What matters now, and how do we address it?

Many of us are unsure about how to proceed in this crisis, especially in the ways of marketing. Our old tactics, largely originated in the 19th Century by Thomas J. Barratt, used very simple language to entice consumers to buy goods. By adding visuals that associated products with comfort and abundance, this original Mad Man drew in clients through good old-fashioned aspiration. Barratt even purchased the original John Everett Millais painting used in his Pears Soap ads and proceeded to add a bar of actual soap to the image, forever blending the line between art and advertising — a line that remains blurred to this day.

The rules of marketing have changed.

While we’ve spent the last two centuries perfecting the art of aspirational marketing, we now find ourselves at a place where aspirations are less clear. What do people actually want? What really matters?

Several recent promotional fails have highlighted the fine line we must walk, as marketers in the age of the coronavirus. We’ve all received emails that immediately struck the wrong tone, such as the invitation to buy new clothes for video calls, or the hollow attempt to comfort us with a request to book new travel.

Do we look to the future?

One approach to marketing now would be to take a page from WWII, during which advertisers like Revere Copper and Brass helped create the post-war ethos. They did this not by focusing on what they could sell at the moment, which by the way wasn’t much, but by turning the viewer’s gaze to the ideal future, a time when the sacrifices of today would pay off in the conveniences of the future — a time when automation and industry would surely save the planet.

It’s critical, then, that we keep an eye toward what will matter in the future. How do we do that, though, when we aren’t sure what that future holds?

We turn to the universal.

The companies succeeding right now are those that focus on what truly matters, at a very basic level. Safety. Community. Longevity. That’s why Guinness’ recent St. Patrick’s Day ad was so spot-on. There’s nothing quite so comforting as a 9,000-year lease, signed In 1759, for the original St. James’s Gate brewery. And Ford is hitting the mark as well, with ads that highlight their community response to multiple crises over the past 100 years — such as building tanks during wartime and giving payment relief during natural disasters.

We can also set the bar a bit higher.

There’s an opportunity now to comfort clients and prospects, in addition to helping them move through this crisis on a practical level. Are there services you offer, that might help them cope? Can you provide momentary relief in any way? Or perhaps a simple message of stability and comfort would hit the mark. Our client Main Street Data achieved this blend perfectly, with a personal note from their President & CEO.

Whatever the medium — email, blog post, or advertisement — delivering a universal message focused on safety, longevity, and community is the right note to strike. Companies that do this, without any promotional façade, are meeting this unforeseen moment — and the future to come — with steadiness, courage, and grace.