COVID-19 and Brands: Edelman Trust Barometer

How brands correctly responded to COVID-19 in an appropriate way, in accordance to the Edelman Trust Barometer, from Adweek and eMarketer.

Once Toronto went into quarantine, media and brands had to act quick to show their consumers they can adapt and show empathy. Brands have had to change their creative messages to show they are not focused on sales, but on brand awareness and trust. Brands should still get their messages out, but consumers expect a lot from them. From the Edelman Trust Barometer, there are four expectations that consumers have for brands. They are;

1. Show up and do your part

2. Don’t act alone

3. Solve, don’t sell

4. Communicate with emotion, empathy and facts (Zorrilla, 2020)

The first pillar, “show up and do your part” is all about still being present. Brands should not pull their ads all together, but they need to change their message to display new meaningful, creative messages to their consumers. This helps build more brand awareness and trust. If brands do pull back their advertising, they will decrease in awareness, trial, and loyalty after. Consumers also want to know that brands are taking proper care of their workers, in terms of wages, benefits, and safety measures. A company that acted quickly to this is Tim Hortons, providing a $40MM fund to staff and closed inside seating (George-Cosh, 2020). Tim Hortons is advertising on TV, with social ads that show they are still available through delivery, pick up, or drive thru.

Secondly, “don’t act alone” encourages brands to partner with governments, charities, and other forces. Brands should act together, in collaboration with other forces to show unity and strength. Consumers want to know how brands are helping others on an everyday level, now that we are experiencing a new normal daily life. They should/could assist with governments, or hospitals. An example of a great ad doing their part is Subaru’s new TV ad that focuses on the health, safety, and city workers still working through these difficult days (Lombardo, 2020). As well as multiple retail companies now manufacturing masks and other medical supplies, such as Nike, Ralph Lauren, and Canadian Goose (Thomas, 2020). Another way to make positive change while helping those who need it.

Next is “solve, don’t sell” which is a main point that brands should be doing! Consumers are not interested in new products, unless they are helping flatten the curve. Humorous ads walk a fine line and should be avoided. Brands should advertise how they are helping, and keeping their consumers informed. Brands will be remembered and judged for how they handle this pandemic, so ads should be appropriate. Now is not the time to exploit consumers. Ads for office supplies, such as “the perfect desk for #WFH” are slightly insensitive, they could be fine for one consumer and totally inappropriate to others. A good example of non-exploitative and informative ads I have seen is from MEC, on Instagram, they show how long 6 ft. or 2m is using different outdoor equipment. Another example is from Hotels.com which now shows Captain Obvious sitting down eating popcorn and sanitizing his hands, while the copy reads, “This is Captain Obvious. He’s going to be social distancing for a while. You should too.” (Steinmetz, 2020). The message is clear, concise, and obvious.

Lastly, is “communicate with emotion, empathy and facts.” This is probably the most important point because it shows the humanity in brands, it displays them as a person. Again, these new ads should be informative to the consumer and somewhat reassuring to the community and the consumer. The brand needs to show they are helping as much as possible. We are in a strange paradoxical space right now, people are consuming lots of media, and are also checked out. Positive brand actions speak volumes. Dove’s new ad is fantastic for this, I have seen it on multiple websites, TV, and social media. The “Courage is Beautiful” campaign shows how much work health care workers are putting in, plus Dove is donating products to front-line workers (Gianastasio, 2020). The images are powerful and memorable to any consumer who sees the ad.

Here are a few ways brands have altered their creative to make it contactless. There isn’t any talent licking their fingers (like in a KFC ad), there are no crowds (like sports events or concerts), and the tone has changed, it usually encourages people to stay home or shows people hanging out on a couch. It is extremely important for ads and brands to demonstrate that they are listening, they are human, and that they can adapt. It will be interesting to see how brands react when we start going back to normal. In conclusion, brands need to be there, they need to act, solve, help, inform, and show genuine empathy.

Sources

eMarketer Podcast: What Consumers Expect From Brands During the Coronavirus, Google COVID-19 Ads and There's Something About Radio. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-what-consumers-expect-from-brands-during-the-coronavirus

George-Cosh, D. (2020, March 17). Tim Hortons to provide $40M fund for staff affected by COVID-19 - BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved from https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/tim-hortons-to-provide-40m-fund-for-staff-affected-by-covid-19-1.1407732

Gianatasio, D. (2020, April 7). Dove Presents Striking Photos of Healthcare Workers in COVID-19 Ad. Retrieved from https://musebycl.io/advertising/dove-presents-striking-photos-healthcare-workers-covid-19-ad

Lombardo , C. (2020, April 1). Automakers eschew typical messages during COVID-19. Retrieved from https://strategyonline.ca/2020/04/01/automakers-eschew-their-typical-messages-during-covid-19/

Steinmetz, K. (2020, April 2). Companies Are Walking a Tightrope During the Pandemic. Retrieved from https://time.com/5814509/coronavirus-marketing/

Thomas, L. (2020, April 10). 'We do hope this inspires others,' handbag CEO says about making masks for workers, consumers. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/10/coronavirus-this-bag-retailer-is-making-masks-for-workers-consumers.html

Zorrilla, M. (2020, March 31). US Consumers Are Keeping a Close Eye on How Brands Handle the Coronavirus Crisis. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/us-consumers-are-keeping-a-close-eye-on-how-brands-handle-the-coronavirus-crisis/