Anjana Jayalakshmi
How to advertise during a pandemic?
Since late 2019, COVID-19 has wrecked the world causing fear and havoc with respect to the uncertainty of the future. The pandemic has become truly global. What was then a ‘new normal’ is now the ‘normal’.
Businesses now are aware of the drastic measures that have to be taken to ensure marketers, business partners, and stakeholders appreciate the severity of the situation. The more we sing the same lyric with regards to social distancing, and other measures, the easier it will be to contain the spread.
While the world unites against a common enemy and seems to resonate from the learnings from a pandemic (advertisers: take note), advertisers are caught in a world of uniformity. An unfamiliar territory when the creation of a unique and distinct voice is not enough.
Businesses need to stand out and help the community in that process - so the “what to say” that goes beyond the healthcare message is as crucial as ever.

Here’s a thought to ponder upon: shouldn’t advertisers/ strategists/ marketers be thinking about “what to do”? The actions will dictate the speech and create a podium for the brand as well.
Given that the world is concerned, people are looking at organizations more closely than ever. It is understandable that people need their source of inspiration as they have time on their hands and fear in their hearts. <