Of late, several brands have created campaigns in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of articles and webinars are also focusing on guidelines for marketing & communications during COVID-19. But past branding investments have a role to play.
The current COVID-19 global crisis is unprecedented and incomparable in terms of crisis communication. There perhaps has been no single global pandemic or crisis affecting virtually all countries, citizens and enterprises. All previous crises were limited to a company (e.g. Maggi, Cadbury’s) or a category at best. In company-specific issues, they addressed product concerns on time (recalling, for example) and most importantly did not stop communicating. They communicated to give reassurance (e.g Amitabh Bachchan and…
For the past few weeks or so brands have attempted to create communication with the crisis triggered by COVID-19 outbreak as the context. These fall into two buckets: one expressing concern and solidarity (‘We are in this together’) and other urging consumers to follow safety guidelines such as staying home and maintaining social distance. I find the former lot a bit stretched and irrelevant to the brand. In the latter case brands doing their bit…