Activities of Russian communicative agencies in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic

For citation: Muronets O.V., Serov I.V. Activities of Russian communicative agencies in the context of the Covid-2019 pandemic // Mediaskop. 2020. 4. Available at: http://www.mediascope.ru/2677

DOI: 10.30547/mediascope.4.2020.9

Olga V. Muronets
PhD in Philology, Senior lecturer at the Chair of Advertising and Public Relations, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia) muronets@yandex.ru

Ivan V. Serov
Head of the Department of Internal PR of TeleTrade company (Moscow, Russia) ivanserov76@gmail.com

Abstract

This article discusses how Russian communication agencies act in the face of uncertainty related to the Covid-19 pandemic. It examines how different types of communication agencies respond to stay-at-home order. The authors of the study reveal the effects of shifting to remote working, as well as consequences of temporary restriction on public meetings and events, the cancelation of projects for a number of agencies. Herewith the authors hypothesizes that technical equipment of the communication agencies allows them to be more adaptive to the changes resulting from ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The survey conducted as a part of the study that found out the differences in the agency's reaction to challenges issued by the current environment. In the list of main travails faced by entrepreneurship, there are dismissals of staff, slump and sales slowdown. The most dangerous trends and effects were spotted in out-of-home advertising and events agencies. The conducted survey is ranked among a number of similar ones, which were held from March to May 2020 by the Association of Russian Communications Agencies and Interactive Advertising Bureau Russia among advertising agencies only.

The article presents the opinions of entrepreneurs on the current situation in the communication business due to the pandemic.

Key words: communication agencies, stay-at-home order, Covid-19 pandemic, communication business, public relations

Notes

ACAR: results of the study of coronavirus pandemic influence on the promotional industry // ACAR, April 20, 2020. Available at: http://www.akarussia.ru/press_centre/news/id9145 (accessed on 04.07.20); ACAR: results of the second stage of the study of coronavirus pandemic influence on the advertising market // ACAR. April 30, 2020. Available at: http://www.akarussia.ru/press_centre/news/id9154 (accessed on 40.07.2020); ACAR study: advertising agencies continue to prepare for the worst // ACAR. June 11, 2020. Available at: http://www.akarussia.ru/press_centre/news/id9221 (accessed on 04.07.2020); Outdoor advertising: market state, perspectives and forecasts // ACAR. April 7, 2020. Available at: http://www.akarussia.ru/press_centre/news/id9137 (accessed on 04.07.2020).

ACAR: Distant work led to employee turnover slowdown // ACAR. April 30, 2020. Available at: http://www.akarussia.ru/press_centre/news/id9155 (accessed on 04.07.2020)

Influence of the coronavirus on the interactive advertisements market – results of the enquiry of IABRussia members. Available at: https://iabrus.ru/news/1797 (accessed on 04.07.2020); IABRussia: Results of the second stage of the study of COVID-19 influence on the interactive advertisements market. Available at: https://iabrus.ru/news/1803 (accessed on 04.07.2020); IABRussia study: Companies stemmed to save on the staff. Available at: https://iabrus.ru/news/1838 (accessed on 04.07.2020)

Results of the study of COVID-19 influence on the event industry. Available at: https://prclub.spb.ru/2020/04/09/events-3/ (accessed on: 04.07.2020)

More than two thirds of advertisers cut down expenses on TV advertisements. Available at: https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/news/2020/05/15/830329-na-tv-reklamu (accessed on 04.07.2020)

Lebedeva V. Raise of the Internet advertisements has halved. The market is affected by the pandemics. Available at: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4349604 (accessed on 04.07.2020)

Classification of PR-activities in Russia (2013 version, based on the study ‘Professional services and specialization of agencies – members of ACOS’). Available at: http://www.akospr.ru/standarty-industrii/klassifikaciya-vidov-pr (accessed on 07.05.2020)

Ageev A.V. Types of advertisements. Available at: http://adindustry.ru/doc/1123 (accessed on 09.05.2020)

Moscow Mayor`s Decree №12 – YM from 05.03.2020 on ‘Imposing of high-alert mode’. Available at: https://www.mos.ru/authority/documents/doc/43503220/ (accessed on 04.07.2020)

Questionnaire ‘Changes in operation of your agency during the  COVID-19 pandemic’. Available at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/180Ke1exfD3G2aMk15CECe-UdX-xuo7vycjIh5SFoEwQ/edit?usp=sharing (accessed on 05.07.2020)]

ACAR study: advertising agencies continue to prepare for the worst. Available at: http://www.akarussia.ru/press_centre/news/id9221 (accessed on 04.07.2020)

ACAR: Distant work led to the employee turnout slowdown. Available at: http://www.akarussia.ru/press_centre/news/id9155 (accessed on 04.07.2020)

Questionnaire ‘Changes in the operation of your agency during the COVID-19 pandemic’

ACMR conference. April 29, 2020. Strategic session. Crisis-management and practices of overcoming the crisis in the industry. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqMkNBXoDtA (accessed on 14.11.2020)

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