The COVID-19 pandemic is altering the business landscape in dramatic ways. The retail sector is CLOSED, except for grocery stores, and restaurants that offer takeout or delivery. Airlines and hotels are operating on the thinnest of ice with next to no revenue. Millions of people are now working from home, and so on.
Brand advertising too has changed. Let’s have a look…
Facebook: Where Human Connections Happen
Facebook’s leadership team has made mistakes and critical errors in judgment. They’re human beings, after all.
I believe Mark and Co. are also making amends and judging by the company’s robust and multi-pronged responses to the pandemic, I’d say COVID-19 has ushered in a new era of service and community-mindedness at the company.
When you follow the link at the end of the commercial, you land on a page where you can ask for help, or offer help.
LA Times: Only the Best Information
Reporters are essential workers. Today and every day.
Reporters dig. They deal in fact. And right now, we need the facts.
In related news (not detailed above), Facebook is providing $100M to help media companies—$25 million in emergency grant funding for local news through the Facebook Journalism Project, and $75 million in additional marketing spend to move money over to news organizations around the world.
Chevrolet: Not Today
Here’s a twist. General Motors/Brazil is now asking people to not drive their Chevy.
Not today.
LATAM: When Flight Is Right
LATAM also asks customers to stay home.
The interesting twist here is LATAM also explains why they need to keep flying during the pandemic. “Thre are people who need us to keep going: cities needing doctors, patients waiting for an organ, families who are far away and hope to get back home soon.”
Meanwhile, American Carriers Are Losing It (But Keeping It Clean)
The Chevy ad and LATAM ads above are consciously asking for customers to not buy. It may be the right thing to say and do, but it’s not going to work for long.
United Airlines is losing $100M per day. Delta is losing $60M per day. “Unfortunately, even as Delta is burning more than $60 million in cash every day, we know we still haven’t seen the bottom,” Delta’s Chief Executive Ed Bastian said.
Like other airlines, Delta said it submitted paperwork to benefit from government aid, but the funds alone “are not nearly enough” as Delta expects revenue to be down 90% for the second quarter.
