On the PRmoment podcast this week we talk about The global impact of COVID on the PR sector. Here with me to discuss that is Dr. Pooja Arora from HCL Corporation and Shiv Nadar Foundation in India and Kathryn Lancioni, Instructor of Public Relations at Sefton University in the US.

They have recently completed a piece of qualitative research that looks at the impact of the pandemic on the PR industry. 

The 112 interviews were completed in March to May 2021, so in the midst of the second wave in the US, UK and India. The interviews were with mid-level and senior-level PR practitioners from 16 countries, with the majority of respondents being based in India, the US and the UK.

Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.

Here’s a summary of what Pooja, Kathryn and PRmoment founder Ben Smith spoke about.

2 mins Why did Kathryn and Pooja decide to undertake this research?

3 mins What are the top 3 findings from the research?

5 mins Why many PR people were more in demand during Covid than previously.

6 mins Why the pandemic brought the themes of ESG and purpose to the fore.

7 mins Why, as brand marketing budgets reduced in the pandemic, PR had to take up the story for organisations.

10 mins Did the pandemic actually make many PR/journo relationships closer?

11 mins Brands were looking for storytellers across all channels and platforms through the pandemic and this saw PR increase its breadth of work.

14 mins Why the press release re-covered some of its importance during the pandemic.

16 mins A discussion of the different drivers and influence patterns across the world.

19 mins Was the rise of corporate PR a global or regional trend during the pandemic?

21 mins Are more of the C-suite understanding the importance of reputation?

24 mins Has COVID changed the balance of power between the PR dept and the marketing department?

25 mins “We’ve become a society of learning how to skip ads”