A change from which there will be no turning back. Massimo Tafi, founder of Mediatyche and member of the board of directors of the National Union of Communication Companies ed Elena Rabaglio, co-founder and customer manager of Mediatyche, reflect on what communication was like during the pandemic and what it will be like after the recovery.
How are companies communicating during this pandemic? How do your clients ask you to work?
"In the course of the pandemic, at the level of collective sentiment, very different phases can be distinguished: that of initial disbelief was followed by that of" everything will be fine "to then move on to that of" save who can " to arrive at a mix of impatience and resignation. Corporate communication, as it should be, has followed a similar parable. I think we all remember the references in the commercials of the big brands to “everything will be fine” and to “we will be united, together we will make it”. Personally I found them false and cloying then, now I think we all agree that they are unfortunate and wrong. Fortunately, therefore, we have returned to a more "normal" communication, which does not pretend to save the country with easy and empty slogans. On the other hand, in the communication of companies there is a new awareness: the pandemic exists, the world is changing, companies continue to do what they were born for (and not cheap populism) but they do it knowing that the way resources are used or consumed affect everyone's life. And this is also reflected in our work: for 5 or 6 years we have been on the frontier of sustainability, for a few months now there are many more companies that have been calling us to be helped to communicate their sustainability processes ».
After the pandemic, how will communication change? Which channels should be privileged and which ones have had their day?
«Communication has already changed and this change is destined to consolidate; just think of how certain sectors have had to speed up the digitization process to stay in touch with their customers and make ends meet. Paradoxically, e-commerce itself has had to evolve to allow the in-store experience to be replicated in the virtual dimension, guaranteeing closed stores to continue selling and communicating with customers while maintaining the same harmony that was created in person. A very innovative Italian company called Radicalbit, which developed the live stream shopping, an unprecedented online shopping feature that allows retailers to sell their products or services during a live stream allowing direct interaction as in the store and analyzing in real time the habits and needs of consumers. This is just one example of how far certain channels have evolved and does not mean that one is better than the other; today we are witnessing an evolution of communication in its entirety, which does not preclude any means or channels, but which imposes the modality of listening and dialogue, it is no longer enough to say that the consumer is at the center ».
Will companies develop their communication channels to communicate directly with consumers?
«These channels already exist and will grow more and more, this does not mean that they are always managed internally, most companies will still use a trusted agency for advice, strategy and operations. As I said, the company will be increasingly responsible for the relationship it establishes with its stakeholders, including consumers. Hence the need to better integrate sustainability in its three meanings - economic, social and environmental - into one's business model. Awareness on this issue is growing, as we see by the Sustainability and Communication Observatory that Mediatyche has created together with its partners, but there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of training and change management. Mediatyche is very sensitive from this point of view and every action it carries out is done with the mission of guiding companies towards this change ».
What will be the relationship of the press offices with independent media and journalists and what will be the most effective way of dealing with them?
«As long as there are independent journalists and media (we always hope) the work of the press office can change in terms of modalities, contents, but it does not change in substance: providing stimulating and interesting news for the users / readers / viewers / listeners of those media. And to do this, there are few “techniques”: studying, deepening, understanding the company for which one communicates, understanding the needs and interests of the media with which one relates. From the point of view of the modalities, in fact, instead it changes a lot: today many journalists also work in smartworking, press conferences must be done remotely, the video has already established itself but at its side podcasts are exploding, social networks distort the concept of "time", a live facebook burns any TV. Conquering spaces for listening and authority means putting creativity and imagination into play, learning about new channels and filling them with "live" content. It is necessary to know how to transfer the vitality, warmth and "humanity" of meeting in person to "cold" channels: it is a difficult challenge, but it seems to me that despite everything the press offices continue to do their job very well. Even in a difficult time like that of the pandemic and the total lockdown of March 2020 and last winter, they have contributed, in close collaboration with journalists and the media, to keeping the country informed ».
Can you tell us about your projects, your innovative communication offers?
«Every day, when we collaborate with our customers to develop sustainability projects, we implement an innovative project. For two reasons, first of all because there is much talk of sustainability but little (still) is practiced, in the sense that we are not just talking about environmental sustainability; second reason because sustainability must be communicated to specific stakeholders, identifying engaging methods each time and with truthful and interesting contents. In addition to this, as we have already indicated above, we are working a lot on the construction of real schedules for corporate podcast, ie podcasts used as "company radio". This is a very powerful tool. Probably, our capacity for innovation is best expressed in devising innovative projects, rather than in terms of the use of technology, which I believe should be considered a commodity, in terms of content. Just to give an example, in these days we are launching a series of CSR projects dedicated to adolescence: that is, we propose to companies to start projects concerning adolescents, a "category" among the most affected in terms of sociality by the pandemic but for which little or nothing has been done. For this reason, we have titled the project “Adolescence without refreshments. Projects and ideas for a generational recovery plan ».
