How Brands Should Do ‘GOOD’ By The People During COVID-19 Pandemic

Since COVID-19 has taken over the world, each one of us are undoubtedly fighting this battle in our own way, especially our frontline warriors who are ensuring that we are safe & sound at the comfort of our homes, including the medicine shop owners and grocers who are helping us with all the basic essentials we need to survive. As they are doing their part during this pandemic, it perhaps poses a question, are we as organizations/agencies/brands doing everything in our capacity to uplift the situation?

For instance, within a span of two months, we have witnessed tons of campaigns on safety & precautions. For example, Hand Wash challenges from companies that manufacture them stresses on the importance of hygiene, which is by default mandatory to survive this epidemic. However, if we were to look the other way around, it's time that brand campaigns place their focus on being empathetic to the current predicament & emphasize more on doing ‘GOOD’ for the society during this crisis.

What we need to realise is COVID 19 isn’t just related to spreading knowledge on hygiene but also other aspects of life that may have been previously ignored. For example; I recently saw a campaign - The Hidden Truth - that highlights the pressing issue on domestic abuse women are facing during this lockdown. Through campaigns like these, brands are tackling serious issues, which some of us may not have even been aware of. Campaigns as such executed to perfection shows how brand communications have adapted in times of crisis.

We are living in a generation wherein reaching a mass audience isn’t big of a challenge due to multiple online platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. Such platforms expand the scope for brands to reach not only to tier 1 but tier 2 & tier 3 regions as well. However, how innovatively a brand can use such platforms, is an aspect of critical importance. For example, an appliance brand showcased their employees in their respective homes - sharing the daily chores which depicts ‘life during lockdown’ which everyone can relate to. The video was their first “almost” zero budget advertisement which goes to how brands are implementing new innovative measures to produce content for online platforms and reach across to their target audience.

You can also see the empathy & transparency which brands are communicating with their end consumers (who are also vulnerable at this time). Setting an empathetic tone to your campaigns/communications can provide the comfort one needs, that “yes, we are in this together,” message which is pivotal especially during the pandemic. The more the brand is transparent in its approach, the more it makes the people believe in your cause. To do so, the content of the campaigns should be less commercial and more focused on spreading the right message without sounding commercially exploitative.

For any company, their customers & clients are certainly important stakeholders. However it is imperative that no company forgets their own employees, who contribute towards running the operations. These are unforeseen circumstances & we may not even imagine what they are going through during this transition with many of them balancing their work & household chores. The least any organization can do is be more sensitive towards them. The companies should try to conduct lively sessions online, engage with them more often, conduct casual interaction meetings, have motivational conversations when needed. Such actions go a long way towards keeping employees positive which is the need of the hour.

Currently, organizations are in uncharted territories, dealing with new circumstances & challenges which are directly or indirectly affecting their relationship with clients, consumers/customers and employees. It is imperative that organizations take these important lessons which can help them positively restructure their brand communication not only during COVID 19 but also pave a path for the ‘new normal’ which we may witness post the pandemic.

As organizations, we have the power to encourage & spread the right message. By putting this into practice, brands can stand hand-in-hand with their clients/customers to collectively combat the situation at hand. Hence, let us all work together during this critical hour & help the society at large because “we are in this together.”