Positive Messaging during COVID-19 - Marketing Under the Microscope #2
Updated: Jun 29, 2021
Positive Messaging during COVID-19
Content and infographic developed by the IT - Content Team
During this pandemic, we’re seeing a trend of positive marketing campaigns, rallying everyone together and urging everyone at home to stay strong. Some brands rely on emotional messaging, providing glimpses of optimism and hope for the future, while others comedically tap into the realities of living under lockdown, such as having your Zoom meeting photobombed (see the New Zealand Police Force campaign). What’s clear is that marketing still has a key role to play in spreading positivity and entertaining us, even in these uncertain times.
The rise of Department of Health ads
You may have also realised TV advertisements have changed. For example, Department of Health ads have flooded all mediums of advertising, from the beginning of YouTube ads, to billboards on streets (hopefully only seen while doing an essential activity!). The content in these ads ranges from ways to keep safe, instructional material on how to keep distanced, to the warm “Thanks Australia ad” expressing gratitude to Australians for social distancing and protecting the community, while slipping a sneaky promotion in the end for the CovidSafe app.
The Kindness Pandemic
Acts of kindness have not stopped during quarantine! “Our favourite florist kindly delivered my anniversary bouquet for free after I was laid off”, is just one of the uplifting messages plastered at bus stops across Australia, coloured by a fitting bright pink heart and turquoise background. These messages encourage passersby to take some extra time and effort in doing small but meaningful things for the people around them and promote positivity in what can feel like dark times.
“A Hero’s Marks”
Let’s move away from Australia for a bit to China, where they have a rather unique approach to positive messaging during the pandemic. They embraced the beauty of the deep marks on front line nurses’ faces left by face masks and goggles. Photos of nurses who had just taken off their protective gear were displayed on billboards at metro stations as well as on social media. “Even deep marks from masks and goggles can’t cover your beauty. This is a selfless hero’s most beautiful pandemic war makeup” was one of the captions shown on promotional materials that spread across the internet.
100+ celebrities, 1 song, unlimited love
There have been hundreds of songs written and sung during the fight against Covid-19. One of the most touching has been China’s “Let the world be filled with love”, featuring hundreds of Chinese and a few non-Chinese celebrities including the recently famous XiaoZhan and WangYiBo, Roy Wang, Kris Wu, Lay and Lisa (from Blackpink). The music video is a compilation of their singing and heartwarming tribute messages to front line health workers filmed at home during quarantine as well as images of the hard work being carried out by front line workers.
References
Nurse image: Weibo Cr 人民日报
