Coronavirus: From Fear To Post-crisis Marketing

Coronavirus: From Fear to Post-Crisis Marketing

While neither denying nor disregarding the Coronavirus risks, maybe the most significant threat comes from fear. Once a person is scared, his or her energy runs out. Such fear increases people` s individuality when there is a need for solidarity. Fear leads to psychological Confinement. Further, it can cause physical, spiritual, and intellectual weakness. Anxiety may be more devastating than the Coronavirus.

"Fear is one of the seven universal emotions experienced by everyone around the world. Fear arises with the threat of harm, either physical, emotional, or psychological, real, or imagined. While traditionally considered a "negative" emotion, fear serves a vital role in keeping us safe as it mobilizes us to cope with potential danger.'[1]

Moreover, combined with intensive media coverage, Coronavirus is everywhere. Both experts and novices are using it for good and evil, thus triggering a buzz. Coronavirus refers to words that are pretty strong and terrifying such as death, epidemic, powerlessness, Confinement. These fiery words have become the everyday stuff in official as well as in general speeches. Not something trivial Mass media can be very anxiety-inducing, but people keep watch.

Nevertheless, an exciting marketing consideration is worth noting: Negativity is prevailing when it comes to communication. No doubt, Coronavirus is terrorizing everyone in the world. It completely disrupted people`s s day-to-day routines as they confine themselves indoors and stock up with food for several months. In fact, due to the Coronavirus, people are now adopting different consumption patterns and potentially undertaking actions they would not have before. So, one question is worth asking: why has consumer behavior suddenly changed? The answer is simple: It is merely because of "fear.'

Behavioral psychologist Dr. Wyatt Woodsmall has further enhanced this notion by explaining: If you can find out what people s worst nightmare is, camp out inside their nightmare [they ll] do anything to get out of that situation. [2]

Fear is a powerful emotion, as everyone is aware of it, but no one is willing to feel it. The fear encourages people to carry out actions that are sometimes counter-intuitive or that are not in harmony with their vision and beliefs. Despite this, using fear in marketing is not a new phenomenon. In promotional communication, for example, the marketer frequently underlines both the urgency and the fear of missing an opportunity when trying to convince a customer to buy. The concept of "negativity" is, therefore, not only beneficial but also widely used. If consciously applied, the idea of "negativity" will surely achieve results.

Although the situation should eventually recover, the economic consequences are likely to be quite severe. Such a situation has often generated fear leading buyers to hold back, both out of anxiety and anticipation. Therefore, companies need to know how to react and adapt their strategy to this climate. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, the communicators in front cannot remain silent. In fact, within that potential informational chaos, it` s worth speaking out. The questions are:

How should Brands communicate? For what issues?

What are brands expected to do to cope with it?

How can brands assist their customers and put themselves in a stronger position to recover once the crisis is over?

Both with B2C or B2B, there are many possible communication options for keeping in touch with the customers or the community. The moment is not for Marketing Promotion, but eco-responsible and societal commitment. The time has come today to show proof of this to participate in the drive for collective solidarity. To prevent the hydroalcoholic gel shortage in French hospitals, the LVMH group will produce high quantities: 12 tons in the first week according to the LVMH group`s communiqu published on Sunday, March 15, 2020. It will be exclusive and free distribution to hospitals.

By suspending all major sporting competitions, more than one advertiser and media outlet are in trouble, including the gold sponsors such as Coca-Cola and Procter Gamble. However, sports competitions postponement may also promote a worthy purpose. The world number one beer company, AB InBev, has redirected the 5 million dollars budgeted initially for sports marketing to the American Red Cross[3]. At the same time, the brand is also using its connections to find empty stadiums for blood-donation operations. To publicize its efforts, the company has also produced a spot based on archive footage.

On the other hand, medical teleconsulting is gaining in popularity. On March 5, 2020, Doctolib made its platform temporarily free of charge for all doctors. Consequently, the number of consultations passing through the platform has increased by 40%. Furthermore, the French government strongly encourages teleconsultation. In March 2020, an official decree established critical conditions to cover medical telemedicine treatments for people potentially contaminated by the Covid-19 virus[4].

Incidentally, everyone takes the floor with no real expertise or specific added value. So how to avoid falling into infobesity? Maybe a good idea would be not to focus solely on creating hot content, linked to the crisis, and instead to keep producing cold content to be ready to deal with the "post-coronavirus" era. In this particular context, social networks will undoubtedly be one of the best places to continue to build relationships, since many of us spend more time there than before. So, the idea here is to share everyday life with others to forge complicity. The brands, therefore, benefit from following newly emerging behaviors and from contextualizing their content.

After containment measures, the "non-contact" option becomes necessary. The concept is not new, Contactless payment and contactless ticketing have been around before. The most concerned are restaurants, florists, and e-merchants. Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Frichti, for example, already work on this application. Indeed, several brands are opting for a contactless food delivery system to limit human interaction, and ensure that everyone involved is safe. The deliverer will deposit the order on the customer`s doormat, and then move slowly backward.

A further consideration worth considering is "Inbound Marketing." To keep it simple, it will mean letting leads to come forward and be present wherever you are, instead of approaching them with, for example, sales representatives. In a crisis, that is especially relevant, as users are mostly significantly present online. Therefore, you can easily reach them. Besides, such an investment will be worthwhile after the crisis, as it is a practice for long-term use.

The Chinese brand "Wang" reported how it had adapted its online content strategy to tackle the drop in users` views. The brand looked for ways of making social media content more meaningful. During this period, the marketing team noticed that consumers became more interested in fitness equipment. They need fitness training at home, so the brand started publishing instructional videos and broadcasting live fitness classes as a way of assisting them.

Apple will limit the number of developers allowed to publish new applications related to the Covid-19 virus. Only " highly qualified companies in health issues, "Government organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other health or education affiliated institutions would be allowed to submit an application related to Covid-19 to their authorized developers. Although containment will boost entertainment demand, however, "entertainment or gaming applications with a Covid-19 focus should be prohibited"[5].

Ultimately, with the Covid-19, the brands are taking more exceptional care not to look insensitive. They fear being misunderstood in an era of Confinement. But should consumers be left with no answers? Probably no! The consumers are expecting from brands to get involved and show the positive impact they have on society. Brands that will remain interconnected are likely to recover quicker and more reliable after the healthcare crisis. Still, brands should be careful not to sound opportunistic. They should already consider the post-crisis scenario. Any action that helps both the individual and society during this troubled time can only benefit both the brands and the business.

[1] https://www.paulekman.com/universal-emotions/what-is-fear/Retrieved on March 17, 2020.

How "Scary" Sells with Fear-Based Marketing - https://smallbiztrends.com/2014/04/fear-based-marketing.html Retrieved on March 17, 2020.

[3] https://www.marketingweek.com/everything-that-matters-this-morning-23-march-2020/ Retrieved on March 26, 2020.

[4] https://www.toutsurmesfinances.com/argent/a/teleconsultation-comment-fonctionne-une-consultation-medicale-a-distance, Retrieved on March 17, 2020.

[5] https://developer.apple.com/news/ Retrieved on March 17, 2020.