By Thomas J. Ryan

<span style="color: #a6a4a4;">As businesses have been greatly impacted when the economy took a hit because of COVID-19, SGB Executive reached out to PR veterans in the active lifestyle space to ask how they are surviving the wave that has businesses shifting their attitudes and budgets.

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›Ian Anderson, VP, PR, Backbone Media
“First off, we canceled all our in-person media events and press trips. That included our annual agency media showroom in NYC, several press trips we had planned with clients like YETI, Big Agnes and Stio, and numerous in-market media visits. But, we quickly shifted to virtual events that so far have proven really effective. A couple of highlights include a series of virtual media workouts hosted by Honey Stinger Hive athletes to launch a new energy chew and a “Sweat, Sip and Shop” virtual media group bike ride we did with Pearl Izumi and New Belgium Brewing to review a new cycling apparel collection and organic beer offering.

“I think it will be a long-time before we go back to media deskside visits and showrooms, but I do think experiential media trips and events will make a comeback. We’re already planning a socially-distanced mountain bike ride with media and several other trips with journalists this summer and fall, as industry guidelines and local restrictions allow. We’ve also started compiling learnings, trends, and observations related to earned media, e-commerce and paid media strategies and sharing those insights in real-time with our clients to help them navigate this rapidly-changing environment. We’ll likely continue to provide those updates as long as they’re helpful.”

›Julie Atherton, Principal, Jam Media
“We’re in the business of building relationships and telling compelling stories. That work has continued despite the pandemic. As soon as health authorities recommended shelter in place, JAM Collective shifted to do business virtually. Soon after, we launched #JAMSessions, a weekly series of virtual gatherings that encourage and inspire people to engage on various topics, take needed breaks and most of all to stay connected and build community.

“JAM Sessions features everything from Outdoor Industry Discussions on IG Live, Creative Fuel Workshops with Anna Brones, Coffee Meet-Ups, Happy Hours, Yoga, Meditation, Kids Story Time, and more. They have proved to be so engaging that we will continue with JAM Sessions throughout this year.

“In addition to JAM Sessions, we launched JAM Connect in May, a virtual media product preview to connect journalists with top brands in outdoor, sustainable, style, travel, and tech spaces. With face-to-face meetings currently on hold, we decided to bring brand storytellers directly to journalists through a combination of one-on-one and group presentations. Like everyone, we are looking forward to getting together again in person, but until then, JAM Connect is here to stay.”

›Coral Darby, Founder, Darby Communications
“Like most, we have adjusted to a work from home scenario and have found it to be overwhelmingly positive with no hiccups in client communication, internal communication or productivity. We are in Phase 2 here in North Carolina, and we are slowly transitioning to a hybrid model with no more than 50 percent of the team occupying the office at any given time. It is likely we will continue with this model through 2020 and perhaps in perpetuity. We’ve all found that the balance of a split week provides the right mix of creative, collaborative time and an opportunity to really focus. From an operational standpoint, we’ve come to realize that our office space will continue to be ideal as we grow and expand our workforce – we can simply offer rotating desk space to accommodate a larger team.

“Regarding the cancellation of shows, we’ve opted to up our technology game and offer digital presentations to ensure we’re staying connected with our media partners. Journalists are being invited to the Darby Comm Media Week happening online the week of July 7. We are offering live and pre-recorded sessions around the categories of outdoor, hunt/fish, fitness and holiday gift guide. Thus far the response has been phenomenal, and we suspect we will host the virtual media week in the years to come even when we do return to the traditional trade show model.”

›Julie Evans, Partner, Managing Director, Verde PR
“One significant adjustment was innovating our communications with journalists, influencers and creators. When meeting in-person was no longer possible, we creatively evolved to serve on the level that media expect from us.

“We launched a virtual media platform to bring in-person connections to life while also creating ongoing opportunity for visual storytelling. We continue to refine our approach, and lean heavily on social engagement, with an emphasis on video, Facebook and Instagram
live events. We know this will showcase our clients’ offerings and brand stories while also humanizing their brands to media and consumers.
When retail stores abruptly closed in March, we guided our clients around how to connect and communicate with, nurture and sell to consumers through the channels they prefer. Verde is committed to helping our clients become as consumer-centric as possible. We’re
helping our clients – both direct first and wholesale first – build channel strategies that align with where their consumers want them to be.

To that end, Verde launched the Multi-Channel Marketing Academy (MCMA) during the pandemic. This new digital course was 18 months in the making, well in advance of COVID19, however, it became incredibly important to launch a solution built just for specialty brand leaders during the continued challenges they’re facing in their businesses. Our course offers a proven framework they can deploy to continually pivot to meet the consumer where they are with marketing, messaging, experiences and products. It’s going to keep evolving and this course equips them to handle that change as their new normal.

Verde has been in continual evolution for years – it’s the nature of what we do and how we serve. We know that going forward, video and virtual brand experiences will be important emotive points of connection for media and their audiences. We’re building solutions for that demand.”

›Chris Goddard, President, CGPR
“COVID-19 challenged all communication professionals as the media landscape was radically transformed and will continue to evolve with consolidation, layoffs and leadership changes as a result of the recent current events. While we are always evaluating the media cycle to see what stories will resonate, instead of doing this on a daily basis, we are staying on top of the news on an hourly basis. This change will be permanent with the merging of top stories from COVID-19, the diversity discussion as well as the upcoming Presidential election. In addition, because media are not wearing so many different hats than their traditional beats, response times are slower. We are very sensitive to these changes and are incorporating that timing into how we engage.

“From an operational standpoint, we have had to adapt to our clients’ work environments, as they are now, for the most part, working from home and evaluating what their offices might look like in the future when, and if, their workforce returns. We are adjusting to every situation differently and providing support and counsel in the best way possible.

“Our office is open and while we understand the need for Zoom meetings, a certain degree of Zoom fatigue has set in. We are trying to find the best balance for Zoom meetings and in-person meetings, of course with social distancing. Often times, the best ideas originate from chance meetings around a coffee machine or hallway. Zappos’ Tony Hsieh calls those meetings happy accidents.”

›Eric Henderson, CEO, Meteorite PR
Once it became clear that we were all living through a global pandemic, the first adjustment we did was walk away from the notion that the show must go on. Our number one focus was on the safety and health of our families, clients and esteemed media partners. Once we had created a baseline of safer at home, work communication, the next adjustment came as to what we can do to help locally, how to support our clients’ efforts to combat COVID-19 and plan for the sell-in of the new SS21 products. Locally, we raised over 200 plus pounds of food for Harvest for Hope with a media food drive, and currently, we are supporting retailers with our Front Door Classics. Both of these adjustments will continue once the crisis subsides. The crisis offered a deepened connection with our partners opening a door for total transparent conversations. Something that at times can be shelved for the need of media impressions or press hits. The PR landscape was destined for change, but don’t worry, there will still be plenty of gear for media, but the delivery of information will be different. Either digitally via zoom, small deskside meetings, or cyber gatherings like the Oberalp digital conference which had over 1500 attendees. As the owner and founder of a public relations company, I naturally like seeing staff and working collectively on projects. The whole working remote thing was not an option before the pandemic; however, moving forward, I will allow employees to work from home two or three days per week just as long as they are still getting out and being experts on the gear we represent. Work hard play harder.

›Scott Kaier, PR Director, Formidable Media
“At Formidable we’ve done what we always do: stay positive, stay active, and continue to provide real-time, data-based marketing tools for our clients. We took on additional projects over the last several months helping numerous non-profits ranging from homelessness to mental health in the guiding industry to get their message out. We helped launch a new cycling non-profit and a new gravel race that will debut in 2021. At the same time, we’ve worked with our existing clients to pivot as needed, getting more people wearing masks and staying safe, focusing on saving specialty retailers, growing DTC business where necessary, and exploring all virtual options and growing categories to help raise all ships.”

›Emily Snayd, Partner, HFS Communications
“The biggest shift we made was to help our brand partners understand the new landscape of communication and how to work effectively with media and influencers. The biggest learning was that everyone wanted to continue open communications and keep close personal connections to find ways of leveraging stories through new platforms. We’ve had to pivot to create new ways that brands can interact with media and influencers without having to leave their house. With that said, we understand the power of human interaction and physical brand experiences will continue to be incredibly impactful when we can all safely get together again.”

 

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