The coronavirus pandemic represents uncharted territory for businesses. Companies are being challenged on multiple levels with consumers asking questions not just about their advertising, but also about their core values, how they treat their employees and factory workers, and how they’re contributing to the cause.

Modern consumers are savvy. They demand transparency and see through posturing. As social specialists, we sit close to culture and are exposed to feedback and critique. Social media provides consumers with a direct line to brands, and consumers are using that to question and challenge us.

However, while businesses are under scrutiny and even at risk of bankruptcy, the coronavirus pandemic also offers an opportunity for brands to rise to the occasion and make a memorable impact.

In their paper “What Does Coronavirus Mean For Brands on Social Media?”, Renata Mittnacht, Associate Director, Strategy at Ogilvy, and Carly Gibson, Strategist at Ogilvy, lay out the best practices brands should follow on social media throughout this unique and challenging time. Should brands go dark? Is this a time for levity, or only utility?

Click here to read the full paper.