Comms agency launches ‘pay what you can’ model for sectors hit by COVID-19

Good Talent Media is offering crisis media services to Melbourne businesses via a ‘pay what you can’ model. The communications agency cited St Basil’s, Ruby Princess, Newmarch House and Cedar Meats as examples of brands which are all now “household names for the worst reasons”, thus confirming the need for reputation management and effective communications in the wake of COVID-19 devastation.

St Basil’s is an aged-care facility in Victoria which is linked to at least 20 COVID-19 deaths and 163 infections, while Newmarch House in Sydney has lost 17 residents. The Ruby Princess cruise ship docked in Sydney on 19 March with positive COVID-19 cases on board, and is now being investigated by a Special Commission for the policies, protocols, communications errors and follow-up efforts which led to the debacle. And Cedar Meats is an abattoir in Victoria linked to a cluster of over 100 COVID-19 cases.

“They’re now household names for the worst reasons and with many industries like aged care and hospitality under intense media scrutiny, crisis communications and reputation management has never been more important,” the new service said.