Research shows that users desire a sense of normalcy from brands

In fact, 64% of respondents said that brands should continue advertising their products as normal, while 52% of them said that this content helped give them a sense of normality in their own lives.

However, a huge 93% of respondents agreed that the tone needs to change, which means that as brands we need to find a way to operate in this new atmosphere of sickness and death. Not something you’ll find in your corporate social media policy handbook.

Some companies have thrown in the towel and simply shut down, not seeing a way to adapt their tone to this harsh new reality (a missed opportunity for a furniture brand, while rival West Elm were cleverly offering Zoom backgrounds).

When asked what brands should be doing in social media during the COVID-19 crisis, the themes that came up were supporting front-line staff (82%), supporting vulnerable people in their community (86%), providing reliable, accurate information (89%) and showing acts of kindness (74%).

Our amazing Intensive Care Unit Team at #Maidstonehospital now have somewhere more comfortable to relax

Thanks to a generous sofa donation from @DFS #Maidstone

Our staff are v grateful @MTWnhs pic.twitter.com/fnv8FSVJd6

— MTW Charity (@MtwCharity) April 9, 2020

People see brands as being in a unique position where they can step up, and direct considerable resources to help in a crisis as with DFS in the above tweet, donating sofas to healthcare facilities.

New rules for a new era

There’s clearly a coronavirus-era social playbook emerging here. New rules that have sprung up organically in reaction to this unexpected crisis, but that are becoming set in stone. As more brands play that way, it sets consumer expectations which in turn solidifies these ad hoc rules further.

Look at your industry and how the big players are adapting. Look outside to the bigger consumer sectors. What new language and conventions are forming?

A message from our Reebok family to yours: give yourself #PermissionToPause. pic.twitter.com/BVXzKkfPNq

— Reebok (@Reebok) April 6, 2020

The playing field is level and empty

While now is not the time to be opportunistic, the fact remains that it’s become pretty quiet out there on the ad platforms, for most industries anyway. Expedia, one of the internet’s biggest ad spenders said this week that they usually spend $5 billion a year on ads, whereas their 2020 bill will be less than $1 billion.

Recent research from Gupta Media found that the average CPM on Facebook has sunk below $2 for the first time in the company’s history. It’s just a lot less competitive out there, and for lots of reasons now is not the time to disappear from your customers’ lives.

Keep advertising, change the tone

While many marketers are delaying campaigns, even product launches, there’s an argument for keeping some ‘always-on’ inventory live to remain present in your customers’ lives (if you’re still operational of course).

Think about how you can creatively adapt your tone to celebrate your brand, keep the audience entertained and provide value in their lives.

View this post on Instagram

All hands on deck. Our U.S. factories are working to develop, manufacture and deliver facial masks to the hospital community. To learn more, check our link in bio.

A post shared by New Balance (@newbalance) on Mar 27, 2020 at 5:16pm PDT

As the Twitter research suggests, people want brands to be there, whether it’s to offer support and positivity or simply to distract from late night doom-scrolling.

Dominic Cook, co-founder and co-CEO, 33Seconds