This Week in Strategy: A sheep dog tells her owner she found all fifty sheep. Owner says that there should only be 46. The dog says, “but I rounded them up!”
Hi Strat Pack,
What a week it has been. Importantly, thank you to everyone who signed up for my NYT Mini Crossword leaderboard. The way it works, everyone has their own leaderboard (you might just see me but I can see everyone that I've added/has added me). So please, share your links around! It's a weird fun activity! And if you did add me, let me know! A lot of your usernames are super ambiguous and competition is more fun if you know you you're competing with!
I don't know what the rest of the world is like because I haven't really left my apartment in the last two weeks, but I hope you're staying safe, staying happy, and staying employed. There's a lot going on this week, and most of it has to do with our good friend, the novel coronavirus COVID-19. This is a weird time, especially in New York. And while I don't want to bombard you with more coverage than you already have, there have been some interesting takes, some great resources, and some pretty good work that came out of it. So I hope we can move back to regular old advertising stories soon, but this week, I've got corona on my mind.
First - the weird/cool: Security Guard Makes the National Cowboy Museum the Only Good Twitter Account Coronavirus has closed the doors of Oklahoma’s National Cowboy Museum, but its social media presence is doing better than ever thanks to the incredibly charming security guard who took over the accounts. And it is exactly the wholesome content right now.
Second - the weird/depressing: The Great Empty - Photographs by The New York Times. I walked through Times Square last Saturday. It was practically deserted. It was weird as hell. Our public spaces are not meant to be deserted. Walking down Fifth Avenue emptied of humans and storefronts felt--to paraphrase Shakespeare--unnatural, and unkind, yet 100% necessary. To quote the Times: "[these spaces'] emptiness trumpets an existence mostly divorced from human habitation and the messy thrum of daily life. They imagine an experience more akin to the wonder of bygone explorers coming upon the remains of a lost civilization. They evoke the romance of ruins. Beauty entails something else. It is something we bestow. It will be the moment we return."
Third - the weird/dystopian: Smartphone data reveal which Americans are social distancing (and not) If you have a smartphone, you’re probably contributing to a massive coronavirus surveillance system. And it’s revealing where Americans have — and haven’t — been practicing social distancing. Efforts to track public health during the coronavirus pandemic are a reminder of the many ways phones reveal our personal lives, both as individuals and in the aggregate. All of these surveillance studies raise a question: Do people realize they’re sharing data about their whereabouts for these purposes?
Alright, stop turning that Cowboy Museum security guard influencer story into the next Night at the Museum spec script. Let's jump right in.
The one thing to read this week
1) Global Call to Creatives: An Open Brief from the United Nations [United Nations]
Guys. I love this so much. I think this is so inspiring and such a great idea. I'm going to be working on this over the next few days and I hope you do too. And the thing is - it's actually a well written brief! Want to work on this together? Drop me a line - let's make some great work!
"We are in an unprecedented situation and the normal rules no longer apply. We cannot resort to the usual tools in such unusual times. The creativity of the response must match the unique nature of the crisis – and the magnitude of the response must match its scale.” - UN Secretary-General, António Guterres
For the first time, the UN is launching an Open Brief to creatives everywhere to help spread public health messages in ways which will be effective, accessible and shareable. Together we can flatten the curve. The World Health Organization needs help translating critical public health messages - not just into different languages - but into different cultures, communities and platforms - reaching everyone, everywhere.
We need to meet people where they are, with a stream of fresh, innovative content which drives home the personal behaviours and societal support needed today.
The UN has identified six key areas of public activation most essential right now. Together these make up six “mini-briefs” or episodes:
Personal hygiene
Social distancing
Know the symptoms
Kindness contagion
Myth busting
Do more, donate
The way we all communicate and how we do so, is as important as what we communicate.
In the link, you will find resources to help create campaigns and content including key messages, existing assets, and inspiration fodder. We hope this serves as a tinder box of inspiration for adapted, localised creative in and for your community.
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
Together, we can save lives, protect resources and care for each other.
2) Special Section: Covid-19 Resources for Marketers
A Gigantic Google Drive with over 130 POV Reports [Google Drive] Strategist Ci En Lee has worked with strategists all over the world to compile this folder of marketing POVs, business and consumer research reports across agency land (including China) to help everyone to make better decisions. Hugely useful is the Brands Doing Good tab under LIVE - Websites and Resources to Visit. If you see a more comprehensive resource, please let me know
How to Protect your Brand: A Briefing for Marketing Leaders from BBH [BBH Labs - LinkedIn] A BBH briefing on marketing in the time of COVID-19: how brands stay trading, stay helpful and emerge strong. Please steal and share. Looking for a downloadable PDF? Here you go!
What does coronavirus mean for brands on social media? [Carly Gibson - Linkedin] A white paper from the Ogilvy Social Practice. Steer away from hard-sell content that directly promotes product, and shift focus to how your brand can provide value for consumers.Think about the state of mind and changing behaviors of your audience right now, and make sure that your brand is following these five principles: (Looking for a downloadable PDF? Here you go!)
Listen First. Listen to what consumers are saying then respond.
Be Sensitive. Re-evaluate content for tone and message.
Be Transparent. Communicate openly and take feedback.
Adapt Your Strategy. Adapt your strategy based on new behaviors.
Rise To The Occasion. Consider ways your brand can help
3) We don't save people's lives [Campaign Live]
by Richard Huntington, chairman and chief strategy officer at Saatchi & Saatchi London
It used to be a joke, didn't it? With a laugh in our throats, we would chortle that what we do "isn't exactly brain surgery" or that "no-one dies". It doesn't feel like a joke any more. Let’s be very clear: while we do support people’s livelihoods, we don’t save people’s lives. Not one of us.
And that can feel uncomfortable at times like this. A reminder that while we chose a career that is stimulating, creative, fun and occasionally lucrative, it isn’t vital. None of us will be on the list of essential roles that mean our children continue to be educated. Our colleagues may well be, but we won’t.
And as the businesses that we serve face unprecedented pressures on supply, production, distribution, service and staffing, it’s going to be an odd time to be a marketer. It will sometimes feel that we are bit players in the extraordinary drama that is unfolding around us.
In a world that has to think tactically, as the situation changes day to day the truth is that we are more comfortable with the longer term. We build brands and businesses for the future. We identify new sources of revenue for the future. We understand the way consumer behaviour is changing in the future.
In a world where everything from the supply chain to people’s survival is dependent on collaboration and co-operation, the truth is that every fibre of our being is dedicated to competitiveness, to finding and exploiting advantages that we hold and weaknesses in others.
And in a world where people are increasingly focused on the very basics of life and living, the truth is that we work more naturally at the top of the hierarchy of needs. We shape brands that create a sense of belonging and enable people to express themselves and their sense of identity.
So, at a time like this, it’s important that we remember marketing’s duty to serve and understand where and how we can make the right kind of difference. That is about brand stewardship and it’s about selfless creativity.
Whatever this crisis is or isn’t, it is an economic catastrophe, right on the heels of the global banking crisis, a decade of austerity and the madness of Brexit. And we know our primary responsibility in times like this, since we have endured recession after recession in our working lives. That is about making sure there is a business left when this all ends.
While finding ways to do more with less and playing our part in the cost savings that our businesses demand, marketers must hold the line on advertising investment. Time and time again, experience tell us that those that invest in brand advertising, maintaining or increasing it during recession, benefit when the economy recovers. The data is unequivocal; cutting brand support now will harm your brand and your ability to grow share.
Moreover, it is very clear that it takes years for brands and businesses to build back the share and equity losses that result from investment reductions in recession. It may be true that over very short periods it does little harm for a brand to "go dark", but as weeks turn to months this is a very dangerous game, akin to playing Russian roulette with every chamber filled.
Uncomfortable though it may feel, as firefighting becomes the order of the day, our primary duty has to be to the long-term success of our brands and businesses, ensuring that when this crisis ends they are in a position to prosper. This requires real stewardship.
Once we have taken the right measures to protect the future, we can and should turn our attention to the shorter term. To the ways in which our ability to solve new problems with creativity and novelty can help the immediate future of our businesses, their customers and the broader community.
It is right that we divert some of our energy towards shorter-term initiatives aimed at solving immediate issues, for the good of those around us and for the good of our brands. Indeed, the actions that our businesses take over the coming months will be remembered for years to come.
But here’s the thing – to do this well, we need to curb our enthusiasm and supress the natural marketer in all of us. Specifically, we have to remember this crisis really isn’t about us or our brands. That is something that doesn’t come easily to people like us, schooled as we are in the raw narcissism of marketing. We are all going to have to learn to be selfless.
Selflessness is precisely what separates actions like Guinness supporting bar staff wages or Iceland being the first to open its stores early for vulnerable groups from the crasser attempts to help. That kind of selfish brand behaviour, with its slick social media coverage, though rightly applauded in peace time leaves behind a bitter taste and whiff of opportunism in days like these.
Put simply, if what you are thinking of doing to help has you imagining the press release or planning a trip to Cannes next winter, you should put your pen down right now. This is about selfless creativity.
A crisis like this reminds marketers that we are mortals. The true heroes in our communities and companies are those on the front line, exposing themselves to danger to look after the vulnerable and ill or getting to work because what they do really matters right now.
Much though we like the centre stage, it’s a moment for us to step back and remember our duty to serve as marketers. On the one hand, swift, impactful and meaningful problem-solving born of our creativity that eschews our natural narcissism for selflessness. And, on the other, evidence-led brand stewardship, so that when this crisis ends we have businesses that are as fit and healthy as we are.
4) Quick Hits: A few articles that are concise, important, interesting, impactful, and I'm not going to write long descriptions for them
How Futurists Cope With Uncertainty [Amy Webb - Mailchimp] [Or a better formatted Medium article that's behind their metered paywall] This is a fantastic article you need to read. Your organizations want new financial projections and accurate timetables. Your senior executives and boards want concrete answers. Your goal right now isn’t predictions. It’s preparation for what comes next. We must shift our mindset from making predictions to being prepared. Your goal right now isn’t predictions. It’s preparation for what comes next. We must shift our mindset from making predictions to being prepared. Futurists use a simple tool in times of deep uncertainty. It’s called the Axes of Uncertainty, and it’s easy to understand and apply. Amy walks through how to use the tool in your organization, and even to help you grapple with disruption in your personal life. Some of what you surface in this activity will highlight opportunities you didn’t see before, and you will likely also see existential risk you’d never imagined. The more plausible outcomes you can discover, and the more flexible you can be in your thinking and planning, the more assured you will feel about your futures. That’s how you break the vicious cycle of corporate anxiety. And there’s an added benefit: if you identify existential risk early, you have time to take action.
You Have a Moral Responsibility to Post Your Boring Life on Instagram [The Atlantic] A fascinating read and a glimpse into the human psyche on social media. Without a steady stream of brunch photos, beach-vacation selfies, and horribly loud concert footage in which the singer is not even recognizable, platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have mutated into hyper-intimate scrapbooks of days spent cooped up inside. “Instagram posts are usually carefully curated, more than life is. We want a nice narrative story,” Julia Deeb-Swihart, a doctoral student at Georgia Tech who has studied the motivations behind posting photos of oneself, told me. “People typically take selfies when there’s something going on; it’s kind of proof that you’ve done something.” But now the Instagram playing field is as level as it will ever be. All we have to show is our faces, which are the things people want to look at now anyway
The Best, Worst, and Weirdest of the Random Coronavirus Emails We’re All Getting From Brands [Slate] Two intrepid Slate journalists have trawled social media and the inboxes of everyone they work with to bring you the best and worst examples of brands’ vitally important COVID-19 email updates, helpfully grouped into categories ranging from “Uh, OK, Thanks for Letting Me Know … ?” to “Wait, Who?” These were sent at various times throughout the past few weeks, so rest assured that the waxing salon letting you know how hygienic it was circa March 13 has probably now closed its doors. Stay safe out there!
5) Department of Great Work
Why a Peruvian Beer Brand Admitted Its Contribution to Gender Inequality [Little Black Book] Starting with non-corona great work! Many beer brands have history when it comes to sexist advertising but very few will go out of their way to admit it. That can’t be said for Pilsen Callao, a beer from Peru that’s part of AB InBev. In a recent campaign by Fahrenheit DDB Peru, Pilsen Callao calls out everyday sexism in the country and acknowledged its contribution to the problem by following certain paradigms of sexst advertising. The campaign was smart, managing to be entertaining while dealing with a serious issue - Peru is recognised by the World Economic Forum as having the highest rate of sexism in Latin America. There's a great interview in the article too, I highly recommend it.
Home Office Companions [Getty Images] I love Getty Images because they're weird as hell, have a photo for literally everything, and react quickly to the zeitgeist.
Krispy Kreme Has a Sweet Deal for Healthcare Heroes Fighting COVID-19 [Spectrum Local News] Krispy Kreme is making sure healthcare workers will have something sweet to look forward to at the begininning or end of their shift as they care for patients among a pandemic. The North Carolina-based chain says it is providing free dozens of its famous Original Glazed Doughnuts every Monday to healthcare workers starting March 30, which is also National Doctors’ Day. The deal will last through May 11, which falls on National Nurses Week. Whether they are heading in or heading home, they can go through the drive-thru window and show their badge to get the desserts.
IKEA instructions map out what to do during the coronavirus pandemic [AdAge] The Swedish retailer has relayed its own message in step-by-step directions just like in the instruction booklets that accompany its furniture. Only it’s arguably the easiest set of IKEA directions you’ll likely to ever come across. IKEA Israel posted the directions, created by created McCann Tel-Aviv Israel, to its Facebook page last Friday. “It’s really not complex–just staying at home,” reads the post.
We Made You Some New Zoom Backgrounds [The Infatuation] If you're not familiar, The Infatuation is maybe the best restaurant review site on the internet today. Hell, they bought Zagat from Google! There’s a pretty good chance that you’re using Zoom to connect with your co-workers, your friends, your family, or a combination of all three at once if your cousin works at the same company as you and you guys are close. If you’d like to impress those on your screen, while also keeping people from seeing how your bedroom is getting progressively messier, please meet The Infatuation’s library of Zoom backgrounds.
Nike Rallies Sports Fans to ‘Play Inside, Play for the World’ [AdWeek] Nike is giving consumers access to the premium features of the Nike Training Club (NTC) app. In classic Nike style, the effort is supported with a super-simple, clean ad with copywriting that the brand and its agency, Wieden + Kennedy, are known for. The move follows Nike’s COVID-19 community response earlier in the week, committing more than $15 million to response efforts.
6) Platform Updates
YouTube Slashes Video Quality to Save Bandwidth [Wired] Soon, YouTube will default to streaming at standard definition. You'll still be able to watch videos in high-def, but you'll need to increase the resolution manuallyTech companies aiming to prevent internet congestion during the Covid-19 pandemic by limiting bandwidth for applications like consumer video and game downloads. Internet traffic peaks at 20 percent to 40 percent higher than usual over the past four weeks in areas highly impacted by Covid-19. The bulk of that increase comes from streaming services like Netflix, with the company's traffic increasing by 54 percent to 75 percent in some places. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Sony plan to throttle game downloads during peak usage hours to help prevent internet congestion during the Covid-19 pandemic.
TikTok creates live programming to encourage connection amid social distancing [Business Insider] TikTok launched #HappyAtHome on Monday, a new set of curated original programming featuring celebrities and TikTok influencers that will live stream every night this week to boost the mood of its homebound users, per a company release. The #HappyAtHome: Live! content will feature different themes every night of the week, with corresponding public figures: For instance "Motivation Monday" featured some inspirational words from Arnold Schwarzenegger, while Thursday will be "EduTok" with Bill Nye. The app has also been running live-streamed Q&A sessions with the World Health Organization (WHO) since last week. This marks the first instance of TikTok creating its own programming, and the content could help the app boost trust in the US, where it has been under scrutiny in recent months.
Instagram Launches New Co-Watching Feature to Help Users Connect Amid COVID-19 Lockdowns [SocialMediaToday] Instagram's new 'Co-Watching' feature enables users to search through Instagram and share content with the group, enabling participatory engagement on Instagram content. As explained by Instagram: "To help people stay connected, we’ve launched media sharing, a new feature that allows you to view Instagram posts together with your friends over video chat. You can start a video chat by tapping the video chat icon in the Direct inbox or in an existing Direct thread, then view saved, liked and suggested photos/videos by tapping the photo icon in the bottom left corner in an ongoing video chat." So you can't necessarily scroll through your regular feed, but you could, for example, create a list of content to discuss in your chat by liking or saving relevant posts, which you can then access in-stream.
As always, the full archive is available here. Was this email forwarded to you? Want to start getting this on a weekly basis? All I need is your email, everything else is optional. Thanks for sticking around as always. See you next week!