And Along Came May. (PR Themes for the Month)
With society opening up again and the government’s route map for getting Britain back on track firmly underway, let’s take a look at five things coming up in May which might offer your business valuable PR opportunities:
1. Mental Health Awareness Week #ConnectWithNature
Running from 10th – 16th May, the theme for this year’s campaign is Connect with Nature. With millions of us having experienced a mental health problem during the pandemic and NHS services severely stretched, mental health is no longer a subject to be swept under the carpet. Why not use this week as an opportunity to open up conversations with your staff team, invite a mental health organisation to deliver training or host a lived-experience campaigner to share their experiences? And with vast swathes of the country having been working from home for the past year, consider embracing this year’s theme by creating chances for your employees to engage with the great outdoors and enjoy proven benefits such stress reduction and improved mood. The awareness week’s organisers, the Mental Health Foundation, are running a fundraising campaign for the month of May – Take Action, Get Active https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/events/take-action-get-active – which could provide the perfect opportunity both to strengthen team relations and create valuable publicity for your business.
2. 17th May restrictions easing
Whatever the nature of your business, the prospect of the proposed easing of restrictions on 17th May should be an exciting and inspiring one. Now is the time to take stock and prepare to innovate, update and use this opportunity to refresh your brand. Reflect on how people’s needs have changed during the pandemic, what you can offer to reassure your audience, and how to give your clients and workforce confidence in your organisation as you “build back better”. If you’ve found yourself adapting in creative ways over the past year, or adding new dimensions to what you offer, why not celebrate these successes and win positive attention for your flexibility and resilience?
3. National Share-A-Story Month
Each May, the nation is encouraged to channel their inner storyteller and share their tales with others. Let’s face it, 18 months ago if someone had written the story of the past year, we’d have thought it the stuff of dystopian fiction, but why not use this opportunity to highlight some of the true stories that this global crisis has produced for your business, your community and the people at the heart of what you do? With the media flooded with statistics, numbers, economic horror stories and political fallouts around the pandemic, are there any positive human narratives which might provide welcome relief or cause for celebration? And remember, don’t shy away from diversifying your content; podcasts, webcasts, live streaming, videos or writing…push your limits and utilise your experiences from the past 12 months.
4. Local and Community History Month https://www.history.org.uk/historian/resource/1567/local-and-community-history-month
Covid-19, and the world’s response to it, will undoubtedly feature heavily in history books for generations to come. But while we’re busy making history as we speak, the Historical Association’s annual campaign to “inspire, enable and encourage” people to focus on history closer to home may offer you the chance to engage anew with your local community and raise fresh awareness of your brand as people begin to look outwards again after more than a year of limited opportunity to venture further afield. With many people feeling a stronger connection to their locality than ever before after a year of being forced to “stay put”, why not cement your place in the local history books by organising a community event, establishing connections with nearby charities, providing a platform for your community’s voice or supporting your region’s young people?
5. UK Local Elections
The elections taking place in May will have a bit more oomph than previous editions as polls scheduled for May 2020 were pushed back 12 months. With 184 local councils being contested in England, polls for the London assembly and mayorship, and elections for the Welsh and Scottish Parliaments, as people head to the ballot box for the first elections of national significance post Brexit, the country will be holding its breath to see what Britain will look like going forward. Whatever the results, make sure your organisation is ready with all the communication strategies and tools needed to thrive in the new political landscape. What will any changes mean for you and your clients? Who should you be connecting with to be part of the conversation? And what do you want your narrative to be?
Want some more inspiration? Send an email and let us help you.