It’s recently come to my attention that there is a global healthcare crisis that’s led to thousands of deaths and millions of lost jobs. Absolutely tragic. What’s worse, brands around the world have indefinitely hit the pause button on their advertising for fear of saying something “tone deaf,” which is even more tragic.
If you ask me, the mind behind Pepsi’s powerful and beautiful stance against police brutality featuring generational talent Kendall Jenner, it’s our responsibility – nay, our duty – to give consumers the branded entertainment they love in these trying times.
We as brands have the unique opportunity to be remembered here. Not for using our resources to save lives, but to make people feel something. Something #real. Masks, hand sanitizer, disaster relief – all that stuff is temporary. But online branded entertainment lasts forever.
Sure, there will always be people who talk about how spending millions of dollars on advertising during a pandemic is insensitive and wrong. But did you get to where you are by listening to other people? Didn’t think so… so let’s dive in. I’m here to help you communicate your brand’s message to the world as brazenly and unapologetically as possible.
Just follow these simple guidelines.
1. Make timely tweaks to your logo
Showing people the human side of your gigantic corporation is as easy as updating your logo. Trust me, the millions of people around the world who have been brutally affected by COVID-19 are going to feel much better knowing that you applied social distancing to the letters of your logo.
So space those letters out! This gesture of solidarity requires no action and no donation. You can quickly and easily have it taken care of from wherever you’re quarantining, whether you’re in your house, your ski house… even your pool house. By doing this you’re letting consumers know that you’re a woke AF brand that understands and cares about what regular people are going through.
2. Remember, they’re not employees. They’re heroes.
Get ready to use the word “heroes” more than you ever thought you would. I can’t stress this enough. I want you to take a long look at your advertising copy and ask yourself, “Have I referred to my low-level employees who I’m exploiting as heroes at least seventy-three times?” If the answer is no, keep going.
Feel free to get creative with it. Call them heroes, superheroes, mega-heroes, awesome-heroes… whatever you want. The goal here is to put the spotlight on them and not on the fact that you pocketed this year’s bonus instead of donating it.
3. You have a role in this. No matter what anyone says.
Let’s say you’re a mid-level marketing manager for Doritos. You might be thinking, “I don’t have a place to comment on the coronavirus, we’re just a tortilla chip brand.” Erase that negativity from your mind. There are so many opportunities for every brand in this crisis.
Just off the top of the dome, you could host an online music festival with up-and-coming DJs and call it #CoolRanchCoronaFest. Or you could shoot a high-budget anthem spot that sees Kendall Jenner giving away bags of Flamin’ Hot Doritos to doctors who need them most.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t advertise right now. You’re the marketer here. You know what’s best.
4. Everything sounds better coming from an attractive celebrity spokesperson
Campaigns that feature A-list celebrities are more effective than regular ones. Simple as that. Take the Pepsi ad as an example. Our goal with the ad was to end police brutality and racism in America as we know it, and Kendall helped us achieve it. Do you see people talking about police brutality and racism in the news? No, they’re talking about coronavirus. Problem solved, if you ask me.
5. Have fun!
We’re dealing with some dark stuff here, people. Don’t be afraid to get playful with your ad’s messaging. Try to inject humor and feel-good moments into it wherever you can. For example, you could add a flash mob of smiling doctors into your commercial. Or you could do something a little different and have Kendall Jenner appear in your ad and develop a cure for coronavirus using your product. The sky’s the limit!
I hope we’ve learned something today, brandfam. Try not to look at our current global predicament as something negative. Try to look at it as an opportunity to make the kind of creative work that’s going to change the world for the better.
Have fun out there and stay woke!
