The Drum Show: a CMO and agency boss on marketing in the time of coronavirus
In a special edition of The Drum Show during the Digital Transformation Festival, the head of marketing at Hertz and founder of creative agency Mr President shared how their respective businesses are coping during the current coronavirus crisis.
Joining The Drum’s associate editor Sonoo Singh, Vincent Gillet, vice-president international marketing at Hertz, and Mr President co-founder and chief creative officer Laura Jordan Bambach discussed the only topic on any business owners agenda – how to survive the coming weeks and months.
Bambach said that it was “too early” to know what the impact will be on a small company like Mr President, which counts Metro Bank and Betvictor among its clients. However, she praised the government’s efforts to provide businesses with grants and loans following the chancellor's announcement that £330bn would be reserved to support the economy.
“Certainly it’s a huge move and something that was unexpected, so that’s a good thing,” she said. “But how it’s going to trickle down is to be seen and discussed in the coming days.”
Many advertising agencies are waiting for their clients to make decisions on how they will spend on marketing in the coming months. Perhaps concerningly, Hertz’s Gillet said that his business is “being quite conservative” for the time being.
“The thing we’re focused on is making sure our vehicles are being used to the best of our abilities and we’re flexible on cancellation policies. It’s practical advice [we’re giving people]. There’s no fancy marketing going on at this point,” he said.
However, both Bambach and Gillet praised brands that have tried to get creative, and helpful, with their messaging and products during the crisis. For example, LMVH ordered its factories to stop creating cosmetics to instead make hand sanitizer while Bambach applauded Uncommon for the work it has done with Brew Dog to manufacture its own sanitiser.
“You’ll see a lot of this wonderful stuff popping up. In a way it’s exciting. It’s terrible, obviously, but there are clients trying to find solutions,” she said.
Watch the full interview with the guests further exploring the impact of the coronavirus and delving into the topic of digital transformation and what that means for their respective industries.