Spread the Word about Not Spreading the Virus
How advertising companies, agencies, firms and freelancers can help
Advertising is the ideal barometer for the state of the economy. Marketing budgets tend to be the first thing to go when an economic downturn hits, and those same budgets are often the last thing to come back. In a sense, if advertising companies, agencies, firms and freelancers are doing well as a whole, it’s safe to say the economy is doing well too. But when you see agency layoffs everywhere and very little freelance action, that’s a clear indication that the country’s economy isn’t healthy. Sadly, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of advertising being produced and placed is getting smaller every day.
Right now, the biggest thing happening in the advertising industry is trying to find ways for brands to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that is more than just lip service, and this has helped us continue to flex our creativity and do the work our clients need at the moment. But that’s a shallow well just waiting to run dry. With fewer and fewer companies advertising, the economic affects will ripple outward. Just look at the post office. With the severe drop in direct mail marketing, the U.S. Postal Service is projected to lose billions ($22 billion at last estimate) within the next 18 months.
On top of that, there is mass confusion about COVID-19. How do people stay safe? What do you do if you think you have it? What are safe activities? What are the facts? The answers to these questions and others can change drastically, depending on who you ask. People just haven’t found a clear source of reliable information on a mass scale. Instead, we have differing views from within the government, wildly different information from our news sources, and a proliferation of questionable, ill-thought and flatly wrong information coming from every direction via social media.
At UpperNinety, we think advertising companies can help make a difference right now regarding many of those points.
One idea to help alleviate many problems
So what can advertisers do to be a part of the solution? On the surface, it’s simple: as an industry, we’re dedicated to smartly and creatively encouraging people to take an action. Normally, we use this ability to sway opinions and build interest in brands, products or services. But what if we worked with our clients to craft executions that delivered the same, reliable information to everyone in the country? Is there really a way we could generate a bit of revenue for ourselves, goodwill for our clients, boost the bottom line of the U.S. Postal Service AND inform the public in a meaningful way?
There may be. Think of it as a single campaign with an unending array of executions. A campaign our clients can put their own personal stamp on. A campaign that every business can participate in at once, be they staunch competitors, up-and-coming companies or philanthropic institutions.
The Great COVID-19 Direct Mail Campaign
The CDC has a simple, easy-to-navigate webpage that has nothing but reliable facts and helpful information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a beacon of clear information. If we could get the public to all go there, they would all have the same, fact-based information about our current situation. So the call to action is already clear: visit the CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 website for more information.
How do we accomplish such a monumental feat of driving people to this site? Here’s where we turn to our clients. If every advertising company can get its clients to use their mailing lists to send out thoughtful direct mails, they can both show their desire as a brand to be there for their customers and encourage those customers to get the best information from the CDC.
Advertising companies benefit
This single idea gives advertising agencies to use their craft to help generate more revenue for themselves. They would be tasked with finding unique ways for the various brands on their rosters to get the message out. We can use our creativity for good, help our brands strike the right tone during these strange times and produce billable hours for ourselves.
Brands benefit
Each produced piece would be uniquely tailored to the client at hand, and it would highlight how each brand wants to do their part to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s about building goodwill throughout their customer bases. The approach could be multifaceted, including emails and social, but a direct mail media buy is imperative.
The U.S. Postal Service benefits
The increase in direct mail will help give the U.S. Postal Service a financial lifeline at a time when they need it most. An influx of hand-delivered marketing will boost their revenue.
Consumers benefit
Perhaps most importantly, consumers will benefit from getting the information they need most. If we can get as many consumers as possible to simply visit the CDC’s website, then more and more people will have accurate information, enabling them to properly protect themselves and their loved ones, all while gaining a firm understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic. The more people who know the facts about COVID-19, the more people will be ready to dispel misinformation.
Every brand, one campaign
At UpperNinety, we’re going to propose this to all of our clients. We don’t believe advertising can save the world, but we do believe spreading truthful, reliable information will go a long way toward helping America find its way out of this mess. Everyone says “we’re all in this together,” and that should include advertising companies and their clients.
If your company isn’t on our roster yet, but you would like to participate, just reach out, and we’ll help you craft the ideal direct mail piece to both benefit your company and keep your customers properly informed.