We Are Open – Despite Coronavirus/COVID-19

Here at the APA we have two Coronavirus focuses:

1. Ensuring you aren’t out of pocket if a production is relocated, postponed or cancelled as a result of Coronavirus. 

You have updates on that and please call to discuss issues around a particular production. There are many difficulties that are production specific and we will help you with those.

 2. Keeping production going 

(i) It is critical for our business of course that production continues. Where Coronavirus challenges are left in the hands of production companies and agencies, a solution is usually found – moving the shoot, changing the script etc. Coronavirus is simply another production challenge that production expertise is there to meet.

There are tech solutions of course, whether creating more in VFX or remote working, an example of which is a system operated by Division Films in Slovenia, who shot there last week for a production company and agency in LA and NYC on streaming software which enabled live comments.

Not to underestimate the scale of the challenge in anyway of course.

Where productions are being cancelled and are not saveable, that is usually where the decision has been taken out of the hands of the agency or production company. A world wide travel ban by an advertiser for its staff, for example.

(ii) Getting the message that you are ready and available to help them protect their market through the Coronavirus outbreak. Agencies are giving their clients that message. There is significant research that establishes that brands that advertise through the most difficult times emerge exponentially stronger than those who shut up shop.

On Tuesday, a major advertiser informed us that they were considering stopping production until July and asked our thoughts on that. We explained why they should continue and would be able to find means of producing what they needed with your help. They inform us now that they have taken that on board and plan to continue producing. Not many advertisers will ask us before making a decision though, so we need to get the message out far and wide to ensure all advertisers hear it.

We are communicating this via publications – Campaign’s piece on production yesterday and LBB also did a good piece on how tech can enable productions to continue in new ways.

We need to do a lot more and we need your help on that:

Please utilise your PR channels, social media and very importantly LinkedIn, which is now a key way of reaching the biggest advertising audience  – see LinkedIn post here  – and links to publications that shout out the message;

“WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND CAN SOLVE YOUR PRODUCTION CHALLENGES THROUGH CORONAVIRUS AND MAKE THE COMMERCIALS YOU NEED FOR YOUR BUSINESS GOALS.”