We recently shared three brands dealing with the pandemic PERFECTLY!

With COVID-19 throwing the world into turmoil, it’s more important than ever to get your brand positioning right, which we’re sure you’ll agree isn’t the easiest task.

Here’s our next list of companies doing it oh so well.

1. “Heinz Ketchup Puzzle” – Heinz

Heinz identified that during lockdown, people had a lot of extra time on their hands and were therefore bored. To solve this problem, Heinz veered off from the food sector and created 57 limited edition Ketchup puzzles where every piece was red, making it extra challenging and longer to finish.

Of course, as a large brand, Heinz knew these puzzles would be in high demand. We believe that a smaller brand could just as easily gain this notability if their solution to boredom was fun enough.

This goes to show, brands can provide relief for people in hard times without having to take a super-serious approach. Particularly creating a new product as part of a PR angle.

2. “Whassup Bud? Covid Edition” – Budweiser

According to YouGov, one in five Brits were living alone during lockdown. Budweiser saw this as a meaningful opportunity to revisit their original and classic “whassup” ad for its focus on human connection in a time when people may be feeling hopeless and isolated.

The ad seeks to remind people to check in on friends and family, using the original video dubbed with new audio to transform the scenario into a group of friends catching up during lockdown. Of course, choosing to edit this way was cleverly done to obey the government’s lockdown measures at the time whilst creating a sense of nostalgia for the Budweiser brand.

Although this advert is iconic for its humour it still drives home a serious message that feeling socially isolated can have a negative impact on your mental health and so the line ‘Buds Support Buds; Check-In On Yours.’ brings a touch of humanity to the brand.

“On Hold” – Marie Curie

Marie Curie’s advert is an impressive example of utilising stock footage during a time where shooting your own is challenging and not financially viable. It works seamlessly to depict a world on hold with eerie shots of empty theatres, festivals and football stadiums.

The ad comes in response to funding issues that many charities have faced since COVID began. By tapping into the circumstances of lockdown Marie Curie stays topical and drives home the humbling perspective that terminally ill people’s care cannot be put on hold. This is an impressive example of how to get the world’s attention when it’s focus is on something else.

(Donate at mariecurie.org.uk/donate)

Alison Mcgann – Art Director

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