The Corona Diaries: Why Brands are Blamed for #COVIDwashing

Crisis, no matter the severity, can lead to creativity in how people adapt to dramatic changes in their lives, and for brands and businesses this means being relevant and present with their stakeholders.

But it hasn’t taken long for brands to begin marketing themselves with hopelessly hollow sentiments.

---

When brands attempt to leverage a major tragedy in order to illustrate their humanity, it rarely comes off well.

---

The hashtag “COVIDwashing” was born when Reese Witherspoon’s brand, Draper James came up with the idea of giving away free dresses to any teacher in the U.S.

I’m not clear on what made them think a dress would be more appreciated than a decent paycheck but this was their Pollyanna pipe dream. The copywriter and marketing director must have been off that day because the message went out and quickly backfired.

In fact, Draper James had only 250 dresses to give away.

Meanwhile a dozen or so brands began airing television commercials that were also awarded the COVIDwashing hashtag.

A Youtube compilation cunningly reveals the predictable mechanics that agencies use to deliver a poignant message – from music, words, sounds, and images – and  the result is cringe-worthy.

When brands attempt to leverage a major tragedy in order to illustrate their humanity, it rarely comes off well.

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you are saying.”

Now is this is a time for brands to press reset and dig deep into their brand values and reevaluate how they connect with consumers. It’s not what you say: it’s what you don’t say, and what you do without drawing attention to yourself.

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.