With movie theaters coast to coast operating at 50 percent capacity or closing altogether, Hollywood production studios are faced with some tough decisions: hold off on movie releases, pull the trigger on releases and hope for the best, or find another way to get their investment back and try to earn a profit on movies that were slated for spring or early summer release.

There remains, of course, an obvious choice. With millions upon millions across the globe stuck at home practicing “social distancing” movie producers could look to the one thing they know many of these people would be doing: streaming movies. Services like Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, NBC, and WarnerMedia are all jostling and jockeying for attention from frustrated and worried people looking for any kind of distraction from the threat of COVID-19.

There are already rumors of movies planned for theaters being released on Netflix and Amazon, and other smaller or independent productions are lining up for distribution through streaming services.

This new attention, especially from consumers outside the bullseye market for streaming services, could create a ripple effect that shifts the way Americans view media long-term.

It’s an interesting tightrope for movie studios to walk. They need eyes on their product, but they have long-standing relationships in the theater industry, as well as a wildly profitable business model.

The streaming model does have some good profit potential, but, it’s been around for many years now, and there’s a reason movie studios still choose big screen distribution, waiting months to allow their content to be streamed.

If market watchers and prognosticators are correct, that dynamic may shift a bit. Some are already saying streaming services could see a 20 percent increase in subscribers’ time watching streaming content. And that’s only current subscribers. There’s expected to be an increase in subscribers as well.

More customers spending more time consuming more products is a good challenge for streaming services to meet. It’s also an opportunity for movie producers looking for a way to get their product to market on time.

If they go that route, another question is created: How long will it take consumer habits to shift away from theaters to streaming, and what influence will that have on the industry going forward?

These questions don’t have any answers yet, and they may end up being tested and answered in real time, as the lockdowns and “social distancing” continues to stretch through March and into April.

The messaging around how these questions are answered, reaching out to consumers while trying not to overplay their advertising hand, will be interesting to watch.

How it’s handled now could be a preview of how Hollywood producers continue to communicate about the pros and cons of streaming, from their perspective, going forward.

In the midst of a major stock market tumble, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the closure of multiple major events and venues, fears are rising. Investors are worried. Workers are worried… Everyone is hoping for the best and trying to prepare for the worst. Into that maelstrom, one top-level financial sector executive is trying to calm fears.

Citi CEO Michael Corbat has a message for people who are forecasting another recession: “This is not a financial crisis… Banks are in solid shape…”

This message came after several CEOs of America’s largest financial institutions met with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the stock market downturn and the next steps to get the economy back on track. Coming out of this meeting, Corbat was not the only CEO saying not to panic, saying everything is alright, and asking concerned investors, workers, and consumers to calm down and understand that things are fine and getting better.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch CEO Brian Moynihan reminded worried investors that the banks are “very strongly capitalized” even as the Dow fell into a bear market. Meanwhile, after hitting an all-time high mark about a month ago, the S&P 500 also slipped sharply.

The reasons for the drop are stark and there are many. Dropping oil prices, fears about the spread of Coronavirus, and uncertainty about responses and the overall impact of the disease topped the list. But financial firm leadership encouraged people to be patient and be calm, promoting a cohesive narrative that this was a momentary blip and not a major issue. Bolstering this, the Federal Reserve planned to inject billions of dollars into the financial system in hopes that this would ease worries and keep things flowing in a positive direction.

From a consumer PR standpoint, the messaging here should be clear: don’t fear, don’t panic, this too will pass. That’s the message, because in the best of times, markets don’t like uncertainty. With oil prices doing what they’re doing and the ultimate uncertainty of a fast-spreading viral illness that no one seems to know how to stop, “uncertainty” is a polite term for how most people are feeling.

That doesn’t mean all is lost. Strong, positive, and consistent messaging from the leaders in the financial industry could help assuage fears and calm the upset that is surging through other sectors of the national economy. Open communications with financial sector media will help them amplify that message and go a long way toward getting people to respond in a more careful, measured way.

Round the clock news coverage of the COVID-19 virus became to ramp up as the first cases were diagnosed in the United States. Not long after, one of the news networks became part of the story. CBS News shut down its NYC headquarters for “cleaning and disinfecting” this past week after two employees at that office tested positive for coronavirus. For two days, most employees worked from home and the network tried to keep up business as usual.

Eagle-eyed fans could tell CBS This Morning was broadcast from Washington, though most viewers barely noticed a blip. The network managed to continue operations without missing a beat, much to the relief of management, staff, and the loyal fans who depend on the network for their news coverage.

And CBS was not the only news agency to announce precautions being taken relative to COVID-19. The Associated Press announced that employees would be allowed to work from home if their job permitted doing so and their managers approved. Because the agency is global, this policy change was announced as an incrementally implemented change, so operations were not disrupted and leadership teams could make sure everything kept working on schedule.

According to a statement, the AP said the first employees granted this opportunity would be staffers in offices where “employees have had direct or indirect exposure” to a person who tested positive, or if their local government was requiring them to telecommute. The statement also said no employee of the Associated Press has yet tested positive for the virus.

Soon after, other news agencies followed this policy, allowing employees to work from home. This included CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Employees who work in television production were expected to come to work as usual.

While no news agency likes to be included in the headlines of a news cycle, unless it’s a positive story, this one may provide a framework for some businesses struggling to find ways to deal with this pandemic without hurting business or their workforce. Given the 24-7 news cycle, if these multimedia production companies can make it work, other companies may find some ideas there worth emulating.

The key metric, though, for these media brands is to keep publishing, keep broadcasting, to keep informing the public of the news that’s important to their lives. Given the spotlight these businesses have in reporting the news, they have an opportunity to lead by example and show what it means to have a competent, proactive, and dedicated group of professionals respond to a difficult, uncertain situation. 

A bombshell headline hit the tech world when, in December of 2017, Apple was forced to admit something customers had been claiming for years: the company was “slowing down” or “throttling” older iPhones through software updates.

When this news was confirmed, technology consumers fired back, venting years of frustration. Apple’s argument for the practice didn’t hold water with them at all. They said the process was done for safety reasons. Customers argued that, to them, it was clear that Apple was doing this to “force” customers to buy new iPhones.

In an instance of taking bad digital PR and making it worse, Apple responded to these complaints and allegations by offering to swap out handset batteries… if consumers paid them around $80 per battery. Backlash to this follow up offer was intense, and that price point didn’t last long. About a month later, the price was dropped to around $30. Later, Apple CEO Tim Cook would claim the price reduction created a revenue hit for the company in 2018.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Now, thanks to the settling of a class action lawsuit, Apple will have to pay up to half a billion dollars to customers who purchased certain iPhone models before December 21, 2017. The settlement breakdown is that owners of these specific devices should receive about $25 per device, which is estimated to cost the company between $300 million and $500 million.

The announcement of this settlement, which still has to be approved by a judge, brought this digital PR challenge back front and center for Apple. The company has been trying for the past two years to put this issue behind them and move forward into the imminent 5G era. But, on social media, iPhone owners are not letting go of the frustration they feel.

Many still believe the company intentionally “sabotaged” their phones, making them function slower, so that the user experience was diminished and they were motivated to go out and get a new handset. This assumption is fast becoming the truth for millions of aggrieved, but loyal, iPhone customers. While there are no clear numbers on if, or when, consumers have switched to other brands over this PR issue, the negative narratives online should be some cause for concern for Apple.

With these new headlines, and the issue moving back into the tech news cycle, Apple should do more than just stay silent. The brand needs to put a positive, customer-first message out to give consumers something new and interesting to focus on. Something interactive that draws consumers in and gets them focusing on the benefits of owning and using an iPhone, rather than the frustration of feeling like the company is actively ripping them off.

Creating and maintaining a winning digital PR strategy is a must in today’s marketplace. As nearly all consumers are connected to the internet or to digital media in some way, knowing how to succeed in the digital marketplace is a must.

One of the best ways to learn how to do that – as well as what mistakes to avoid – is to look at what other brands are doing. Some strategies work across platforms, and others are specific to that industry, marketplace, or that platform, but winning examples offer a lot of positive, helpful information. With that in mind, let’s look at four brands that continue to develop and implement successful digital PR strategies.

AMEX Builds Community

Many brands talk a good game about building an “online community” for consumers to connect with each other and engage with the brand. American Express has actually succeeded in this endeavor. The brand makes this happen by adding real value to their online forum. Financial experts, as well as people with knowledge across a wide spectrum of disciplines, are invited to share their knowledge in the forum. Response and feedback are encouraged, so, over time, the site has become a trove of excellent, authoritative content on a variety of topics. Users love it, and search engines do too. The lesson? No matter what happens online, good content is still king.

Dollar Shave Club Makes Tedium Fun

Nearly everyone has to shave. Most of us don’t enjoy it. Shaving can be time-consuming, painful, and frustrating. At best, it’s monotonous and boring… but still necessary. So, for years, shaving products companies have been arguing about features and benefits, offering more technology along with other bells and whistles meant to make the mundane somehow interesting. This approach went on for decades, until the big brands were down to simply arguing over who had the most blades and the most comfortable shave. Enter Dollar Shave Club. The online brand hit the scene running with fun and funny digital PR campaigns that grabbed attention in unexpected ways. The brand asked social media users silly questions that invited engagement and sometimes compelled it. While the brand made sure consumers knew they took their product seriously, they didn’t take themselves too seriously, leading to tens of millions of genuinely happy customers.

JetBlue Shifts the Focus

Instead of a constant stream of brand promotion on its social media pages, discount airline JetBlue uses its social platforms for customer engagement. When a JetBlue customer has a question or a concern, they know if they post on Twitter, help is on the way. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with self-promotion on social media, putting the customers’ concerns and needs first will always work out better. JetBlue customers know the brand is there for them, and that someone will respond when they express a concern. How many other brands inspire that level of confidence through their digital PR?

Zappos Guarantees Satisfaction

This online shoe retailer has to deal with several specific challenges. Not everyone can just go by size or style when buying footwear online. There are a lot of variables, and that means a lot of additional opportunities for customer service. Fortunately for Zappos, the company understands this, and they have built multiple levels of excellent customer service into their platform. This begins with an incredible 365-day money back guarantee, which removes one potential drawback for many consumers shopping for shoes online. People love that guarantee, so word of mouth is easy. This comes from a perspective that permeates everything Zappos does online: they think about what the customer would want, rather than what they want to sell the customer. In today’s marketplace, which makes it easy for consumers to share their feedback with the world, a consumer-first approach creates a ton of positive buzz online.

While each of these examples offers something for every brand to learn, brands should also look at their specific industry to see what their competitors are up to, good and bad. Let those experiences reveal what they have to teach.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Hamed Wardak is the son of Abdul Rahim Wardak, the acting Defense Minister of the country for eight years.

During his position, he worked hard to oppose the destruction of his home country. Unfortunately, the Wardak family ended up having to flee Afghanistan and become refugees.

After living in Pakistan for some time, the family finally moved to the United States, where Hamed has been living ever since. He studied at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. where he became the valedictorian of his graduating class in 1997 and was also named a Rhodes Scholar.Inspired by his father’s wisdom and desire for peace, he got a Bachelor’s Degree in Political and Government Theory, before travelling back to Afghanistan in an effort to help the rebuilding of his country.

Professional Life

Hamed worked as a managing director for the international operations firm Technologists, as well as some contractor work with both the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Through his work, he managed to bring in around $44 million to Afghanistan in monetary aid for design and build contracts.

After his financial efforts, Hamed decided to connect with the Afghan people to find out what other ways he could help them. That’s how he discovered the country needed a government which has a stronger stance with democracy so he decided to create a new political movement – Fedayeen-e-Su – meaning Sacrificers for Peace. The goal of this movement was to counter the radical jihadist groups that had been carrying out a reign of terror in Afghanistan for years.

Humanitarian Work

During all of this time, Hamed was also giving talks throughout the United States on the absence of strong political movements in Afghanistan – with the exception of the Communist Party and some loose affiliations between some of the militia leaders. Then, he became the co-founder of the Campaign for a USA – Afghanistan Partnership. This was a nonprofit, which he co-founded in 2009, as a way to develop partnerships between the two countries and bring about peace.

The main goal of this nonprofit was to achieve sustainable security in Afghanistan as well as more prosperity. In fact, one of the first projects that the nonprofit started working on was a capital campaign whose goal was to rebuild various bridges and canals in Afghanistan’s Laghman province, worth about $1.7 million. This project received funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Bank, and the Provisional Reconstruction Team.

Finally, in recent years, Hamed Wardak has also started helping refugees. He started a clothing line through a venture named Ludas Athletics as a way to bring some more positivity to the plight that refugees face on a daily basis. A portion of the sales from the clothing line is dedicated to supporting his various philanthropic efforts across the globe.