Public relations are doing well during the Covid-19 crisis

The information campaigns and their audiences up sharply in March and April 2020 on a panel of 300 major brands and companies (source: Epresspack)

 

While advertising investments have dropped sharply across all media, press and public relations remain dynamic and active in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. In March and even more in April 2020, Epresspack, publisher of digital newsrooms at the service of public relations for brands and companies, notes a strong increase in the volume of announcements emitted by a panel of 300 big brands and international companies towards media and influencers, as well as a doubling of audiences. 

Over the two March-April months of containment, the 300 companies issued 10,200 information campaigns (press releases, news, newsletters, etc.), up 24% compared to the same period in 2019. Significantly, these announcements generated a doubling of audiences with unique visitors, up 73% (917,600). Pageviews increased by 37% to 1,440,000 page views. 

While in April 2020, in the middle of containment, the upward trend in the number of announcements further intensified compared to the previous month (5,500 announcements in April compared to 4,700 announcements in March 20), the messages differ significantly from one month after another. 

Corporate communication mainly related to Covid-19 (solidarity initiatives, useful information, emergency measures) during March, shifts more in April to classic messages related to going back to business such as reopening of stores, extension of post-COVID partnerships, appointments, equity investments or investments ... We are also seeing the return of financial communication with announcements of results. 

Finally, we note a larger share of audiences in France, which generated 78.2% of traffic in April 2020, up almost 20 points compared to April 2019 (60% of traffic) and compared to March 2020 (68%).
 
Note that the panel of 300 brands and companies, studied by Epresspack, comes from the industries of banking (15%), luxury (25%), hotel / tourism / transport (20%), Energy / Construction (15%), Distribution (10%), Media (4%) and Public institutions (10%).

“The crisis clearly favored“ Earned media ”communication strategies, notes Antoun SFEIR, CEO Epresspack. It also confirms the increasingly important role of proprietary content hubs in relations between brands/companies and the media and influencers. "
 
For the record, Epresspack, a tech player in the communication sector, manages a cumulative audience of 3.5 M LCU (2019) and hosts the digital newsrooms of 300 brands and international companies (40% of which belong to Cac 40), including Accor, Abbvie, ADP, Arte, Audi, Bouygues, Business France, BPI France, Bulgari, Dove, Kering, Hermès, ING, Leboncoin, Manpower Group, Norauto, Mido, Polytechnique, Taittinger, Tommy Hilfinger, Vinci and Vivatech…, founded by Antoun SFEIR, brings together 50 employees in Paris, London, Milan and Madrid and posted sales of 3.5 ME in 2019.
 


Cumulative March / April 2020 compared to March / April 2019
 
  M/A 2019 M/A 2020 % progress 

VISITORS
529 614 916 368 + 73%

SESSIONS 
617 222 1 012 843 + 64%
PAGEVIEWS 1 061 751 1 456 711 + 37%
NUMBER OF BLOGS 8 200 10 200 + 24%
 
 
March 2020 (compared to March 2019) / The number of announcements and audiences increased sharply
 
  MARCH-19 MARCH-20 % PROGRESS 
VISITORS 290 915 442 295 + 52%

SESSIONS 
338 398 494 395 + 46%
PAGEVIEWS 584 275 740 988 + 27%
NUMBER OF BLOGS 4 650 4 700 + 1%
 

April 2020 (compared to April 2019) / A growing upward trend 
 
  APRIL-19 APRIL-20 % PROGRESS 

VISITORS
238 699 474 073 + 99%

SESSIONS 
278 824 518 448 + 86%
PAGEVIEWS 477 476 715 723 + 50%
NUMBER OF BLOGS 3 550 5 500 + 55%
 


Press Contatct
Yaël Dorfner

ydorfner@epresspack.com
+33 (0)6 09 66 27 55