March 3, 2021 | Aman Gupta in Media Brief
I overheard someone say the other day that their “life’s been on autopilot since March 2020”. It got me thinking. While that might be difficult to deny considering our monotonous routines through the past year, the feeling doesn’t entirely resonate with me. The 2020 pandemic brought unforeseen challenges – personally and professionally. As the world saw businesses crumble under the weight of government-imposed lockdowns, the communications industry, too, faced the brunt of this fallout.
In the face of adversity, there seldom seems a way out and initially, that is probably how it was. We were hit with issues across the board – business development, employee wellbeing, internal management, administrative hurdles, client retention, and the list goes on. However, the human species is a resilient one and one that quickly adapts: Aman Gupta
On one hand, we took to working from home embracing the digital universe like never before, and on the other, we dealt with the uncertainties that came our way in terms of business continuity.
In the face of adversity, there seldom seems a way out and initially, that is probably how it was. We were hit with issues across the board – business development, employee wellbeing, internal management, administrative hurdles, client retention, and the list goes on.
However, the human species is a resilient one and one that quickly adapts. The last one year has been the pure definition of that. Thus, from a time when no one knew whether we’d be sitting at home for two weeks or months or years, to now sailing smoothly in our WFH boats, is a journey I won’t dismiss by calling it one taken on autopilot. We roughed some choppy waters, but we sailed, and we continue to do so.
When the pandemic hit, many businesses looked at conservative continuity models – safe and reliable. We at SPAG chose to head in a different direction. One that came with its risks and trials. The main goal was to maintain business continuity, of course, but while expanding in the region.
Healthcare communications has always been at the core of SPAG and as the pandemic stretched over the last year, we went on to expand our scope and vision within the sector. We reworked our business approach, recalibrated our service profile and built a portfolio that catered to the current demands of clients in the digital multiverse. This approach led us onto the road to unexplored dimensions.
When the pandemic hit, many businesses looked at conservative continuity models – safe and reliable. We at SPAG chose to head in a different direction. One that came with its risks and trials: Aman Gupta
During the pandemic, SPAG expanded into different sectors, entered new markets, opened up service offerings and programmes, and launched a path-breaking report on start-up communications. The only thumb-rule behind that being to keep going, keep evolving and learning from every mistake we made.
The future lies in the hands of those who can envision it. Isn’t that always the case though? But this time things are a bit different. This time there is a vision beyond the looking glass – one filled with risk, but a learning agility that can predict changing trends and tap opportunities: Aman Gupta
It took a pandemic to make it happen, but the healthcare sector at large got its due in 2020. The overarching impact of this is good news for mankind and for the future of the sector. Nonetheless, a lot of work needs to be done. Stakeholders within the sector need to work towards strengthening health systems. From a communications point of view, we at SPAG have actively started working towards this especially from a revolutionising point of view.
However, the dominating presence of technology today and its accelerated growth due to the pandemic hold deep significance in how we not only navigated business through the last year, but also how businesses will survive moving forward, now. There is a change in the fundamental nature of work in the existing “new world” which holds opportunities, if untapped can derail many.
The healthcare sector for one has probably seen this bubble build up more closely than the rest. The rise of ‘health-tech’ and ‘med-tech’ in 2020 and the fact that today there is rallying investment in med-tech start-ups across the region are only a single reflection of what is to come.
A prism model of this trend would change healthcare as a sector completely and communications in the domain even more so. SPAG’s Annual Outlook Report on start-up communications released in November 2020 analyses this drift closely with insights from venture capitalists, investors and start-up entrepreneurs in the space.
The future lies in the hands of those who can envision it. Isn’t that always the case though? But this time things are a bit different. This time there is a vision beyond the looking glass – one filled with risk, but a learning agility that can predict changing trends and tap opportunities: Aman Gupta
The last one year brought out in people resilience and grit that even they might have been unaware of. It has helped break barriers and harness potential to a large extent. It also highlighted core organisational issues, eliminated ornamental bureaucracy, and brought to the fore much-needed discussions on mental health. Creativity and innovation surged during this time.
To this end, the future lies in the hands of those who can envision it. Isn’t that always the case though? But this time things are a bit different. This time there is a vision beyond the looking glass – one filled with risk, but a learning agility that can predict changing trends and tap opportunities. It is probably the most exciting time to be in business.