Travel and tourism are suffering. Retail is imploding (Brooks Brothers and Lucky Brand are the latest to declare bankruptcy).
Schools may or may not reopen on time. There may or may not be a college football season. So much uncertainty…
In the middle of the economic and social chaos, it’s normal to long for the way things were. Going on vacation this summer is the kind of normal many of us seek to return to. In their new commercial, INFINITI taps into this longing.
But is it responsible for INFINITI to tap into our longing to get out of the house and drive to another place where we will spend a week or more interacting with people, even masked people at six feet away?
INFINITI, like every other carmaker, must move metal. Yet, this marketplace need has to be balanced with the need for public safety or the brand will be seen as callous, clueless, or worse.
On the Other Hand, Uber Says, “No Mask. No Ride.”
On the flip side, there’s Uber. The gig workers who drive for Uber invite strangers into their cars. That’s scarier than ever today. Thankfully, the brand’s marketing is warm and welcoming.
Great song! I love that Uber found a way to put some energy into this movement. This is a responsible message: “We protect each other. No Mask. No Ride.”
How companies look out for their workers today is critical to everyone’s health, and brand perception. If the perception is that the company cares more about making money than it does about the health and safety of workers and customers, it’s a stain that won’t soon be removed.
Almost everyone’s livelihood is at risk. Can we admit this?
Almost everyone’s life is at risk? Can we admit this, as well?
Whatever you do in your personal life is yours to do, but when you go to bat for brands every day these are the fundamental considerations at hand. Strategies that result in tone-deaf “appeals” are not needed. Ad people have always been armchair psychologists. Now, this skill is needed. What’s not needed are any ideas that exploit our longings.
A road trip in a new car sounds great for the individuals involved. But how will it impact the people along the route and the people at the destination? How will it impact you?
This is a tricky time. People are screen zombifying harder than ever and with our extreme lack of social contact, we are frayed as people. People need one another, and a Zoom chat isn’t the balm for the human connections that are missing on a gross scale.
We need to travel again and see our friends and family again. The question is when, and via what means—car, train, or plane? There are also several attending questions like will you need to quarantine for 14 days, and will people be wearing masks?
