The pandemic has impacted every business in some capacity, whether positively or negatively, but it has also been a huge time of reassessment for many too, with ‘tech for good’ firms taking centre stage. Some businesses have pivoted and changed entirely, and many new businesses have sprung up to solve problems that emerged as a result of the Coronavirus.
At the same time, consumers have also faced major shifts in their habits and values. We can expect to see many people changing careers or relationships as values are reset; some will become more philanthropic; and at a basic level, people’s everyday living habits have already shifted. In a world where office-based workers have shifted to remote environments, retail closures have forced shoppers online, and events and venues have stayed closed, everyone is looking new means of connecting and consuming. There are several tech and specifically tech for good businesses who have emerged to support this transition and the media appetite for content and commentary from these firms is showing no sign of letting up.
This shift presents both challenges and opportunities in the tech for good space – but what PR opportunities are out there that can help your tech for good business thrive?
Health and mental wellbeing PR
The pandemic has shone a light on the gaps in our healthcare system, especially for those who may be more vulnerable than others, and also with mental health and wellbeing. There is currently a huge media appetite for hearing about solutions in these areas, as consumers and readers seek out tools to help them manage in their circumstances. These solutions are wide-ranging, spanning everything from an app to help vulnerable people access day-to-day help during the pandemic, an easy-access mental health platform all the way through to a tool to better connect isolated older people with peers and more.
For instance, in an analysis of the issues care homes have faced during the pandemic, we secured a profile in the Metro for our client Tover, discussing how CEO and founder Hester Anderiesen le Riche has dedicated her working life to improving care home residents’ lives through the company’s Tovertafel product, an interactive light game to help people with a range of conditions move and interact with one another. Hester discussed the challenges that social distancing has brought to personal interaction in care homes and the lessons the sector is learning as a result.
Charity tech PR
The charity sector has faced huge challenges during the pandemic, with its usual means of face-to-face and event-driven fundraising cut off. The sector is facing big systemic changes, and there is a lot of opportunity for tech companies helping to sustain fundraising opportunities and keep charities going to grow their awareness now.
In 2020, we worked with MyTenNights, which had developed a new solution to help Muslims automate their donations over the last ten nights of Ramadan, so that they never miss giving on Laylatul Qadr again. Through our work, we helped grow its awareness with articles on sites such as Bloomberg, Metro, and The Telegraph. We also helped to tell its success story too, with the tech platform raising more than £10.9 million for charities during the final ten nights of Ramadan in 2020.
While lockdowns and more restrictive Coronavirus measures are expected to be relaxed throughout 2021, the shift to a more cashless society will likely remain, and larger events will still be some time off. As such, charity tech solutions will continue to grow and there will be ongoing press appetite to hear about these and the various ways tech for good is being applied within the third sector.
While these are just two areas we can expect strong media appetite for in the coming months, press will be keen to hear about tech for good solutions more broadly – whether it be to do with mitigating food waste, improving sustainability, increasing access to education, and more.
Is your tech for good brand looking to raise its profile in the media? Why not get in touch with our team of experts today to find out how we could help.
If you’d like to find out more about our work in the tech sector you can read more here.
