Recently I had the opportunity to talk about Communications Strategies during COVID-19 for the food industry.
Since March 2020, we have been in unprecedented times that have impacted employees and employers across the country. From face masks to social distancing to Zoom calls, life as we know it is not the same.
Unlike many industries that could have their employees work from home, the food industry is essential, so many of the front-line workers had to work in production, food processing and cold storage. News stories ranged from food shortages to COVID-affected employees to virtual trade shows.
Alpine client Hiperbaric, the world leader in high pressure processing, continued its operations in Spain, building world-class HPP equipment for food processing. But many of their customers had to pivot from ramping up production for some products to keep up with demand to reducing others.
Podcasts and webinars became a way to communicate information to customers. Hiperbaric began their own series of podcasts featuring scientific experts discussing the benefits of HPP. Webinars became an important PR tool to get the word out in the absence of in-person meetings.
In the podcast UnPACKED with PMMI, a leading food processing and packaging trade organization, I shared a blueprint for dealing with media during a pandemic, as well as communicating once we reach our new normal. Many media organizations turned to podcasting to share information that they would have shared at in-person meetings. UnPACKED, for example, was created when the Cold Pressure Council had to cancel its HPP meeting.
Despite COVID-19, companies continued to get the word out about their products and services. But they needed to be mindful of not sounding tone-deaf to the pandemic. In this podcast, I discussed the balancing act of being relevant yet sensitive when dealing with the media during a crisis.
Listen here.