It is to no surprise the massive media uproar that has been taken place lately is about the widespread epidemic, the coronavirus (COVID-19). The CDC (2020), officially declared this virus a public health emergency on Jan. 30, 2020. However, when it comes to some of the biggest organization around the world, are these organization marketing strategies ruined due to having to postpone their well-known social events because of the virus?
Yes, the cancellation of festivals, events, and businesses is a safety precaution, but what does that do for the many companies and their marketing strategies/communication outlet(s)? Due to the virus have their organizations been affected and causing a decrease in either sales or marketing?
According to Indrajeet Deshpande, a company should take these seven marketing strategies to consideration in the time of a crisis: Assemble your crisis management team, protect your people, evaluate various possibilities and create communication plans, pick the right communication channels, develop marketing contingency plans, find alternatives to deliver on your promises, and prevent the spread of misinformation (Deshpande, 2020)
As someone who used to attend festivals, I would have been livid knowing an event in which I was looking forward to for months, is now canceled. However, that is the side of me that is being stingy because I’m losing my chances to have fun during Spring Break and Summer. Now that I understand the severity of this virus and how it is rapidly affecting day to day life, I appreciate the organizations concern for not only my health, but the thousand of festival goers as well.
Some of the major festivals to postpone their events are: Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival, and Stagecoach (to name a few). Many have taken to social media to give their point of view about the festival(s) — Some are excited for most festivals taking place in October, while some are upset they can not attend due prior engagements.
Only time will tell as to what comes next for the music festival(s), and whether or not Coachella, Stagecoach and etc. will be able to generate as much revenue as they normally would if the festival were to still take place in their original months, and whether or not each organization unique marketing strategy will either persevere or fail.
However, what are your thoughts on the virus and what is currently happening worldwide in regards to the way citizens are acting over the epidemic?
P.s. since I was once a festival goer, I’m also interested to see if any of you are into festivals/concerts? If so, are you bummed about the festivals being postponed? And has this virus made you reconsider your daily activities?
References
Deshpande, I. (2020). Your 2020 Crisis Marketing Strategy: Marketing Communication and the Coronavirus. Retrieved from: https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/customer-experience-2/crisis-marketing-communication-strategy-coronavirus/
Sauer, L. (2020). What is Coronavirus. Retrieved from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020) Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html