As ‘We’re in this together’ becomes a cliche, let’s make customers laugh again
As brands try to be sensitive in response to COVID-19, they are doubling down on conservatism, explains TBWA’s Alex Horner. But in doing so, they risk missing out on the impact of providing light relief.
Plop yourself down in front of any and all media at the moment and within minutes you’ll be exposed to a glut of ads referencing COVID-19.
These seem to span from what I’m terming ’empty platitudes’ (not saying much more than ‘we’re here to help’, ‘we’re in this together’ or referencing ‘these uncertain terms’) through to an ‘overload of specificity’ (listing any and all ways brand X is helping in laboured, legal team-approved detail).
I agree Alex. Marketers DO NOT like humour in their ads (apart from Aldi, who have been doing a great job). If anyone can find out how to convince the latest crop of programmatic-loving-digital-ROI-obsessed (even though the figures are fudged by the platforms) marketers how to buy an ad consumers will actually care about, let us all know!
Very much agree and certainly, from my own observations with the uplift of mainstream TV shows and Tik Tok dance routines it seems that light relief is is what people are crying out for right now.