Advertising During Crisis Times: What You Do Now Will Impact Your Business Long-Term

There’s no longer any question that it’s not “business as usual” these days with states ordering people to stay home, schools shutting down, and restaurants switching exclusively to curbside pickup.

Four weeks ago, we had never heard the term “social distancing.” Not only does everyone know what it means, almost everybody is practicing it. I’ve washed my hands so often I don’t know how there are any skin cells left.

The coronavirus has separated families, created hardships, and created a new class of unemployed.

We’ll get through this at some point. The health effects will diminish. Medicine will catch up and conquer. What’s left behind, however, will be the economic impact that will last for a whole lot longer. If the predictions about unemployment and recession come true, we’ll be dealing with a whole different set of problems.

You may not be thinking about advertising right now, but it may be smart to give it some thought.

Advertising in an Economic Downturn

During the last major economic downturn, ad spending dropped 13%.

2008 Advertising Spend Decline (Compared to Previous Year)
SOURCE: The Drum