The restructuring of communication consultancies during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

In this internship report it is developed a study on the restructuring of communication consultancies during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the example of the Portuguese paradigm. The theoretical framework includes an overview of communication consultancies – what kind of services they provide, the types of professionals working there, the future of these organizations and a brief description of the Portuguese case – and an explanation on the Covid-19 pandemic as a crisis situation.In order to answer to the research question – How did the Covid-19 crisis affect the sector of communication? – the methodology carried out was a qualitative method. It involved an internship in a Portuguese communication consultancy – Media em Movimento – with interviews to the three main members, and questionnaires to APECOM’s associated consultancies.From this investigation, it is possible to conclude that the current pandemic context is affecting communication consultancies in a more societal level, rather than in a financial one. It is fundamental to understand the two dimensions of the Covid-19 crisis: the economical and the societal. Regarding the economical crisis, communication consultancies are overcoming their financial problems, or even did not feel any struggle, for the work of these organizations can be done remotely, without causing any monetary prejudice. However, most consultancies refer to the lost of human interactions caused by the mandatory home office, which is affecting their work indirectly. Although, because we are living in a pandemic context for 18 months, the majority of communication consultancies are implementing hybrid working systems that includes both remote and in person work.

Date of Award	25 Feb 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	João Simão (Supervisor)