COVID-19 is deadly and frightening. In business terms, the pandemic is highly disruptive. The contagious disease is sending shockwaves of change that are being felt by workers and employers alike, all over the globe.
Brands naturally want to help but is this genuine impulse helpful (in Marcom terms), and to whom is it helpful? Let’s explore…
Michelob Ultra
In Michelob Ultra’s case, the help from the brand is directed toward trainers who once worked in busy gyms.
Because 39,750 U.S. health clubs and studios are so vital to the economy—serving 64 million consumers, generating $32.3 billion in annual revenue, and employing more than 425,000 people—Michelob ULTRA is supporting these local businesses through its new MOVEMENT By Michelob ULTRA Live series – a virtual workout series led by top trainers and private gym owners from around the country who have been impacted by COVID-19.
Viewers are encouraged to directly support the trainers hosting the workouts through a Virtual Tip Jar. For each dollar donated, Michelob ULTRA and partner OPTIMUM NUTRITION will match the donation up to $7,500 per week.
Castrol
Castrol decided to take viewers on a trip down Nostalgia Lane. The spot is meant to rekindle playful memories of one’s toy cars from childhood.
The film uses a series of user-generated video clips featuring Castrol employees and workshop owners, alongside professional race drivers Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, and Petter and Oliver Solberg. All safely playing with toy cars at home and hanging up their car keys, and shot safely in people’s homes.
The campaign was created and delivered in 6 days in a great remote work effort by a WPP team led by Ogilvy (Strategy/Account), VMLY&R (Creative), Hogarth (Production), Mindshare and Neo (media).
Orange
Every day, millions of people around the world log in to Zoom, Skype, Hangouts and other applications to see their loved ones – to reassure them, offer support, and maintain life as normally as possible. But for many, that’s not so easy, particularly for seniors.
That’s why Orange, the leading telephone operator in France, decided to offer ad space to French people so they can share messages with their elders, directly on television.
Orange, in collaboration with agency la chose, points to the need. In France:
- 17% of seniors don’t own a mobile phone
- 25% don’t have a computer
- 52% do not have smartphones
Even when people are equipped with a new machine, fat pipes and the latest messaging software, that does not mean it’s intuitive or at all easy to adopt. This work for Orange breaks through all that.
These commercials and the interactive consumer-generated elements that make them work help increase human connections in a time of isolation and fear. And Orange isn’t merely suggesting it, they’re making it happen for their customers.
On top of the customer-first service mindset, I also love that Orange is giving up airtime where their commercials once ran for these public service-style announcements.