Welcome to this week’s edition of The Labs Report. 

Over the last few weeks, we’ve examined how the gig economy is faring during the COVID-19 pandemic, how the economy at large is being impacted, what names are most popularly used to describe the virus, the conversational themes most discussed in relation to COVID-19, and how trending news stories related to COVID-19 looked across different industries.

In this edition of The Labs Report, we’re continuing that analysis with a fresh batch of industry-focused data.

 

In Focus: A New Batch of Industries

In last week’s Labs Report, we identified the top industries mentioned in relation to COVID-19 (by volume of mentions) over the last month – Healthcare, Hospitality, Aerospace, Manufacturing and Pharmaceutical – and then examined how COVID-19-related news stories varied across those industries.

SOV visualization for industries mentioned in relation to COVID-19.

This week, we are continuing that analysis by looking at trending news stories from the next five industries by volume of mentions – the Automotive, Financial Services, Food, Insurance and Energy industries.

Automotive

  1. Ford to Produce 50,000 Ventilators in Michigan in Next 100 Days | Ford Media Center
  2. 734 Henry Ford workers test positive for COVID-19; Beaumont has 1,500 ill employees | Gizmodo | The Detroit News
  3. Slow Response to the Coronavirus Measured in Lost Opportunity | The New York Times

All of the top COVID-19-related stories in the Automotive industry centered around one theme common to many industries these days – how businesses are pivoting their strategy, production and workflows to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ford and its pledge to produce ventilators to help fight the crisis dominated the conversation, while the politics and implications of lost time also made an impact. 

Financial Services

  1. Get Ready, A Bigger Disruption Is Coming | Bloomberg
  2. Business Leaders Urge Trump to Dramatically Increase Coronavirus Testing | The Wall Street Journal
  3. Seeking coronavirus relief, investment firm with ties to Kushner emails Kushner, Trump admin | NBC News

Common themes in COVID-19-related stories trending in the Financial Services industry centered around the fall-out and long-rolling economic and political implications of the pandemic – as well as the steps that are needed to re-open the world’s economy and establish new or revamped norms.

Food

  1. Implement Universal Basic Income to give home & food security through Covid-19 | UK Government and Parliament
  2. Food Safety and Coronavirus: A Comprehensive Guide | Serious Eats
  3. Is factory farming to blame for coronavirus? | The Guardian

When it comes to trending COVID-19-related stories in the Food industry, major themes included the call for Universal Basic Income (UBI), navigating the procurement of food – whether its take-out, delivery or grocery, and how farming practices may be increasing the instance of animal-to-human disease transmission.

Insurance

  1. Teen Who Died of Covid-19 Was Denied Treatment Because He Didn’t Have Health Insurance | Gizmodo
  2. Guess Who Previously Owned Health Insurance Co. Operating Coronavirus Testing Website | MSN News
  3. GOP Plows Forward on Plans to Kill Obamacare, Pandemic Be Damned | Daily Beast 

As with the stories we examined within the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical industries last week, politics – and how they played out on a personal and nationwide level – was a key undercurrent in all of the top trending, COVID-19-related stories within the Insurance industry. 

Energy

  1. Big Oil is using the coronavirus pandemic to push through the Keystone XL pipeline | The Guardian
  2. The EPA’s “Enforcement Moratorium” During The Coronavirus Outbreak Is Coming Under Fire | Buzzfeed News
  3. Coronavirus bill strips funding for Petroleum Reserve purchases | Fox News

Finally, when it comes to COVID-19-related news in the Energy industry, a common theme emerged around the environmental implications of various policies and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

While You Wait

For more information and resources related to COVID-19, please visit Zignal’s dedicated COVID-19 Response Page, where you’ll find best practices, data-driven analyses and shareable content you can leverage in your response to COVID-19.

You can also register for our next virtual town hall, taking place on April 22nd. The town hall will discuss why both the public and private sectors must tackle the ramifications – and opportunities – created by the new global disinformation and influence competition triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, to learn how public health best practices can help you create an impactful communications strategy fit for these unprecedented times, watch the replay of our recent virtual town hall, “Fighting an Infodemic: Lessons from Public Health Experts.”