Advertising in a Crisis: Be Wary of Lessons from Past Recessions

The evidence even back 100odd years ago is clear Those brands that continue to advertise throughout a recession at a time when the lesswellinformed competition is pulling back emerge stronger as a resultThis is hardly surprising amp8211 there39s less clutter the brands that advertise increase their shareofvoice and build on what Professor Ritson calls their ESOV excessive shareofvoice and are thus in a great position to hit the ground running when the economic climate improvesBut evidence from past recessions is not the whole answer although certain principles still holdFirst what we are in now isn39t anything like any other recession I have some qualifications in saying this given I39ve been through a few going back to the threeday week of the 197039sI also worked with and learnt from Dr Simon Broadbent who did splendid work advancing the 39why brands should continue to advertise39 case in the 198039sPlus I lived and worked through the 199039s and the 2008 versionsI39m not saying I have the data or the perspicacity of Mark Ritson but I have experienced recessions from inside the ad industryAnd I can tell you this is nothing like anything I39ve ever seen beforeAn economic recession is of course a dreadful thing People have less money to spend services are cut people lose their jobs It impacts many amp8211 but in a way that they themselves cannot impact It is something that happens to you over which you have zero controlLife continues Advertising as part of life continues Yes you may see fewer ads yes the content of the ads may be tweaked but I have never seen data suggesting that the average consumer thinks why is Brand A advertising during a recessionLook around you now People you know and I know are getting sick Some tragically are dying alone and frightened Very many of us are in some form of lockdown being told when we can go out where what for and for how longOf course we cannot see or control the virus but we can act to do something to limit its spread We are all invested in the processLife is most definitely not continuing largely as beforeThis is a global health crisis which no doubt will metamorphose into an economic recession but right now and I suggest for the foreseeable future it39s about health It39s about doing what we can to stay alive and to help others stay aliveIn these circumstances is it right for brands to advertise at all I would say it is as long as the tone and the approach are very carefully thought through I suspect that unlike in the past consumers will certainly question the wisdom of brands advertising whilst their owners are laying off staff and whilst the future is so uncertainWe all preach the importance of empathy of appealing to those we wish to reach and influence in a tone of voice that reflects the audience39s priorities and values but those priorities are very different from what they were just a few short months agoNow is the time for advertisers to offer help to do good Advertising alone cannot do that amp8211 so a bank saying in an ad that they39re there for me is one thing but if I cannot get through to them or if I do get through and the call centre is obtuse and confusing in the messages it sends out then the ads backfire spectacularlyA supermarket can send out all the 39we39re here for you39 emails it wants but if you cannot get a delivery slot for love nor money the mails will count for nothingWhat will be remembered is that the bank couldn39t help or the supermarket couldn39t deliver not the warm fluffy ads saying they were there by your side when you needed themRemember we are living through a time when advertising per se is not trusted How consumers perceive ads what they think of them the extent that they empathise with them the degree that they believe them the fact that they increasingly don39t trust many of the media forms in which they appear all of these are comparatively recent phenomenaConsumer attitudes towards the media and the advertising within those media have to be factored in to the 39lessons learned from past recessions39 articles and webinars The SoV SoM numbers alone are nothing like enoughWe also need to consider more marketing levers than advertising Most commentators focus on ad spend and related data points as that39s the data they haveBut amp8211 today we have many more outlets more techniques and a far greater range of communication options than in past recessions even 2008All of which means we need to take the 39lessons from past recessions39 pieces with a pinch of salt This is a whole new ball of wax for all of us How consumers see advertising and ads indeed how they consume commercial messages beyond ads aren39t the same as even 12 years ago And that mattersLast week I interviewed Bob Hoffman the AdContrarian on behalf of asi and asked him for his thoughts on advertising in a time of crisis You can listen to the interview hereBob39s always great value so give yourselves a break from your busy day of staying at home and enjoyStay safe people and stay wellClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Advertising in a Crisis: Be Wary of Lessons from Past Recessions

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Brian Jacobs

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