☑️ Monday briefing: The role of professional communicators during the period of National Mourning

The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, 19 September will be preceded by a period of Lying-in-State.

A period of National Mourning has now started and will continue until the end of the day of the State Funeral.

🔗 The timetable has been announced by the Royal Household. A day-by-day account has been published by the BBC.

🔗 The Cabinet Office has published guidelines for organisations during this time. Rachel Miller has shared key resources on the AllThingsIC blog.

🔗 Sarah Waddington has written about the leadership qualities of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.

In this week’s newsletter we look at the role of professional communications during the period of National Mourning.

Earned media

There will an impact on the local, broadcast, and national news cycle for at least two weeks. This period takes us up to the Party Conference season. There is the additional factor of the new government formed by Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Pitching stories that are not part of the prevailing news agenda for the next month will be challenging. Trade media will also be impacted during the period of National Mourning.

Social media

Monitor conversation related to your organisation and brands, and review planned and promoted content. There is no formal protocol for how an organisation should manage social media during the period of National Mourning however decency should prevail. Organisations should not use this week’s news as a newsjacking or marketing opportunity.

Conversation on platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter reflect the public conversation but can also be polluted by extreme perspectives. The period of National Mourning is reflected within this context, alongside broader issues related to the future of the monarchy, the Commonwealth, and the new government. Extreme viewpoints are already emerging.

Owned media

Much like social media, internal and external communication can be used to reflect the death of Her Majesty and participate in the period of National Mourning, for example with the use of black edging or black banners. Keith Riley has created an open source document about how to communicate the Queen’s death.

Paid media

Review all advertising content and paid media activity for the next month. There is no expectation for media owners to stop carrying advertising during the period of National Mourning. Many broadcasters and publishers initially removed advertising from their platforms but have since reverted. Digital out of home media have taken a mixed approach.

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🗓️ WADDSCON RETURNS: Data driven storytelling and pitching are the theme for WaddsCon from 1-2pm on 28 September. Four speakers will share examples of using public and owned data, tools, and case studies for b2b and b2c. Tickets are a £5 or £10 donation to The Bay Foodbank. Source: Stephen Waddington.

📅 COMMSHERO WEEK MOVE: The annual virtual event has been moved to 10 to 14 October. Sessions will cover climate, crisis, the economy, sustainability, and more. Sarah Waddington will be speaking about managing overwhelm, and I'm talking about how to increase your earning potential. Source Asif Choudry.