In the last two weeks I’ve finally managed to watch a lot of the webinars and training videos that have caught my eye over the last few months (and find yet more to occupy myself over the next couple of weeks).

Whilst preparing dinner, I’ve managed to hear from top TikTokers thanks to Later’s TikTok course and video series, from social media experts at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube, thanks to Reim El Houni at Ti22 Films who put on an excellent week of webinars recently, and from top travel writers and videographers as part of World Nomad’s videography series.

Continue Reading…

With World Social Media Day on Tuesday, we had to make this week’s post about social media. During these last few moths of isolation and uncertainty, it has become much more of a crutch for people all around the world, keen to feel connected to the outside world, to keep in touch with their loved ones, and to educate themselves on the situation as it unfolds. It has had many positive effects, serving as a lifeline for many, although we have also seen its flaws highlighted, with the mass spread of fake news and misinformation.

Continue Reading…

With lockdown restrictions easing around the world, the routines we had developed over the last few months are adapting, as we move slowly back to a ‘normal’ work life. This period of slowdown has been a great time to pause and reflect for a lot of us, and we should therefore think carefully about our approach to the next phase, rather than just falling back into our old patterns and habits.

As today is International Day of Yoga, it seemed the perfect time to think about how we consciously restart and reset our worklife. One of the things I am grateful for during the lockdown period is restarting my yoga practice again, through Zoom classes with the lovely Camilla Knight, these regular sessions have allowed my practice to extend beyond the mat, which has been hugely beneficial for my wellbeing (and sanity!) during this trying period.

Continue Reading…

As we venture back out and business starts to resume pace, are you ready to make up for lost time? Have you got your marketing plans confirmed with strategic content and messaging for the next few weeks? Are you equipped and able to join the conversations in your community? Could you be ready to respond in an instant?

We’ve previously shared our thoughts on creating an effective social media strategy and building on from this, we thought it might be helpful to go into a little bit more detail around content calendars.

Continue Reading…

World Ocean’s Day falls on Monday 8th June this year, and this year more than ever it’s worth celebrating. As we venture out of lockdown and the public beaches here in Dubai welcome us back with open arms (albeit from behind a surgical mask), we need to make sure we are respecting these recently rediscovered gems – those places we have missed so acutely over the last few months, and the freedom to visit them that we took for granted prior to lockdown.

We need to make sure that when we start dipping our toe in the water - literally and figuratively – that we are doing everything we can to respect and protect the beaches and oceans that we love.

Continue Reading…

So this week, things are opening up here in Dubai. Personally I am now starting to venture out of my safe space and support some of the businesses that I have missed the most, and that have been struggling during these difficult times. Seeing all of the hard work that has obviously gone into making sure these places can accommodate us safely and comfortably, I wanted to take this week’s blog post to thank the teams responsible.

Continue Reading…

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like we’re restarting again from next week (albeit cautiously and safely of course)? With Ramadan concluding in the Eid public holiday this week, and the Government announcement about business resuming and most of the restrictions being lifted by the end of the week, it certainly feels like we are able to get things moving again, and start this ‘new normal’ that keeps being bandied about.

For my part, I’ve been really grateful to the couple of retainer clients that I have continued to work closely with throughout this period – it’s been incredibly motivating to have been able to take more time to explore different angles, connect with more people within the company, and as a result, get some great exposure for them – allowing them to contribute effectively, responsibly and sensitively to the conversations across the region.

Continue Reading…

With restrictions lifting, and lots more people around the world heading back to work, it seems that many people are now looking ahead and trying to evaluate the most effective way to start (or continue) rebuilding their businesses.

Typically a lot of crisis communications work focusses on dealing with the issue at hand – responding to, and managing, the threat to a brand’s reputation and business levels. Crisis communications training normally focuses on the best ways to communicate effectively during this period, as well as the planning and preparations that can be carried out in advance of issues breaking, to ensure that a brand is in the best position to deal with just such a situation.

Often, there is much less attention placed on the communications strategy post-crisis. Yet this essential transition period will help to determine whether all of the work managing and responding during a crisis has been successful. One wrong step at this stage and you easily undo all of the hard work during the most pressured times.

Continue Reading…

So the majority of us have been staying home for nearly eight weeks now and keeping ourselves occupied with whatever passes the time, whether that’s baking bread, starting a new hobby, learning yoga, trying to home school, working out, hosting Zoom quizzes and Houseparties, completing Netflix and Tiktok, or just trying to keep children entertained.

There has been very little activity outside of these areas, which gives us much less to talk about as brands. Social media channels and PR platforms have previously been predominantly used to broadcast what brands are doing, and without these events going on and business slowing for a lot of people, many brands have found themselves struggling to know what to do from a PR and social media perspective – with a lot of people cutting their marketing budgets during this turbulent, uncertain time. However, this is the time to be putting more into your marketing! Yes, it’s going to involve more thought and time, but a lot of us have more time on our hands at the moment – why not use it productively to get yourself into a strong position for when things start to normalise?

Continue Reading…