Anyone who’s watched a recently recorded TV show or sports event will see social distancing restrictions in place. From screens showing people watching online and canned laughter to widely spaced out quiz contestants and presenters spread out around the CBeebies house, entertainment is having to adapt.
This now needs to be the case in your marketing, to show you’re adapting to the changing world of masks and 2 metre high fives. Here’s some great examples of brands staying current in a pandemic world with social distancing ads and marketing used.
COVID-19 marketing with Amazon
Amazon don’t always have the warm fuzzy feeling in their marketing, choosing to focus on speed and convenience. Outbreaks in factories and warehouses make headlines, so Amazon are quick to show their team being taken care of. Employees in masks, temperature checks and masks being transported around the world, to make sure they can keep going, shows the public they can order using Amazon safe in the knowledge that the people behind the delivery aren’t being put at risk.
Keep it real about social distancing marketing with Heineken
One of my personal favourites. Let’s face it, communicating digitally doesn’t always go to plan. Tech break downs, barking dogs, wifi connection issues, propping up your phone and embarrassing home life events in the background are all here, along with everyone’s favourite “you’re on mute, I can’t hear you” – they’re all here. Heineken gives a nod to everyone staying safe at the expense of convenience in a humourous way, and it really works as a way of putting social distancing in marketing.
Masks in marketing with Vistaprint
There is information to show that people feel more positive about adverts with masks in, perhaps because it better reflects real life right now. Vistaprint have made masks the key focal point of their advert, promoting masks as not something to hide behind, but a show of solidarity and resilience. Print isn’t even mentioned here, but personally I remembered their name the next time I put my mask on.
Stay home with Dominos Pizza (it’s not all bad)
Launched at the start of the pandemic, this Dominos advert showed that while staying home can feel isolating, it’s also a chance to, well, dance around in your pants before a pizza arrives. It’s not perfect as you see the pizza being handed over and no masks, but then this is perhaps before all of the processes kicked in. And it’s still a fun way to look at staying home.
Social distancing in marketing for SMEs
For those that aren’t big enough to be doing massive TV adverts, these ideas can still be transferred to your marketing. This is actually an opportunity to embrace video as more people are used to more raw video footage. COVID-19 marketing for SMEs can be as simple as a screenshot of the online team talk as part of a social media marketing campaign, an altered strapline or logo to incorporate social distance or the use of masks, or a reassuring chain of email marketing to show how a business is not just surviving the pandemic, but working to be resilient and thrive.
(image from Subway)
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