Today’s historic announcement of the first vaccine approval anywhere in the world is testament to how companies are collaborating in ways they would never have entertained less than a year ago.
Naturally the most important, and literally life-changing, instance of close collaborating has to be the way the big pharmas, universities and other government authorities are proactively sharing information and working closely together to defeat Covid-19.
Creative engagement
These organisations might be front and centre in the fight against the pandemic, but they’re not alone. Other industries and sectors are also seeing organisations engaging with each other more creatively to overcome difficult economic times and do a little more good too.
Back in March, as we approached our first lockdown, dozens of newspapers showed their solidarity and commitment to supporting their communities by running the same headline and editorial on their front pages.
Aldi and BrewDog resolved a public spat with a bit of a positive CSR outcome recently. Aldi started selling an own-brand beer that bore a striking resemblance to Punk IPA. BrewDog responded with a mock-up of an Aldi beer in the supermarket’s livery on Twitter. Then Aldi reps responded by saying that if BrewDog made it, it would end up on Aldi shelves. You can now buy both in Aldi stores and the pair agreed to donate a tree to BrewDog’s reforestation efforts in the Highlands for every case sold.
Talking of Aldi, they also partnered with McDonald’s in Germany on a staff-sharing initiative, while Apple and Google teamed up on contact tracing technology. And Carrefour and Uber Eats joined forces in France to boost home delivery services of grocery products.
Local but global
But, of course, it’s not just big businesses that are trying to help each other. Small, independent businesses everywhere are thinking creatively and collaborating to keep their activities going.
For example, a coffee shop in Plymouth served ‘pop-up’ takeaway coffees and breakfasts from a local pub while the bar was closed, because its shop front was too small for social distancing. The same pub’s garden gates are also now a pick-up location for pizza collections (made by a different independent company).
Collaborative ideas are travelling far and wide as well. Independent bookstores in the US are getting together to set up an online bookshop to rival Amazon – and what started across the Atlantic is now about to launch in the UK.
Kinder business
Perhaps what’s heartening about some of this too is a marked increase in competing companies showing a little bit more public kindness towards one another during the pandemic.
This was a nice exchange to see on Twitter between easyJet and British Airways:
And Burger King put a call out asking people to order from McDonald’s (or any other restaurant – chain or otherwise) to support businesses:
There’s nothing like a sense of common purpose – surviving the pandemic – and a new shared enemy (whether that’s the virus itself or the economic Hail Mary that is following in its wake) to turn former rivals into allies.
Collective strength
Closer to home, 44 Communications has been responding collaboratively and creatively to navigate its own way through 2020 and beyond. This month we helped launch the formation of the 7Collective: https://www.7collective.com/ – a union of seven Midlands-based marketing and communications agencies – each with a distinct sector specialism. By doing this, the collective offers clients a one-stop shop of internal and external communications services at significant scale as required.
The 44 Digital team has also been thinking outside the box too: www.44digital.co – partnering with fellow IC agency friends and technical partners to develop unique online solutions where new and timely opportunities present themselves.
One such project has been the recent nationwide launch of a premium, online grocery site: www.44foods.com. With the rise in online shopping set to become a permanent habit now, what better time to apply our technical and creative skills to help support a major food manufacturer sell direct to consumers who love quality food? Please check it out and let us know what you think.
Thinking and collaborating creatively
There’s no doubt that times are tough and will remain so for several years to come – especially with the overall scale of public spending and then the next chapter of Brexit to come shortly. But if you truly believe necessity is the mother of most invention, then you can’t help thinking our own creative services sector is due for a very exciting and vibrant period in 2021 when a vaccine finally arrives and an economic surge does eventually hit.
Thinking and collaborating creatively is, and always has been, the name of the game. And if you’ve been inspired to collaborate with us, why not get in touch?
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