We had brought together a great panel to explore whether the coronavirus changed the way we operate in the Brussels bubble permanently or whether there will be a return to business as usual as soon as it becomes possible.

Twitter #EUinfluencer and Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraph James Crisp kicked things off by commenting that social media favoured those without actual social skills…

…and wondered why we needed a pandemic to get a webcam.

Our second #EUinfluencer, Pablo Pérez, formerly Head of Social Media Sector at the European Commission and now a strategic, corporate and political communication consultant, responded by pointing out James’ own Twitter profile “I’ve never met James in person,” Pablo said, “but have learnt to appreciate him on Twitter.”

EU Public Affairs & Government Relations Director, EMEA Public Policy Centre at The Coca-Cola Company Sophia Chrysopoulou, said: “Digital is inevitable and won’t stop even if suddenly there were no COVID.”

We had started the discussion a couple of days before the debate, on LinkedIn.

There was also quite a buzz on Twitter:

It’s #SocialMediaDay! 👏👩‍💻☕️

I am joining the #Hyperchat right now.
Really interesting!
You can still Join! See you there? #socialmedia #OneStepAhead #SocialMediaDay @ZNConsulting#WeMakeEUdigital @liorakern https://t.co/o1Idwlrei1

— M00000 (@M00000) June 30, 2020

We saw a lot of back and forth in the debate over digital versus traditional, but ended up agreeing that a mix was needed – a smart mix, which has to involve a change in mentality to address the realities of the pandemic. You can watch the whole video here (please register) or just read on.

James Crisp started us off by saying that COVID has definitely accelerated the shift to digital, notably in the newspaper industry: “there has been a big uptick in online subscriptions, which has softened the blow of the considerable loss on traditional advertising during lockdown. Something that was happening more slowly is now happening more quickly.”
 “I use Twitter a lot,” Crisp said. “Sometimes I get stories off Twitter, other times I might DM someone so it’s a useful resource for contacts.”

Do you agree with @JamesCrisp6? Do you use social media as a source of news? Let us know in the comments👇 #Hyperchat pic.twitter.com/WfXe90r0hn

— ZN 🌏 (@ZNConsulting) June 30, 2020

However, he wasn’t sure it was a good thing for the public affairs space in Brussels. “The press conferences are absolutely rubbish now – not fault of the Commission or the other institutions, but I don’t think they’re not particularly upset at being able to turn off a journalist with a button or bore the press pack into submission. Middays could always drag, but at least you’d get a feel for the room. Summits involve a lot of sitting around, so you’re looking for diplomats you can pump for information or just chat and joke with and gossip. All this helps you understand what’s going in the room where the EU leaders are locked away.”

This was a great start to the #Hyperchat and generated some reaction. I remarked that his dislike of the lack of face-to-face under lockdown would be echoed by a lot of people in Brussels who have the urge to go back to the way things were. But, I asked, him, do we have a choice? Even if we prefer otherwise, will the situation not accelerate the shift to digital and favour different kinds of skills?

James responded acidly: “It will favour the worst skills – those of people who don’t have social skills. They feel safer behind the PPE of their digital avatar.” (Ouch.)

On the chat, Chris Ruff commented that he had some sympathy with James’ position: “I miss human contact and I think webinars are generally disappointing. Many people might log in but how many are checking their emails at the same time? Very little interaction, and as a speaker, no indication that people actually are listening to what you say. I must say this ZN model is great though”

On our LinkedIn thread, Katie Owens commented on the irony of the #EUtweetUp going virtual.

Time to get a feel for the audience, Hypermoderator Liora introduced our first poll. As it turns out the #Hyperchat audience was keener on digital campaigns than cigars and fancy dinners to reach policy makers.

Our online audience supports that digital campaigns are the best and most cost-effective way to reach policymakers around your issues.

Share your thoughts by using the hashtag #Hyperchat.#WeMakeEUDigital pic.twitter.com/83CnpWzFzE

— ZN 🌏 (@ZNConsulting) June 30, 2020

James strongly disagreed. “I think that reflects very poorly on policymakers,” he said. “I want people forming policy to reflect my values and the things I enjoy. Do you want to be represented by a joyless technocrat or someone you’d like to go for a pint with now and again?”

An audience member commented: “Shouldn’t the argument count? In which case it doesn’t matter if it’s digital or face-to-face.” Then Florence Ranson from the audience joined the conversation on video.“It’s not black and white, even if we don’t have a choice at the moment,” said Florence. “I understand it makes things difficult for journalists in terms of being able to perceive people’s reactions. But a lot of the people I have spoken to are finding that holding their events online has given them a new boost. Rather than addressing 100 people with speakers from the usual crowd in Brussels, there is an ability to bring in speakers from abroad, which many trade associations can find difficult to afford, while reaching out to many more people in countries where there has not been an audience until now. I would say that this has made a positive difference for public affairs and communications.”

James responded that he could certainly see how it would be a good thing for events and asked “Why does it take a pandemic to set up a webcam? It just shows how risk-averse people are.” He singled out Pablo as an exception to the rule: “he took risks on Twitter at the Commission, giving his tweets an extra authenticity, so I feel I have a relationship with him as opposed to with, say, institutions and trade associations.”

“Why does it take a pandemic to set up a webcam?” @JamesCrisp6 has the best oneliners and the #Hyperchat was great fun. Join us again next time @ZNConsulting & @pweiss pic.twitter.com/8ONUGwGzoP

— Liora Kern🏡 (@liorakern) June 30, 2020

I pointed out that apparently the European Parliament was getting higher participation in debates and voting and more people from different countries were now engaging. Now that people are not limited to Brussels, they are driven to look at a broader space and this is one of the underlying trends that is transforming the conversation.

Our next speaker, Sophia with The Coca-Cola Company – a firm in the news for taking a strong stand on advertising on social media – brought a different perspective. Sophia admitted that she had had “similar thoughts to James over the past few months, but digital public affairs were already destined to be part of our work, even before COVID and now we need to give it the attention it deserves. In our team, our objective is to be credible interlocutors for the policymakers, for the journalists and the stakeholders and to demonstrate thought leadership – and this is where the digital environment is helpful.”

Sophia said the company uses digital to communicate with our consumers and associates and talk about our decisions and actions and also how we work with the community in Europe and beyond. “It’s very easy to fall into the trap of just broadcasting, because there’s no immediate reaction, and PA is more about engagement. Having thorough conversations about policies on social media is difficult, so we have always gone for a hybrid digital/traditional situation.”

Sophia commented that she likes webinars, but they can be sterile, whereas online meetings with decision-makers can be more intimate than in the “theatrical setting” of a big office: “It feels more equal, but it can only be a substitute for real meetings, not replace them.”

.@Sophiachryso agrees that digital PA will remain strong post-COVID but she also highlights the importance physical connection: “I like webinars but I don’t think they can entirely replace physical meetings”. #Hyperchat pic.twitter.com/gNegMGrSmk

— ZN 🌏 (@ZNConsulting) June 30, 2020

I asked Sophia if more intense digital exchanges could lead to more transparency, telling people what we are doing, what we believe in and change the nature of the conversation.

Sophia: “We need to work smartly – I see digital helping to reduce prejudice and reach a wider audience, but I really want the reaction, to have the feedback and see immediately if it is shifting the needle or not. So, I don’t see digital becoming less important after the pandemic, but intensifying and becoming a more organic part of what we are doing. Businesses like Coca-Cola are in a position to make a difference. We have a duty to be responsible, and the advertising pause is a means to bring forward a message that hate has no place in social media and give ourselves and our partners an opportunity to assess what we can do about accountability and transparency. The company needs to operate in an environment that is safe and appropriate for our consumers.”

Hypermoderator Liora remarked that people on the chat were saying there needs to be a mix between social media and real life contact, but of course after those meetings, people pull out their phones and you need to be there to reinforce your message, which is why digital campaigns matter.

Liora then brought in audience member Francesco Florindi, who remarked that as a small company they have to make trade-offs between investment in being there in person and being there digitally.

As always, our amazing ZN colleagues Luiza Evi Irem Mariana Marisa Daniel were working behind the scenes to publish the conversation live on all channels. ZN events are all about audience engagement and maximum reach, not just about a fascinating debate.

Our third speaker, Pablo, who was a journalist before heading social media at the Commission. I asked him if he agreed with James that you could really get to know people on social media, perhaps more than if you just had a drink and a chat at an event.

“I totally agree that there has to be a mix, and that we’re speeding up towards it. But it has to be a proper mix. Traditional communications still have more resources, both human and financial, and greater hierarchical importance.” Political actors need to show what they do, not just make statements – people are fed up with slogans. A change of mentality is needed. They need to be real.”

.@pweiss asked whether the @EU_Commission is ready to make the shift to #digital. @PabloPerezA replies: “I believe they have the power & resources to do so but MEPs need to change too – they should make themselves more available online” #HyperChat pic.twitter.com/3DPGNCo4NI

— ZN 🌏 (@ZNConsulting) June 30, 2020

“Politicians can’t afford any longer to just put out a message and not care anymore. Going unchallenged might have been seen as a good thing. But in times of crisis, I see a need for three pillars in online digital communication: transparency, making yourself available all the time, and putting out direct factual messages not slogans – if you don’t have solutions, at least what actions are being taken.”

“You need to show what you are doing to help, not just say it. And digital is the best way to do so,” says @PabloPerezA in the #Hyperchat. #WeMakeEUdigital pic.twitter.com/AuKU12XUbW

— ZN 🌏 (@ZNConsulting) June 30, 2020

Pablo agreed with James that press conferences can be boring when journalists are not there, but suggested that when they move back offline, they should be open to journalists who are not in the room. “Commissioners need to talk to more than one journalist and answer questions live in the conference. They need to be brave and respond directly to the concerns of the public. I fear the institutions will try to go back to the way things used to be. Of course, certain conversations need to be behind closed doors, because some information can be time sensitive.”

I responded by saying that people have to realise that you can get a lot of information from online conversations. I wouldn’t say that offline is intrinsically better than online. Regarding the change of mentality, I think these tools can make meetings more transparent and less exclusive to Brussels and to people who have access, opening the conversation up to people who are interested to challenge and engage. It will be difficult, as the default is to go back to the way things were before. People don’t like change. So, I asked Pablo how far he thinks the institutions will move towards that change in mentality about opening up conversations because of the desperate need for information in the pandemic?

“The Commission has the means and the possibility to do so,” Pablo replied. “So, it depends a lot on the people working there and the flow of ideas and the way they are presented to the hierarchy. It’s also important to involve the media and journalists, or else you won’t get the attention you need when you need it.”

Liora then pulled in Mark Watts, Director LP Brussels, who remarked: “We need the best of both, but we need quality content not abstract terms. So, Pablo, will we see more communication about the things that really matter to people?”

.@MarkFWatts states that the quality of content is important. @PabloPerezA agreed that we indeed need to avoid abstract terms and focus on communicating things that matter to real people. “We should aim for inclusivity, solidarity & recovery”.#Hyperchat pic.twitter.com/sO99vOvFRo

— ZN 🌏 (@ZNConsulting) June 30, 2020

“That’s been the conversation for years,” said Pablo. “When I hear complaints about the media, I say let them do their job, not tell them what to do.”

“One of the sad things about social media is the number of people who don’t have a sense of humour,” said James. “Twitter is at its best when it’s fun and ephemeral. There’s a value to playfulness whereas Brussels tends to veer towards the pompous.”

“Humour is different for different people,” Pablo responded. “Many can easily take offense, so political actors have to be very careful. And it can seem inappropriate when so many people are in a difficult situation.”

Sophia said she would like to add more humour on the EU Affairs Twitter account, but it needs to go through a lot of corporate processes. “It’s different when I tweet, but it’s still perceived as Coca-Cola tweeting, so you need to be more careful.” She thinks they get the balance about right, enjoying the ephemeral nature of social media, but also trying to build your profile and your legacy. “We’re not just speaking to the EU bubble, but also to a wider audience. It’s about having one language inside and out.”

Pablo reinforced Sophia’s point about being careful as a representative of an institution or company by recalling the danger of “snitches” complaining about posts on social media.

I tried use some humour myself. Baby animals always make for a good tweet, right? Liora called it my best tweet ever and Cristina Gonzalez mentioned it in Politico EU Influence, so I suppose it worked…

Me preparing the #HyperChat with a #bunny. ⁦@liorakern⁩ ⁦@ZNConsulting⁩ ⁦⁦@JamesCrisp6⁩ ⁦@sophiachryso⁩ ⁦@PabloPerezA⁩ #makethebunnydigital pic.twitter.com/DlHHIhLmZl

— Philip Weiss (@pweiss) June 30, 2020

Finally, Liora reminded everyone that there’s also a great depth of information on the web, with, for example, infographics making policy more accessible than long papers that nobody ever really reads. You have a greater chance of policy makers digesting your information if you present it in digestible formats.

I rounded up by asking, as usual, for people to keep the conversation going online. And so the conversation continues… Let me know what you think. Will digital replace traditional outreach? Share your thoughts, using the hashtag #Hyperchat.

Of course, If you follow the right journalists and the right specialists , #twitter is a great source of news & information. Isn’t it, @sophiachryso ? #hyperchat

— Philip Verhaeghe (@phverhaeghe) June 30, 2020

Thank you @ZNConsulting for hosting yesterday’s webinar on Public Affairs in a post-Covid world. A great discussion all round. #Hyperchat #PublicAffairs

— Stephen Massey (@stephenmassey) July 1, 2020

Really enjoying this @ZNConsulting hyperchat on digital comms in the age of COVID. https://t.co/1nOCZnL5Ac

— Chris Ruff (@chrishruff) June 30, 2020