A GlobalWebIndex study conducted in March 2020 in 13 countries asked whether brands should continue to advertise as usual. Globally, 4 in 10 respondents aged 16 to 64 answered yes, while about the updated 2024 mobile phone number data same number (35%) were neutral, and 28% of respondents disagreed with the statement.
In another study from Kantar in March 2020, only 8% of consumers across 30 countries believe that stopping advertising should be a priority for brands.
-77% of respondents believe that advertising should talk about how the brand helps in a new everyday life;
-75% of respondents said that companies should communicate how they are trying to cope with the current situation.
Based on this, we can conclude that consumers do not expect brands to completely abandon advertising, but brands must rethink their strategies. Campaigns that were planned before the pandemic may no longer be relevant now. In the current situation, consumers are demanding more information about how companies will help them cope with the crisis and stay safe.
GlobalWebIndex research tells us where to focus your advertising efforts:
- 80% of internet users believe that brands should provide flexible payment terms;
- 70% said companies should offer free services;
- 66% believe that non-essential stores should be closed;
- 59% of respondents agreed that brands should suspend normal factory production to help produce essential items.
Further evidence of consumers’ receptiveness to brand messaging about their response to the pandemic comes from research by Ace Metrix . Their survey, released in mid-March, found that 86% of American advertising consumers were open to brands mentioning COVID-19 in their ads.
Brands that continue to advertise during the pandemic may be concerned about their ads appearing alongside coronavirus-related content. These fears are understandable, but they may be unfounded. In a March 2020 survey by Integral Ad Science (IAS) , 78% of U.S. internet users said their opinion of a brand would be unaffected by ads appearing alongside coronavirus-related information. Only 16% of those surveyed said they would have a less favorable opinion of the company.