Many marketers have media buying rules that prevent placement of their advertising in negative contexts to avoid bad associations or sounding tone-deaf.

Without sustained marketing, over time the “silence of the brands” may hurt future sales as your brand becomes out-of-sight and out-of-mind.  The challenge is evolving your message to be relevant to the current environment while remaining true to the essence of the brand.  For example, during the pandemic, Burger King’s new “Stay home of the Whopper” ad updated their message to be about staying home, adding donations to nurses and updating their ongoing “Home of the Whopper” tagline.  It was a short-term response to an important issue that keeps the brand relevant and in consumers’ minds, and helps consumers believe eating Burger King is still good.  Similarly on the B2B side, NameTag International ran an email marketing campaign providing tips for managing a brand during the pandemic, while reminding clients of their ongoing availability to assist.

What can your brand do to support your customers in today’s reality and remain top of mind?

The Burger King ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsQ7Wto0FJg