With businesses nationwide seeking direction on how to connect with consumers during COVID-19, Twitter shared the results of new research it used to inform its updated COVID-19 advertising policy. To better understand consumer sentiment, the social media platform asked a panel of Twitter users in the U.S. how they felt about advertising during the pandemic. Nearly eight in 10 respondents (77 percent) said they feel more positive about brands making an effort to support society during COVID-19, and 64 percent said brands should continue advertising products and services as normal. And though more than half (52 percent) of respondents said that seeing and hearing advertisements gives them a sense of normalcy, only seven percent said that brands should continue using their normal voice during this time, indicating that consumers feel brands should adjust their marketing to reflect a level of awareness.
Respondents were also asked what brands can do that would be useful as the world recovers from COVID-19. Nearly nine out of 10 participants (89 percent) said brands should communicate reliable, accurate information, and 86 percent said brands should make an effort to support disadvantaged members of the community. Further, 82 percent of respondents said brands should support front-line health-care workers, 80 percent said brands should show how they are supporting their employees, 77 percent said brands should support their local communities and 70 percent said they should provide prompt customer service. Seventy-four percent of participants also noted that brands should showcase acts of kindness, and similarly, 70 percent said brands should boost positivity by sharing positive stories.
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Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB.
