.how brands should (not) respond to war in Ukraine

After two years with pandemic, it feels like we finally deserve a return to normal lives. Nope, Russia starts an invasion of Ukraine. Let’s now take a look at what you could do from the marketing perspective to help (or at least not to mess it up). Btw. here’s a printable guide.

Should we communicate?

Seeing the tragedy that is happening, many companies are facing the same question - should we communicate? There's a short answer - yes, you should.

There is no reason to stop the communication as without it, there is no business and without business, there is no security for your employees and satisfaction of your customers and clients. And that is exactly why companies exist (at least I'm convinced so).

Get more share for the same budget

Now, apart from the obvious moral reasons, there is also one hidden business opportunity in crisis communication. Here it is:

• Let's assume that in your market segment there are brands with monthly communication spend worth ￡1,000,000.
• That means if you invest ￡10,000, your paid share of voice is 1%.
• During a crisis the instinct tells you to stop the communication.?
• What happens if the brands cut their budgets to half on average? The communication spend pool decreases to ￡500,000.
• Therefore, if you still invest your ￡10,000, your paid share of voice is now 2% instead of 1%. For the same budget.

Summa summarum, what does it mean? It means that in times of crisis it's better to increase your communication budget instead of decreasing it or even stopping the communication.

Disclaimer: this is a very simplified explanation and may not work in every case but generally it works exactly like this.

A little guide to help you

Of course, it is very important to communicate correctly. Let's take a look, what that means and how you should communicate during the crisis (credit goes also to my friend Filip, who I took some thoughts from):

1. Check your current communications and ads

Do your homework and make sure your assets do not use inappropriate elements like bombs or wording like "discount invasion".

2. Do good without talking about it

It's not necessary to talk much about it, just do it as good deeds should be, not just for the purpose of PR, but just a nice gesture. Let's take Elon Musk's Starlink as an example. You may not have satellites out there in the universe but there are many things you can do to help. We can, for example, offer our advice and hence have prepared this guide for you.

3. Don't be opportunistic

Don't see the war as an opportunity. It's not right and people will call you out for it. Just take a look at what happened to Shell. Don't sell your soul (and public image) for some short-term profit.

4. Stand up for your values

Defend the values of your company and the free world. Don't be a bystander waiting without expressing an opinion. Let people know where you stand.

5. Support your employees

Make sure employees understand your company's position about the current situation and express your support to them. Make them feel safe.

6. Crowdsource ideas from employees

Once again, communication with employees is crucial. Ask them for their ideas and how your company can help. They might have better ideas than you think.

7. Keep your communication up-to-date

The situation develops every day and you should be able to react to what's going on right now. Make sure your communication is in-line with current events.

So, that's it. Now help your way. Even updating a profile picture with a flag of Ukraine is a nice gesture, but your business is unique and so are your ideas. If everyone contributes their two cents today, the world can be a better place tomorrow.?

I’ll be happy if you share this post to reach more people.?

Do you communicate correctly?

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