Examples of marketing through coronavirus crisis

Many brands are no strangers to crisis management, but the global scale and continued uncertainty around COVID-19 is a first for us all. Whatever crisis response guidebooks that may have existed weeks ago now seem to be from another era, and even the most nimble advertisers — accustomed to evolving their strategies and adapting ad creatives in real-time — are asking, “How do we meet this unprecedented moment?”

While the answer to that question will be different for every brand, many have responded with meaningful approaches to give audiences a reason to believe that we’ll get through this crisis and move forward together. Here are three impactful ways advertisers are showing up during the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks.

1. By addressing customer concerns

Cottonelle

Given the rate at which stores are selling out, one of the world’s largest toilet paper producers, Cottonelle, delivered a direct message to ease consumers’ concerns and discourage panic buying. Instead, the brand urged people to, “Stock up on generosity,” and simultaneously launched a campaign called #ShareASquare, in partnership with the U.S.-based charity, United Way.