Adweek's Guide to COVID-19 Coverage: How the Advertising and Marketing World Is Forging Ahead

Every day this week has been heavy with developments and news surrounding the coronavirus crisis and its wide-ranging impact across nearly every industry. At Adweek, we're hard at work bringing you the latest updates on event cancellations, industry impacts and news about what's happening—and what's next—across the advertising, marketing and media worlds in light of the coronavirus. In fact, in the past week and a half we've published more than 130 in-depth articles about how COVID-19 is changing our industry. Here are some of the top stories and insights we've published this week to help you navigate the crisis and what it means for each sector. Plus, you can keep up with the latest details using our Coronavirus Tracker, which we update in real time with the latest developments. What Brands Can Do If the Coronavirus Crisis Drags On for Months By Robert Klara Much of the retail sector, along with many a popular food chain, has shut down stores and operations due to control the spread of the coronavirus. Nobody knows how long this restrictive period will last, but the mere uncertainty of the pandemic’s duration calls into question just how well companies are equipped to manage a long-term disruption to their business. Taking it on the chin for the next quarter is one thing, but business may well be severely disrupted into the quarter after that—or longer. In order to survive, brands may need to pivot to ecommerce and alternative marketing solutions in the coming months. Related: Distressed retailers, already struggling to attract shoppers and service debt, may find it difficult to remain solvent due to measures taken by governments and companies to contain the coronavirus. Ad-Tech Companies Are Finding Their ‘New Normal’ Amid Coronavirus Uncertainty By Andrew Blustein When the shockwaves of the coronavirus pandemic first hit the ad world, ad-tech firms said they hadn’t yet felt a drastic impact to their businesses. But a lot can change in just two weeks. As marketers reevaluate their budgets and the work-from-home life upends typical sales protocols, ad-tech companies have to find new ways to get deals done. It’s in these uncertain times when the art of the sale comes into play. With Handshakes on Hold, Media Ad Sales Teams Must Navigate a New World Order By Josh Sternberg Media is a people business built on relationships. Pressing the flesh wins deals in ways that spray-and-pray pitches don’t. But when the industry works from home, where meetings are done via Zoom and relationships are strained because we’re all being socially distant, ad sales teams have to quickly reinvent their processes, if not their whole way of operating. Here’s what media ad sales teams will need to grapple with in this new normal. Notably, Disney ad sales chief Rita Ferro sent a note to clients on Tuesday updating them on the company’s efforts on helping advertisers find alternatives for their live sports ad buys. [kickout id="1"] Can the Coronavirus Crisis Prompt a Correction in Brand Safety Tactics? By Sara Jerde, Andrew Blustein, Ronan Shields As the global calamity unfolds, audiences are naturally turning to trusted online news sources. Normally, large audiences generating record numbers of clicks are good for publishers' finances, but thanks to keyword blacklisting around coronavirus-related content, difficulties have arisen in monetizing their most popular content with programmatic buys, further compounding a widespread freeze on advertiser spend. Can these conflicts be overcome as the crisis is set to define the news agenda? Agency Freelancers Face Uncertainty as Marketers Press Pause Amid Pandemic By Minda Smiley It’s not just brands that are facing uncertainty. While agency employees, many of whom are working from home for the foreseeable future, are no doubt feeling the impact, it’s freelancers who are left wondering where their next gig—and paycheck—will come from. As Movie Theaters Close Around the Country, It’s Transactional VOD’s Time to Shine By Kelsey Sutton While many U.S. businesses are in free fall thanks to COVID-19, the pandemic is providing a unique opportunity for transaction video-on-demand services like Vudu and iTunes, with so many people at home and looking for something to watch. New releases like Disney's Onward are migrating to digital platforms sooner than ever, and viewership is spiking. How Coronavirus Has Impacted Foot Traffic Across Industries By David Cohen Were people already hunkering down in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, or were they out and about getting shopping done while they could? According to two reports, the answer is a little of both. Coronavirus Quarantines Could Spell Doom for Already Distressed Retailers By Richard Collings Distressed retailers, already struggling to attract shoppers and service debt, may find it difficult to remain solvent due to the coronavirus. The response to the contagion, ranging from mass store closings and event cancellations to shifting employees to work from home—all in tandem with fears of a recession—may prove insurmountable for a number of companies. [kickout id="2"] Adweek’s Guide to Professional Video Conferencing at Home By Nick Gardner Whether it’s your daily meetings with staff, a webinar with clients or you’re booked for a remote TV appearance, there’s no better time to upgrade your home workspace setup than now. So we’ve put together a guide to the best setups for remote video streaming. Related: As the coronavirus quarantine has forced people around the world indoors, no brand has been more emblematic of this new normal than Zoom, which was exceptionally well-poised for the pandemic. The company’s reach is now extending beyond the enterprise world. But can Zoom’s dominance last? How Are Experiential Marketing Agencies Grappling With Coronavirus? By Ian Zelaya There is plenty of uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic, but one thing is certain: Live experiences that require physical interaction won’t be an option for brands and marketers in the foreseeable future. While digital experiences and livestreaming may be obvious pivots, agencies want to strive for more than just a livestreamed presentation, and agencies and clients will have to think beyond that if they want to achieve an emotional connection with consumers on par with an in-person event. Ultimately, the coronavirus could mark a permanent shift in how agencies approach contingency plans. With Upfront Events Canceled, Here’s What Buyers Want From Networks Instead By Jason Lynch It took about one week for the growing threat of the novel coronavirus to obliterate this year’s upfront season, with nearly every media company canceling their planned presentations. As networks pivot, buyers are most interested in networks’ strategies to reach increasingly fragmented audiences, especially cord-cutters and streamers who can’t be reached as easily through linear. Some media companies could use the shift to digital-only upfronts as an opportunity to “shake things up” when it comes to how they approach their presentations. Airlines Are Asking for Billions in Bailout Money—and So Is Everyone Else By Ryan Barwick As talks between the White House, Congress and America’s C-suite intensify with the spread of the coronavirus, the U.S. airline industry is poised for a bailout that it hopes will return planes to the skies when the crisis is over. [kickout id="3"] Entertainment Brands Chart Their Next Steps After Canceled SXSW By Kelsey Sutton Entertainment brands that have long used the festival as a launching pad for major shows, films and media projects are now scrambling to shore up new strategies. The emerging plan, according to some of them: swallow the losses, salvage and recycle what they can, and try to figure out when they can gain back the impressions they were counting on. It’s no small task—and the more difficult challenge is looking for ways to make up lost media impressions. Learn how some brands are tackling it. More Major Event News: Cannes Lions is officially moving its 2020 event back down the calendar to Oct. 26-30. Nonprofits Launch Programs to Support Restaurant Workers as Coronavirus Decimates Industry By Ian Zelaya While restaurant workers wait and hope for government assistance, nonprofits across the country in the food and beverage space are shifting their efforts to help those directly affected by the pandemic as immediately as they can. Organizations in different cities are teaming up to expand their reach nationally, while the public is also supporting the industry through virtual tip jars and buying gift cards. Many nonprofits, like the Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation, have experience supporting restaurant industry workers in crisis. Related: The coronavirus crisis has afforded brands a rare opportunity to show their human side—but in giving out freebies, they risk looking opportunistic. [kickout id="4"] Even Before Many Bars Closed, Americans Started Drinking From Home By Paul Hiebert To the surprise of no one, Americans are drinking more at home. But it turns out this was already happening before many of the nation’s bars and restaurants were recently ordered to shut down in several states due to the spread of COVID-19. During the first week of March, purchases of beer, spirits and wine at liquor, grocery and convenience stores were all up compared to the same time last year. Plus, widespread quarantining is also presenting an opportunity for alcohol delivery services. Publishers Report an Increase in Traffic Due to Coronavirus Coverage By Sara Jerde The rate at which readers are consuming coronavirus coverage has led to some record-shattering pageviews for media organizations. Publishers say these pageviews are leading to an increase in subscriptions, which is good news for the handful that have put their journalism behind paywalls, particularly in the last couple of years. Why CEOs Give Up Their Salary During a Crisis by Ryan Barwick Many CEOs are giving up their salaries in a show of solidarity for the critical times we are all living in. But when the economic damage to industries is in the hundreds of millions, what’s the point of CEOs shedding their mere million-dollar salaries? Some say it’s totally symbolic. How Media Companies Are Deciding Employee Policies in the Age of Coronavirus By Josh Sternberg Executives across the media landscape are trying to figure out how to keep employees safe but also keep their businesses running amid the outbreak. But it’s no easy task. CEOs at media companies told Adweek one of the most important things they are communicating is that the starting point of every conversation is safety, but then making sure people get settled into routines. People are creatures of habit, and the current environment has disrupted that. Learn how Vox Media and SHE Media are approaching the challenge. More of the latest coronavirus news from Adweek: IFA Seeks $300 Billion to Offset Small Business Losses Retailers Want Consumers to Spend Their Quarantines Shopping Their Sales Amazon to Hire 100,000 Temporary Workers to Deal With Increased Demand Marriott to Furlough Thousands Until Coronavirus Is Contained Dr. Anthony Fauci Makes Coronavirus Plea Live on Facebook How Marketers Can Navigate Branding During Coronavirus PopSugar Released Its New Fitness App for Free to Keep Us Moving Under Quarantine Amazon Employees Say Company Should Do More to Protect Them NHL Takes Care of Its Hockey-Hungry Fans During the Coronavirus Pandemic 5 Ways You Can Help Your Favorite Bartenders Right Now Amobee and UM Are Teaming Up to Fill Ad Space With Coronavirus PSAs The Weather Channel Customizes Its Programming for the Pandemic Opinion: In This Time of Xenophobic-Driven Fear, Marketers Need to Uplift Asian American Consumers Viacom and Ad Council Debut #AloneTogether, a Social Campaign About Social Distancing Facebook Moves Toward Sending Contract Workers Who Review Content Home What Brands Are Communicating to Customers in Emails About COVID-19 Twitter Details Changes to Content Moderation During the Coronavirus Pandemic