A day in the lockdown life of Nahana Communications Group CEO Brett Morris

"So, the typical workday is actually very productive and probably more productive than an office! But there are two sides to that because non-stop video calls and WhatsApp groups can take it out of you, so we need to make sure that we take regular breaks and try to have a dedicated lunch break. It’s easy to get caught up in the adrenaline of it all!” – CEO at Nahana Communications Group CEO, Brett Morris’ account of work-life in the time of Covid-19.

What was your initial response to the crisis/lockdown and has your experience of it been different to what you expected?

It was obviously a very tough call but I believe that president Ramaphosa took decisive action where other countries have faltered. Businesses around the world had been in turmoil for many months already, and disruption at this early stage is was the only way to avoid the ordeal that some countries have been dealing with for 3 or 4 months. We are by no means out of the woods and we’ve got massive challenges ahead so we’re all going to need to be very creative in how we help the country recover from this pandemic.

Brett Morris, CEO of Nahana Communications Group

Comment on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the agency and creative industry or economy as a whole.

The impact has been catastrophic in some sectors like tourism and hospitality but, outside of a few outliers like FCMG and pharmaceutical, every sector has been very hard hit. So like many of our clients, the communications industry will also be significantly impacted. I do think that communication has a huge role to play and that businesses, like in any recession, should not indiscriminately cut marketing spend.

How is the agency responding to the crisis and current lockdown?

We are aiming to be more engaged and more responsive than ever before so that we can add as much value to our clients as possible in this difficult time. As agency partners, we are working hard to give our clients strategic guidance of what they can expect, how to engage sensitively during the lockdown, changes in sentiment, possible behaviour changes, etc. It’s also not going to be a simple case of ‘before and after’ lockdown. There will be a long recovery process after lockdown. So, we’re going to need to be more creative than ever before, helping our clients maximise their spend and marketing assets.

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The world has really turned to creativity during this time. Why do you think this is the case and what does this mean for the industry, agencies and their clients/brands?

Creativity has always been one of the business’ most valuable assets. In good times we tend to take creativity’s power for granted but this is truly an unprecedented time in the world’s history and so it calls for unprecedented creativity.

How has the lockdown affected your staff? What temporary HR policies have you put in place regarding remote working, health & safety, etc.?

The safety of our people and their families is always our utmost priority and sometime before lockdown, we put a number of protocols in place to make sure that we were working in as safe an environment as possible. We also gave all our staff the option of working from home before the lockdown was implemented so most of our staff were already set up at home beforehand so we could minimise the disruption as much as possible. But there’s no doubt that the stress of this situation takes its toll and we provide professional always-on counselling support for our staff, which they can make use of throughout lockdown.

How are you navigating ‘physical distancing’ while keeping your team close-knit and aligned and your clients happy?

We stay close to each other, and our clients, through technology. We’re aiming to use this time to get better at communicating with each other and to help our clients get even better at communicating with South Africa. We may not be seeing each other in person for a while but I think that we will be more connected than ever.

What are you busy working on? Any initiatives/campaigns relating to the coronavirus?

Yes, we’ve worked on a number of campaigns across a number of brands like the ‘stay at home’ message from Toyota. Toyota also did a big campaign leading into lockdown around basic education and prevention of Covid-19.

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Has this global crisis changed your view of the future of advertising/marketing in any way?

Yes, I think you will see brands become more creative and more empathetic than ever before.

Any trends you’ve seen emerge as a result of the crisis?

I think a lot of clients have become more empathetic and are realising more than ever how their role as corporate citizens is more entwined in their brand than ever before. People vote with their wallets and this is a time that consumers will ‘go to the polls’. The actions brands take during this time will be remembered for a long time to come.

What is your key message to fellow industry folk?

Our clients are at the heart of the South African economy and we as an industry have a responsibility to help guide them through this incredibly difficult time. So, while we may be physically isolated or not, this is not a time for any of us to disengage. This is a time to take control, to take responsibility and make the most out of this difficult situation. This is a time for all of us and all businesses to stand up and be counted. We need to help guide our clients around what they can or should be saying and doing. We are communications experts and communication has never been more important than right now.

And the good news is that there is no such thing as a creativity lockdown! I have no doubt that with a little bit of creativity and some tenacity, we will get through this and emerge on the other side as better human beings and more creative than ever before!

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