"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

Perhaps overshadowed by the news of the Corona Virus was the U.S. Women’s soccer team’s 3-1 victory against Japan in Frisco, TX on March 11th.

This victory comes at tumultuous time for U.S. Soccer as the women’s team sued the federation for gender discrimination in which the
United States Soccer Federation (USSF) responded by filing a response citing that women “do not perform equal work requiring equal skill [and] effort” as their male counterparts . The next day following the U.S. Women’s victory, (USSF) president Carlos Cordeiro announced he was stepping down and resigning his term of presidency after accepting the position in 2018.

As a former soccer player myself (definitely not professional, though I did aspire to be the next Mia Hamm of my time), the response from USSF was sickening as a fan of the game and the players who make up the Women’s and Men’s teams. I personally couldn’t help but notice that the Women’s team has consistently qualified for the Olympics and Women’s World Cup more times than the men’s team. Again, while I closely follow both during their World Cup years, it is hard not to point out that the men’s team hasn’t been able to make it out of their group rounds, yet USSF believes that the men’s national team is “materially influenced by the level of certain physical attributes such as speed and strength.”

Hang on, because I know that the U.S. women’s national team is the most successful internationally in women’s soccer. Still not enough? What about the four Women’s World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals? Not to mention the eight Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football Gold Cups? Is the USSF just blind to these accomplishments?

These trophies and medals aren’t the only thing that the women’s team can use to measure their success. With high profile stars like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Carli Lloyd USSF has had these women for longer than a generation leading bringing recognition to women’s sports and have continued to exercise discrimination in their paychecks, where they play and how they travel to the matches, how often they play, how they train, and the medical treatment and coaching they receive.

With such negative press and drastic personnel changes, U.S. Soccer is being hit hard with negative public perception. Should the women’s team succeed in their pursuit, which by the way, they have a high propensity for achieving their goals and taking home a win, USSF will have to readdress more than equal pay for their players. Advertisements and sponsorship opportunities will have to be re-evaluated as well as the brand strategic challenge.

If the women’s team wins their yearslong fight for equal pay for men and women in soccer, it will only be a matter of time before more similar lawsuits across other female sports begin. In the meantime, the great equalizer right now seems to be cancelled games until the end of April.

References:

Das, A. (2020, March 8). For U.S. Women, a Narrow Victory and a Growing Divide. The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2020 from
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/sports/soccer/uswnt-equal-pay-letter.html

Murray, C. (2020, March 14). Takeaways from USWNT’s SheBelieve’s Cup triumph amid distraction and coronavirus uncertainty. YahooSports. Retrieved March 15, 2020 from
https://sports.yahoo.com/takeaways-from-uswn-ts-she-believes-cup-triumph-amid-distraction-and-coronavirus-uncertainty-160252500.html

Neuman, S. (2020, March 13). Head of U.S. Soccer Resigns Amid Pay Dispute with Women’s National Team. NPR. Retrieved March 15, 2020 from
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/815272925/head-of-u-s-soccer-resigns-amid-pay-dispute-with-womens-national-team

Peterson, A., Blum, R. (2020, March 13). U.S. Soccer Head Quits Over Argumet in Pay-Gap Suit That Women Have Less Ability Than Men. Time. Retrieved March 15, 2020 from
https://time.com/5802351/carlos-cordeiro-quits-us-soccer-pay-dispute/

Are you interested in true crime? Yoga? Investments? The occult? History? There’s a podcast for that! Similar to a radio program, podcasts are audio stories told by a single host, several hosts, any length of time, and any topic (Gray, 2020). Listeners can find a single episode, or they can subscribe through an audio platform (like iTunes or Spotify) (Gray, 2020). Anyone can start one on any topic they chose (Gray, 2020). The genre is taking off in popularity.

In 2019, there was a surge in podcasts, with an increase of 27% podcast creation (Haughey, n.d.). The medium is becoming increasingly popular, especially with highly educated audiences.

However, these audiences are receptive to podcast advertising: 63% of podcast listeners made a purchase after hearing podcast ads (Haughey, n.d.). In 2018, podcast advertising made $402 million in revenue (Southeastern University, 2019). One of the main reasons why podcast advertising is so successful is because listeners are connected with the content of the podcast and then make a connection with the advertising (Southeastern University, 2019).

Podcast advertising is usually embedded within the episode and is done as a “live read,” which retains the feel and voice of the podcast (Southeastern University, 2019). Podcast hosts are viewed as influencers, so the live read format works as a social influencer might (He, 2019). Most regular podcast subscribers listen to four to five podcasts per week, which makes an advertiser’s ROI extremely lucrative (He, 2019). Listenership is on the cusp of an explosion, making podcasting still in its early stages (Pratt, 2019). Early advertisers included startups like Ziprecruiter, but the door is opening to major advertisers (He, 2019; Pratt, 2019). Audience targeting will continue to improve, and the potential for revenue is projected to continue to grow (He, 2019; Pratt, 2019).

Although still in its infancy, the future for podcasting seems unstoppable. Company-branded podcasts, new markets, and the evolution of the genre are all ways that podcasts can grow and develop.

Disclosure: I am a huge podcast listener! My favorites are My Favorite Murder, The Last Podcast on the Left, The Dollop, Serial, and Cold.

References:

Gray, C. (2020, January 29). What is a podcast? An explanation in plain English. The Podcast Host. Retrieved from https://www.thepodcasthost.com/listening/what-is-a-podcast/.

Haughey, C.J. (n.d.) 9 podcast trends you can’t ignore in 2020. Single Grain. Retreived from https://www.singlegrain.com/podcast/podcast-trends-2020/.

He, A. (2019, July 12). Podcast advertising revenues will surpass $1 billion by 2021: New figures from the IAB and PwC show that podcasting presents a big opportunity to advertisers. eMarketer. Retrieved from https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-advertising-revenue-will-surpass-1-billion-by-2021.

Pratt, S. (2019, December 10). 20 podcast predictions for 2020 from top industry leaders. Pacific Content. Retrieved from https://blog.pacific-content.com/20-podcast-predictions-for-2020-from-top-industry-leaders-f4ef49e48909

Southeastern University. (2019, April 30). Is podcast advertising effective? MarketingDive. Retrieved from https://www.marketingdive.com/spons/is-podcast-advertising-effective/553581/.

Annelise Spargo

The unlikely winner of the coronavirus recession? The home exercise application and equipment market. As the novel coronavirus is labeled a pandemic, and President Donald Trump calls for a National state of emergency, Americans have become panicked. Many are bulk purchasing groceries and everyday essentials with the fear that full quarantines will go into effect. While many industries stand to suffer for the already looming economic recession brought on by COV-19, Google searches for gym safety during the pandemic, home exercise routines, and home workout apps/ equipment sales have all soared. Clearly, Americans are concerned enough about contracting the coronavirus to avoid crowded gyms altogether, but equally as concerned about maintaining a healthy lifestyle enough to purchase home exercise aids. 

Home exercise system, Tempo, has increased their ad spending in the last week, claiming that they hope they are able to help millions of Americans feel less stressed, by giving them the opportunity to get a great workout at home, without exposing themselves to the germ filled gym. Tempo CEO, Eldeeb, states that he does not feel as though his company is taking advantage of the panic, but again, providing a solution, as social distancing at a gym is virtually impossible (Rosman & Bromwich, 2020). 

Tempo is not the only company to take notice of the opportunity, though. App based fitness provider, “Obé, offers live and on-demand classes in cardioboxing, barre, yoga and other workouts, is [also] seizing the moment, offering new users a free month if they sign up for its platform,” (Rosman & Bromwich, 2020). Competitor, The Mirror, has seen an increase in “exercise frequency” and new product purchases in the last two weeks (Rosman & Bromwich, 2020). According to their website, The Mirror is also offering a special discount for the month of March, $350 off a product purchase. 

Even small, Instagram fitness influencer platforms are using the opportunity to market their fitness apps. Fitness influencer and owner of the fitness app “Alive,” Whitney Simmons has been sharing videos of at home workout routines on Instagram as a way to promote her app, which houses countless of at home workout routines. 

Is this the opportunity small, app based exercise and home exercise equipment companies have been looking for to gain traction? They can only hope that if enough people try their product during the COV-19 panic, they will be hooked, thus not feel the need to return to the gym when the virus panic has passed. 

References

Koncius, J. (2020). How gyms and yoga studios are preparing for the coronavirus. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/how-gyms-and-yoga-studios-are-preparing-for-the-coronavirus/2020/03/06/c6ea033e-5f26-11ea-b29b-9db42f7803a7_story.html

Regensdorf, L. (2020). With Coronavirus, the Work-Out-From-Home Movement Has a Captive Audience. Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/03/soulcycle-bike-equinox-fitness-app-coronavirus-wellness

Rosman, K., & Bromwich, J. E. (2020). Maybe Now You’ll Stop Mocking Peloton. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/style/coronavirus-fitness-gyms.html?auth=login-google

Carlos Cordeiro, former president of U.S. Soccer Federation, faces criticism after his remarks towards the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. Earlier this month, Cordeiro commented on men and women’s overall ability to play soccer and how it was “not a sexist stereotype but an indisputable science.” A couple days ago, the president resigned and apologized for his discriminating words in a formal letter as well as a statement on Twitter.

The fight for gender pay equality continues within every sport especially for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. The Washington Post shares the constant fight between the team and its government. According to ESPN, “the intense scrutiny on Cordeiro and the U.S. Soccer Federation, which began with court filings in the equal pay lawsuit that disparaged players on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.  plaintiffs in the suit. Women did not have the equal skill to men [which resulted in a public outrage.] The senior men’s national team level is materially influenced by the level of certain physical attributes such as speed and strength.”

Soccer commissioner Don Garber and U.S. Soccer Federation Cindy Cone took over the federation due to the lack of leadership within the organization. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has higher ratings than the mens team, four world titles (the men do not have any) and higher revenue which proves higher pay should be part of the discussion.  Will Cindy Cone help bring light to this situation and create opportunities for higher pay for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team?

CNBC shares the lawsuit which proposed a revenue sharing model to test the current theories of pay gaps and player compensation. Women’s soccer is creating the pathway for successful players around the world. They deserve every penny coming their way!

Business Insider shares that the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is suing for $67 million for discrimination and back pay from the U.S. Soccer Federation based on violations of Title VII and Equal Pay Act. The U.S. Soccer team has set the bar high for the rest of the world. When the best is not good enough, you fight harder for it until it is!

References:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/us-womens-soccer-games-now-generate-more-revenue-than-mens.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/soccer/words-matter-and-us-soccer-exposed-its-sexism-in-its-latest-legal-filing/2020/03/11/4ff7e0e8-6395-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html

https://www.goal.com/en/news/shocked-angry-mls-commissioner-garber-cordeiro-uswnt/1hph2a4zyxbj71mg4vivzlplaf

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4073719/us-soccer-president-carlos-cordeiro-steps-down-amid-uswnt-pay-dispute

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usaw/story/4073717/us-soccers-legal-stance-on-pay-equity-blasted-by-vpsponsors

https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit-us-soccer-president-cindy-parlow-cone-20200314.html

Going with a different theme and focusing on the number of boutique fitness streaming devices or in-home equipment.  The fitness industry is a huge (and growing industry) and boutique fitness has taken the world by storm. Specifically, the in-home boutique fitness market is booming.  Technology has allowed for your favorite fitness instructors to coach and guide you from the comfort of your living room. Peloton comes to mind, very quickly, but in-home fitness led by your favorite instructor has existed for years.  From Tammy Lee Webb’s “Abs of Steel” VHS tapes to streaming services like LEKFit and apps like Nike’s run app to today’s market of high quality exercise equipment in your home with live classes and instruction, the in-home boutique market is not showing any signs of slowing down.  The demand for convenient and quality workouts in the comfort of one’s home continues to exist and grow.    

With the launch of Soul Cycle’s in-home bike and Variis app this week, I began to think about all the options for the in-home fitness equipment and was amazed by it.  I really liked various aspects of each product. I go back and forth about the pros and cons of having an in-home gym versus traveling to a gym or studio. This pro-con list usually results in me deciding to get a multitude of products so I can get various aspects of each product:  a spin class, a boxing class, weights, cardio, etc and the list continues. This lasts all of about 10 seconds and then I realize this cost, not only of the products but also the subscription, is insane and I immediately change my mind. And then, I think wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to get all of this fitness equipment in one place but not completely break the bank?  

It’s the gym and therein lies the problem.  While the gym has everything I would want to do to workout, it lacks the quality that specialization provides.  As consumers, we have become used to quality products that are specialized and customized to our needs and wants.  Boutique fitness provides that convenience and customization, but the overall price typically increases. Gyms have the equipment and depth but because they are catering to a larger group of people, there is less specialization.  It is the problem that companies face now: providing customization and specialization on a mass scale. I want the quality of the Soul Cycle class with the boxing class and the flexibility to use weights or other cardio equipment.  I want it all. So, I will cancel my gym membership to get the better quality workout, only to spend an equal or greater amount to achieve the same thing I had with the gym!  

Companies have capitalized on providing specialized and curated content whether it is fitness or entertainment.  Gyms, which cater the masses, cannot compete with specialized content that boutique fitness or entertainment offers.  I think it will only be a matter of time before the technology advances that have enabled in-home fitness companies like Peloton to excel will be included in regular gyms.  The combination of technology with the convenience of having the equipment available to you at a reasonable price is something that few would turn down. The gym that could combine the specialization and curated content that boutique fitness offers with the technology that convience affords but with a reasonable price would be quite the competition.  

References

Foley, K. E. (2020). The boutique fitness industry’s mission to monetize community. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1773355/boutique-fitness-companies-are-trying-to-monetize-community/

Hanbury, M. (2019, September 6). Pressures are mounting for boutique fitness companies — and experts say we’re beginning to see casualties. Business Insider, Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/boutique-fitness-market-facing-pressures-2019-8

Vennare, A.The numbers behind the boutique fitness boom. Retrieved from https://insider.fitt.co/boutique-fitness-boom-numbers-statistics/

President Trump has released a statement that he is suspending “all travel” from Europe. However, officials later clarified that the restriction is only on 26 countries.

The travel restrictions are to prevent any new cases entering the United States. The president’s announcement stirred up a lot of questions for the American people. The restrictions will not apply to US citizens or permanent residents. Additionally, trade and cargo will not be affected.

Currently, more than 1,500 people have tested positive in the United States for Coronavirus. The first case was identified in Wuhan, China last year. Although the virus originated in China, it is now a global pandemic. The virus has caused various events, schools, and jobs to be canceled.  

President Trump’s address on Wednesday evening caused panic and confusion among Americans abroad. During his speech, Trump appeared to place blame on the EU for the increase in cases in the United States. “The European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hot spots,” Trump said. “As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe.”

The widespread outbreak in Italy has forced the country to go under lockdown. The Italian government stated that it would temporarily close all nonessential commercial services. The big question is, how soon will the United States follow with this course of action?

No one is sure when this outbreak is going to end. People must stay positive and hopeful in times of crisis. Instead of creating more distress and clearing out grocery stores, we must all come together to help further spreading.

With all of the chaos happening around the world, one can question if times like this is bringing the world together.

References

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation summary. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html

Italy shuts down all shops and restaurants as coronavirus cases rise. Retrieved from https://time.com/5801497/italy-shops-restaurants-coronavirus/

Phelps, J. (2020). Trump announces travel from europe to be restricted amid coronavirus threat. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-announces-travel-europe-restricted-amid-coronavirus-threat/story?id=69543646

Shaw, A. (2020). Trump administration to extend european travel ban to include UK and ireland. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-european-travel-ban-uk-ireland

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation summary. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html

Italy shuts down all shops and restaurants as coronavirus cases rise. Retrieved from https://time.com/5801497/italy-shops-restaurants-coronavirus/

Phelps, J.Trump announces travel from europe to be restricted amid coronavirus threat. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-announces-travel-europe-restricted-amid-coronavirus-threat/story?id=69543646

Shaw, A. (2020). Trump administration to extend european travel ban to include UK and ireland. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-european-travel-ban-uk-ireland

As the Coronavirus has now been declared a national emergency in the United Stats, major marketing brands have been negatively impacted by the news of rising death tolls and cases of infection.

The cancelation/rescheduling of international festivals and media events have already led to devastating financial blows and missed opportunities. With epic marketing juggernauts such as SXSW, NBA playoffs, March Madness, and Coachella no longer scheduled to take place this spring, the entire PR/communications industry is in a frenzy. Cancelled events and called for workers to self-quarantine have furthered delayed annual budgets, strategic projects, and all of the often meticulous planning that have often defined widespread media campaigns.

Which begs the question: What does this now mean for future events and planning for marketing teams ?

With many top companies making their employees work from home via self-quarantine, workplace dynamics are being tested. The in-person collaborative efforts that many are familiar with in marketing and communications firms will cease as safety is more of a priority. Online tools, such as Google Doc and Zoom have taken over. Supporting many of our suspicions, e-mails can actually replace meetings. And now implementing emergency plans and considering insurance policies for even lesser size-scale events could be a new normal.

But as we all now begin to adapt to these changes, all of this without a doubt will change the way we consider human interaction altogether. One can comfortably predict that public sanitation and social hygiene will be mandated at higher rates on the corporate level. The “no days off” mentality that has often led to people coming to work even when under the weather will be discouraged more than ever. Social distancing and the mastering of remote technology will be desired as the fear of this pandemic will leave a lasting impact on the generation.

For marketing and media companies specifically, now is the time for them to begin to strategize how to create campaigns that can adjust to the times in spite of such traditional norms. Does that look like always having a back-up plan for events that might be cancelled? Does that mean a more comprehensive digital roll-out? Can some events be translated to webinar technology (i.e. conferences, workshops, and trainings) at a different market rate? These are the necessary conversations and strategies that such firms and groups should begin to consider as society begins to rethink the ways they’ve engaged with the brands we’re marketing.

Deciding when to launch your company is one of the most difficult judgements to time as the economic market is always in flux (Greathouse, 2020). Most financial analysts and economists predict a global recession is right on our heels as most of the world is shutting down their operations due to the current health pandemic (Goldin, 2020; Cox, 2020). Many companies have production shortages as well as the inability to travel freely, all things that disrupt normal business operations (Goldin, 2020). Though, it may be some time before we can speak to the full impact the pandemic has on the world, many companies are looking to take advantage of this critical time (Cox, 2020).

Despite the financial downturn, it is actually a somewhat lucrative time to launch your newest venture (Greathouse, 2020). One reason many startups succeed during this time of uncertainty is that difficult times bond groups of people together through the struggles, promoting team loyalty (Greathouse, 2020). “As such, a startup team that faces a variety of rigors, before is succeeds, is likely to have a high group affinity and a resulting low turnover rate” (Greathouse, 2020, para. 12).

As an example of lucrative startups, both AirBnB and Uber were launched in 2008, following the great financial crisis that left many people unemployed or looking for their first job (Cimaglia, 2020). By taking advantage of market disruptions, startups have a unique opportunity to tap into consumer behavior and changing the way they purchase goods or book reservations (Cimaglia, 2020; Sethi, 2020). Given the epidemic we currently are facing, many consumers are already forced into to changing a variety of behaviors leaving open voids for smart marketing and startups to thrive (Sethi, 2020). 

Leave me some examples in the comments of different companies that you have seen thrive in this disruption! Can’t wait to see what y’all come up with!

References

Cimaglia, M. (2020, March 11). For Savvy Entrepreneurs, an Economic Downturn Creates Opportunity. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/347323

Cox, J. (2020, March 11). Economist Alan Blinder says the US is probably already in recession. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/economist-alan-blinder-says-the-us-is-probably-already-in-recession.html

Golding, I. (2020, March 12). Just How Bad Could A Coronavirus Recession Get? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/opinion/coronavirus-economy.html

Greenhouse, J. (2020, March 11). Recessions Coming? 10 Reasons To Start A Company In A Downturn. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngreathouse/2020/03/11/coronavirus-recession-no-worries10-reasons-to-start-a-company-now/#73cf46f22fa9

Sethi, A. (2020, February). Applying behavioral science to the coronavirus outbreak: Four key implications for brands. Downloaded from WARC: https://www.warc.com/Welcome

As the emergence of COVID-19 became worldwide news, the illness spread globally soon thereafter through virus exposure from contact and international travel. Businesses and schools everywhere are shutting down and encouraging everyone to work from home. But what happens to the industries that live off of people being collectively together in one place?

The sports industry has taken a turn to the mass hysteria. With obligations to protect the health and wellness of the players, staff and fans, arenas and leagues all over the world have suspended fan attendance indefinitely (Knoblauch & Schilken, 2020).

Specifically referring to the NBA, teams have considered keeping and playing the remaining games of the season, only with the players and essential staff. This will not only change the whole atmosphere of playing a NBA basketball game, but will also be a huge revenue loss for team’s and their front offices. They will miss out on sales through fan attendance, merchandise, and concessions, which makes up a large portion of each teams income (Reiff, 2019).

To keep fans attending games, ESPN announced very early this morning on Twitter that there is a chance that games may be moved to cities where the virus has not yet shown a prevalent outbreak.

The NBA league announced that they will be meeting with the owners of each team late morning today on a large conference call to discuss actions moving forward. Therefore, news about next steps concerning fan attendance at games should be announced soon.

As for the NHL and NFL, various teams have expressed delaying the games because they have no desire to play without fans in attendance (Feur, 2020).

So what happens next? As COVID-19 continues to spread, hopefully a vaccination or containment plan quickly develops. But what does this mean for the world of live sporting events? If a no fan attendance policy is implemented, how long will it last? Will the loss of revenue for so many leagues around he world be too large to recover from? If fans are prohibited from attending games, how much will teams scale back on their front offices?

From the perspective of a professional sports team’s front office employee, we are concerned about health and safety of fans, but our own personal careers are on the line. I am in sales for the Chicago Bulls, but won’t be able to continue selling tickets to fans if they are not allowed in the arena. This is definitely a difficult and important conversation that each organization is having with their staff, as the future of the virus cannot be predicted. Many of us fear we will lose our jobs temporarily or even permanently. I’m sure it is the same way with other departments that may be deemed as non-essential if this idea of no fan attendance becomes reality for leagues across the world. At this point, all we can do is sit back and wait for the NBA league offices to call the shots. It will be interesting to see how the world of live sporting events is altered through this global epidemic.

Resources
Feur, W. (2020, Mar. 11). NBA, NHL owners oppose playing games without fans, NY coronavirus cases quadruple in 48 hours. Retrieved from: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-latest-updates-outbreak.html.
Knoblauch, A. & Schilken, C. (2020 Mar. 11) How the coronavirus is affecting sports leagues and events. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-03-09/coronavirus-latest-news-sports-world
Reiff, N. (2019, Sep. 24). How the NBA makes money. Retrieved from: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/071415/how-nba-makes-money.asp

As has already been mentioned here on the blog, many industries are struggling as a result of the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak. However, an industry that is seeing the brunt of coronavirus fear — and doesn’t have the large-scale marketing capabilities to counteract it — is the American Chinese food industry.

Due to the outbreak’s origin in Wuhan, China — and the corresponding fear of Chinese people that many have unfortunately developed — xenophobia is costing hardworking proprietors big time.

According to eater.com, “The Times reports that NYC’s three main Chinatowns — in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn — have seen business drop from 50 to 70 percent in the last two weeks. The owners of restaurants like historic Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Manhattan describe their environs as a “ghost town,” telling Grub Street that business had reached a five-year slowdown last Monday.”

Because of fears that patronizing their local Chinese restaurant may increase their vulnerability to coronavirus, customers are avoiding Chinese restaurants and Asian cuisine. While most Chinese American businesses seem to be suffering right now, the food industry is particularly struggling as old, cliché, and inaccurate stereotypes fan the flames of racist notions about Chinese food and the type of meat that is prepared at these establishments.

Eater also reported: “Steven Chen, who leads Boston’s Chinatown Business Association and owns a bakery and restaurant called Great Taste, also compares the current situation to the 2003 SARS virus outbreak in Asia. Then, as now, customers stopped coming to Boston’s Chinatown — until Boston’s mayor eventually staged a publicity tour of the neighborhood. A similar effort from public officials could help again, Chen suggests.”

While publicity tours are a possibility, that is something that elected officials must choose to do — and an initiative like that is surely not high on the priority list in areas with active coronavirus cases to address. Thus, Chinese American businesses will continue to struggle for the foreseeable future, with no insight as to how long this fear will last.

Coachella, Stagecoach, SXSW, and other big events and money makers will survive long after COVID-19 is under control. But what about the everyday, average American businesses that may permanently flounder due to these fears — and no large-scale marketing facilities to combat said fear?