18 Advertising Tips for the Time of COVID-19; Wendy Clark Reflects About DDB: Tuesday's First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here. 18 Tips on Advertising During the Coronavirus Crisis “How do I speak to my audience at a time like this?” That’s the question every creative is asking right now. But even when it seems like there’s no right thing to say, brands still find ways to be relevant to their customers. Here's a look at what some brands have done: Offer a public service: We’re all going a little stir crazy, and brands are stepping up with free trials of their services. T-Mobile is giving away a year’s subscription to the upcoming short-form streaming service Quibi, while Apple TV+ made Oprah’s coronavirus talk show available for free. Keep levity; it’s appreciated: RPA in Los Angeles, for example, is moving ahead as scheduled with new work for Apartments.com starring Jeff Goldblum, with the hope that audiences will find its lighthearted humor helpful in anxious times. Break the most sacred rule: Logos are usually sacred, but these are not normal times. Brands from McDonald’s to Chiquita, Coca-Cola and Audi have altered their world-renowned trademarks in the service of promoting social distancing (in Russia, Audi also shouted out healthcare workers). Read more: Discover more key insights and approaches from companies bravely venturing to advertise during the coronavirus crisis. As Video Conferencing Becomes the Norm, Some Question Whether It’s Hurting Business If there’s a trend that’s emerged as much of America works from home, it’s this: Even in the age of the casual workplace, a new era of informality has arrived. But the question is whether it's affecting business itself. Experts say it's clear that the looks we are getting into one another’s private lives are changing us—sometimes in ways we aren’t even aware of. Read more: Humans are a judgmental lot, so it's possible that a window into the home office could result in reputational damage in the eyes of colleagues. But the practice could have positive effects as well. Have you been following #AdweekTogether? On our daily live show that’s broadcast on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and our website, we talk about the challenges the advertising and marketing world are facing today—and how we can overcome them, together. Watch the latest episode here. Wendy Clark Reflects on Her Time at DDB and the Growth Potential of Dentsu Aegis After two years of leading Omnicom agency network DDB Worldwide, Wendy Clark has joined the London-based Dentsu Aegis Network as global CEO, the holding company announced today. While taking the reins at Dentsu Aegis marks an opportunity for Clark to play a leadership role on an even bigger stage, it also comes at a time of disorienting uncertainty for the network, the ad industry and the global economy. Read more: We spoke with Clark about her priorities for the future of Dentsu Aegis, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Broadcast Scheduling Is More Important Than Ever During a Pandemic Assembling a network schedule is like putting together a puzzle: determining how viewers will react to the shows and maximizing audience flow to get the highest ratings, while simultaneously planning for both the short and long term. But with live events canceled and no concrete idea of when show production will resume, broadcast schedulers find themselves in an unprecedented position. Read more: Many of them have devised multiple schedules, depending on the week or month that production will be able to resume. More in TV news: NBCUniversal is reducing the number of ads across several categories in its portfolio—including news and late-night—in a permanent effort to move some of the ad formats and innovations (announced at the Peacock investors day in January) over to linear TV. CBS’ freshman courthouse drama series All Rise, which began airing last fall, will return to virtually produce the first-ever scripted coronavirus-themed episode of a television show. In this groundbreaking episode, the series’ characters will be shown endeavoring to manage their “new normal” professional and personal lives, mirroring the challenges that the nation is confronting. "By understanding where sports fans have migrated, advertisers will be ready to press play once the pause on live sports has ended," says SpotX's Mike Evans. Here’s how to identify each type of fan and where to find them in during this live sports pause. Best of the Rest: Today's Top News and Insights 4A’s Advises Brands to Rethink Suitability Around News Content With a Stripped-Down Message, Toyota Moves Toward Next Phase of Advertising NYDJ, Saxx, MeUndies and Tommy John Were Looking for Buyers—and Then the Pandemic Hit After Postponing Due to COVID-19, Tribeca Film Festival Goes Digital Global Citizen Teams With Pepsi for Virtual Concert to Help Those Impacted by COVID-19 Foursquare Acquires Location Data Company Factual, the Second Merger in Less Than a Year Tripadvisor Gives $1 Million to Help Small Travel Businesses Mattress Firm to Pay Partial Rent as it Reaches Deals With Landlords Atlantic Media’s Consultancy Aims to Help Brands Navigate COVID-19 One Club Recruits Ad Veterans to Offer Students Free Online Portfolio Reviews The One Club for Creativity is aiming to connect the next generation of creatives with top industry execs for feedback on their work. The nonprofit will debut a virtual platform on Wednesday where students can have their portfolios critiqued by top creative directors and marketing execs. [kickout id="1"] More of the Latest After a Month-Long Disappearance, the Kool-Aid Man Has Been Found (in New York!) NASA’s ‘Worm’ Logo, Officially Killed in 1992, Will Rise Again on Falcon 9 Lowe’s Encourages DIY Messages to Thank Frontline Workers On the Adweek Podcast: Keeping the Diversity and Inclusion Momentum Amazon Will Stream Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag Play for Charity Google Doodle Salutes Those on the Front Lines of the Battle vs. Covid-19