How Marketers and Agencies Are Trying to Strike the Right Tone in the Age of Coronavirus
Coors Light, Hershey's, KFC and others have dropped campaigns that could've crossed a sensitivity line
Coldwell Banker rolled out its emotional 'Guided You Home' spot as planned before the pandemic hit.
Coldwell Banker
Key insights:
- Brands are reevaluating the tone of their commercials amid the coronavirus pandemic, with some pulling spots.
- Humor isn’t out, but it needs to be “heavily scrutinized.”
- Brands must offer something to the community or they can appear opportunistic.
Fast-food giant KFC debuted a new commercial recently that features 60 solid seconds of people eating chicken and then sticking their hands in their mouths. There’s no dialogue, just a lovely classical piano backdrop and lots of satisfied-looking diners ignoring their napkins. What better way to viscerally bring to life the iconic tagline “It’s finger-lickin’ good?”
This story first appeared in the March 23, 2020, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.
