Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Some originate at the heart of a company, while others affect a part of the world’s population at large. How a company handles a crisis can make a world of difference. However, not all circumstances can be mitigated by using lighthearted humor, as KFC did in 2018. Sometimes, pausing a marketing campaign is the most appropriate response. Today, we’re looking at a few examples of these circumstances.

Natural Disasters and Health Crises

Natural disasters like floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and earthquakes are all too common. Although natural disasters are typically localized events, many still receive extensive media coverage around the world. Particularly devastating storms or disasters can dominate headlines for weeks. Pausing a campaign during such times is common practice.

Civil Unrest, War, & Terrorist Attacks

Marketers need a large amount of optimism. However, uncertain times often mean taking a hard look at your campaigns and evaluating how they can affect your brand’s image. A little bit of homework may reveal that you need to hit pause. Pepsi discovered this the hard way in 2017, when the company released an ad that many viewers felt trivialized the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.

Death of A Prominent Personality

The death of a leader can deeply affect the public. Pausing marketing campaigns to the affected community displays respect and empathy.

One excellent example comes from Planters. In early 2020, the company planned to “kill off” its mascot, Mr. Peanut. But when news broke of Kobe Bryant’s death, Planters immediately stopped sharing the ad in paid social media posts, saying they wanted to respect “those impacted by this tragedy”. (The planned TV spot still aired once during the Super Bowl.)

Business Scandals & Brand Crises

When bad press surrounds your business, all marketing needs to stop immediately until the issue has been addressed. And for a recent example of bad press, look no further than Kellogg’s, whose CEO suggested in early 2024 that low-income families could handle rising food costs by just buying more cereal. Unsurprisingly, the backlash was sharp and immediate.

A 2019 study by Crisp Thinking found that 53% of customers expected businesses to respond to a crisis within an hour and 59% stated that they wanted the response to come from the CEO. Following a corporate misstep, hitting the pause button on your marketing campaigns can give you some breathing space to fix your mistake. Additionally, it can reduce opportunities for customers to spread negativity via social media and unsubscribe from your mailing list.

The Decision-Making Process: To Pause Completely or Change Your Tone

The scenarios described above certainly warrant a pause to your planned marketing campaigns. However, they may not necessarily mean stopping all communication with your clientele either. These few questions can help you decide which path to choose:

• Do you need to send update messages? For example, are there changes to your operational hours or delivery times because of the crisis?
• Can you build brand awareness while helping your customers? Although regular marketing campaigns may be paused, you can still communicate with your customers by letting them know you’re here to help. For example, if your brand is actively involved with relief efforts in the area, you can direct customers to resources where they can get help or encourage them to donate to the efforts.
• Does your copy resonate? The last thing you want is for your brand to come across as insensitive or tone-deaf.  Any messaging during a crisis needs to be thoughtful and sensitive. (Quite a few companies learned this the hard way during the infamous era of COVID-themed commercials.)
• Should you be a part of the conversation at all? There may be situations when a product shouldn’t be flaunted at all. While not exactly an ad, DiGiorno’s hijacking of a domestic violence hashtag to promote pizza is a good example of what not to do.
• Is it easier to let your customers choose to take a break? Consider giving your customers the power to hit the snooze button on your marketing campaigns. This allows you to give them a highly personalized experience without your customers unsubscribing due to frustration.

If you need help preparing a marketing crisis management plan or implementing one, contact our team at 4Thought Marketing today!