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Marketing in the Age of COVID
Fellow Ricocheter @drbastiat published a post that prompted some topic-adjacent thinking about the directional and tonal shift I’ve seen in the marketing and advertising world this year.
As a marketing strategist who leads creative productions of all kinds, I greatly respect the process and the artists involved in writing, conceptualizing, filming, editing, etc. Commercials, magazines, billboards, articles, blog posts, company brochures, and even direct mail (yes, even that) have often sparked inspiration for one of my own projects.
The writer and filmmaker in me pays particular attention to commercials because, as mini stories, I like to see how the storytelling is (or in some cases, isn’t) accomplished in 30-60 seconds. Until this year, I intentionally watched commercials instead of fast-forwarding through them.
One of the things I tell clients ad nauseam is this: Consider your audience, and make sure your message is on point for that audience.
Most who take that advice to heart are businesses that have a real stake in and are part of the community/audience they’re trying to reach. Until recently, I would say that 80% of our clients were very intentional with their messaging and branding, making sure it resonated with the intended audience. However, I have seen a shift in the last few years where even the community-focused businesses we work with are more focused on exhibiting that “sense of social virtue” and checking off all the boxes.
Is the commercial/ad/brochure, etc. appropriately diverse? √
Did we remove any overt or even mere suggestion of a religious holiday? √
Have we built in the right level of social awareness and pressure? √
This year I’ve found myself fast forwarding or muting the commercials. They’re just not as creative as they used to be and, quite frankly, they’re all just trying to out-do each other on their level of wokeness.
The big a-ha for me has been the Covid-themed commercials that have been produced this year. Advertisers are selling us acceptance of what our pandemic responses are doing to this country and the world. See for yourself:
May 20, 2020: The 8 Best Ads From the Coronavirus Lockdown, So Far
May 28, 2020: How Marketers Responded to the Coronavirus in the First Three Months
From Ads of the World: COVID-19 Ads
This compilation film by YouTuber Sean Haney puts all the COVID-19 cliches into one big supercut:
I long for the day when I can once again “enjoy” watching commercials without groaning and rolling my eyes.
Published in General
Oh so warm and fuzzy.
The supercut video gives me the willies, especially the piano music. Yikes. I know that every industry goes through fads, but this is creepy.
Right there with you @charlotte.
Advertising is just a name for the things we think we are doing together, except we’re all doing them alone.
Ads used to be funny, catchy, teary, and memorable. In fact, people still hum theme songs or use catch phrases from old ads today and you instantly remember the product. Today, you are right – they are all politically correct and even the funny ones are not funny. Many times my husband and I look at each other and say, “what does that have to do with such-and such, or that doesn’t make me want to buy that product.” I often thought it would have been a great gig to work in advertising.
I loathe corporate groupthink.
Saw one, and I’m not buying. There are two target audiences: maskers and non-maskers.