This is a more personal, and more direct article than we usually publish. Like most marketing firms, we plan our content and our customer’s content in advance to create a buffer for strategy, planning, review, revision, and implementation of planned messaging. The goal is to keep marketing out of crisis mode and on to an actionable, thoughtful plan – but what do you do when an actual crisis hits? You have to adapt to the emerging situation.
Today, April 1, the talk is April Fools – Jokes were planned months ago, but companies need to – at the very least – make sure scheduled content isn’t off the mark. Slate wrote a great article on the demise of the April Fool’s joke due to COVID-19. Adweek wisely suggests companies are “reading the room,” citing that nobody is ready to get punk’d right now. Google, known for its annual funny-not-funny April fool’s joke has let the air out of its balloon this year.
So, what should companies do? Authenticity, transparency, support, and empathy are in. How is your work from home structure working? Have you adjusted to keep employees on? Are there safety measures you’ve implemented or contributions your organization has made to the care and relief efforts for stricken communities? In a time of economic distress, the way your organization behaves is important.
Green Vine Marketing is working full days with remote teams in New Hampshire, Iowa, and California. Our downtown Denver offices are currently closed, and we are taking meetings through screen share and over the phone. We have worked with many of our clients to update messages on a same-day basis. Many of our clients are deemed essential for businesses to keep the flow of supplies or medical care moving. We are providing on-site updates for each client as situations change.
As stay-at-home orders continue throughout the country and around the world, we are adapting to the changing landscape to help our clients provide their important services to communities near and far.
If your agency is experiencing service outages, contact Green Vine Marketing at (720) 295 – VINE, that’s (720) 295 – 8463.
We are deeply concerned for our friends and colleagues in stricken communities, and we support stay-at-home orders around the country to mitigate the full force of this disaster. The way through is to work together, yet apart, and to continue coordinating to keep vital systems and information flowing to those who need it.
