#SamosaTalks Brands are being judged, consumers will remember: Rohit Ohri

To cut through the misty gloom on the industry, brands and agencies must light up the dark tunnel with creativity says FCB India's Rohit Ohri.

Under the nation-wide lockdown due to COVID-19, the media industry is suffering just like any other sector. Production is tough, deliverables are tricky and every step must be taken cautiously. In a special episode of #SamosaTalks, Rohit Ohri, Group Chairman & CEO FCB India talks about Crisis Communication for Brands.

Ohri feels brands need to step away from the notion of customer-centric communication and instead focus on human-centric communication at the moment. "Brands are being judged at the moment and people will remember who stood by them when times were tough," he says, adding that brands should neither lose their voice not be tone-deaf. They should remain authentic in what they communicate and follow through.

2020 is a tough year for everyone, especially those looking to switch jobs or are looking to enter the industry. Bigger networks have frozen hiring and smaller agencies don't have the money to hire. For those who have jobs, Ohri suggests sticking at it for a while. In the case of freshers, his advice is to look at innovative solutions.

"As we emerge from this, a lot of conventional ways of doing business will die. What would be the new normal for travel, work and eating out? Fresh eyes can look at monetisable opportunities here and start on their own," he says.

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This is an important time for organisations to look at their core strengths and save the talent that helped them achieve it. Another aspect is to work on upgrading. Ohri explains, "When the sea is choppy and the fisherfolk can't go fishing, they repair the nets. Agencies can use the current time to work on enabling employees to up their skills."

There will be some significant changes in the A&M industry as well as in consumer behaviour in the post-COVID-19 era as normalcy returns.

Ohri feels organisations would find it easier to accept work from home as an option. Virtual teams and integrations have turned out to be seamless and productive during this time and it is likely that organisations would opt to leverage them more in the future. On the consumer side, there is bound to be more awareness about health and safety, something that would impact their decisions in a big way going forward.

You can watch the entire discussion below.