It’s more than 2 weeks now that we’re locked down. We all watch the news daily and subconsciously we are afraid that our lives will never be the same.
Millions of questions that no one can answer.
What is going on? How will this end?
More importantly, will humans survive? And if we survive, will our kids and all the next generations be safe in the future?
But that’s the beauty of the unknown…
Covid-19 | Business Response
Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash
Prologue
I monitor hundreds of companies and websites constantly. Today I’m sharing their responses to the coronavirus pandemic including our actions and future plans. Consider this a catalog, an archive where I’ll be adding information, hopefully not for long.
An Unusual Decision
Manina, my assistant, came across this article the other day.
Inc – Instead of Laying Off 20 Percent of His Company, This CEO Made an Unusual Decision. It’s a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence
by Justin Bariso
Gravity CEO Dan Price was facing a crushing decision–cut 20 percent of his people or go bankrupt. Then, he had a brilliant idea: Ask employees for help
The company’s revenue had essentially been cut in half. Price was now faced with a grave decision: lay off 20 percent of his employees or go bankrupt.
Price refused to accept either option. Instead, he decided to do something almost unheard of in today’s business environment:
He asked his employees what to do.
I encourage you to read the article!
SEO World
Google is the #1 resource for news and updates.
According to SearchEngineLand – Corona to COVID: How Google’s ‘corona’ results page has evolved.
Just a few months ago, the term “corona” was typically associated with the Mexican beer brand. Then the novel coronavirus arrived. Over the past month, Google’s search results page for “corona” has transformed significantly into a resource destination for COVID-19-related information.
At the end of the article, there are various resources that you may want to check out.
Variety: Google and parent Alphabet are pitching in to help small businesses, health organizations and governments dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The internet company has earmarked more than $800 million for coronavirus relief, about three-fourths of which ($610 million) is in the form of Google Ad credits to small and midsize businesses and governmental orgs, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced Friday.
Moz – Academy: the SEO learning portal and software company gave access to the premium academy for free for 1 week.
A very generous act. Congratulations!
Microsoft
Responding to COVID-19 together. As the world responds to the outbreak of COVID-19, our thoughts are with the people affected and the medical professionals working around the clock to help those most in need. At Microsoft, we’re working to do our part by ensuring the safety of our employees, striving to protect the health and well-being of the communities in which we operate, and providing technology, tips and resources to our customers to help them do their best work while remote.
Bing
Real-time covid-19 monitoring.
ANA
NEW YORK (March 27, 2020) — The ANA today announced it has formed a new working community of top CMOs dedicated to helping the marketing community manage the ongoing global crisis posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
WPP
CNBC: WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, pulled its dividend and share buyback and withdrew guidance for 2020 on Tuesday, after clients cancelled marketing booked with the company due to the coronavirus crisis.
“The actions we have taken in the last 18 months to streamline and simplify WPP, together with raising £3.2 billion ($3.97 billion) in asset disposals, have put WPP in a strong financial position,” CEO Mark Read said in a statement.
WHO – World Health Organization
WHO: The world is facing an unprecedented challenge with communities and economies everywhere affected by the growing COVID-19 pandemic. The world is coming together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic bringing governments, organizations from across industries and sectors and individuals together to help respond to this global outbreak. The outpouring of global solidarity and support sparked by this shared challenge has been phenomenal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is leading and coordinating the global effort, supporting countries to prevent, detect, and respond to the pandemic.
Everyone can now support directly the response coordinated by WHO. People and organizations who want to help fight the pandemic and support WHO and partners can now donate through the COVID-Solidarity Response Fund for WHO.
They also have released an app dedicated to the pandemic.
CARES Act
WordStream: On Friday, March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) became US law. The largest stimulus bill in American history, the CARES act put into motion a momentous effort to provide financial relief for millions of Americans who have been economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic—in particular, the 3.3 million Americans who’ve filed for unemployment since March 14, and the small businesses who employ so many of them.
Patrick Gentempo – Revealed Films
Revealed Films
Dr. Patric Gentempo and Revealed Films are releasing a series of documentaries. Times are uncertain for traders and investors. What should we do?
Last year, Patrick released another series of documentaries about the investing world where he was interviewing names like Robert Kioyasaki, David Gardner, Garrett Gunderson, Ray Blanco, Andy Tanner, Roger Hamilton, and many more. I had watched quite a few videos and I was intrigued to learn more about investing.
I’ve published an article reviewing his interview with Robert Kiyosaki – Why they don’t teach money at school.
Now, Patrick announced the release of a new series, Crisis Investing 2020. He has access to big names again including Dean Graziosi. The interviews are free to watch.
Digital Marketer
Ryan Deiss, co-founder and CEO of Digital Marketer, a marketing learning portal with tens of thousands of members in 68 countries around the globe, opened access to his premium training lab for everyone for 20-30 days in total.
Access to the DM lab normally costs $95 per month but have in mind, that Ryan gave access to the entire lab and the downloadable resources for everyone for free.
Ryan later said…I am thrilled and humbled to announce that, as of this writing, over 30,000 marketers have taken us up on our offer and over 10,000 have already completed at least one training.
The words “thank you” do not come close to expressing my gratitude and appreciation to everyone who has participated, everyone who is spreading the word, and of course, everyone on the DigitalMarketer team who has gone above and beyond their normal duties to make this happen.
What an amazing act of humanity.
The lab is still open till April 14 or so.
Eben Pagan
One of my mentors and most active philanthropists surprised me again via email.
Volunteers needed: We are organizing a series of online summits to help the world with free classes and support over the coming months. This is going to be a big project, and it’s inspiring to work with our community on it.
JobScan
Jobscan: Companies hiring during the covid-19 crisis
IntelligenceBank
A free whitepaper entitled: the marketer’s guide to remote working.
SEM Rush
The SEO software company gave free access to Oppty tool: We hope it reduces uncertainty about the future, helps your business get through challenging times and scale back up as soon as possible.
Take all the leads you need to jump straight into work when you’re ready. — SEMrush Team.
Another brilliant act.
FlexOffers
The FlexOffers affiliate network sent an email notification: We are in challenging times, and in challenging economic times, it’s commonplace for companies to scale back or to cut costs where needed. Typically, you see this in most digital channels. However, the affiliate channel as we all know is unique.
For advertisers who have decided to reduce their commission to 0%, we will be keeping the links active. So, the user experience is unchanged, and so the user is not being sent to an invalid page. If you choose not to promote the Advertiser, that is certainly an option. We leave this in your hands. Understanding completely why one would want to take this approach. If you have any questions or are looking for strategic advice, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
What can you do? It’s their choice! Let me know your thoughts on this
WallStreetJournal
Related: Coronavirus Emails From Companies May Not Be Calming to Customers. Experts say the onslaught to inboxes can add to anxiety; some customers feel they need to unsubscribe
The Muse
A valuable listing: Companies Are Still Hiring During COVID-19.
%
Consumers interested in brands' COVID-19 initiatives
Source: AAAA.
Consumers that believe brands are responding more quickly and effectively to the coronavirus pandemic than governments
Source: Edelman
Americans who’ve filed for unemployment since March 14, 2020
Source: WashingtonPost
Walmart
BusinessInsider: Walmart suspended influencer affiliate programs with social commerce site MagicLinks and e-commerce giant Rakuten.
Unilever
According to CampaignLive, the FMCG giant has unveiled a range of measures to assist global effort to tackle Covid-19, including €100m in donations.
Coca-Cola
The economic uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic has led the soft-drinks multinational to suspend all its brand marketing in Great Britain, PRWeek has learned.
AirBnB
Reuters report: Airbnb pauses marketing to save $800M during the pandemic downturn.
BudLight
MarketingDive announced: Bud Light – Open for Takeout lives on a web page where bars and restaurants across the U.S. can submit their businesses for listings that go live on Friday.
Photo by prostooleh/FreePik
HSBC
HSBC Bank USA has teamed up with DoSomething.org on a campaign starring “Black-ish” star Marcus Scribner that promotes smart saving for college students during Financial Literacy Month, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive.
UnitedNations
TalentHouse: The United Nations (UN) needs your help in translating critical public health messages, into work that will engage and inform people across different cultures, languages, communities and platforms. The shortlisted work will reach everyone, everywhere.
Switch by Wanted
They say: Letting people go? We can help them. Submit your talent list and we’ll find them a new home. 100% private. Only top startups will hire them. Switch is our way to help during this crisis. Laid off talent and businesses still hiring can now find each other effortlessly and for free.
WholeFoods
FoodAndWine: Whole Foods Workers Organize ‘Sick Out’ for Better COVID-19 Compensation. The pro-unionization group Whole Worker is asking employees to strike on Tuesday, March 31.
Chipotle
PRnewsWire: Chipotle turns Challenger Series into a virtual gaming tournament. Finale champions will win $25,000 cash and $25,000 to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts, as well as an exclusive card that grants winners a year of free Chipotle.
Hasbro
BusinessWire: Hasbro Launches BringHometheFun.com to Support Families Staying Indoors.
Wantable
Sew Good to Give Back: Like you, we want to do more to help those on the medical frontlines who are running out of supplies, caring for patients suffering from COVID-19 (coronavirus). That’s why we’re hustling to use our technology and resources to turn our fulfillment center into a hub to create and distribute face masks.
And you can help — from the comfort of home. If you can sew please connect. We’ll supply you with the instruction packs you need, plus free returns and pick-up. If you can’t sew but still want to help, share this link with crafters in your community.
Essence Studios
MarketingDive: Lifestyle media brand Essence live-streamed a free two-day virtual wellness summit last week in a pivot of its events strategy that is a direct response to COVID-19 shutdowns, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive. Content from the Essence Wellness House summit is still available on the site.
Pepsi
MarketingDive: Pepsi is sponsoring a global entertainment special organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and advocacy group Global Citizen scheduled for April 18 at 8 p.m. ET to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to details the brand shared with Marketing Dive.
Pepsi is investing $45 million to help communities around the globe affected by the pandemic. This includes paying for masks and other protective gear for healthcare workers, testing services and food for at-risk populations.
BurgerKing
MarketingDive: The fast-food chain is also donating 250,000 Whoppers to nurses through the American Nurses Foundation. The organization will share codes that nurses can use to order the sandwiches from the BK mobile app. Consumers can donate $10 to the American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund by texting THANKS to 20222.
Frito-Lay
MarketingDive: Frito-Lay is creating 3,000 new full-time jobs with benefits, donating $15 million to COVID-19 relief efforts, working with charities to donate meals to families in need and funding virus testing efforts.
Pebbles
PR News Wire: Starting Wednesday, April 15, PEBBLES cereal will post a daily video on Facebook, Instagram and the PEBBLES cereal website to inspire kids’ imaginations and teach them something new each day for the next 30 days. The videos feature artists and creators whose work has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including artists, dancers, chefs, crafters, magicians and more.
SaaS for Covid
SaasForCovid: SaaS products with a COVID-19 discount
WSJ: Facebook Pledges $100 Million for News Outlets Hit by Coronavirus Outbreak
Amazon
You-Tube
YouTube will reduce the quality of videos around the world, an effort by the world’s most popular video site to ease internet traffic during the coronavirus outbreak, on Bloomberg.
Retailers
According to MarketingDive, In the past several weeks, over 100 retailers — both legacy and DTC — have temporarily shuttered their doors or reduced hours to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. For digitally native brands, which operate few stores relative to more traditional players, the move to operating exclusively online, in theory, should have come with little disruption to business. But that hasn’t been the case.
According to IndiLens, at least 10 retailers including Macy’s, Patagonia, and Victoria’s Secret suspended their affiliate programs with RewardStyle, according to a blog update on the popular influencer platform.
Wealthy Affiliate
It’s the marketing community that helped me build my business in which I am a member since 2014. Kyle, the co-founder blogged…An Interesting and Positive Outlook in Spite of COVID-19.
The economy is not dead. It is still moving. The Internet has never been more lively and more rife with opportunity. The future is bright. Stay positive. Remain resilient.
Multimedia World
DesignerUp, compiled a collection of links to job boards and friendly companies for tracking down remote work opportunities.
500px: Starting April 6 we will also be launching Daily Challenges via 500px Groups. These challenges are meant to keep the photography community engaged and connected during this time. They are also a great excuse to dig through your camera roll and archives to upload and share photos you may have forgotten about. We encourage you to check out the challenges daily and share your photos, give feedback to others, and upvote the shots you love.
DeathToTheStockPhoto: They announced via email – Each of us has a creator that we love, a shop owner we trust, or an artist that we believe in and want to see thrive — even in tough times. Many people feel helpless to support anyone right now, so we’re stepping in to play our part.
We scrapped our budget for an upcoming photoshoot and instead we are going to use it to help you buy from or contribute to the creators you admire. Together, we have $5,000 to buy anything that can be purchased online from solo creators. Services, physical goods, educational content, prints etc. If there is an online check-out. It’s fair game.
Artify: Covid-19 Design Pack Free design templates & icons for ur campaigns! A collaborative project of icons and designs you can edit on the fly with Artify!
TalentHouse: You definitely answered the United Nations global call out to creators to help stop the spread of Covid-19. You are doing your part and we appreciate you all staying focused on what’s ahead and how we can get there.
Normally, we announce and highlight Selected Creators from our briefs. Needless to say, this was not a normal brief and we’re okay with that—we’re all experiencing new ‘normals’ in our worlds.
As a result of all of your creative responses and generosity, there is now a library of artwork that will educate, uplift, and inspire individuals and communities all across the world through this global crisis. We invite you to visit and explore the UN COVID-19 Creative Content Hub to share your favorite pieces of work with your peers, friends, and family.
Employment-Related/Statistics
Forbes: 6 Million More File For Unemployment And Nearly 2 Million Buy Guns: Coronavirus By The Numbers.
Investing: The number of Americans applying for initial unemployment benefits surged to a new record 6.65 million last week, the U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday, as the full impact of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic on the labor market became apparent.
Our Plans/Final Thoughts
As you can see, not all companies react positively and with good-will to the coronavirus.
We reduced our sponsored department prices by 90% off.
There are more to come (hint) free workshops and…
I hope the pandemic will end up soon so we can sleep like before.
Covid-19 related articles:
- ‘Covid-19: new economy business examples’
- Covid-19: my last night’s nightmare
- Contributions of writing services during covid-19
- Covid-19 and business: don’t panic – huge opportunity
- The most resilient jobs during coronavirus
- Top 7 professions not affected by the coronavirus
- Coronavirus: the Greek economy collapses (written in Greek)
That’s it, another article has finished, here on Web Market Support. I am waiting for your comments and thoughts. Till next time.
Tasos Perte Tzortzis
Marketing Consultant, Creator of the "7 Ideals" Methodology
Although doing traditional business offline since 1992, I fell in love with online marketing in late 2014 and have helped hundreds of brands sell more of their products and services. Founder of WebMarketSupport, Muvimag, SummerDream.
I enjoy reading, arts, science, chess, coffee, tea, swimming, Audi, and playing with my kids.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. for more information, I refer you to the disclaimer page.
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