Carmichael Lynch Relate General Manager Grete Lavrenz shared with PRWeek how we’re helping our clients, community and our own folks combat this year of change an challenge. See the original article here.
It has been a tumultuous and unprecedented nine months in the PR industry, just as it has been in the whole world.
To find out how the communications industry is faring across the length and the breadth of the United States, PRWeek reached out to PR pros on the client and agency sides in 27 cities to assess the State of the PR Nation and find out how they’re situated as we head into 2021. The responses detail what the last few months have been like, both in their specific organizations and industries, and also in the cities where they are based.
From Albuquerque, NM, to Tulsa, OK, to Raleigh, NC, to Columbus, OH and beyond, State of the PR Nation is a unique insight into the national and regional trends factors shaping the communications industry across the country as it prepares for a new administration and the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines that will hopefully presage a return to some sort of normality in 2021.
What has been the biggest challenge for you in the past seven months?
What hasn’t been a challenge in 2020? The global pandemic, economic downturn and calls for racial justice and equity required many unexpected pivots for our clients and their businesses. While every agency is dealing with these things, with Carmichael Lynch Relate’s headquarters in Minneapolis, we found ourselves in the epicenter of the killing of George Floyd that ignited a nationwide racial justice movement. This was not just something to consider professionally, it was also very personal and local for our teams.
How are you prioritizing D&I amid increased focus on racial injustice?
Minnesota’s racial disparities were displayed on a national stage at the end of May. This spring, our agency has recommitted to finding the most sustained way to change and to take ongoing actions each and every day.
In May and June, we lent a hand to our community through donations and volunteer work and provided paid time off to our employees to do the same or to simply process the upheaval and sadness that we experienced. We held space and listening sessions for all employees, especially our BIPOC employees. And we established what we are calling our “Do More. Do Better.” initiative to increase and retain our BIPOC team members and commit to ongoing learning and development agencywide.