Why You Should Consider Socially Distancing Your Brand From COVID-19

In this guest post, SuperNova GM Emma Macey (pictured) has put together an insightful and honest piece on why brands should consider socially distancing themselves from Covid19…
A few days ago I had a panic attack. It wasn’t my first, but it was the first in quite some time. The build-up of all of the news, social media conversation and messages by brands I was being exposed to had me feeling completely and utterly overwhelmed.
I think the straw that broke the camel’s back was when I walked into a Coles with a colleague to get a few things for the office and saw the absolute chaos firsthand.
Of course it had been building up to this for a little over a week; the emptying of shelves, people pretending it was just a normal shop when everyone knew that it wasn’t, but on the exterior, keeping our pretend cool.
But this time, it was different.
Every shelf had pretty much been stripped bare, and people were clearly done keeping their cool. They were walking fast, ignoring usual social pleasantries as they focused on what they needed, even if it meant pushing other people out of the way to get it.
I walked out and the panic attack soon followed. What was happening? Everything I was reading, hearing and watching had me completely overcome. At that moment I decided (with a little push from my husband) that it was time to reduce the noise.
I may not be able to control how much of this I am able to handle but I can make a choice as to how much of this I will be consuming. We know it is happening and we know it is everywhere, but do we really need to be contributing to this when it isn’t our place?
Do we need to be pushed with un-subtle messages from various health brands on ‘immunity building’ supplements? Do we need to be reading content that clearly has an underlying agenda to SELL based on people’s anxiousness and feelings of uncertainty? Do we really need to hear from brands that aren’t relevant but are feeling the need to contribute to the conversation? Unless you have a relevant message that aids our community then perhaps, just don’t. Maybe all of this isn’t actually helping, maybe it’s hurting? What and how much do people actually want to hear?
As the agency partner for Brandwatch, we tapped into around 1.9 million+ pieces of online content across Australia since the beginning of March to understand what people are saying and how they are feeling.
We can see that the emotion around the COVID-19 conversation is switching from fear to anger. People are getting saturated with content and with so many differing statistics and views people are getting frustrated with the politics, confusion and wanting different action taken to overcome implications of this virus. Do brands want to be associated with content causing this sort of emotional reaction?
Social media is designed to keep people on the platform, that’s what their UX team is tasked mainly to do. We are now in a time where this is working for and against us, as social platforms are not only a way to connect with loved ones in a time where we are isolated, but it also means that with all of this extra time we are consuming anxiety-fueling content more than ever.
As brands that are present in media, we have a responsibility to support when it is our place to, but also to keep away if it is only going to add to the problem. There will be great opportunities for advertisers to take advantage of increased audiences across platforms we expect to do well while people are at home. So be there as you usually would if appropriate but stay away from conversations that you don’t have a need to be contributing to. If you can support and add value, even better. Brands that can do this genuinely will be well remembered after this is all over.
The Coles campaign featuring Curtis Stone is a great example of how to do it right. But not only do they have a brand that is relevant and able to do it, they actually need to in order to support their staff and our community. From a communications point of view, not only do you need to optimise placement to align with changing media consumption, you also need to make sure the message is relevant for each platform and adds value to the audience more than ever.
We need to think about how we can use social to add value to connections rather than fueling the COVID-19 forums and debates. If you have spots surrounding news content, how can we make sure messages in between aren’t only ones talking more about what audiences are already watching. How can we lead with normalcy, positivity and innovative ways to continue with products or services that may otherwise become obsolete.
There are far more opportunities to stand out applying this strategy than being just another voice or opinion in an already over saturated topic. People are looking for ways to disconnect and if you can provide them with this in a way that takes current issues and sensitivities into consideration then go for it.
It is extremely important your media and creative agencies are working closely together to be able to develop the right strategies’ to do this properly and get to market quickly if you need to change course. Finally, we recommend using this time to innovate in this new world we all find ourselves living in and creating sustainable strategies to ensure growth as we move forward.
The worst thing we can do as marketers is think of ways to get campaigns live quickly enough to be involved in the conversation before it becomes irrelevant. Just ask yourself if people actually consider or need your brand to be relevant throughout this in the first place.
Latest News

What Are You Waiting For?! Enter TikTok Young Lions Now!
We're certainly not young, talented and trendy but you likely are, so enter the TikTok Young Lions comp!

Boomtown’s Final Masterclass Of 2023 Attended By Almost 100 Media Reps
Don’t treat regional media as a charity, but a real growth opportunity: That’s the message from Boomtown’s final masterclass of 2023, attended by almost 100 media industry representatives from across the nation. The masterclass was part of a series of educational sessions, delivered by Boomtown, the media collective championing advertising in regional Australia. The sessions […]

Mister Cartoon & Turtle Wax Partnership Launches In Australia & New Zealand Via DIJGTAL
DIJGTAL launches ‘The Art of Car Care’, an exciting partnership between renowned LA street artist and icon, Mister Cartoon and Turtle Wax in Australia and New Zealand.

GTA VI Trailer Smashes YouTube Viewership Records
This trailer marks great news for spotty teenagers and socially awkward people around the world.

REVEALED: The Staggering Rental Price Network Seven Paid In Exchange For Bruce Lehrmann Interview
Wish Mr Lehrmann would simply disappear from your TV screens and newsfeeds? Alas, B&T's not seeing it anytime soon.

Telstra Fined $3m By ACMA After Wrongfully Charging Customers
Do you fume every time the phone bill arrives? Take the rage 'next level' with this dodgy Telstra news.

Qantas, Optus, Andrew O’Keefe! It’s 2023’s Most Momentous F#ck Ups!
Typically, B&T likes to champion the best & the brave. However, today we're honouring 2023's most memorable calamities.

Government To Establish Copyright & AI Reference Group To Help Protect Creative Industries
It's industry news from Canberra that thankfully doesn't involve public servants misbehaving at the taxpayers' expense.

You Can Now Buy A Single McNugget To Celebrate Its 40th Birthday
McDonald's famous menu item, the McNugget, turns 40 this year. And cardiothoracic surgeons everywhere are celebrating.

Introducing Yahoo Blueprint: A New AI-powered Suite For Better Ad Performance & Optimisation
Yahoo Advertising has launched Yahoo Blueprint, a central AI suite that powers performance-based solutions within the Yahoo DSP. Fuelled by over 335 million logged in Yahoo users globally, Yahoo Blueprint enhances decisioning, makes AI more accessible, and serves as a results-driven guide throughout the campaign lifecycle to deliver better outcomes for advertisers. This new AI […]

Do Your Shopping On Company Time Says Cheesy Retro Spot From Amazon
Counting the days down till Christmas by doing as little as possible bar a spot of online shopping? This will resonate.

New Monash University Campaign Asks: Would Your Younger Self Be Proud?
Have a painful, inert sense you've f#cked your life up? Shine a light on things via this cavity searching campaign.

Foot Locker & Nike Recruit NBA’s Kevin Durant To Hype Up The Holidays
Haven't managed to shift the winter pudding? You'll lose two kilos just watching this Foot Locker campaign.

TEAM LEWIS Announces Rapid Expansion Of Its Australian Team With 10 New Hires
With a passion for redundancy stories, we can't see the Mumbrella team being too happy over this monster hire.

Icon & Snack Drawer Appointed Meta PR Agencies Of Record
Meta unveils its new local PR agencies. So be warned if you plan to publicly say anything unsavoury about Mr Zuckerberg.

Publicis Sapient Announces Launch Of PS Hummingbird, Expanding Its Generative AI And Cloud Capabilities With Microsoft
Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, today announced the launch of a new joint venture with Tquila called PS Hummingbird. Lead image: Nigel Vaz CEO of Publicis Sapient The partnership with Tquila, with whom Publicis Sapient has collaborated on several other ventures, will extend Publicis Sapient’s generative AI offerings powered by Microsoft Azure, Microsoft […]

oOh!media Names Lisa Green As Its chief People & Culture Officer
Planning on getting boozed up at the oOh! Chrissie bash? Beware, a new chief people & culture officer is in town.

Anathea Ruys Sits Down For 10 Fast Questions On Agency Culture & Renovating Her Laundry Room
It's 10 quick ones with UM's Anathea Ruys. Even quicker if you've recently completed a speed reading course.

Keep Left Launches Brand Campaign ‘When ‘It’ Happens’ For PassportCard
Keep Left is, of course, a creative agency and not some rabid Karl Marx sympathiser.

Thinkerbell Turns Iconic Menulog Delivery Bag Into A Star-Studded Handbag For Christina Aguilera
Work with Gen Xers who constantly whine "music was better in my day"? Two words today - Christina and Aguilera.

IMAA Announces New Board For 2024
Indie industry body unveils its 2024 board. Promises to continue to highly irritate the holding companies.

Havas & Reckitt Unleash “Flyhunt” Campaign For Mortein, Turning Billions Of Flies Into Billions Of Ads
Despite our love of animals and the rise in veganism, it never extended to gassing flies, did it?

Why Marketers Are Leaving Millions On The Table With Inefficient Tech Stacks
Worried you've got inefficient tech stacks? Discover the awful truth here. It'll be no help for inefficient colleagues.

REVEALED: Australia’s Greatest-Ever Ad!!!
You voted and now B&T can reveal Australia's greatest EVER ad! Yes, Ali Baba Kebabs can feel rightly aggrieved.

The Royals & Ryvalmedia Win Big In B&T’s Top-Performing Agencies For November
Which agency chiefs will be collecting their Christmas bonuses? Discover the truth with this 'who's hot' barometer.

George P. Johnson Announces Leadership Changes
Changes at the top at George P. Johnson today. The middle and the bottom given the order to stand down.

Monday TV Ratings: The 1% Club Scores Seven A Win
Game shows continuing to rate well with TV viewers. Yet, that's not to say we need Andrew O'Keefe back anytime soon.

Free TV Comes Out Swinging Over Sports Rights After Amazon Snares The Cricket
Industry body says free TV sports rights are under threat. Meanwhile Wallabies declare they've all but given up.

Westpac Shows Optus How To Apologise
Westpac delivers on its crisis communication. Also see Westpac board trying to save their collective arses.

Triple J Announces Hottest 100 2023 Dates
This year's Hottest 100 deets announced. With B&T predicting big things for Nollsy's KFC ad.

A Professional Cheese Sculptor Stars For Wacky Ads For US University
Hating the job right now? These uni ads could (A) inspire you to new things or (B) give you a laugh, albeit a brief one.

Don’t Be THAT Perfectionist….Enter B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards, Presented By Vevo, Now!
Work with people who endlessly say "things were better in my day"? Sounds like you're a real contender for 30 Under 30.

We Are Warriors & R/GA To Produce City Of Sydney’s Calling Country & New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Social Indigenous Enterprise We Are Warriors (WAW), supported by creative innovation studio R/GA Australia, has been selected to produce the City of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve Calling Country live performance as part of the 9pm firework show. Lead image L-R: WAW co-founders Ben Miles & Nooky. The performance will feature a special Welcome to Country […]

Data Is King. So How Can Marketers Survive Privacy Reforms?
There's a fine line between proper use of customer data and a $50K fine from the ACCC. Save your cash with this read.

Chery Launches New Tiggo 7 Pro In Australian Market With Creative Campaign Via Chello
Chinese EVs continuing to flood into the Aussie market. Clearly no reciprocal agreement with our wine and barley.

Isuzu UTE Extends A-Leagues Partnership Through To 2026
Isuzu UTE extends its A-Leagues partnership. Also desperately hoping the fans don't behave like dickheads.