One of the most horrible statements I have read about the crisis in our industry in the last few days was the justification of the official cancellation of the Cannes Lions: “Cannes Lions at its core has always been about creativity and the Lions. We realise that the creative community has other challenges to face, and simply isn’t in a position to put forward the work that will set the benchmark.“ (Philip Thomas, Chairman, Cannes Lions)

Seriously? – Can it really be true that we, of all people, as communication experts, are not able to create campaigns that set benchmarks right now? Not only should we be able to, but we must. Right now is the time to rethink old outdated patterns and set new benchmarks, by which creative excellence and great communication are measured. And the first thing we need to do is to come off our high horse of self-praise.

Let’s stick with Cannes Lions for a moment. The competition budgets agencies spend every year for such opulent festivals result in costs with which one could feed whole villages luxuriously for years. As for Cannes: The festival costs agencies between US $8,000 and US $20,000 per person, including festival passes, accommodation, and running costs, and up to $3 million to submit campaigns to be considered for awards – not counting events and yachts. All that, so that agencies can pride themselves on spots that get a lot of attention but rarely sell. The rationale: We need awards to prove creativity to clients. If that is the only benchmark for our work then Thomas is absolutely right with his statement. But let’s agree to disagree and this is not about not having these kinds of festivals at all but:

The post-crisis world raises a clear question: are we facing a decade of dead, broke budgets and clients obsessed with technology-driven results, or is the field wide open for more positive, collaborative and infectious change?

In yesterday’s world, everyone was longing to create “purpose” – today’s crisis demonstrates that very few have understood what “purpose” actually means.

There are already some good examples, especially from abroad:

What does a luxury fashion designer, a jeans and condom brand have in common? – The courage to communicate despite collapsing budgets and the ability to generate campaigns that are socially relevant and will remain unforgotten long after this crisis is over.

1. Armani did not only donate a part of his private fortune but also immediately deferred his production to produce medical overalls instead. And if that wasn’t enough, he is also using this time to push a sustainable fashion agenda.

2. Levi’s now broadcasts live living-room concerts of local artists on Instagram every day at 5:01 pm. These concerts not only bring joy to the fans of the brand, but more substantially, Levi’s donates to charitable causes, at the choosing of the artist playing.

3. And what does a brand do, that earns its money through physical contact in times like these? Trojan Condoms is leading the way with exceptional communication. Under the hashtags: #TrojanCondoms #SextUsInstead they urge individuals to use the emoji “🍆” to slide into their Twitter DMs to get a free personal lubricant or vibrators in order to resist the urge to leave home and promoting self-love in these difficult times.

But back to us communication experts. Now is the time to build the agency that truly meets market needs. This agency is an agency where data analytics, innovation strategists, experience designers, business transformation strategists and media analysts unite, collaborate and create. Creation will take on a much more important role, because it will no longer be about “attention at any price”. Pure product communication will play a subordinate role for some time while brand communication will take center stage and will be the highest priority. Ideas will require more complexity now, and in the future, and must above all, be relevant in real time. The creative model will be participatory. The core of the “creative team” will no longer consist only of copywriters and designers – a relic from the print era.

The future of creativity is about collaboration, courage, and flexibility for the brand and the agency.

If you believe that the cards will be reshuffled after the crisis, then it is even more important to change your strategy now and show that we as agencies are there for our clients, in this moment, no matter what the economic situation or bank account may say. Because one thing has not changed: We still have our experience, our creativity, and our know-how and we must use it now for the benefit of our society and clients.

1. We proactively write our pitches

After the crisis, the pressure to remain relevant will be high. Hardly anyone will be able to afford long pitch processes – neither the client nor the agency. That’s why we now have the unique opportunity to use that time and turn the pitch process around. We offer communication workshops “at cost” for brands that not only need it but really mean it. To do this, we have put together an interdisciplinary team of top-class brand, media and communication experts from our entire network to challenge brand and communication strategies and quickly build prototypical approaches for todays and tomorrows world.

2. We have developed a #stayathome production kit

The revolution of classic production processes was long overdue. The crisis has shown us what smart production means today. For this reason, we have created a remote production kit, which enables us to produce creative commercials even in times of Corona and despite all shooting restrictions. Via live stream, our clients can participate in the shoot from their homes and oversee both the set and the live image from the camera on their own screens. This protects the health of everyone involved, saves travel costs, and in many cases time. Our creative department is thus prepared for the crisis and still capable of producing creative spots.  We believe that many of our clients will continue to take up this offer long after the crisis is over.

3. We have created a crisis-proof BI

Nothing is as important as knowing where and how we reach consumers – nothing has changed so far. But Corona has turned the entire media consumption as we knew it upside down. Target groups are shifting massively, the relevance of entire media categories is changing dramatically. Anyone who communicates now must have transparent data that is updated daily and on which they can rely. We can make all of this visible in real-time via our new BI and share the knowledge with our clients but also with other agencies.

Let’s get back to the beginning: Are we able to create campaigns that set benchmarks during the crisis?  If not now, then when? With collaboration and courage, we can now create the (creative) world of tomorrow that we always wanted.

According to Matthias Horx, there are historical moments when the future changes its direction. We call them cross-roads or deep crises. This moment is right now. The world as we know it is disappearing. But after that, there will be a new world, which we can at least imagine. And don’t forget: every crisis also offers opportunities. (Source: Matthias Horx, 2020) 

Germany has a long history of very poor communication in crises. Our first instinct is usually: We are paralyzed and stop all current projects, especially in communications and marketing. At first, we think: It won’t be that bad, but we still take the precaution of shutting everything down for now. Then we say to ourselves: Let’s wait a little longer until we are sure how the situation develops. In the end, we don’t want to hear the full truth and even less admit it to others.  

Let’s have a look at economic crises such as the banking crisis in 2007: The German head of Goldman Sachs said at the time that banks were not committed to the common good and announced high yield targets shortly after the peak of the crisis to sell. The reputation of most banks has not really recovered from such disasters, as a study by the University of Mainz in 2018 shows. (Source: University of Mainz, 2018) 

The time to communicate is right now. But most brands, especially those that tend to call themselves “Lovebrands”, are completely inflexible, if not ignorant. Sure, in uncertain times, the marketing budget is the first thing slashed, and you might also be wondering if it is morally and ethically ok to communicate in the crisis or about the crisis. Well, we believe it is essential. 

We should not be afraid to talk about customers and companies in times of the coronavirus. It may seem superficial and solely economical-oriented to discuss brands, prices, and customer behavior while being confronted with a pandemic. However, the practical reality of global economic trade urges us to market now for the common good. Not communicating is certainly not the solution. 

The change in the media landscape has never been as radical before and is opening completely new target group potentials: 

1. Millions of people increasingly inform themselves by using relevant, credible, channels in linear TV, print, radio, and digital media. 

2. Last week the net reach in German linear TV increased by 4 percent in comparison to the previous year. The viewing time even increased by 5.5 percent. 

3. Young audiences show the highest growth rates with over 30 percent. 

4. Especially n-tv is heavily used as a source of information. The channel has doubled its market share to 2.8 percent among the 14-59-year-olds and is used much more than usual by young viewers. This makes n-tv the leading news brand among information channels. 

(Source: Horizont, 2020) 

As you can see, linear TV is currently more popular than ever, even within target groups we couldn’t reach but our own BI also shows a drastic shift in channel preference within the target groups:

Program Innovations:  

Those we least expected have changed the fastest. In Germany public-service broadcasters have recognized their role in society and taken responsibility. In a matter of minutes, they have adapted their programs and re-established themselves as educational institutions. (Source: Deutschlandfunk, 2020)    

This is how brand communication works in a crisis. But what are the major brands in Germany doing? Who really manages not only to adapt their spots on short notice but also to launch product innovations in a timely manner? 

Two exemplary cases are Sixt and Aldi: Sixt decided to offer free rides for medical staff while Aldi employed the staff of McDonald’s in a very unbureaucratic manner to ensure continued payment of their salaries.  

But many of the major brands fail at large: while the following commercial may have brought a smile to our lips a few weeks ago, it now sends a shiver down the spine of even the biggest crisis denier:  

And yet this 6-second ad from 2018, which once topped the YouTube charts, is still being broadcasted on Addressable TV on “Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten“. 

Especially when the marketing budget is the first thing cut in a crisis? You shouldn’t just consider it, you must. Because only those who think about tomorrow will emerge from this crisis as winners of the hearts. And, the chances are quite good for brands, because three things are generally valid in every crisis: 

1. People seek trust, truth, and direction.

2. Whitewashing has never worked.

3. And for this crisis it’s especially true that: People need attachment.  

If there is a time to follow the ongoing call for “Purpose”, the time is now.  

A combination of smart creative and precisely attributed media are the key to success, even with limited resources.

Smart Creative:

Nobody expects the new production of a prize-winning million-dollar spot – honest communication, close and up to date, with a socially relevant message is the magic word and it’s much easier than you might think: A clever combination of existing material, a day of shooting in the studio and a few new visual scenes from a changed world keeps budgets small and impact big. Because let’s face it, when did we ever have the chance to shoot empty streets, tourist attractions without people or a completely empty cruise ship? And with the latest technologies, we are able to a) keep our teams virus-free and b) live stream from the set into our clients homes without them having to leave their house – ever. 

New media control:      

Anyone who now reports his TV to Web/App analysis with the usual tools and moving averages will not be able to measure the shift in the new media landscape and the small peaks associated with it. You run the risk of wrong optimization and playing out not ideal creative to the wrong target groups. More advanced approaches in TV attribution, such as wavelet technology, offer enormous potential for improvement here.  

That’s why it’s necessary to work with an agency that:   

1. can constantly measure new visitor trends on a daily basis, both digitally and on TV, using its own proprietary software

2. is able to carry out continuous open-heart surgery via in-house post-production, to assure that you will never deliver an advertising medium to a target group that is not relevant or, in the worst case, even inappropriate.