Marketing during global pandemics could be risky, and requires the development of engaging but empathetic content to connect with the correct tone. Here we put together a list of brands that found creative ways to communicate with their audiences, whilst keeping the pandemic in mind:

• • McDonald’s: During a time that many brands creatively used YouTube’s skip button, McDonald’s created an unskippable ad, aptly titled, ‘20 seconds you can’t skip.’ The video showed a person thoroughly washing their hands and so educated the brand’s diverse audience to take precautions and stay safe (whilst maintaining brand awareness).

• Burger King: The second brand in this list is McDonald’s arch rival Burger King. Burger King is already famous for its tongue-in-cheek humour, and for exchanging funny ‘banter’ with its competitors. In Paris, they took advantage of their proximity to McDonald’s by displaying a message on social distancing whilst poking a little fun their way.

Burger King served up a double whopper by also creating a social distancing burger; three times more amount of onions to keep both strangers and loved ones away!

• • Heineken: Humans are social animals, which Heineken captured perfectly in their campaign, ‘Ode to Close.’ The spot featured footage of people socialising before the lockdown, and then transitioning to a new way of socialising with friends over video calls. The ad might make you feel nostalgic but, as Heineken states, “…now it’s staying apart that brings us closer than ever.” You may also see that the brand signed off with the hashtag #SocialiseResponsibly, instead of using ‘Drink Responsibly.

• Jeep: Amidst the global lockdown, everything was on stand still, even our cars. Jeep’s latest ad, a view inside a garage of the front of its iconic grill, depicts that it’s time to keep the car at home and not on the road. With the hashtag #StayOffTheRoad, they not only encouraged people to stay at home, but also celebrated those who helped to battle the spread of the virus.

• New York Times: Newspapers rarely make any changes in their layout, as they prefer to make the most of every inch. However, the New York Times rececently used their space in a rather interesting manner; what most caught the eye was the illustration accompanying their article on self-isolation and social distancing.

• Nando’s: Nando’s South Africa’s cheeky tweet on KFC’s well-known tagline sparked conversation. The brand based their ad on the global advice of regularly washing hands and maintaining personal hygiene. The tweet created over 18,000 re-tweets and some amusing replies.