Marketing and advertising during war or conflict
I’m writing this on Monday, February 28, 2022. On February 21, 2022, Russia sent troops into Ukraine. Since then, missiles have been fired, buildings destroyed, but even worse, civilian and military lives have been lost. People who had homes as of two weeks ago are now refugees. It’s a grim situation. Reading about it makes me feel sad, angry, confused and scared all at the same time.
Why are we talking about current events? Kafen8 isn’t a news site.
I mention it to give context for the place in time that this blog post is being written. I mention it because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about whether because of what’s happening, we should be adjusting our approach to marketing across all of our clients. And if so, what’s the right path to take?
Unfortunately, there’s no playbook for marketing during a war.
But, after thinking this through, we came up with some guiding principles that can help you find the right approach for you and for your clients when determining the right approach to marketing during a war or conflict.
Do’s and Don’ts for determining the right approach to marketing during a war or conflict
Don’t bury your head in the sand and completely ignore the situation.
Do evaluate your brand’s message to determine whether it is appropriate in some way to address the situation. In some cases, a simple social media post will do.
Don’t take advantage-don’t use the situation to promote your brand’s message.
Don’t take an all or nothing approach. You don’t have to stop your campaigns and day-to-day advertising or marketing efforts.
Do re-evaluate all upcoming communications through the lens of what’s happening in the world to ensure your messaging is not insensitive and/or tone-deaf.
Do stay informed on the situation, so you can be prepared to change course with your approach if needed.
Do offer ideas and resources for ways that people can help, if it is appropriate for your brand.
Do create a contingency plan with your team so that you’re ready for multiple outcomes.
Do be honest and show vulnerability. It’s absolutely ok to admit you and/or your brand don’t have all the answers.
Do fact-check any and all information. Misinformation has been used in war and conflict for centuries, but deep-fake videos are a relatively new form of misinformation. Sites like Fullfact.org, FactCheck.org, and Snopes.com are good resources to check videos, content, and images to ensure they’re not propaganda.
