STAT OF THE DAY GIF use is up 33%, according to a report from GIPHY, a fact it says is underpinned by the growing need for digital communications in the current crisis. However, some sectors are growing faster than others. Searches for positivity and encouragement have grown alongside searches for coronavirus-related resources. – “How the Nation is Social Distancing — As Told by GIFs” COVID-19 UPDATE - At the time of reporting, The New York Times said that at least 667,000 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the U.S. and at least 30,000 Americans had died. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reported 677,529 cases (586,001 active cases) and 35,394 fatalities.
- After initially claiming “total authority,” President Trump has now kicked the decision to reopen businesses back to the states. The White House has released guidelines that propose criteria for making decisions on bringing the economy back online, such as a downward trajectory of reported cases over a 14-day period.
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced plans to reopen parts of the economy May 1. Her stay-at-home order, which has been one of the toughest in the nation, is set to expire April 30.
- Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman projects that the recession from the COVID-19 crisis will last through the end of 2021. Business leaders like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos are pushing for more testing to bring back business safely.
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Does your brand have something to offer during this crisis? Here are some tips on how to evaluate your messages around this unprecedented media landscape. Even if you aren’t an obvious fit, you might fill an important niche.
Focus on structure to improve virtual meetings. You can get more out of your daily Zoom conference by committing to sending an agenda in advance and asking for participants to come prepared with items to contribute. See the full list of tips here. Facebook’s Zuckerberg says Facebook will maintain WFH until June. He says that because many Facebook workers can work from home, the company will keep restrictions in place as a responsible community member. He wrote in a post: Most Facebook employees are fortunate to be able to work productively from home, so we feel a responsibility to allow people who don't have this flexibility to access shared public resources first. I hope this helps contain the spread of Covid-19 so we can keep our communities safe and get back up and running again soon. The media landscape is set for big changes from COVID-19. Already small newsrooms might get even smaller as advertisers pull back resources during this crisis. Many media organizations have announced cuts. Earned media will be harder to secure, so careful pitching is necessary to break through. When sharing financial news, rely on data. This crisis is generating a vast number of reports from organizations, so use your data to put your various efforts into context. Other tips for financial comms include relying on email and thinking about how you can offer aid. Your CEO video won’t be a slam dunk if actions can’t meet words. Costco CEO Craig Jelinek shared a video message with employees, but some say the message felt like damage control after warehouse workers fell ill and died form COVID-19. Buzzfeed News reported: Many people worked at Costco for years, citing the company’s health care benefits, retirement plans, and relatively high pay as reasons why it was a good place to work. The company’s delayed and deficient handling of the coronavirus pandemic, however, has dampened those sentiments, making employees feel as if they had to choose between their health and their livelihoods. … Spice up your videoconference with a farm animal. A farm is offering a new service called Goat 2 Meeting where you can get a llama to join your video business meeting. A moment of levity could be just what the doctor ordered. Boeing plans to restart factories with new social distancing protocols. As early as Monday, workers could be back at work in Washington, with required face coverings, signage to staff stay socially separated and staggered work calls. Remember that this safety information is of interest to external audiences as well as internal stakeholders. Experts warn of cybersecurity pandemic. Make sure employees are getting the latest updates about safe cyber practices and potential scams that might impact their work. Ask the IT department what actions could help reduce stress on their systems and push employees to follow their requests. Share your best WFH photos. Our readers have been offering up images of their new workspaces—and furry coworkers—helping to recreate a sense of community and togetherness. Share your photos with us or start your own challenge with employees. Ford focuses on liquidity in report of $2 billion loss. The company has started to share financial data on the impact of coronavirus on the company. The release focuses on allaying fears by promising the company won’t run out of cash until the end of Q3. It wrote in a blog post: “We continue to opportunistically assess all funding options to further strengthen our balance sheet and increase liquidity to optimize our financial flexibility,” said Tim Stone, Ford’s CFO. “We also are identifying additional operating actions to enhance our cash position.” Virtual Conference Alert Join us for Ragan’s Internal Communications and Culture Virtual Conference April 21-22 to learn how you can connect dispersed workers and unite your organization in the face of unprecedented disruption. Join our Crisis Leadership Board Ragan’s Crisis Leadership Board is the resource you need before, during and post-crisis. As a Board member, you have access to all back issues of this newsletter, we well as research, data, case studies, checklists, tip sheets, articles and other resources, plus a peer to peer discussion board and an all-access pass to the annual Crisis Management Conference. Sponsorship/Advertising Opportunities Contact Hannah Lavelle at HannahL@ragan.com with sponsorship and advertising inquiries. Pitch Us Have a great story to share about crisis communication or your own take on current best practices? Contact Editor Ted Kitterman at TedK@ragan.com. Sign Up Subscribe to Ragan’s Crisis Daily newsletter today! | 
