We’re currently facing a time where not just the whole of the UK coming together, but the whole world. Health services are doing their part to ensure the well-being and health of patients and those alike are looked after; brands are also trying to play their part. 

The majority of consumers do not feel that brands should stop advertising due to coronavirus. They do, however, feel as if companies should think about the tone they set whilst advertising; ensuring they communicate around their values. 

A survey of around 35,000 consumers globally, conducted by Kantar found that 8% thought brands should stop advertising. Consumers do still expect brands to play their part, with 78% of consumers believing brands should help them in their daily lives, 75% saying brands should inform people of what they’re doing and 74% thinking companies should not exploit the situation.

Consumers do largely agree that in this time of reassurance, companies should be mirroring that in their tone. 

More than 50% also think brands should talk as they have always have done, while 50% think companies should talk about their own brand in a carefree and light way.

Just 41% think brands should avoid humorous tones.

Some examples where brands have adopted to stress the importance of government advice would be Nike’s message of the need to stay indoors and Ikea’s communications focused on the importance of home. 

Consumers want to see brands making an effort to support the community during a time of need. Some 45% of consumers want to see companies putting in place plans to protect the supply of services or products, while more than 40% want to see companies making donations of products, such as hand sanitisers or face masks.

30% want to see brands offering discounts and promotions, and 19% want to see them setting up call centres to help with customer queries. This suggests consumers understand the difficult position many companies find themselves in.