That feeling that you have that all pandemic commercials seem the same is a real thing.
It’s an observation recently documented by a YouTube creator. AdAge rightfully defends the creative, or lack thereof, on the basis of production limitations, and I nod my head in full agreement as I sit here way past midnight trying to re-board an opening sequence to a spot I will have to produce in an uncertain environment without the benefit of a shoot. What b-roll is on this drive? Hopefully something I can use.
Is the creative sameness going on here though only a byproduct of production limitations? Isn’t it also the case that all brands want to appear empathetic and compassionate, capable of setting aside commerce for at least a few moments to recognize the pain that people are enduring? The same brief often generates the same work. Or is it that creatives want to set aside chasing clear originality since the last thing we want to do is expose our clients to the risks of appearing opportunistic or tone deaf? Perhaps it simply highlights more intensely the critical relationship between creativity and the environment within which the creator exists. In the profound uncertainty we are experiencing today, there are no rules worth breaking, no norms worth challenging, nothing worth poking fun at and so it blurs all the normal boundaries and effectively removes the defined edges of the limits we do our best to hurdle. And creatives are not immune, in fact some might argue they are more susceptible, to the human toll inflicted by the virus. We are, after all, constantly asked to get inside the minds of others, feel what they are feeling, predicting how they might react emotionally or rationally to the things we create. So, perhaps when we’re writing the words, “We’re here for you” or “We’ll get through this together” it’s an expression of our hope for those things to manifest in our own lives, not just for consumers of our clients’ offerings. And it’s frankly the best idea that can be created for this moment.
What can give us hope for what’s next creatively? Former Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi gave an interview for Vice and talked about what happened in Italy after the Plague. Hint: It was the Renaissance.
DY
