How Brands Should Respond To The Coronavirus

Every business will face challenges in the months ahead, especially those with a presence in China. And, for some brands, who are already struggling in China, it might be push them to pull out of the market altogether. For the remaining brands, the crisis should be a reminder to revisit their position with stakeholders (employees suppliers/partners, KOLs, etc).

And for brands on-top of their game, it’s an opportunity to communicate (or reposition themselves) around authenticity and empathy - to be a positive force during a challenging time.

First Level Response From Brands

Starbucks has done an admirable job in getting in front of the issue, with communications that are:

1. Pro-active: answering concerns people might have about a visit to Starbucks during this time.

2. Positive: demonstrating an attitude that creates optimism

Long before most other businesses, Starbucks was communicating about what it is doing at it’s shops and the steps they are taking to maintain health and cleanliness. In Starbuck’s case, these messages highlight brand attributes. This truth allowed them to respond quickly (as they did) and be authentic.

Other stories have emerged about how businesses are supporting, such as the small bakery in Shanghai where the owners pulled an all-nighter to make bread for frontline medical workers. These small acts of empathy create stories that stick with consumers.

Responding In Brand-Relevant Ways

A growing number of tech and media companies have come forward to support this challenge. For example, JD.com, Douyin and Xiaomi were among the early contributors in helping to deal with the Coronavirus JD.com will send 1.0 million medical masks and additional supplies to the city of Wuhan. Xiaomi followed suit and has pledged to send 300,000 medical masks together with thermometers. Douyin meanwhile has used its media prowess to encourage information sharing about the virus and to create messages of encouragement to those working on the frontlines.

Finding a way to contribute, which is in alignment with the brand’s core capability is valuable but ultimately it’s more about making an effort to contribute something positive to a challenging situation - rather than scoring brand wins.

Airbnb Has Created A Sense of Purpose

Airbnb’s work to support small villages in China has helped define a purpose for the brand and gave it a rationale for follow up communications, while providing a social good.

Brands looking at contributing to the Coronovirus challenge should do so with the the intent to follow it up with purpose-driven marketing in China. Global brands in China (perhaps) have a greater need to build this goodwill and do so consistently

Airbnb went into a small village that in recent years has become a ‘hollow village’ and worked with the local populace to revitalize it as a charming, cultural destination. They also trained the villagers as hosts - setup bookings globally for visitors – and supported local craft and food products (which were sold online). They achieved a 90% booking rate and raised local incomes.