by Patty Harrison | Editor-in-Chief AdChat DFW
As millions of people worldwide enter into isolation to fight the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19, the pall of impending doom has us in its grips.
Wait just a minute!
If you are an optimist like me, here are some positives that could happen for agencies, marketers, production and film.
- Ad Agencies will create JIT (Just-In-Time) creative for clients. There is an opportunity to create brand stories that will stick in consumer’s minds long after this crisis is over. Kimberly-Clark? Purell? Slack? Skype? If you think about it, the list is endless.
- More people watching television means media companies can capitalize on an increased audience size during daytime television. And if they act fast, brands can get a better deal now for a bigger audience.
- Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, Hulu etc., will likely see a spike in memberships. Go binge watching!
- Brands can capitalize on the crisis and negotiate a better deal with overpaid sport stars. Well…it’s a thought, anyway.
- Ad agencies can pre-negotiate better production rates now for projects that will inevitably happen in the future.
- Production companies can offer the above.
- We will most certainly see an engaging movie or two come out of this that will drive box office profits.
And for the general population…
- The medical industry will learn much from this and will be better prepared for the next pandemic.
- FEMA and health systems will be better organized and develop more efficient processes.
- It took an act of God to bring our politicians together. Congress, finally acting in a bi-partisan manner, passed H.R. 6201: Families First CoronaVirus Response Act.
- Parents with school age children will be able to spend more time with them. Despite the disruption in education and the possibility of going stir crazy, families that quarantine together, stay together.
- Many fitness facilities will be closing so what better excuse to not work out?
- We can drink a “quarantini” a lemony martini you drink alone to survive a quarantine.
Life as we know it has changed completely…for now. The economic impact is certainly devastating…for now. When this virus-crisis is over, pent up demand will explode and I believe we will see huge economic growth. The stock market correction was LONG overdue.
And, in comparison to other historical pandemics, current death toll for COVID-9 is minute. (See below) Keep up with the facts, not the hype of the 24-hour news cycle. They are selling “papers.”
Check out Worldometers updated information here.
A calm voice for business, McKinsey & Company has put together outcome scenarios that make for an interesting read. Note that cases in China, have dropped dramatically and if the rest of the world follows in their footsteps, the world may soon wake up from this nightmare.
For now, let’s all keep social distance, wash hands and stay calm. This too shall pass.
