2020 – what we learnt about clients and ourselves

March 30, 2021 Written by Aga Maciejewska

Tags: communications PR public relations

At the end of last year, we reached out to our clients asking them to reflect on how the pandemic had impacted their approach to communications and the way we worked together.  We were keen to understand what we did well, could have done better, and what was important to maintain as we start to come out the other side of the pandemic.

Not surprisingly, the results showed that 2020 marked a big shift for our clients. 67% of respondents said the pandemic required them to fundamentally change how they communicate as an organisation, and/ or change the messages they delivered.  For half of them, it emphasised the importance of strategic communications.

Reflecting on the role Stand has played in supporting their comms objectives throughout the pandemic, 50% said we helped them navigate communications challenges in a proactive way and a third said we provided strategic advice and acted as a trusted partner. As a result, 33% of respondents said that their relationship with Stand is stronger than it was before the pandemic.

Stand’s ethos of backing brands that believe in better resonated strongly with 73% of clients, who said it aligned with their own work towards creating positive change. Clients value our strong understanding of their business objectives, our flexibility, responsiveness, empathy and understanding. Proactive, approachable and professional were the three words people thought best reflected Stand and our work.

When it comes to our values – staying curious, sharing our passion and enthusiasm, writing our own rules, being tenacious, giving the best advice and always keeping people at the heart of what we do – clients see them lived, and reflected in our work.

As the UK slowly emerges from the pandemic, we want to learn from the last year and continue to look for new ways to help our clients meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the post-covid world. We believe real change is coming, and we can help them on their own journey towards ‘better’.