CRISIS COMMUNICATION : DO'S AND DON'TS

They say that a crisis is the perfect ground for new leaders to emerge and existing leaders to show how strong or weak their leadership is.

The basic expectation that everyone has from a leader is the right kind of #Communication - internal as well as external.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen some of the companies and their #leadership teams managing the situation quite well whereas there have been companies that have bungled this up completely.

Although, more and more countries are starting to reduce the lockdown measures, the problem is not completely over, and hence the expectations from leaders to communicate during this crisis, will continue to remain high.

Here is a set of Do's and Don'ts that can be very helpful in building the right kind of executive narrative.

WITH LOVE FROM AUS

Tourism Australia has come up with a charming and beautiful film that shows the various aspects of Australia - its architecture, its wild life and so much more.

This new ad, made by M&C Saatchi wants to tell the world that Australia will be waiting with open arms, ready to welcome visitors as soon as normalcy returns. 

Enjoy the wonderfully well shot film and put Australia in your travel plans of the future!

USE IT - STOP THE SPREAD

This is an advertisement created by Zuck & Berg, Armenia for World Health Organization asking people to stop the spread of the virus. 

How? 

Use your brains - Do not panic and do not fall for rumours, fake news or misinformation.

Use soap - Wash your hands frequently.

Such a powerful visual! Well thought through and quite creative. 

SAMSUNG MICROCODES

In the current world of noise and clutter, it's always a challenge for #brands to get the attention of their target audience.

Every marketer keeps thinking of new ways of reaching their consumer through their advertising and #communication. Now what if you start incentivising people to watch your ads across the different platforms? That is exactly the idea behind #Samsung Microcodes.

This is an initiative in Australia where, Samsung Australia has hidden codes in their ads around the country to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy S20. These codes are extremely tiny and could be hidden in their TV ads, posters, online ads, mobile ads or any other #advertisement that they roll out. The first one to find a winning code gets a free Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G!

Such a creative way to engage people, get them to pay attention to every ad on every platform and also build excitement for the new launch!

TOAST IT THE WAY YOU LIKE IT!

Although bread is eaten universally, not everyone likes to have their bread toasted at the same level. Some like it lightly toasted while others like it to be dark.

However, most toasters only have two settings - burnt and not burnt. You can do your own trial and error to get the perfect toast but it is never consistent.

The R180 toaster from Revolution in USA doesn’t have that problem. They turned an insight into an opportunity and it lets you toast your toast exactly how you want it.

To let people know about this toaster, they launched a print ad where they showed all the possible shades of toast that you can achieve and they smartly used a colour swatch card to drive the point by converting it into a toast swatch card.

Innovation in product, creativity in communication - a perfect combination.

DUMBEST CREATURE ON THE PLANET

Sometimes, the best way to instill a message is to use satire and sarcasm.

Throw in a strong headline as well and chances are that the message would get read. 

This ad, that appeared in an Indian newspaper 'The Hindu' is an example of a brilliant piece of copywriting. 

Every word and sentence has been thought through so that it hits hard, really hard.

LEAP DAY

You may see Ryan Reynolds as a sharp actor. However, I see him as an astute marketer who knows how to leverage an opportunity when he sees one.

Today is 29th February. A leap day. In school, we always felt sad for a person who celebrated his/her birthday on 29th February as they would get to celebrate it only once every four years. What that also meant was that those people moved from one age to another every four years only.

Ryan Reynolds used this insight, found a person born on Feb 29th, 1936 and then made her try her first legal drink (of course, his own brand - Aviation Gin) when she turned 21 in the year 2020!

Loved the casting, the acting, the creativity and the storytelling in this adorable video.

This is yet another smart move that Ryan has pulled off after the coup that he did a few months back by doing three different brand ads in a single ad.

CHEERS TO ALL

It is the role of advertising and communication to build brand equity and drive sales. However, it is also the responsibility of advertising and brands to understand culture and play a role in breaking stereotypes.

The HEINEKEN Company has launched a lovely ad film that uses only the power of visuals and lyrics to break a strong stereotype associated with drinking beer.

Don't miss the last line, where they do not mention beer at all. Very smart!

THE ECONOMIST

Advertising of The Economist magazine is known for its intellect, wit and use of less words.

They want to reflect in their #advertising the same level of intelligence that they expect from their readers. 

Here is yet another example of their style of communication.

FEEL IT

They say, you cannot unsee something after you have seen it. 

The Coca-Cola Company is pushing the pedal in its new outdoor and print campaign in Europe, where they are relying on the strength of consumer memory.

The company is putting the Coca Cola logo on different platforms in the same font and angle as how it appears on their bottles.

The line above every ad reads 'Feel It' and that line triggers the mind to visualize the bottle without the bottle being there! 

This is an idea by #Publicis where they have gone ahead and leveraged the visual icons of the #Coke brand - the red colour, the font and the iconic bottle.

It is a great example of how consistency of certain elements around your #brand play a big role in brand building. Go ahead and see all three pictures and I am sure that you will also feel the bottle.

GUIDE THAT FIGHTS CORONAVIRUS

We all know how #coronovirus has been spreading all over with cases being detected across multiple continents. 

We also know how prevention is better than cure and boosting our immunity is one way to avoid coming under attack. 

However, there are other simple but important steps too that will keep us all protected.

I am sure that people in #India would have seen this #Lifebuoy print ad that they released a week back, using the abbreviation of F.I.G.H.T.S to educate and inform people on what else they can do to fight the virus. 

Other than the use of the abbreviation, what also strikes you is the bold move by the brand to name four of its closest competitors in the same ad - Lux, Dettol, Santoor and Godrej No. 1

People who consider this as a marketing or a publicity stunt need to think again. No other brand had done this and not many brands can pull off something like this. 

This is a sign of a brave and secure #brand that sees its purpose to be more important than a mere piece of advertising.

It is no surprise that this comes from #Unilever as they strongly believe and follow purpose in their communication.

LOVE HAS NO BOUNDARIES

#Greece is still one of the countries that is traditional by nature and not very open to #diversity. 

Lacta, a Greek chocolate #brand, that is now a part of the Mondelēz International group comes up with a lovely film that starts by showing reactions of people when they see love that is not as per their expectations. The film then changes course and each scenario gets depicted in a very different way. 

A well made film by Ogilvy for this #ValentinesDay, asking us all to see #love in its purest form beyond any stereotypes. The soundtrack is quite nice as well.

LONELIEST PERSON ON VALENTINE'S DAY

Burger King Corporation does it again! This time, it is Burger King India that launches a video for Valentine's Day, telling people that the loneliest person on this planet is none other than the clown of McDonald's - Ronald McDonald. 

The video then encourages people to take a selfie with Ronald, upload it by tagging Burger King India and then come to a #BurgerKing outlet to get a free #whopper.

Usually, I am not a big fan of comparative or competitive #advertising as you tend to contribute to the other brand's salience without them spending any money.

However, in this case it works because:

1. It is not new for Burger King to troll McDonald's. They have been doing it across their markets for quite some time now. It is part of their style that resonates with its audience. 

2. The campaign gets lot of earned media and social media currency to the brand by people posting pictures and tagging Burger King handle. 

3. To get a free whopper, people would visit a Burger King cafe. Usually, they wouldn't go alone or would not just eat a Whopper. So in both scenarios, this helps in increasing the footfalls as well as the sales of the cafes, which is what every piece of advertising is supposed to do. 

BEFORE ALEXA

Few days back, I had posted about the new #Google ad that was rolled out during the #SuperBowl. If you haven’t seen the ad as yet, then I insist that you take the time to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xSxXiHwMrg

In this voice-enabled assistants segment, how could Amazon stay behind. They also came up with a gem of an ad during the Super Bowl featuring the couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, where Ellen wonders what people did #BeforeAlexa.

The ad then goes into various scenarios and situations of how people acted and behaved before the world of Alexa by showing actual people whose name begins with the letters A and L. 

The ad is quite funny and it seems that Google and #Amazon chose two different emotions of a spectrum to launch their communication. It is quite a contrast to watch the two ads one after the other. 

The Alexa ad is doing very well and has already garnered 61 million views on #YouTube from Amazon’s channel and another 1.2 Million views on TheEllenShow channel, showing the power of good content.

GONG XI FA CAI

Today, #China celebrates its Chinese New Year and it is a tradition and custom in China for elders to hand over red envelopes filled with money (known as "hongbao") to children for good luck. 

Taking this consumer insight, #Nike has come up with an amusing twist to this tradition in their new ad, which shows a funny chase between an aunt trying to give her niece the red envelope and the niece trying to avoid it as much as possible.

This film by the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy has been shot quite well, covering various places like fields, rooftops, festivals to show the chase and has been built on a strong consumer insight.

The role and integration of the product into the tradition and #culture is seamless, without showing any disrespect. It just reminds the audience to celebrate, while having fun and staying active.

What really brings a smile to the face is the surprise at the end. Enjoy this wonderful film.

JAMES BOND - I AM WORKING

If you have been a James Bond fan and a regular watcher of the Bond franchise movies, you will remember the classic dialogue 'Shaken, not stirred' when James Bond is asked how he prefers his Martini. 

All of that started changing when #Heineken started associating with the Bond movies since 1997. However, James Bond himself was shown drinking Heineken only from the 2012 film Skyfall. 

Now, as the new #Bond movie 'Time To Die', which is set to release in April'20 starts its promotions, Heineken has gone a step further by showing James Bond drinking their alcohol free version of beer - Heineken 0.0, while working. 

They have released a new video, and in that you see Daniel Craig, dressed in a tuxedo, refusing the vodka martini that the bartender serves to him, and rather calls for a Heineken 0.0

"I'm working," he then says to the barman.

The ad ends with the tagline: "Now you can while working". 

You can see the full video here:

James Bond Heineken 0.0 Ad

OPEN 24 HOURS

Simple, effective and creative. The print campaign by McDonald's in Uruguay is brilliant. 

With the upside down text, the reader will turn the page around and as soon as she does that, she will notice that the time reads right on both sides, even though the time itself is different. The message is extremely clear. 

Conceptualized by TBWA\Worldwide, this is yet another example of a lesson in #communication - Do not try too hard. Keep it simple.

DIGITAL ADDICTION: YOU DON'T KNOW IT

Have you ever been in a restaurant or a tourist spot or a public transport and seen most heads down, looking into their #mobiles or other #digital devices, even when people have company?

As long as you are conscious about it and it does not affect your conversations and relationships, it is fine. However, when mobile phone engagement overpowers the real and true engagement and you start neglecting your relationships, there is a problem there.

Delete Institute, an NGO in Brazil, dedicated to guiding and informing society about the conscious use of technologies through training, consulting and support has launched a fantastic print campaign that uses extremely powerful visuals and shows people in different situations, busy in their phones. 

The beauty of the campaign is that each of this black and white picture shows a typical scenario, but the digital device has been removed from the picture. 

Each picture ends with a powerful line Digital addiction. Only you can’t see it. Delete conscious use of technology.

 

RAZR HAS ARRIVED!

Once upon a time, there were flip phones in the world. Until, some companies decided to change the game and flip phones became a part of folklore. 

But then, how can you keep the forefather of flip phone, #Motorola away from it? They were the pioneers in the flip phone era, launching their first flip phone model StarTAC way back in 1996. 

Now, more than two decades later, Motorola launches its new model of Motorola Razr that is sleek, modern and stylish. It comes with all the features that you expect in a smart phone and yet retains some of the heritage from the earlier versions of the Razr. 

A launch like this deserves an edgy commercial as well. Motorola does complete justice with their new ad film, which has great visuals accompanied with a strong music track. 

Enjoy this one and swoon over the new Razr.

DON'T PRETEND

This is such a cheeky yet witty print campaign from Volkswagen AG in Turkey. 

Look at the two images closely. The people in the ad look seriously working, whether it is school or office. However, if you pay close attention, the boy has the pencil upside down and the woman is playing a computer game. 

I really like the closing lines - Ours don't pretend, they actually work. Volkswagen Genuine Parts.

Instead of using automobile visuals, they have chosen visuals unrelated to their industry and yet give a clear and strong message.

Good job by their creative agency DDB, Turkey.