What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

·     Themes and lessons that communicators and brand marketers should keep in mind in 2022

·     How the past 18 months have created a watershed moment around purpose

·     How employee relations have become more accountable in an era of empowered employees

At the start of 2020, the idea of a worldwide pandemic that would trigger a massive pivot seemed unthinkable—as did the idea that we’d still be talking and living through ‘unprecedented’ times in 2022. The last two years have been as sobering as they have been defining for all of us—personally and professionally. And, as communicators, it proved how important it is for us to be prepared to ‘flex with the times.’

In this month’s episode, Red Havas’ Linda Descano, CFA^® is joined by fellow Redsters Richard Clarke, Karina Heffers, and Lesley Sillaman, to discuss some of the key take-aways from 2021 and things to consider in brand communications and marketing for 2022.

“This year is all about the era of acceptance,” says Lesley Sillaman, an EVP with Red Havas U.S. “We as communicators need to be accepting of our audience's ability to choose the way they want to live and how they want to receive communication and then think about how we make strategic and brand communication decisions going forward.”

U.K. Executive Director Richard Clarke spoke to the watershed moment around purpose over the last 18 months: “When the pandemic hit, we started to see corporate emails and communications to employees become much more inclusive, empathetic, and purpose oriented almost overnight, treating employees less like an audience and more like a key stakeholder.”

“We’ve seen a shift to employees being given a voice and the notion that engaging is very different from broadcasting,” added Karina Heffers, EVP and Head of Strategy at Red Havas U.S., regarding a recent shift in employee engagement. “Employers now have to be accountable and understand that if they ask a question, they have to be prepared to act on the answer.”

To close the discussion, Richard provided advice for brand marketers and communicators moving into 2022.

“Consider the importance of PR and look to protect the investment in marketing budgets. There is a real role for PR and communications to help deliver positive brand images and community spirit, which I think are going to play a major role in helping drive businesses forward.”

The episode wraps with Red Havas VP of Social & Content Nancy Anderson and our Red Questionnaire guest Lesley Sillaman (playing double duty this episode!) for a conversation spanning many topics including her go-to book, her favorite travel destinations, and how she would describe her job to a child.

“One piece that doesn't really get discussed in all of the talk about the challenges of working at home is the window through which this has helped kids actually watch their parents work,” says Lesley on the latter. “I think that really humanizes us to them in a way that wasn't previously seen. Hopefully, there are some good examples they see when I'm interacting with colleagues and clients that help them learn about how to be professionals in their own careers.”

Give “Red Sky Fuel for Thought” a listen, and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. Don’t forget to rate and review to help more people find us!

Also mentioned on this episode:

·     Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

·     Clara in the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

·     The Four Americas by George Packer (The Atlantic)

Follow Red Havas for a daily dose of comms news:

·     Twitter

·     Facebook

·     Instagram

·     LinkedIn

Subscribe:

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show using your favorite podcasting app.

·     iTunes

·     Spotify

What did you love? What would you like to hear about next?

Remember to rate and review today’s show; we’d love to hear from you!