3 Marketing Don'ts During the Apocalypse

What we are getting wrong in marketing and advertising during COVID-19 and some ways we can make it right.

In a world...

I'm a fan of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction. Like many, I've imagined what my response might be to a global crisis—from a devastating superstorm to a scientist’s monstrous creation wreaking havoc on our planet—however probable or improbable. I might even be prepared for a zombie or two. I wasn’t prepared, though, for the concurrent galloping of the four horsemen of global pandemic, white supremacy, economic recession, and inept government response.

In contrast to the protagonists in my beloved novels, months into our dystopian present, rather than fashioning a weapon, packing up my survival kit, and heading for the mountains, I’ve decided to write a response to the marketing and advertising approaches flooding my social and news feeds, because they’re adding their own element of “disaster” to our current challenges. It’s not as exciting as building a new civilization from the ashes, but I suppose we all have our parts to play.

The long fight against racism and white supremacy has reached an inflection point. Worldwide, protestors are demanding change and expecting advocacy, allyship, and action from organizations and businesses. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues, and a large number of businesses remain shuttered. Concern over our economic state is reaching a fever pitch as we officially enter a recession. Companies are taking drastic measures to reduce overhead and weather this storm. They’re desperately pivoting their marketing and communications approaches as they try to stay relevant in the minds of a public seeking revolution, operating in survival mode, or both. Some have found this environment offers opportunities for products and services they’re able to provide and have capitalized—sometimes callously, sometimes with genuine care—on the new normal for their customers. And there are businesses that have been compelled by our current situation to seek out innovative, authentic ways to create value for the public. They’re legitimately supporting their patrons by showing up in important ways, building long-lasting relationships, and cementing themselves in people’s minds and hearts as caring, effective, helpers. We should let those brands be our guides.

Wherever your business or organization falls on this spectrum, it's hard for most human beings to think about capturing opportunity while people are dying from disease and injustice. At least I hope it is. And, while it’s not nearly on par with the depth and scale of the suffering of individuals, families, and communities right now, I’m seeing businesses slip into survival mode, too. In this context, marketing professionals can easily be seen as either useless charlatans or ingenious saviors. Being a savior of what, you may ask? The products and business models being upended by the viral pandemic and the brands judged to be lacking by a world sick of empty promises.

There are a few emerging themes in the marketing leader request pile during this crisis:

• "Make sure we look like we care about x, y, or z."
• "Promote the hell out of us so we break through the noise."
• "If we can just make it sound like our product fits this need, we can still sell it as is."

A contingent of marketers are responding to these requests literally and directly, feeling the weight of their organization's need to sustain revenue and withstand the pandemic with as little loss of staff and profit as possible. Maybe these folks are true believers in the stakeholders making the demands, so they suppress their own misgivings. Maybe they are in survival mode, too, and are doing whatever is necessary to stay employed. Maybe they think all the strategies and tactics that made them successful in the past will see them through this crisis. Whatever their reasoning, its flaws are reflecting badly on their organizations and the profession. To put it in terms to which my fellow post-apocalyptic book lovers will relate: these wayward souls are acting like that one, obnoxious tagalong in the band of misfit heroes who makes rash choices, endangering the group and causing us as readers to cringe at the inevitable outcome.

In the interests of aiding our band of business and marketing leaders as we navigate the harsh landscape in which we find ourselves, I want to call out some of these choices, which land in three categories of marketing "don'ts," and how we might think differently about achieving our business goals given the current state of the world.

1. DON'T: Try to be authentic

"In these uncertain times..." or the inherent inauthenticity in trying to be authentic

Being original is hard. It's doubly hard when you're also trying to be "authentic.” Authenticity is the marketing buzzword of the last decade. Is your message genuine? Is your brand real? Companies, driven by the deep investigation and easy sharing made possible by social media, review sites, and search engines, have had to get used to exposure of any inconsistency or lack of authenticity in their words or actions. In addition, more and more businesses are seeing how they can be good or bad actors within and outside their industry and the benefits to profit and to social impact in adopting models of social entrepreneurship and corporate responsibility. The result? An all-out “authenticity” and “social good” war between competitors. Where there is competition, there must be differentiation; where there is little room for differentiation, there is usually spin; and, where there is spin, there is often a lack of integrity.

A large number of the ads, mass emails, and promos out there right now sound exactly the same. About a third of the remainder sound bizarre and disingenuous as they try to rise above the fray. Brands are showing up left and right with revamped messaging and actions that ring false. They're running videos "shot at home" with "real staff" that are obviously made in a staged environment with actors. They're repurposing their already planned content and trying to doctor it to look like it was made with the pandemic in mind. They're talking about how they've always supported communities of color without any historic action to back it up. And I'd wager they're losing the trust of their audiences and adding to a toxic cynicism that does nothing to raise people’s spirits. Worse yet, they may be doing real harm and taking up space that should belong to those who need to be heard right now.

Another misstep being called out endlessly—and rightfully—in comments sections all over the internet is the reliance on generic platitudes and overused phrases. In an attempt to show care, with little time to step up, many jumped straight to the easiest lift and, in trying to voice words of compassion, sounded hollow and out of touch. Spinning your truth, trying too hard to be competitively authentic, co-opting the hard-earned language of social-justice movements, and jumping on the bandwagon of generic messaging lead only to a Twitter storm of ridicule and mockery. Fun as negative Twitter storms may be for spectators, they’re not fun for marketers who missed the mark and spurred the onslaught.

DO: Replace authenticity with integrity

Do you know the easiest way to be authentic? Let go of the pressure of crafting a response that will be seen as genuine and respond genuinely instead. When you heed the call to show up during a crisis as authentically there for your current and prospective customers and express your concern over their wellbeing and your desire to help in some way, be sure you're not just:

• Jumping on the compassionate platitude bandwagon
• Messaging about how supportive you’re being or how valuable what you do is, when your product, service, or brand isn’t taking actions that prove these claims

Authenticity has become burdened by its adoption into the marketing jargon hall of fame. It’s too often connected by the audience with the image or perception of a brand instead of the ways in which the brand acts and builds its perceptions. I like to use the phrase “marketing with integrity” a lot in my work, and it helps me drop the trappings of “authenticity” and its co-opted nature. When developing a strategy, I always ask myself if it’s aligned with the principles and values my organization lives every day and consistently communicates externally. Can the claims be traced back to some sort of demonstrable truth? Are the messages backed by some sort of action that makes a difference to those receiving the communication? If you can’t say yes to these questions when reviewing your business’ messaging and marketing tactics during the age of COVID-19, then you better get to work. There is a difference between authentically building relationships and crafting a veneer of authenticity through marketing tactics.

Why do I say “demonstrable truth” or “backed by action” when speaking of integrity? Is it enough to just believe in what you’re saying? Sorry, no. How does anyone you’re trying to reach outside your company (or inside for that matter) know you mean what you say without some evidence? Taking positive action during a crisis is the most effective way to demonstrate your core values are more than words, and it will increase positive perception of your brand and grow customer loyalty.

Although it’s true “actions speak louder than words,” effective marketing requires both: the right actions and the right words. If you have actions and poor messaging or incorrect strategies for boosting those messages, your actions are limited in their ability to spread, be understood, and make a difference. If you have words with no tangible results to show for them, their power is limited, and you’re just adding to the sea of information (and misinformation) pummeling people right now. In short, seek to be an actor, not a distractor.

Don’t know what action to take? To quote Frozen II, just “do the next right thing.” And, yes, I’m mixing Disney references into my dystopian theme here. What can I say? I’m not just a geek—I’m a parent held captive with young children during our stay-safe-at-home measure. It’s affecting my cultural reference points.

You know your customers, you know your company’s core values, and you know your brand promise. Chances are, this far into our present situation, your company or some of your staff have already acted in ways that showcase your company’s real response during the crisis. Do the next right thing and:

• Take a time out from talking at your audience to listen to them. Now is a time for listening, for taking others’ perspectives, and for understanding deeply the hopes, dreams, and anxieties of those you serve. That’s right—serve. You are beholden to your customers, and you need to really listen to what they’re asking you to do for them.
• Go back to your brand pillars, your company’s history, and the actions the business or staff have taken during this crisis that speak to your organization’s core values and brand promise. Build or adjust your messaging and tactics to align to what is true about your brand.
• Identify the people, products, and stories that exemplify what you can do for your customers during this time, or, more generally, what your brand is doing to deliver on its promises.
• If you’re still at a loss, start an initiative explicitly designed to show your claims in action.

2. DON'T: Make it about you

“Marcia, Marcia, Marcia…” or the low tolerance for brand narcissism

It’s tricky what we do. We inform, we motivate, we engage, and we support the audiences our companies sell to or serve. We do that while simultaneously holding at the center of our work the needs and desires of those audiences and the ultimate goals of the business. We look for the sweet spot in the Venn diagram to produce maximum mutual benefit. We build relationships between people and brands and, like any relationship, people can find themselves in a dysfunctional situation and opt to get the hell out. Maybe their circumstances have changed. Maybe they’ve developed new desires and needs. Maybe you’re a narcissistic know-it-all who talks about yourself too much. That’s the character everyone wants the zombies to eat, by the way.

If your brand can truly show up in times of crisis as a guide, an expert, or a supporter, please do so. The world needs helpers. This is another case where action speaks louder than words, but words are so important. Choose the right ones to let people know you’re thinking of them, listening to them, working for their benefit. Be subtle, be conscientious, be thoughtful. It doesn’t mean you don’t need to be strategic, to build smart campaigns, or take advantage of all your bells and whistles to target and personalize those campaigns. Do that. Just do it without grandstanding or using pushy or fear-based language.

Look, maybe your first response had to be quick. Maybe it needed to reflect the urgency of the developing crises and give primacy to your organization and its survival needs. Now it’s time to come back to what you know you must rely on and hold dear as a marketer—the customer’s point of view.

DO: Create the moments and stories people need

If ever there were a time to let your customers do your talking for you, this is it. Create a venue for that to happen. You’ll always be better off gathering direct stories from or telling stories through the eyes of your customers than you will be talking about yourself. Do you have brand ambassadors or champions? Call on them (respectfully, and recognize that they may be struggling). Do you have a brand community? Be the most engaged you’ve ever been. Don’t have any of that? Create moments where people can show up for your brand by giving them something they treasure. That might simply be a place to share their stories. It might be a donation or socially conscious initiative that supports something they hold dear. It might be free product, a voice in your next product design, an opportunity to make a little extra money through a focus group, or the chance to be part of solving a problem that helps them or their community. Whatever you can provide that is of substantive value to your core audience right now, think about ways you can unearth meaningful stories that let you show up without showing off.

Where you are able to turn the “we” in your campaign from just your company to including your audience, do it. In this time of physical distancing and fear, you should be looking to create experiences and communications that help people feel human connection and togetherness. Do you really know what your customers are dealing with? Can they tell that from your communications? Does the language you are using feel inclusive? Think carefully about ways to stand side-by-side with your audience. Does your message sound promotional or supportive? Now is the time to err on the side of supportive.

3. DON’T: Be a square peg

“It slices, it dices, it juliennes…” or how it comes back to integrity, again

When you’re asked to position your company or its products, you seek the most competitive approach, identify the most enticing features, and develop the most compelling messaging and creative campaigns you can to get the attention of your target audience. You think deeply about how to make your offering desirable to those you’re trying to convert. Be honest—sometimes you’re reaching. Sometimes you’ve over-emphasized a small part of your offering or downplayed something you know is a bad market fit. Sometimes you’ve been aspirational, selling the dream of what your product or company will be. It’s not quite a lie. Ideally, by the end of your work, you’ve hit on the right combination in your approach to balance what is true about what you’re providing, what is true about what your market wants and needs, and what is true about the unique value of your offering in comparison to others. I’m seeing so many corporate communications and brand and product campaigns that are, instead, shoehorning themselves into conversations, spaces, and markets of which they have little to no understanding.

When you’re trying to make your product or company fit a mold it wasn’t meant for, it can go a couple of ways:

1. You discover that you can provide insight, innovation, or value
2. You look like a tone-deaf, opportunistic faker

The first requires that you truly know your company or product’s strengths and competencies, that you have the research to support the new approach and position it effectively, or you have proof points from customers that have already adapted the offering or used it in a way that demonstrates you’re in integrity with what you’re claiming. If you have those things, by all means, leverage them. You’re providing value, you’re acting versus distracting, and you’re demonstrating integrity.

If, on the other hand, you’re forcing an ill fit for the sake of brand promotion or to grab mindshare and landshare where you can’t actually add value, you are, indeed, tone deaf—and you’ll be discovered. In the post-apocalypse narrative, you’d be ejected from the group or sacrificed by the author to the alien overlords unless you did some seriously genuine, quick-to-follow amends-making.

DO: Innovate

There are so many opportunities to understand new uses for your products and untapped, unique value your brand or business can provide. The sources of innovation can be internal in your own product development, creative, marketing, or customer-facing groups or they can be external as many customers are doing the work of innovating on your offerings. Other businesses in markets that are new to you provide insight into what’s working and where there are gaps. I recommend you put on your research hat—or helmet, given the way things are going—and:

1. Create internal and external feedback loops that seek to unearth how you might show up differently, but truthfully in the new normal.
2. Bring your employees and your customer advocates to the table as advisors.
3. Leverage the power of partnership by identifying and exploring mutually beneficial partnership scenarios with organizations or businesses that have offerings or competencies that complement or enhance your own.

And so, we journey on...

Some of the best dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories leave the fate of the protagonists unknown. Although I can’t predict the fate of businesses investing in the marketing don’ts listed above, I have a good guess, and let’s just say they should consider whether or not they want to last through the novel and have the chance to opt into the next in the series. There are many marketers making decisions that fall into the category of marketing with integrity, building true connections with audiences, and creating valuable, supportive relationships during a time when we all need those more than ever. Turn to them. Study them. Make connections with your peers across industries. The lone wolf of my novels doesn’t become the hero by staying the lone wolf. They, often grudgingly, end up part of a makeshift team or community. Over the course of their time with others, the inherent benefits of altruism win out. Take a page from this book.

To borrow one of those generic platitudes we’re all so fond of—we’re in this together. And together, we can choose to be helpers—actors rather than distractors. That’s what I’m trying to hold myself accountable to while navigating personal, societal, and business pressures in the current dystopian timeline. In the end, while all of the above makes good business sense, it also makes good people sense. Putting people first seems like the next right thing, doesn’t it? Suit up and join me, my rag-tag band of fellow marketing professionals.

We can make it to the mountains.

Author's Note: This article was cross-posted from https://www.lovanhill.com/post/3-marketing-don-t-during-the-apocalypse.

? 2020 Andrea Lovanhill All Rights Reserved