I'm sure we all remember April of this past year when COVID-19 sent everything into complete lockdown. Only banks and grocery stores were open for business. Some towns even had enforced curfews at night. Life was so drastically different than it had been just a few weeks earlier, and as we collectively stared at our televisions and cell phones (because there was literally nothing better to do), we also observed a drastic shift in commercial content:
All of a sudden, every single ad that appeared on our televisions & phones was talking about coronavirus, and they were talking about it in the exact same way. It's almost comical how similar the commercials were, as if every company's marketing team logged into the same Zoom meeting to brainstorm the same blueprint. The ads consisted of families together at home, hardworking essential personnel on the front lines, and reassuring buzzwords such as "together", "safe", and "trust".
These ads were painfully redundant, but they worked. They worked because they catered to that unique emotion the entire world was experiencing together in those lonely months of lockdown. In a society that is so often divided by our differences, it is rare that we all go through something so similar. It was that weird feeling associated with the world as we knew it being put on pause. As cheesy as it is, these commercials worked because the calming voiceovers reminded us that we were "in this together" and we weren't alone.
In the midst of a tanking economy and staggeringly high rates of unemployment, companies have needed to work even harder to sell their products. They are capitalizing on feelings and emotions more than ever before, because these past several months have been so emotionally taxing. Sure, their advertisements appear to be sympathetic and understanding, but at the end of the day, they are just trying to sell you something.
Some companies have had more success than others. These "unprecedented times" have driven demand for certain products through the roof, while other goods and services are completely undesired at the moment. For example, anyone in the bike industry should be celebrating because in the month of June, bicycle sales were 63% higher than that same time the year before. Cycling is a great way to get exercise when local gyms are closed due to the pandemic, and if public transportation seems too risky, biking to work is a perfect way to social distance. The demands of our new COVID-ridden world have created a new niches for brands to capitalize on, but many smaller businesses have suffered because of pandemic restrictions and constraints. Now more than ever, the large-scale conglomerate companies that cater to our every need are the ones benefitting the most economically, as they are the best-equipped to provide what we need.
Hi Anna, good blog post, from reading your post, I know how make brand and marketing spread when the Covid-19 time. And I also know the bicycles sales were higher than before, I guess everyone wants to go out to play or want to hang out but doesn’t want to take public transportation. So the bicycle sales increasing, the same time I guess cars sales also will increase. After that I can know if we want to spread our brand, we need to comprehend public request.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the first half of your blog specifically when you were mentioning the language used by everyone during each commercial that was being broadcasted during the beginning of the pandemic. We have extreme power as influencers to change others minds and viewpoints!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, I love the topic you choose to write for your blog. It is very interesting how brands are using marketing tactics. I agree, when you say brands have been using the same language and tone during this time. The brands surely don't have much to say other than 'we are together'.
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