In everyday life, we rely on precedent as a sound basis for our decisions and to plan our actions. We use past behaviour to predict and plan for future outcomes. The problem today is that we find ourselves in a crisis like none we’ve experienced before. And, as far as we know, this remains an open-ended crisis.
At SenateSHJ, we turned to data, generated by online interactions, as a valuable source of intelligence on which to base communication and operational decisions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We used a mix of technology and desktop research to find data that allowed us to infer the Australian state of mind, giving our clients the signposts they needed to make informed decisions.
Our data gave us insight into what Australians were most interested in or concerned about; the stories they were engaging with the most; where stories were being shared (websites, forums and social media platforms); when they were looking for information; and what they were finding.
We gathered and analysed data that gave us a sense of how the rest of the world was reacting – and extrapolating from this, trends that were likely to emerge in Australia.
The pandemic is not over, and the way that we respond may define brands, governments and individuals for a while to come. We’re doing what we can to engender informed responses.