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services, and even telemedicine. At the same time, your brand in the future. As we move into later phases of
industries supporting travel, festivals or conference the crisis and we see more recoveries and fewer active
entertainment, airlines, and hotels have seen a tremendous cases, brands can reengage on social media in a more
decline in stockholder value. promotional manner but will need to still consider the
impact that Covid-19 has had.
Aside from general financial stability and economics, what's
even more important for public relations and marketing Digital marketing's role that has
professionals is who are the winners and losers as it relates
to communication impacts during the pandemic. Brands emerged out:
that have remained empathetic, relevant and considerate In addition, digital marketing is playing a significant role
have fared better than their peers.In an example, Virgin during the pandemic. Some brands have decided to invest
Airlines announced they were using aircraft to help ship heavily in digital marketing as that's where most audiences
healthcare supplies to providers in need. are in today's world. Depending on the industry, some
brands have seen a huge interest through this channel
Meanwhile a competitor airline ran ads of their planes which is delivering content and ads at lower costs than
"social distancing" and seats being 6 feet apart.Needless during normal times. The key is in the message and
to say, the latter fell on deaf ears and came across as communication. Knowing when, where and how to
insensitive as real people, family and friends who were communicate is critical.
afraid of suffering with COVID-19. In a similar tone-deaf
scenario, Corona beer (despite the unfortunate coincidence Finally while summing up:
in their name), launched an advertisement for their seltzer
Lastly, what most brands really want to know is when can
beers with the slogan: "Coming ashore soon."Obviously with
the given crisis and the continued spread of Covid-19, this they talk about something not related to Covid-19?
Unfortunately, the answer is likely not for a while.Does this
advertisement while intended to be playful was ill-timed
and came across as insensitive. mean you can't connect to your audience or consumers
when it is not related to Covid-19? No. In fact, you should
be connecting with your consumers and being there for
While brands struggle to stay relevant, considerate and
future prospects. Now is the time to support current
compassionate during times of a pandemic, one can't stop
to question when we can get back to normal, i.e., the way customers and deliver hope to future consumers.
things were. The unfortunate answer is never.We must start
creating the new normal. As public relations and marketing Unfortunately, the best crisis communication plan could not
professionals, we realize things have changed. With the have predicted nor planned appropriately for COVID-19.
media focused solely on the pandemic (and rightly so), However, an attuned, savvy team of public relations and
many brands have shifted communications online.Social marketing professionals can help us feel poised and ready
media has seen an abundance of activity in online presence. to embrace whatever the future may hold. The
The digital era can be a blessing or curse to brands communication efforts and media sources used by
depending on how they engage with their online audience companies will forever be changed but the vision and
during this pandemic. mission of organizations remains the same and will only
grow stronger. Take this opportunity & time to build a solid
As we are just now reaching the peak of the Covid-19 foundation upon which to blast your value propositions and
pandemic in some cities across India, in the throes of a mission once the world is ready to listen them.
pandemic brands must be cautious to post social media that
is timely, relevant and considerate of the readers. Reference:

Promotional announcements and advertisements will not From various contemporary text materials available on-line
only disengage the readers but may turn them away from & in hard copies. R

"I've always liked women with some sadness in their eyes; with some blush on their cheeks; with some innocence in
their hearts; with some desire on their lips; with some sins in their past."

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