Another word from IPRA in difficult times
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3 years, 11 months ago
Dear IPRA members, allow me to provide a second update on how IPRA is adapting during the covid-19 pandemic, along with some help for communicators.
GWA is all online and you can send your entry from home
Happily the IPRA secretariat has been a virtual one, avoiding the cost of renting physical offices, for some years. Thus communication with me and our Member Services Manager Janice remains as usual. Our annual competition, the Golden World Awards, has also taken submissions for entries and finalists online for the last few years. So this too is unaffected. To make it easy for those working from home we have simplified the requirements for PDF submissions for finalists. Typically in July we have held a physical meeting of the judges to select the winners. This year we will most likely do that process online too. Enter the GWA here.
The language of a virus
What’s the difference between coronavirus, SARS-COV-2 and covid-19?
- Coronavirus There are a number of viruses which when viewed under an electron microscope show a halo of external projections which resemble the sun’s corona visible during a solar eclipse. These are known as coronaviruses, a name given to them following research published in 1968. Corona is the Latin name for a crown.
- SARS-COV-2 These are the initials for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 which is the virus strain causing the current pandemic. It is the seventh known coronavirus to infect people. (Confusingly, the World Health Organisation, preferring to not use the term SARS, uses the older term 2019-nCoV).
- Covid-19 This is the short name for coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus strain.
- IPRA follows the style guide of The Economist Magazine in use of capital letters. Thus the virus type is coronavirus, the virus strain is SARS-COV-2, and the disease is covid-19. Other organisations have chosen different styles or have not yet thought about it. As always with a style guide the key is to be consistent.
Media usage and brand trends
A recent global survey for the BBC found that audiences are consuming more content across BBC websites and the top four global topics are: science and technology, business news, wellness, and culture. In the survey 68% believed brands should support news and journalism during this time and 70% believed that brands have a platform to do good. 70% also cautioned that brands should show compassion and support in their advertising during the pandemic.
Information sources and crisis tips
- The OECD has a platform with country profiles and policy responses (scroll down for tabs);
- UK intellectual property consultant Com Laude has a useful article on cyber security;
- IPRA’s online marketing supplier SendGrid has a blog on strategies for email;
- IPRA’s lawyers Bates Wells have a useful article on avoiding fraud;
- And finally, Emirates Old Trafford has published five tips for working from home.
Philip Sheppard
Secretary General
#stayhealthy #stayhome #prforgood
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