Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 20.12.2024 
At Say Communications, we are known for award-winning programmes that drive positive change. But this year we are delighted to be recognised for our ability to thrive in the face of a challenge, with a win in the Best Crisis Communication or Response Campaign category at the prestigious European Agency Awards.
When we began preparing the 2023 annual awareness campaign to support Occupational Therapy (OT) Week, for our client the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) we weren’t expecting our chosen theme of ‘Occupation Matters’ to be controversial. But following the 7 October 2023 attack in Gaza, the communication landscape changed, and ‘occupation’ became a sensitive term geopolitically. With less than a month to go before OT Week, we needed to draw upon our creativity, adaptability, and teamwork – skills that subsequently earned us our Best Crisis Communications or Response Campaign Award for repositioning OT Week 2023 during geopolitical upheaval and turning an obstacle into an opportunity.
About Say Communications
Say Communications is a leading healthcare and B2B technology PR and marketing agency. We combine deep industry knowledge, insightful strategies, and long-standing relationships to help our clients cut through the noise and achieve their strategic goals. Our specialised healthcare PR and communications arm crafts integrated campaigns for pharma, life sciences, health, and medtech organisations, as well as professional bodies, health charities and consumer health brands. Our mission is to focus on what matters most to our clients, their brands, and their audiences.
Embracing a Challenge to Deliver Success
OT Week, which takes place in the first week of November, is RCOT’s biggest annual communications event, and 2023’s proposed theme: “Occupation Matters” was designed to raise awareness about ‘occupation’ within the concept of occupational therapy. However, as global events unfolded, the campaign’s theme took on unexpected connotations. When Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on 7 October, concerns were raised about whether the campaign’s title was appropriate, forcing us to re-evaluate how we could continue running a meaningful and effective campaign whilst being sensitive toward what was happening in the world around us.
The European Agency Award recognises ability to swiftly and successfully rise to an unexpected challenge. To win it for the OT Week 2023 campaign crisis, meant that we were able to honour the importance of occupational therapy, stay true to the campaign’s original objectives, and be mindful of a global crisis – all whilst working with a tight deadline. It stands out as a testament to our flexibility and agility as well as our clear, strategic planning and creative thinking, that our team were able to execute an innovation solution to that challenge.
Turning a Challenge into an Opportunity
Instead of risking diluting our core message, we decided to pivot. We acted quickly, consulting with RCOT’s Council and members, as well as reaching out to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. Within just four days, we successfully restructured the campaign, shifting the narrative focus from ‘occupation’ to ‘occupations,’ and changing the campaign’s hashtag from #OccupationMatters to #OTWeek23. These subtle but effective shifts allowed us to retain our message whilst considering geopolitical sensitivities.
What could have been a setback became an opportunity for us to show what we do best: crafting communications that are thoughtful, strategic, and impactful, even under pressure. The new narrative ensured that the campaign’s message about the fundamental role of occupation in occupational therapy came through clearly and sensitively. We received no negative feedback and saw enthusiastic engagement from RCOT members, reaffirming our decision.
Recognition that Matters: Our Shortlist Success
This adaptability and forward-thinking approach are exactly why winning this European Agency Award in 2024 means so much to us. It’s not just about the campaign itself, but about the journey we took to ensure it succeeded. The recognition symbolises more than just a single campaign; it encapsulates the essence of Say Communications: resilience, creativity, and a passion for excellence.
Joint Managing Director at SAY Stefi Rucci shared:
“We are delighted to have been recognised for delivering a successful campaign while responding quickly to a potentially difficult situation. It’s good to be known for our agility as well as our campaign creation skills! We feel incredibly proud of how we pulled together and worked seamlessly with our client to ensure such an important awareness week could still go ahead on time.”
Follow our latest updates and insights on https://www.linkedin.com/company/say-communications and https://twitter.com/SayComms and learn more about our work at https://www.saycomms.co.uk/
