The Impact of COVID-19: A Case Study from Onyx Health
Being a healthcare communication agency during the worst public health crisis in a generation has presented challenges and opportunities for Onyx Health.
At a time when healthcare news is receiving unprecedented media coverage and the news cycle has become the COVID-19 cycle, there are some fascinating media narratives to tap into.
Getting out those good news stories about the work businesses are doing to help the NHS through the COVID-19 crisis creates a powerful sense that we are all in this together.
There are also challenges in getting coverage in a news cycle clogged up by COVID-19. This means that news stories that would usually have created a lot of buzz get drowned out in the melee.
At times like these, it is important to remember your values, keeping your communication messages authentic and showing your compassionate human side is critical. Trying to exploit a public health crisis for media coverage will do you no favours and laying on the COVID-19 messaging too thick will make you look cynical and unprincipled.
It’s also important to be mindful of how the COVID-19 crisis has changed the wider communications landscape. The endless talk of the “new normal” misses the mark, as many of these communication trends began well before the outbreak. However, there is no doubt that COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of digital change across the sector.
The digital revolution and the rise of social media has transformed the communication industry in recent years, fracturing the traditional communication channels, requiring businesses to integrate digital communications into their wider business strategy. This is also true in the world of healthcare, with the proliferation of virtual care and wearable technology for the monitoring and reporting of long-term health conditions.
Whilst these trends may not be new, COVID-19 has been a gamechanger for digital communication, making it a fundamental part of our day-to-day lives as never before. Whether it’s the endless video conference calls that have taken over our lives, or the joys of getting an online shopping delivery, we have all reached for digital solutions to bridge the communication gap created by the lockdown and social distancing.
We should not assume these changes are temporary and fleeting, they are very much here to stay. The NHS has adopted a digital by default approach to communication during the crisis. NHSX are driving digital change across the health service with several initiatives like a WhatsApp COVID-19 information services and tracking apps for patients to monitor conditions at home. Who would ever have believed that the NHS would switch over to Teams just as quickly as everyone else in the corporate world did.
Moreover, there has been endless talk in the communication industry of using digital solutions to maintain a business as usual agenda during the ongoing disruption.
All too often these responses are cosmetic and involve a temporary digital stop gap until things get back to normal. The new post COVID-19 world emerging from the crisis requires longer term adaptation, not a mere temporary adjustment.
We also need to acknowledge the wider pre-existing communication trends that have changed the sector. 75% of healthcare professionals (HCPs) weren’t attending congresses prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This trend is set to become the norm. A recent survey of EU physicians showed that doctors are now more likely to attend virtual congresses and events in the wake of COVID-19.
If we are to bounce back from the aftershock of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ll need to radically rethink the way we communicate. This calls for fresh thinking and new ideas. There is a need to develop creative digital responses that are genuinely innovative and stand out from the crowd.
The communication industry needs to offer a different kind of digital experience, not just another digital platform. The latest developments in 3D imaging technology and VR and AR techniques can be used to create digital platforms that offer a richer more immersive experience. In the healthcare communications industry, we need to become more innovative in our approach to digital communications to drive our business growth.
The companies that embrace these new changes are those that will get ahead of the game. That’s why at Onyx we’re making digital communications the golden thread that runs through our agency.
Karen Winterhalter, Managing Director, Onyx Health