said anything for so long. (Agree to disagree about Tun Dr M, but he knows PR. He apologised for his silence live on TV and many felt a little teary; you know who you are.)

Forget about politicians feeling betrayed; the people of this country are nursing a bigger betrayal from an entire government, from leaders they trusted to take them into an era of change and betterment. The immediate focus is to regain some measure of trust and my suggestion is for the interim government to be clear and bold – enough of politicking! Let’s get down to dealing with our economy and the COVID-19 infection; these are pure survival issues for our nation right now. Communicate boldly that the government has a plan (i.e the budget stimuli that was announced on Feb 27) and that it will manage these issues.

People need to feel safe and since they cannot trust in politics, then make them trust in the economy and healthcare.

So, definitely, a higher level of commitment must be exhibited; an honest concern for the people should be emphasised on. It is really time to be more vocal about the job these leaders are chosen to do. Just doing it is no longer enough. Bring attention to it and be sure that you are not going to be known as a one-hit wonder Minister or worse, a complete miss. Call it idealistic, but The People are tired of self-serving politics. It is time to undo the politician skin and wear a civil servant one.

Feb 27: It has been over 72 hours and political fatigue has set in. I, like every other Malaysian is asking HOW are you going to fix this!

#MalaysianPolitics #BFM #CrisisCommunications #RantauGolin #RantauGolinSays #PublicRelations #MalaysianPoliticalCrisis

Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder of Rantau Golin

The big question: Do I need to communicate my business when the world is shutting down?

The short answer: No. Not if this pandemic has beaten you and you are calling it quits.

However, if you are planning to move along with your business, then you probably have a continuity plan in place (or you need to develop one urgently) to counter the obstacles that the Covid-19 pandemic has inadvertently created, and you need to communicate this plan. Then you need to communicate how you are acting on this plan. You need to communicate with people who matter to your business, on how they are part of your plan.

In other words if you intend to keep selling to a consumer, then you need to communicate clearly that you are open for business, that you have products or services that they need now or will need in the immediate future, and that you have a plan of how you will deliver it to them, safely, while keeping your employees and partners safe.

This is a form of crisis communications within risk management and in light of our current situation, I am calling it PRCC (pronounced prick) – pandemic recovery crisis communications.

Now that you have gotten over the shock of the Covid-19 destruction to lives and economy, it is time to gather your team and ramp up operations and communications.

The bad news is that the people whom you generally deal with can’t meet you. Call it quarantine, restricted movement, lockdown – it all means the same – your typical freedom to cultivate relations has been curbed by a new police in town, #SocialDistancing. Media are working remotely, vendors are immobile, logistics are chaotic, supplies are stuck at ports, shops are closed; all resulting from actions to contain the spread of the virus and keep people safe and healthy. You feel like a hapless soul.

The good news is that you are not in this alone. The entire world is stuck in a whirlpool of uncertainty and this is the time to share best practices with one another on how to circumvent regular processes with new ways of operating. The other good news is that today’s business couldn’t be luckier in terms of marketing and communications.

Technology has set us up to deal with this business obstruction head on. You just need to reengineer the way you do business and that goes for your public relations.

Technology Will Save Your Business

This 21st century pandemic has not chained you to the traditional mediums of telephone and fax when doing business remotely. Today, technology has provided some seamless opportunities to quickly migrate your business to digitised operations such as:

• E-platforms that have created safe and tried havens to do business outside your bricks & mortar operations. Today you do not even have to build your own process from scratch, as you can piggyback on existing ones that work best for your business like Lazada, Shopify, Rakuten and Amazon.
• The recent surge in easy-to-use e-wallet apps, such as Big Pay, Boost, Touch ‘n Go, WeChatPay and Alipay that have already become lifestyle accessories, make it effortless to securely transact with suppliers, vendors, financial services and customers from anywhere and at anytime.
• Widely available delivery companies, covering a wide range of logistics services have come in over the last five years delivering everything from food to medicines, computers to furniture from the traditional DHL, FedEx and UPS to Grab, Lalamove, Postmates, Dolly and BigBasket.

Once you have sorted your operations and are now ready to communicate with your audiences, technology once again comes to the rescue with:

• Social communication platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and Telegram to engage with stakeholders from media to customers to educate, inform, sell and share.
• Interactive web-based tools such as Google Meet, Hangout, Zoom and Skype are acceptable forms to ‘meet’ vendors, suppliers, partners, even media and bloggers to collaborate, discuss and explain.

Change It Up!

So you may not be able to have a large rah rah event to launch a new car or workshops to educate resellers on your new baby product, or a press conference to announce your new corporate direction.

Change it up! Use animations, video, infographics, online interactive platforms that will get you even closer to your stakeholders.

This is a chance to actually know who you are doing business with and why someone is interested in your brand.

Without the distraction of mass, one-size-fits-all style of communicating, you can now actually put a face and name to the media and blogger you have been engaging with. This will give you the opportunity to work with writers to customise stories suitable to their publications or sites. The new norm must be about quality coverage instead of counting the number of clips your PR agency secures.

Show Empathy Internally

As in any crisis communications, the biggest hurdle in engaging with stakeholders with new forms and formats, and in light of the avalanche of fake information freely viralised, will be securing the trust of people whom you identify as your target audience.

Start reestablishing this trust first with your closest and most important audience – your people. Educate your employees on safety and health issues – communicate clearly health benefits in place and how they can access it. Communicate with them on new ways of working to remain valuable and effective to the organisation. Show them they matter.

Create Trust and Acceptance Externally

Be transparent if there is a problem – an employee has tested positive to Covid; delays in delivery; shortage of supply; cancelled activities / events. Develop possible scenarios and actions plans, also statements that can be customised.

In being transparent, remember to ensure that you have created channels for direct communications using the apps and platforms mentioned above and beef up your customer care lines – retrain your frontliners to be more mindful in dealing with impatient, angry and stressed customers. This is the time to build loyalty amongst your customers. So show them you care.

Your target audience whom you already have a relationship with need to hear from you and your must maintain communications, even if your business has ground to a halt like the travel and tourism industry. This is the time to show customers that you respect their patronage with relevant refunds, flexibilities in rescheduling, customised changes.

If you choose to maintain radio silence, you will lose your customers and partners.

Ensure that your spokespersons recondition the way they communicate by being more human, emphatic, reassuring, confident and sensitive. This is a great time for leaders who tend to lead from the background to step forward and take charge of the organisation and brand’s personality. Show them who you are.

Be Caring, Gain Respect

This pandemic strangely enough has also provided us with a big red RESET button. It is allowing businesses around the globe to sit back, take a breather and reassess their organisation’s mission and core brand values.

Leaders are being given a chance card to decide if they will go back to the old ways of doing things or to press that red button that will redefine who they are as a company and brand of the future.

The two areas that the new generation of consumers are looking for in a brand to trust, is one that looks inwards at its cultural ethics and wellbeing of its own people, and outwards in embracing communities and the environment. If your brand has struggled to effectively deliver on these values, then you have the greatest opportunity today to make a change. Show them why you are different.

Transfer a portion of your marketing budget or resources into giving back during this pandemic by:

• donating to help boost national healthcare, provide for the poor and destitute, bolster business communities or cottage industries in your area that are badly hit
• migrating parts of manufacturing facilities toward producing items greatly needed such as sanitising products, protective gear, hospital equipment
• dedicating buildings and products to support essential service front-liners with lodging, transport, communication equipment
• giving your time to share your skills or expertise with people who may benefit and learn something new

These are worthwhile actions that translate into feel-good communications and in these trying times, people appreciate such selfless acts and will willingly share such news. By embracing your role as a corporate citizen or an individual who cares, you will find yourself with new followers and may even grow your business with carefully crafted messaging to suit your actions.

Enough said. Whether you are a B2B, B2C or B2M organisation, the first rule of business is to stay in business. Stay quiet and you will survive; communicate and engage and you will succeed.

In the next PRCC article, I will share a collection of examples of local and international organisations and individuals who have taken communications to new levels during this pandemic.

#CrisisCommunications #RantauGolin #RantauGolinSays #PublicRelations #CommunicatingDuringCovid19 #RiskCommunications #PandemicRecoveryCrisisCommunications

Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder of Rantau Golin, a public relations agency that has helped numerous companies manage crisis over the last 28 years

“Stay quiet and you will survive; communicate and engage and you will succeed.”

I wrote this in my last article ‘Managing Communications During Covid-19’ and while researching this article, my team found so many examples of change that have been successfully adopted during this crisis that you can use today to communicate with your audiences. Whether you are a conglomerate or a stay home entrepreneur, we have got you covered.

Regardless of what strategy you put in place, an important process in this time of risk management is the need to communicate any changes with speed and clarity with your audience. Take charge of your narrative today with some solid pandemic recovery crisis communications (PRCC) initiatives. Your audience both internally and externally will be thankful for being kept informed of how the business is developing and how you are restructuring your business to stay in business.

In this article we have identified 14 key areas where we share some amazing ideas by over 40 organisations, individuals and brands that have reinvented, reimagined and restarted their businesses to stay connected and relevant to their audiences. This is PR at its best at the very worst of times.

My team at Rantau Golin had a great time discovering these examples and getting inspired. I hope you do too. This article has been split into 2 parts for easier digestion. Today, we share the first seven areas, so please check back with us on the final set.

1. Effecting change through mass reach

Telcos and social media platforms with their extensive databases can effectively use their reach to constantly remind people to #StayHome and of the importance of accessing reliable information. Here we take a look at telcos Digi and Maxis, as well as social media leaders Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

2. Closed but Open

The travel and tourism industry has almost ground to a halt in these times of restricted movements. We are inundated with photos of tarmacs full of planes, empty airports and even closures of hotels. Yet some innovative organisations are not just sitting back and have instead found reasons to engage and keep their businesses going.

 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

This has to be a winner in anyone’s book! The museum in Oklahoma, USA is closed and its security guard, Tim, has been given the additional duty of developing and uploading content on its Instagram and Twitter assets. The result is a daily dose of laughs, an exponential increase in followers, awareness of the museum that no amount of regular advertising could possible match and more importantly, engagement. (We hope he’s getting a bonus and good luck with the hashtags Tim.)

Qatar Airways

While airlines around the world are grounding their fleet, Qatar has realigned its business to fit the times by focusing on repatriation services and increased freight movements for products including medical supplies. It has also turned to its more fuel-efficient planes.

3. Finding Spirituality Through Technology

By far the biggest paradigm shift has to be the embracing of technology by religious bodies and for spiritual connections. From the pope to imams, from temples to memorial parks, live streams and podcasts are virtually congregating faithfuls in one of the most important attempts to keep people home and stop the spread of this virus. This April is important to almost all faiths as we celebrate Qing Ming, Hindu New Year, Easter and Ramadhan, so kudos to leaders who are placing safety over assembly.

4. Redistribution of Resources

With businesses half open or temporarily closed, leaders must be quick to adapt and strategise to keep employees feeling relevant amidst uncertainty, where job cuts are imminent despite government assurances. Perhaps this is the time to even give back.

Redistributing Manpower

My BurgerLab

This popular home-grown burger franchise in Malaysia has little need for so many employees to fulfil delivery and take-away orders. Instead, its young employees are being paid by the company to help senior citizens and those with disabilities run errands.

AEON Retail Malaysia

Supermarket chain, AEON has moved some of its employees into the unique role of Personnel Shoppers. This has proven to be a well-received service, especially for single shoppers and husbands venturing out into the unchartered territories of grocery shopping. It’s CEO has even taken to video, walking the talk in gloves and mask for hygiene purposes, thus putting his personal stamp to raise safety and health confidence in the brand.

Reallocating Production = Affinity Building With Cause Marketing

From New York to Milan, fashion and beauty houses are proving that they are not just about looking great, but also doing great, as many have reworked their resources to manufacture face masks, hand sanitizers and single use gowns, specifically for healthcare workers who need them most. This is cause marketing at its noblest.

5. Win-Win Strategy

With brick & mortar stores shut and supply chain disrupted, outfits like farms, cafes, and even fine dining restaurants are struggling to stay afloat. Many of them have little to no idea of how to get onto the digital bandwagon, but thanks to quick thinking digital experts, these businesses that could die, are being migrated onto existing e-commerce platforms.

Lazada & the Cameron Highlands Vegetable Producers

Upon learning that vegetable farmers in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands were dumping their crops due to oversupply, Lazada immediately reached out with a solution. They invited the community to connect directly to buyers by selling their produce online. The specially created Cameron Farmer’s page on their site Lazada.com.my attracted over 21,000 followers in 4 days.

Storehub

Recognising a gap caused by movement restrictions and the scattered information provided by cafe owners and even fine dining restaurants, Storehub, a technology platform for retail and F&B businesses, offered up its expertise and technology by creating the Beep Delivery e-commerce platform, that connects owners to customers, while managing its delivery. It doesn’t just stop there, as it is allowing businesses to embrace a sleeker way of operating in the future by bundling fully automated and integrated delivery sales reports for business owners who can use this to manage both online and offline orders, while forecasting demand and supply.

6. Speaking Through Logos

When you have a powerful logo, you own a powerful tool that can be used to influence. Here are some well known logos that have been reimagined to send a message of #SocialDistancing and #StayHome while keeping to their brand identities.

7. Understanding Your Community & Delivering

The Hawker

This pandemic has shown us that people do help people. Like this novel idea that came about from an idle thought about the fate of hawkers in Malaysia. With movement restrictions, many of these small stalls and shops are barely making enough from take-aways to pay their rents and so “Seng” decided to use his expertise to set-up a straight forward online listing platform, The Hawkers (https://thehawkers.my), that provides an outlet’s menu, address and contact number for customers to place their order and then pick-up. #CovidBDamned – you can now still have your char kuey teow and satay from your favourite hawker. This site, jointly developed and managed pro bono by Studio Twenty and The Techy Hub, is at its infancy, so spread the word and help a hawker stay in business.

Burger King

This is how you position your brand during Covid-19.

Burger King developed a campaign very quickly to meet the global crisis head-on, that gives customers an idea of how to make their own Whopper right at home. The ‘Quarantine Burger’ ad fulfils the ‘quick, practical, fed’ purpose of a burger joint, while keeping to its brand values of ‘fun, novelty and quality’. This idea is already being adopted by other eateries thus securing itself as a best practice.

Check out the conclusion of this article, with the next 7 areas featuring other amazing ideas in Changing Up Your Marketing & Media Events; Teaching & Learning Remotely; Doing Good With Your Social Media Assets; Make The Inessential Essential; Plan With An End In Mind; Sports, Art & Music; and Keeping It Real.

#CrisisCommunications #RantauGolin #RantauGolinSays #PublicRelations #CommunicatingDuringCovid19 #RiskCommunications #PRCC #PandemicRecoveryCrisisCommunications #DisruptiveCommunications

Written & Compiled by the Rantau Golin team – Janitha, Gogulan, Julia, Adeline, Joanne, JC, Sharil, Melanie, Seema, Ashley & Cassandra. Rantau Golin is a public relations agency that has helped numerous companies manage crisis over the last 28 years.

In the first of this two-part article, we explored how companies are implementing many interesting and engaging pandemic recovery crisis communications (PRCC) methods to stay connected and relevant to their audiences.

Today, we continue with 7 more areas where organisations, individuals and brands are reinventing, reimagining and restarting their businesses. Let these ideas inspire you and be assured that you are not in this alone. Every business has a fighting chance.

8. Changing Up Marketing & Media Events

In the now age of #SocialDistancing and #StayHome, companies are at a dilemma on how to communicate with partners, vendors, media, influencers and bloggers, and get their messaging out there. Here are some organisations adapting to today’s new norm.

Using Live Stream & Real Time Engagement – Shanghai Fashion Week

Looks like a regular runway, but this one had models walk to no audience on a virtual runway with a CGI background. Shanghai Fashion Week pulled out the stops and showed us how to adapt by teaming up with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s online marketplace Tmall, to broadcast its entire roster of runway shows online from March 24 to 30 on Taobao Live, making history by being the first fashion week event to go fully digital. This virtual event opened doors to all fashionistas and not just the elite few, bringing fans closer to designers. Media representatives and viewers were encourage to engage in realtime comments and the most important agenda, purchase items on show.

On Demand Conference – Adobe

Conferences have always set the stage for businesses to exchange information and build relationships but instead of cancelling your event consider going digital like how Adobe took its annual Summit – Digital Experience Conference late March 2020, with attendees participation from around the world, from their homes. The event showcased new product innovations and even allowed participants to explore 100+ breakouts via browser and on demand.

You can work with some innovative companies that today have the technology to create all-in-one live online event platforms for meetings, conferences even exhibitions, where attendees can learn, interact, and connect. Yes, some of them even have virtual cocktail receptions – BYOB of course!

Opening Ceremony via Videolink – Prince Charles & Nightingale Hospital

Prince Charles officially opened London’s NHS Nightingale hospital for coronavirus patients via video link from his home in Scotland, where he is in insolation after testing positive for Covid-19 himself.

9. Teaching & Learning Remotely

School is closed, but not out. Teachers, lecturers and parents are working extra hard to keep students on track with lessons. Here are some organisations helping to make this happen.

Frog Classroom

YTL Foundation stepped in and offered free access to its e-learning platform, Frog Classroom, to all Malaysians. Lending a hand in this initiative are Teach For Malaysia fellows and alumni, who are volunteering their time to produce innovative and engaging online lessons covering Mathematics, Science and English for Year One to Form Five.

Zoom

All around the world, students are downloading the Zoom app to enter their classrooms virtually and learn online from their own homes.

10. Doing Good With Your Social Media Assets

Here are some philanthropic initiatives to help others in your community.

Makers & Co

This outfit, that usually organises pop-up markets in shopping malls for small home businesses, is using their heavily followed Instagram page to feature vendors: putting customers in touch with them thus helping them stay in business.

Biji-Biji Initiative

This is a popular impact-driven organisation that crowd-sources progressive ideas like this initiative that shows everyone can help by creating much-needed face shields for frontliners.

11. Make The Inessential Essential

Tourists and businessmen are staying home, which means millions of unoccupied hotel rooms around the world and cars for hire lying idle in parking lots. Instead of looking at this situation as a loss, here are some companies that have chosen to take a positive stand and convert revenue loss as marketing budgets instead. It helps people like frontliners have access to beds and transportation, and it helps employees feel relevant.

OYO Hotels & Homes

Around the world, OYO Hotels & Homes is converting its buildings into free-to-stay hotels for frontliners such as medical staff who are grateful to be able to get some much needed rest somewhere close to work, instead of going home. Select OYO facilities are even working with adjacent hospitals, offering support as quarantine facilities. So good on you OYO!

Trevo

While it may sound like an oxymoron, you actually still need a vehicle even when you are not supposed to be moving around. How else are you going to make that periodic supply run. visit the doctor in an emergency, or commute if you are a frontliner? Recognising that not everyone has the luxury of a car and the lack of e-hailing vehicles right now, newly launched Trevo, the Airbnb for cars, is not letting this pandemic shut it down before it has even started. Instead, it developed a promising promotion with special care packages that allow customers to rent cars for extended periods at lower rates.

12. Plan With An End In Mind

If you say and do nothing during a crisis, then kick starting your business once movement restrictions are lifted is going to be tough. Think of simple things that you can do. Like the above examples, change your mindset as providing something free can be looked at as a marketing or branding opportunity.

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Magazines

SPH is offering some of its online magazines complimentary to keep readers occupied during their stay home period. This offer has been finding its way virally via WhatsApp, with people from even outside of Singapore cashing in on this offer. What’s more, SPH’s myNEWSSTAND app is gaining traction.

The Met Kuala Lumpur Grand Salon

This couture hair salon in uptown KL will still have its regular clientele when it reopens, but it has made a grand gesture in support of our healthcare professionals by inviting them in for a professional hair cut once this pandemic is under control. A simple, heart-warming communication that has probably gained this salon new followers.

13. Sports, Art & Music

Tour Of Flanders Virtual Race

Rather that postpone the highly anticipated race in the cycling circuit, the organisers, Flounders Classic, held a “lockdown” edition by teaming up with TV broadcaster Sporza and technology firms Bkool and Kiswe to develop a digital platform for a virtual route as well as a live streaming app that allowed fans to follow the race, The race itself only featured the last 32 kilometres of the route with 13 professional riders tackling the punishing Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg climbs from the comfort of their houses, on home trainers. Congratulations to Belgian Olympic road-race champion Greg van Avermaet who was crowned winner. Will Tour de France follow suit?

Live Concerts on Instagram – Various Artists

Covid-19 is not keeping artists from their fans, as Insta Stories become the new concert halls. If you are in Malaysia, check our jazz queen Sheila Majid’s daily jam sessions on her Instagram.

Photo: Vulture, Chris Martin/Instagram, Miley Cyrus/Instagram and John Legend/Instagram

Dance For All – Bolshoi Ballet

The show must go on. Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet is giving all ballet fans an open pass to watch them live as it is streaming its iconic performances online during Covid-19.

14. Keeping It Real

The biggest culprit in today’s always connected, always on world, is fake news. It has seeped through every facet of our communications and this pandemic has not been spared. The biggest challenge then is to ensure that people recognise, verify and share only correct information. So it is really about funnelling your PRCC to the audience.

National Security Council Malaysia

Sitting in Malaysia, our vote goes to our NSC on Telegram. At the onset of this pandemic, the digital team at NSC took to Telegram with up-to-the-minute information and advisories, effectively quashing fake news being circulated. The use of Telegram as their preferred choice of communicating was also apt as it archives content thus allowing new members access to old information. This group has single handedly raised the adoption of Telegram in Malaysia with its present 1 million over subscribers, who recognise it as their go-to channel for verified content – statements, infographics, pictorials, videos and links.

All these examples are merely a handful, of how organisations around the world are employing disruptive communications to engage with audiences and be more relevant.

The one thing that cannot be ignored is the role of technology that will feature heavily throughout this PRCC period and after. It is saving businesses. When once we condemned technology for isolating people, today we hail it for doing just that. Nothing can ever replace the importance of face-to-face communications, but in these times of #SocialDistancing, #WFH and #StayHome, it certainly comes close.

So good luck and all the best as we ride out this pandemic together. #CovidBDamned

#CrisisCommunications #RantauGolin #RantauGolinSays #PublicRelations #CommunicatingDuringCovid19 #RiskCommunications #PRCC #PandemicRecoveryCrisisCommunications #DisruptiveCommunications

Written & Compiled by the Rantau Golin team – Janitha, Gogulan, Julia, Adeline, Joanne, JC, Sharil, Melanie, Seema, Ashley & Cassandra. Rantau Golin is a public relations agency that has helped numerous companies manage crisis over the last 28 years.

Malaysia now enters the Conditional Movement Control Order or CMCO as our government looks at easing business operations back in order to get the economy going. It will be awhile though before everyone is back within the office at full force. In the meantime, many of us will continue to work from home (#WFH) as we have since the start of the MCO, to ensure business continuity in the short and medium term. For us at Rantau Golin, #WFH is still being practised as we ready our workplace to be compliant with health and safety standards.

The MCO has significantly affected how Rantau Golin functions. As a PR company, we are in the business of communications and client servicing, which involves meeting, discussing and brainstorming with clients and colleagues for consultations, projects and planning. Thanks to our own #WFH policies and initiatives, the Rantau Golin team has managed to stay on track in servicing our clients. However, there are challenges that face a PR practitioner, like myself, during this extraordinary time.

 Remote working from outside Central Klang Valley

 I do not live in the centre of the Klang Valley – far from it. I live in the vicinity of Nilai, away from the major transport lines and conveniences that many take for granted even before the start of the MCO. This includes access to food, groceries and even connectivity. Unlike my colleagues staying in, for example, Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya – the 10KM radius rule set by the MKN affected me more as it limited purchasing options for daily necessities for me and my family.

My work though is not affected by the remoteness of where I stay, thanks to high speed Internet. Fibre Internet is accessible, and high-speed mobile broadband is always available on tap, especially with the daily free 1GB data offered by telcos to their customers in Malaysia, announced as part of the PRIHATIN stimulus package. This allows me to service my clients and collaborate with colleagues, even when I am at home.

The importance of having a stable and reliable Internet connection is definitely felt when one is working from home instead of the office

As PR practitioners, we are now more dependent than ever on video conferencing services such as Zoom and Google Meets to conduct everything – from internal meetings and client training, to media interviews with the client. The importance of having a stable and reliable Internet connection is definitely felt when one is working from home instead of the office, and the team at Rantau Golin have been communicating using these platforms to update each other on the status of clients and projects. However, there are times when even the fastest fibre Internet plan fails, with dropped frames and stuttering audio during video calls running rampant. The government needs to urgently address the deficiency in connectivity reliability that is in the Malaysian broadband network, as the ongoing #WFH is showing us that our national connectivity is not yet ready to fully support widely practised remote working

 Reality of not being in the city centre

While not related to work, the limitations that I face in acquiring necessities is also a concern when you live away from the centre of the Klang Valley. While food delivery service is available in my area, the selection is not as varied, compared to someone staying in Subang Jaya, for example. However, it is better than not having any option at all. I do miss having quick access to fast food, but adhering to the MCO to flatten the curve is much more important in the long run.

Another thing I am missing during this period are the Ramadhan Bazaars. Buying specialties usually not available outside of the fasting month is something that many Malaysians look forward to, throughout the year. Now, that is impossible as the MKN has banned physical bazaars; I am glad, however, that in its place entrepreneurs are filling the vacuum with online bazaars, adapted to the situation. Many offer similar types of food usually available at physical bazaars, with the addition of delivery right to the doorstep of our houses.

 Going back to work, to a new normal

One thing that is obvious is the country is heading to a new normal, as we are expected to adopt many practices from the MCO period as part of our daily lives – maintaining some measure of social distancing, wearing masks, keeping a bottle of hand sanitiser with you at all times. Experts, like the Director General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, have said that Malaysia may ban mass gatherings up to a year from now, to help stop the potential spread of Covid-19 after the MCO ends.

 Within the new norm, however, I foresee businesses will slowly return to normal operations, or as close to normal as they can be

Within the new norm, however, I foresee businesses will slowly return to normal operations, or as close to normal as they can be. We may have fewer events and more small-scale media gatherings instead of gala launches – at least for 2020, but communications and PR will still go on for our clients. In fact, it is more important than ever, as brands and companies start their journey to regain lost engagement and communications with media and customers, experienced during the MCO period.

Sharil Abdul Rahman has seen a lot in his decade of work on both sides of the media fence. He sharpened his teeth in the tech media world before embarking on several lifestyle titles along the way, culminating in his current position at Rantau Golin as a PR practitioner. In his spare time, he likes to think about how he can get more time to travel to his favourite country – Japan, as well as looking for a great food experience to enjoy this journey called life.

#RantauGolin #RantauGolinSays #PublicRelations #CommunicatingDuringCovid19 #RemoteWorking #WorkFromHome#WFH

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” ― Sun-Tzu, The Art of War

Change management is imminent for all organisations to stay in business right now.

You probably fall into two categories – business is exploding (lucky you) or business is imploding. In either situation, you need to make changes and leave a lot of room for flexibility and adaptability as we are on fairly unchartered territories that keep changing daily.

We are being led by a virus and for now, there is no expiry date. This puts businesses in a flux and managing it, difficult, as we are constantly reacting to something new. The best thing you can do right now is to listen more to both your internal and external audiences. This will help you understand where you stand with your various stakeholders and guide you in restructuring your organisation to meet new needs.

Think of your business as a start up in a new industry, one of your own making. Yes it makes you sound like a cowboy, but guess what, the industry you belong to does not know what is going on either, so you may as well write your own story.

The first thing to understand in change management is a mindset change. Brainstorm with your senior team on whether:

• you are offering products / services that people want right now
• you are effectively reaching your audiences or do you need to change your delivery & communications platforms
• your employees know what the organisation is doing and if they still feel valued
• you need to shift your resources or even downsize
• you should be focusing on doing one thing well instead of offering a multitude of products / services
• you are creating a safe environment for your employees and customers

Be sure to communicate any changes speedily to avoid a vacuum that may be filled with speculation. The last thing you need right now are other crises that stem from confusions, frustrations and miscommunications.

In a pro-longed economic crisis, like the one we are currently experiencing due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, management generally focus on staying alive by fixing problems, which lead to the possibility of missed opportunities.

So, the one thing I advise businesses to do is to set-up two crisis teams – one to deal with day-to-day issues and the other to look at opportunities.

1. Risk Management & Crisis Communications Team

This team is important in any crisis situation as we need to focus on what is happening and respond speedily. Bear in mind that the slower you take to address a problem the more costly it becomes.

Build your crisis communications plan around FATES*:

F – Frequently. Over communicating is your best policy right now especially with your employees.

A – Adaptively. Find the flexibility to be able to change your narrative and change your channel mix depending on where you are with the crisis.

T – Truthfully. Be as transparent as you can about the state of your business.

E – Emphatically. Be humble, be human, and be sensitive to what people are going through. Look for a spokesperson who inspires confidence and calm.

S – Speedily. Do not leave room for speculations and rumours.

2. Crisis Opportunity Team

This is where your future lies. This team should focus on:

• listening to your audience, look for gaps in supply and demand and whether your organisations can fill it
• engaging with employees, who may know the business better, on how you can extend your business into new areas and perhaps even generate new income streams
• following business, industry and government communications on what is happening and find ways to be relevant
• looking out for emerging trends and how you can quickly adopt or adapt to it

This is the balance you need in change management today and it does not only apply to large organisations. Even a small cafe can put this into practise.

*Note: The Fates are three (3) mythical Greek goddesses each believed to control the past, present and future of a human, which also defines the journey of a business. The five (5) concepts of FATES in crisis communications is developed by Rantau.

#CrisisCommunications #RantauGolin #RantauGolinSays #PublicRelations #CommunicatingDuringCovid19 #ChangeManagement #Marketing #Leadership

 

Written by Janitha Sukumaran, Founder of Rantau Golin, a public relations agency that has helped numerous companies manage crisis over the last 28 years