The coronavirus pandemic has forced marketers and their advertising agencies to react quickly to an unsettled situation that can change each day. These disruptions are likely to have a lasting effect on how ad campaigns are developed and put into the production pipeline.
“There will be an emphasis on quick-turn production — producing spots and longer-form pieces in a matter of weeks to address an ever-evolving situation,” Otto Bell, chief creative officer at Courageous, CNN’s branded content studio, said in Beet TV’s latest installment of the “Trust in Partnership in a Time of Change” series presented by WarnerMedia and Xandr.
His team recently has produced commercials for a range of advertisers including AT&T, Eli Lilly, Invesco, Papa John’s Pizza and Procter & Gamble. In many cases, the commercials emphasize practical matters, such as how they’re helping people get through the public health crisis and its effects on the economy.
Inspirational advertising also has become more popular, as seen in Courageous’ commercial for P&G’s Secret brand of deodorant. Secret partnered on the campaign with the Girls Leading Girls, a nonprofit focused on coaching girls ages five to 18 in soccer, leadership and service. The commercial has an uplifting message about female empowerment.
“The expectations from our clients really run the gamut,” Bell said. “We’ve had to adopt a range of tones.”
He also discusses his team’s culture, and efforts to over-communicate with clients while maintaining high quality standards amid the challenges in producing video content.
This video is part of a series titled Trust in Partnership in a Time of Change presented by WarnerMedia. Please visit this page for additional segments from the series.
