Business As Usual
Business As Usual

As an industry body it is our responsibility to promote the fact that it is "business as usual" for our membership. Your responsibility is to ensure that your team continues to work productively, even if they are remote working. You will need to provide security to your teams and maintain your clients’ confidence in order to continue managing their marcoms remotely and take on all planned projects

One of the most important things for everyone to remember is that brands who advertise during a recession maintain a greater share of voice and market both in the dip and, more importantly, coming out of the dip, than those who cut advertising spend. The following are some good articles that will help you and your clients maintain their activity over the next few weeks.

Supporting the Industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
Supporting the Industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

IAPI are here to support you throughout this crisis. Here are some best practice guidelines for you and your staff:

Remote Working

The majority of our workforce appears to be working remotely so here are some useful guides and tips for both management and staff.

Ibec are completely on top of all the latest information and advice so the link to their Covid-19 page should also become a bookmark on your browser. Click here for their guidance.

If any members have additional helpful advice on remote working and would like us to share it, please can you send it to Katherine@iapi.com and it will be uploaded onto this page.

Meetings

It is advised that all meetings should be carried out via con call or video conferencing unless absolutely vital.

Events

IAPI have chosen to postpone their planned events for the remainder of this month and we will be keeping you posted about April onwards.

Small group meetings or events for less than 20 can still take place. However the issue is not just those in attendance at the meeting, but whether the attendees have to take public transport to reach the location, if so, then they are advised against it.

Staff Personal Time

What your teams do in their personal time is entirely up to them but it is advisable to send them to the HSE Website for guidance on how to protect themselves and others.

Please also direct your staff to our smash Employee Assistance Programme, Spectrum Health have assured us that this service will continue to operate via phone and video consultations and can offer support to employees in these anxious and stressful times. Both mental health and financial advice are available which may be the key services that your employees require in the upcoming weeks.

Sick Pay Benefits

Last Monday, the Government outlined the next phase of Ireland’s Covid-19 response. A welcome and necessary package of reforms for sick pay, illness benefit and supplementary benefit was announced that will provide support for the Irish business community.

The  package will  support  employees  who have been advised to self-isolate in accordance with the up-to-date HSE guidelines as a result of Covid-19, and those who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.  Click here for details of the package.

Financial Advice

The latest view is that the sooner we deal with the health situation, the sooner we will overcome any economic downturn. However, it would be naïve not to assume that there will be a negative impact should we end up in the same situation as Italy.

Heather Humphreys announced a business support package on Tuesday that’s worth looking at if you haven’t already seen it.

If any of our members need guidance on financial matters, please don’t hesitate to contact charley@iapi.com and IAPI will put you in touch with an appropriate financial advisor.

Meanwhile, the following course of action is recommended:

  • Keep in regular contact with clients to see what they’re thinking and what contingencies they are putting in place so that you can plan in step with them.
  • Make contact with your banks and decide on a course of action should you encounter cashflow problems in the foreseeable.
  • Likewise, talk to your suppliers to understand their own cashflow needs and make similar arrangements with them.

In other words, don’t let yourself get caught on the hop – plan for it in advance.

Insurance & Policy for Production Shoots

Thanks to those of you who provided the following very useful information/advice about this. Please click here to link to our proposed Contract Addendum specifically dealing with shoots that have to be cancelled due to Covid-19. It is a re-purposed version of the Agreement that the CPI are using.

In answer to specific questions about insurance, IAPI have been given the following information:

Most insurance cover does not extend to contracted productions being cancelled due to Covid-19, or indeed any communicable disease. However, please check your policy and whether it includes communicable diseases.

Agencies who are working under AdWrap via their clients, or themselves, should check their policy to find out if they are covered for Covid-19, or communicable diseases. Any AdWrap policy that was issued before Feb 2020, and has a communicable disease clause will extend to Covid-19.

Check your cover to see if you have adequate cover in place to compensate for no show. A lot of agency insurance contracts already have this in place for Actors and/or specific Production personnel.

Check your cover to see if you have shoot relocation insurance if you have to change due to Covid-19.

Another issue that might arise is when your shoot is cancelled as an indirect result of Covid-19. For instance, any shoots specifically relating to Paddy’s Day celebrations. It might be considered a Force Majeure but this will depend on your policy so you will need to check it.

If the decision to postpone or cancel a shoot is made by the client, in the absence of specific HSE or government advice/protocol, then it may be very difficult to make a claim. Likewise if the agency makes the call and not the client, then the agency might have to pay, depending on the contract arrangement.

Globally, this is the procedure that production are following. https://www.aicp.com/news-roundup/coronavirus-resources

Please also read the following statement from the Commercial Producers Ireland (CPI)

CPI Update on Production - 16 March 2020

Guidance from Ibec
Guidance from Ibec

Ibec have been in close contact with Government Ministers, Secretary Generals and advisers over the weekend working to ensure the best possible policy reaction to this crisis so they can ensure the sustainability of our society and economy. In these discussions Ibec is prioritising four key areas:

1. Implementation of Government social distancing measures

2. Delivery of emergency wage subsidy and welfare programmes

3. Doing everything possible to preserve vulnerable business

4. Planning an economic reboot of an unprecedented scale

These are challenging times for society and for business. Ibec are doing their utmost to represent your interests and to support the collective societal effort. This also means as individual businesses we must show strong leadership and follow government protocol in relation to social distancing.

The economic features of this crisis are and will be unique requiring innovation and agility from our policy makers which Ibec will guide, lobby and support in the days and weeks ahead.

Keep up to date with the latest from Ibec here.