Brands Meet the Moment During Coronavirus
Every morning I wake up and for five glorious seconds I think it’s just another day pre-coronavirus. But then it hits, the way any great anxiety or sorrow-filled time does, that it’s another day with COVID-19. Across my conversations, social scrolling and daily reading, there’s a sense of shock at what is happening and a loss as to how to respond. This is especially true for brands. For a great round up of brands donating services, time and money to important causes right now, Fast Company has you covered. What we’ve gathered here are brands that are extending their services to meet the demands in our communities and/or have extended their brand purpose in a way to serve their customers in a new way.
HERO BRANDS
Some brands are unexpected heroes of the moment. Fashion designer Cristian Siriano sewing face masks; New Balance prototyping a new medical face mask in lieu of making shoes; Dyson developing a new ventilator; liquor brands nation-wide making hand sanitizer; and Ralph Lauren creating masks and medical isolation gowns. The specific nature of this pandemic (and how shockingly ill-prepared our country was to handle it) has created opportunity for experts and innovators in their fields to contribute to the PPE shortage.
HOME BRANDS
Other brands have had an unexpected opportunity fall into their lap to serve customers better because of how much time they are now spending in their home. When it comes to home fitness, brands like Peleton were built for it, with content and technology already in place. Seeing a way to help, they extended their free 30-day trial of the digital app to 90 days. For mental and stress relief, meditation app Headspace has partnered with Hyatt to release a collection of free therapy sessions called “Weathering the Storm.” And connection in isolation - whether personal or professional - is made possible through a strong internet connection. The three major carriers, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are offering customers unlimited data and waving fees for late payments by 60 days. Additionally, they’ve opened Wi-fi hotspots to any American that needs them.
FAMILY BRANDS
With something like 1.5 billion school-aged children at home worldwide, kid engagement and education services have never been more valuable, especially those balancing work from home. Scholastic Corporation published free online resources on its Scholastic Learn At Home website; BrainPop, National Geographic, and Bill Nye The Science Guy (among many others) have also released free content to help continue scholastic engagement. Amazon’s Audible business has also made hundreds of kids’ audiobooks free during quarantine. And, LEGO just launched a new site to help kids build and play through this time.
ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS
When it became clear that the pandemic meant smaller gatherings, expos and concerts were cancelled. But it hasn’t stopped musicians, actors and entertainments companies from connecting virtually. The Seattle Symphony is live streaming their performances and Broadway has opened access to its musicals; theater releases are going straight to home streaming, like Trolls World Tour; John Legend performed a concert on IGTV, accompanied by his wife and kids calling it the #togetherathome concert. Some have used their platform to entertain while providing crucial information about the pandemic. Kristen Bell, in partnership with Nickelodeon, put on a celebrity studded hour-long special on how to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and Sesame Street is part of a new series of PSAs on washing hands and containing sneezes.
FOOD BRANDS
While toilet paper is still nowhere to be found, food has played an especially crucial role in the quarantined home. Bon Appetit’s test kitchen has shifted from their NYC kitchen to home kitchens, catching the BA staff cooking the way the rest of us do. Burger King France created a how-to-make-a-Whopper poster for those craving one at home. If you’re new to cooking or just want a solid go-to arsenal of recipes to get you through shelter-at-home, America’s Test Kitchen created a collection of 50 recipes, free to the public.
IN CLOSING
Brands are contributing positively to the lives of consumers in various ways. Some are pragmatic, or opportunistic, others are innovative. But whether they are actions big or small, they are meaningful to the individuals that find value in it. We’ll leave on this last note, iconic art redesigned for the social distancing era. It’s a visual reminder of this strange and novel time in our lives. From the Ultra family to yours, stay safe and be well.