News / July 2021 Iain Anderson, Executive Chairman - [email protected] As the much hyped ‘Freedom Day’ approaches we look forward to living with fewer restrictions, though with the summer of sport we’ve enjoyed, with large crowds in particular at Wimbledon and Wembley, you could be forgiven for thinking many restrictions have already gone by the wayside. Many things have changed during the pandemic, including the way we do PR. I was struck by an article in The Economist which identified three types of people in PR. The first was “Groundhog Day PRs” who send an email to a journalist, then send another email to check they received the first email and so it goes on. The second issues the minimal amount of information as part of a deliberate policy to keep their clients out of the headlines. And the third are the PR people who supply useful facts about the company when asked, give an accurate steer on whether market rumours are true, and help arrange an interview with the chief executive when practical. At Cicero/amo, I hope and believe we are definitely more in that third category. To find out more about how PR and best practice has changed during the pandemic please do read the article below from Cicero/amo’s Director of Media Relations, Adam Taylor. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the rest of the newsletter and can enjoy a summer break. Click the links below to navigate: A post-‘Freedom Day’ splurge? I wouldn’t bank on it. 2 By Ben Hope, Research Director How to sell in a story in a changing media landscape 3 By Adam Taylor, Director of Media Relations Is ‘Freedom Day’ really the light at the end of the COVID tunnel? 4 By Dan Julian, Account Manager, UK Public Affairs After a tumultuous few months, what’s next for Northern Ireland? 5 By Aideen Ginnell, Director, Dublin office COVID-19 is the digital accelerator of the decade - let’s keep the momentum going! 6 By Megan Harley, Digital Creative Director Meet the Cicero/amo team 7 Cicero/amo Highlights 8 ‘Freedom Day’ - 5 things you can do from 19th July 9 A post-‘Freedom Day’ splurge? I wouldn’t bank on it. By Ben Hope, Research Director Social restrictions over the last year and a half have Longer-term savings behaviour is likely to be ‘sticky’ caused unparalleled disruption to household spending for the many who have developed a newfound and savings behaviour. In economic terms, it has been savings habit during the pandemic. Driven largely by a tale of two pandemics. For some, the pandemic has more permanent changes to working patterns, over a provided a great, albeit unexpected, opportunity to third (36 percent) of savers expect to save more on a save. For others, it has been a time to tighten belts regular basis even as social restrictions are lifted. and keep a keen eye on household outgoings. Our research reveals that younger people in particular Cicero/amo’s new research of 1,000 UK households, have the strongest intentions to uphold these new conducted in partnership with data provider Norstat, and improved savings habits. Half (50 percent) of reveals that 32 percent of Brits have either started 18-34-year-olds expect to save more on a regular basis saving for the first time or are now saving more as a due to changes in work patterns. A generation which result of the pandemic. It is the youngest cohort, those has often been perceived as too frivolous is shifting aged 18-34, who are most likely to have started saving to become more frugal and place increasing focus on for the first time or started saving more since March longer term financial goals. For all the government 2020 – with over two-fifths (43 percent) seeing their saving schemes that have launched over the last savings increase. decade aimed at incentivising saving habits (such as the Lifetime ISA and Help-to-buy ISA), it has been the The uplift in savings behaviour has been staggering. pandemic that has had the greatest impact on changing At the outset of the pandemic, the Office for National the saving habits and horizons of younger people. Statistics (ONS) recorded that the average UK household went from saving less than a tenth of their disposable A silver lining of the pandemic is this sizeable new wave income (9 percent) in Q1 2020, to saving 26 percent by of young savers. While this clearly has implications Q2 2020 – almost tripling in a single quarter. Even as for the local café serving up brunch on Saturday social restrictions eased through the summer and into mornings, it is also an opportunity for many savings the autumn of 2020, the household savings ratio stayed and investments providers to rethink the ‘smashed well above pre-pandemic levels, at 14 percent. avocado’ generation. These individuals are in the infancy of the wealth accumulation stage of their lives, As we pass through the landmark of ‘Freedom and many will be keen to build for the future whilst Day’ on July 19th two key questions arise. Firstly, maximising their returns. will accumulated savings be unleashed as society reopens to give a much-needed economic boost? And For industry, the first movers who can attract this group secondly, will these ‘accidental savings’ habits translate are set to reap the rewards for decades to come. into higher levels of household saving in the future? High profile disruptors in financial services have been saluted for their agility and digital first thinking. But our Our research suggests Brits would far rather sit on their research suggests that younger people will be looking cash than spend it. Among the households who have beyond digital payments and nifty features. Instead, started saving for the first time or are now saving more greater long-term savings habits among 18-34-year- because of the pandemic, 64 percent plan to keep hold olds require a product offering that suits a desire to of additional savings either in cash deposits or fixed accumulate and advise on how best to get their money interest savings accounts. The pandemic has fuelled working for them. This could come in the form of more a desire in UK households to build financial resilience. value-based offerings or communications focused on improving awareness and understanding of wealth In contrast, far fewer expect to splurge lockdown accumulation among this group. savings on trips to the high street, the pub, or on a summer getaway. Just 12 percent intend to use the One thing is for certain: understanding the desires, bumper savings for social spending; buying goods needs and aspirations of young savers has never or products such as clothes, electrical goods, or been such a worthwhile investment. luxury items (14 percent); or spending the money on a holiday (21 percent). For the expectant business For more information about Cicero/amo’s research community, particularly in the retail and hospitality services, please contact: sector this points towards a tepid recovery, rather than an emphatic rebound. Ben Hope, Research Director [email protected] 2 How to sell in a story in a changing media landscape By Adam Taylor, Director of Media Relations PR and comms as a career aren’t always easy to better perspective to how news is made compared explain to friends or family. For example, when it to most CEOs that I meet; therefore, they may have comes to placing an opinion piece, my mum has an opinion on the way a story could be positioned never quite understood why I’d go to the trouble of and what they want to get across, but we should drafting something only for someone else’s photo always bear in mind that we’re the ones who and by-line to take the credit. deal with journalists every day and have a better understanding of getting stories over the line. PRs However, I think that the past 16 months have given shouldn’t undersell the good we contribute towards us one of the best opportunities to demonstrate the telling and securing positive news. the value of strategic comms to supporting wider business operations, views on policy or simply Know what’s going on trying to get one’s message out there. I’ve always thought that PR is a little bit of an art and a science. The art is the storytelling and the I recall during those ‘unprecedented times’ in April messaging, the science is knowing when to tell the last year a journalist on a business desk telling me story or having up to date press lists. In the past that Government was really listening to the views year, quite a lot of journalists were furloughed or of industry and that it was really helpful to get out lost their jobs entirely. You cannot expect to pick views in stories. As we shift away from pandemic up the phone and for journalists to write up a story stories, what are the key lessons for PRs and what there and then (there are of course exceptions). should we be focused on going forward? Sometimes executing a media plan can take a few days or indeed weeks, but we should be guided by What’s the story? our understanding of how the media works and how I think we’ve all been guilty at times at thinking journalists operate. internal news is the best thing since sliced bread, when it may not be. A law firm was recently criticised Some of you reading this may be thinking that on social media for putting out a press release this was always the job in the first place.