The impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine can be felt across the globe. But what has it been like for those at the very centre?
In this guest blog post, Kateryna Didkovska, Director of Ukrainian-based M&P Communications, discusses how the agency is navigating its way through a changing economy and a new communications landscape – all while working out of Kyiv.
M&P Communications is a Kyiv based Ukrainian boutique PR agency. Our team has 12 communications specialists, dedicated to their job and dream to make business communications creative and show human face of business. This year we could celebrate our anniversary — 15 successful years of work in Ukraine. But the war made its correction to our lives.
During our 15 years of operation on Ukrainian market, PR area, as a part of Ukrainian economy, has gone through many challenges: financial crises of 2007-2008, military conflict in the east since 2014, 8 years of ongoing eastern crises, COVID-19 Pandemic. But nothing was so dramatic and crucial for our country as Russian invasion in February 2022. It has been more than 2 months, already, since the war began, and we want to share what we’ve been through this time and how we are still working. Yes, we do. And mostly from Kyiv.
Business reaction and terminating of PR activities in Ukraine
Our clients are mostly big international companies, like Microsoft, PlayStation, Sanofi, Viber and many more of well-known businesses. Starting from March, most of our clients stopped or limited their activities, except very few. Ukrainian companies reduced or cancelled budgets on PR, trying to cover internal communications and operate with rare external PR on their own. Worldwide companies paused activities waiting for better times, hoping that war will be over soon. But it is not. We received payments from projects which are already done, extended very few contracts and faced rough reality – we won’t have money to support our employees and their families if we won’t find how to work.
Also, worth mentioning, that we declined few requests from companies, which are still working in Russia, for crisis communications in Ukraine. We had a call with team, and it was a mutual decision: we rather won’t get paid than support bloody businesses.
PR services which business still orders in Ukraine
Most of the companies, which stopped activities are sure, that once war is over, and they will need to come back to Ukrainian market. And their reputation during the war will play the major role in consumers choices. During the war, Ukrainians learnt not to forgive businesses, which supported Russia in any way. From this coming communications services, which are still ordered in Ukraine, and we keep providing them.
Here we bring few examples of bad and good communication approaches from business. For example, news that a pharmaceutical company launches new antianxiety pills is bad. Interview of company’s expert and psychologist giving practical advises how to deal with anxiety during the war – is good. News about messenger safety update with threatening statistics of cyberattacks on other markets and in Ukraine is bad. News about messenger safety update with tips how to use it and some more hints how to secure device – is good.
Opportunities for Ukrainian PR market
Mentioned above activities are a very short list of services, which obviously cannot cover needs of Ukrainian PR market. Most of the agencies and professionals are becoming jobless, or working part-time. And we are talking about people with over 5-10 years of experience. Currently, we found few ways to keep our team busy and involve new projects from abroad.
Many of Ukrainian business after war has relocated to European, USA and other markets. They also have been looking for a possibility to keep working and had to move out or expand to other countries. We are offering PR services for them: PR strategy and communication plans on new markets, SMM, media & bloggers relations from the scratch. All the services to make business visible abroad.
Moving facilities from Ukraine to other markets for our current clients. For example, one of our clients involved our team to help conquer USA market of mobile applications. They don’t need to find a new agency – they already have a good experience with us. And fluent English and expertise lets us perform tasks in the USA.
Offering our services to European companies. We have experience in many markets with media relations, opinion leaders, crisis communications, content creation, media planning, strategies, research & analytics and other core PR services. Also, over the past 3 years we were recognized with European PR awards and listed in PR ratings. The most recent award is for the best launch with PlayStation 5 in Europe by European Excellence Awards. And on top of that, we are ready to work with small budget projects, so clients get professional services for small fee comparing to their markets.
We think in Ukraine we learnt what freedom is: when everyone can be heard no matter what language they speak, what political or religious mindset they have. And as business PR team, we know how business should speak to their audiences to be heard.