Positive brand and platform responses during the Coronavirus outbreak
In these unprecedented times, we’re taking a look at what steps big platforms and brands are taking; we’re specifically looking at how they are driving positivity and starting initiatives for the greater good during the Coronavirus outbreak.
There are numerous ways to help the wider community and make an impact on the global landscape during trouble times. We’ve broken it down into four categories:
Advice and guidance
Support and resources
Financial assistance
Morale and attitude
Here are some examples of brands / platforms getting it right in the current crisis in each category.
1. Advice and Guidance: Fighting misinformation
See the statement below from the big platforms on how they are collaborating to reduce the spread of misinformation and ensure people stay connected. More can be read about their joint efforts here.
2. Support and Resources
Google has made their video conferencing service, Hangouts Meet, available for all G-Suite customers until 1st of July, allowing 250 participants to meet and live streaming up to 100,000 viewers.
Loom, a video recording and sharing service, has enabled teachers and students to use Loom Pro for free at many educational institutions.
An American teenager, Avi Shiffmann, has created a fully functioning website to track Coronavirus updates, which is now being used by millions of people.
3. Financial assistance
Governments all around the world are pledging to provide stimulus packages to keep the economy going, support people and businesses as the impact of the virus spreads.
In addition, Facebook has pledged to:
Implement a new $100 million program to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Make grants available for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries. That would be an average of $3,333 per business
4. Morale and attitude
Iceland has created special opening hours for elderly shoppers where they open one hour early to provide a quieter time for this more vulnerable group. Similarly, Sainsbury’s and Nationwide are trialling this for their customers as well.
LuluLemon is providing their users with daily content to help keep them active during imposed isolation or quarantine, and creating a community to keep up morale through their values.
Pret has announced they will be offering drinks on the house to all NHS workers and only charge 50% for all other food.
Honest Burgers brought free burgers to NHS staff workers at the Acute Medicine ward at UCH.
McDonald’s will be giving emergency services personnel and health and social workers in the UK free drinks at all restaurants while they are still open.
These are just some of the many examples where brands are helping out in a time of great need.
It is also heartening and uplifting to see Facebook groups, Whatsapp groups, charity initiatives, self-isolating drop offs for vulnerable people - the wider community helping each other and supporting one another through extremely challenging times.
Viruses spread quickly. But so does goodwill, positivity and hope.