Author: Green Room

Big changes are happening across the social media universe. Just this month, an estimated 15 thousand users left X while Bluesky added over 20 million and Threads 35 million, respectively. This follows the recent U.S. presidential election and release of X’s new Terms of Service. The updated Terms of Service allow all user accounts and posts to be analyzed to help train the X artificial intelligence service, Grok. This change has sparked a wave of privacy concerns and caused more users to flee. Naturally, disillusioned X users have sought out alternative platforms.  

What are these platforms?  

Threads – launched in July 2023 – offers seamless integration with Instagram and the Meta ecosystem, focusing on simplified content sharing and engagement. Users can create posts up to 500 characters and include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long. Users can also create polls with up to four answer choices and control who can respond. Notably, Threads has been criticized for its prohibition of political content, which is why many people relied on X for breaking political news.  

Bluesky – launched in October 2021 – is an open network that appeals to users seeking decentralized platforms for greater safety, control and privacy through their personalized content, allowing them to filter and create lists of accounts they would like to view on their feed. Instead of operating on a master algorithm like X’s model, Bluesky allows for a more curated experience. While Bluesky hasn’t taken a stance on political information, it has hired moderators to increase community protection.  

Given the options between two X counterparts, we anticipate seeing new features to come out soon from Bluesky and Threads as each platform competes for new users. Threads is already stepping up their game to compete with Bluesky by announcing they will be Beta testing the option for users to customize their default feed, a feature already prominent on Bluesky’s platform.  

For the first time in history, we are witnessing a significant social media shift along political lines in the U.S., creating a wave of change and distinction between political parties based on their affiliation with specific social channels. 

Our take? As we continue to observe a decline in users and engagement on X, the question needs to be asked – is X still where your audiences are? If yes, then it remains a viable investment in time and resources. If not, it may behoove you to look elsewhere.  

What we can promise is that the next few months will be rife with extreme changes in the social media landscape. It’s time to explore the social platforms your company isn’t already utilizing and prepare a strategy to ensure your message reaches your audiences where they are actively engaging.   

Our team at Green Room knows each organization has its own tailored needs, and with that in mind, we are ready to help discuss each platform option, examine competitors and prepare a tailored strategic recommendation with actionable next steps. 

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, staying up to date with the latest developments is essential. Interested in a custom strategy for your company social channels? Get in touch with Green Room.

It’s an enviable problem for a global biopharmaceutical company: a groundbreaking compound with more than a dozen approved indications across a wide range of diseases. But this tremendous accomplishment comes with a critical communications challenge. How do you pull together a cohesive and impactful story when your treatment touches many different medical specialties and patient populations– from high-incidence adult and pediatric conditions to those living with rare diseases – each with its own considerations?  

While the drug’s versatility is remarkable from a scientific standpoint, this complexity of impact makes it difficult to communicate clear and consistent messages to healthcare providers, patients, caregivers and payers across different and uniquely challenging therapeutic areas. 

Green Room aligned with the brand team’s strategic business priorities and focused on developing distinct yet connected messaging threads to share a compelling and coherent narrative without losing the customized elements that were critical to key audiences across multiple therapeutic areas. Our efforts helped unify the brand while highlighting its mechanism of action and the overarching value. We deployed content across multiple channels and were able to significantly increase relevant trade media coverage reaching target healthcare providers. We strategically engaged with advocacy partners to reach patients and caregivers as well as liaising with key professional societies around treatment guidelines to bolster the brand’s credibility among diverse target audiences. These collective efforts have resulted in a continuous steady increase over benchmarks in awareness, engagement and bolstered corporate reputation. 

Yet more was needed – patients and caregivers wanted and deserved answers to important questions about their specific needs and concerns. To address this, we developed a robust issues management and response protocol to address questions, including those about disparate pricing across indications. We helped craft answers to the complicated questions and created a process for a feedback loop that ultimately helped evolve the conversation and provide clarity around the company’s position. This approach allowed us to address the unique needs and concerns of each patient population while acknowledging the different perspectives across their conditions with a nod to the greater impact of the brand and its growing impact on various diseases.   

The lesson? Having a compelling story isn’t enough when navigating complex healthcare communications. You need clear, actionable takeaways for each audience. Moving beyond general messaging about a treatment’s versatility to developing focused narratives that demonstrate specific impact for each indication enables stakeholders to understand and contextualize its therapeutic value, leading to more meaningful conversations about access and outcomes. 

Our expertise in navigating complex healthcare communications has helped transform scientific successes into meaningful stories that drive action. Interested in more on how we are storytellers and advocates? Get in touch with Green Room. 

As voting day swiftly approaches, excitement for the future of our nation runs high – but so does tension. These emotions can permeate every aspect of our lives, including at the office. Research from BetterUp, an employee wellbeing platform, shows that negative feelings at work increase as election season rolls around, with the rate of people avoiding their co-workers because of political tension rising from 20% in June to over 60% in August.
 By thoughtfully framing election-related communications through the lens of company values, leaders can transform this challenging period into an opportunity to strengthen organizational culture and support their employees’ wellbeing. Let’s explore three essential areas of focus for internal communications during election season. 
 

Encouraging civic engagement 

The cornerstone of any election-season communication strategy should be encouraging civic engagement while respecting an array of viewpoints. Companies can demonstrate their commitment to democratic values by implementing flexible scheduling policies that enable employees to vote in person and providing clear information about voting procedures. 
 

However, it’s crucial to frame communications around company shared goals – particularly, diversity and inclusion. Consider implementing initiatives such as:  

• “Time to Vote” programs that clearly communicate flexible scheduling options  

• Nonpartisan voter registration information sessions  

• Regular reminders about civil discourse and respectful workplace interactions  

• Company-wide messaging that reinforces shared values of mutual respect and inclusion of diverse viewpoints
   

Understanding healthcare policy implications   

With a new presidential administration often comes the implementation of policies impacting healthcare.  Leaders should focus on providing objective information about potential policy changes and their effects on the organization, employees, and stakeholders. 
 

For example, for some of our clients we produce “Behind the News” content on their internal channels that can be an effective tool in helping employees understand complex policy implications without taking political stances. This type of communication should:   

• Present factual information about proposed healthcare policies  

• Explain potential impacts on company operations and stakeholder relationships  

• Maintain transparency about organizational preparations for various outcomes 
   

Prioritize employee’s wellness
Whether it comes from political disagreements or anxiety over outcomes, presidential elections bring on a season of heightened stress.  Employers are responsible for letting workers know that their wellbeing is a top priority. Messaging should remind employees of the mental health and wellbeing resources available to them and encourage them to take time to check in with themselves, each other and their loved ones.  Regular reminders about available resources, including Employee Assistance Programs and conflict resolution services, can help maintain a supportive work environment.
 

Effective internal and employer communications during election seasons require careful planning, sensitivity to different perspectives, and a steadfast commitment to shared organizational values.
 

Ready to strengthen your organization’s internal communications strategy? Contact Green Room for expert guidance on employee engagement best practices for election season’s challenges.  

It may be counterintuitive, but at Green Room, we don’t believe every client requires a full-service PR agency to fulfill their communication needs. Why do we say this? Let us explain.

Have you ever been in a situation where you need support and immediately turn to an agency? 

Need help? Call your agency partner. After all, they have the deep communications expertise you need. That instinct is spot on. But before you pick up the phone, take a moment and ask yourself do I really need an agency?

Upon second thought, perhaps you need a deep subject matter expert to join your team for a short time or to consult with periodically. Or, maybe you may need an extra set of hands, a strong writer, on your team to drive a product launch or to project manage your next town hall, or you want to secure coverage for a team member going out on medical leave. Or maybe you have a project that requires support, but the headcount is not yet approved. We see situations like these all the time.

At Green Room, we believe clients require a customized solution for these communications challenges. We provide flexible staffing solutions with high-touch service and deep communications expertise you expect from an agency.

This is why we created Green Room Staffing Solutions.

Green Room Staffing Solutions sources and staffs industry experts who align with client needs. With a network of more than 300 consultants, Green Room provides communication support across product comms, internal comms, marketing comms, digital marketing, change management, issues management, social media, media relations, advocacy, design and creative and everything in between. Our consultants are deeply experienced communications and marketing experts who can jump in and immediately make a difference on your team.

We fill long and short term roles, as well as on-site or remote roles. Since we are also a full-service agency, we can grow and evolve with you, if needed. Our consultants also have the ability to pull in subject matter experts or design support, as needed as well, which is unique when hiring a consultant.

If you have a current communications need and would like a thought partner to talk it through, reach out, and let’s chat!