Well, That Was Fast
Do you remember the last time someone verbally attacked you? Maybe a family member started a drunken argument on Christmas or your spouse griped about your schedule. These things happen to everyone, but here’s the real question: How did you react? When we come under attack, our instinct is to defend ourselves and/or attack back — which can be summed up in three words: complain, blame, explain . This is a natural reaction, but it won’t end the argument or break the cycle of negative emotions that your attacker is stuck in. There’s a better way to do that, and it starts with courage. As you can see in the diagram below, there are two paths you can take in a conflict: the selfish path or the selfless path . When someone attacks you, it means that they’re stuck in the selfish path. There was something they wanted, but they didn’t get it and that pushed them to confront you (taking action) with pride. If you don’t intervene — or if you complain, blame, explain — they’ll slide into shame, guilt, apathy, regret, and fear, then start the cycle all over again. Worse, you’ll wind up there with them! But if you DO intervene, you can correct their course and set them on the selfless path toward acceptance, understanding, and joy. THE SMART WAY TO RESPOND TO A VERBAL ATTACK How to Break the Cycle of Selfish Decision-Making
Advertising in the Time of COVID-19
Almost a year ago, most of the United States entered a period of lockdown in an attempt to thwart the spread of COVID-19. For marketers facing an economic crisis, this presented a conundrum unlike any they’d seen before. On the one hand, it was likely that spending would drop, although the increase in nationwide unemployment payouts helped mitigate that. On the other hand, they now had a “captive audience” like never before, with people streaming movies and television from home at a record rate.
The lifestyles of those consumers had changed dramatically — could advertisers meet the challenge?
Two Paths Selfish
They certainly tried.
For retailer Carvana, the virus was almost a boon. The Tempe, Arizona- based auto seller had already gained fame for its “car vending machines” in several large American cities, but it had yet to crack the national market. As their ads put it, they wanted to be a coast-to-coast solution for new car sales, and our newly confined circumstances meant many more Americans were interested in Carvana than before. The company dumped money into its streaming ads, and the results speak for themselves: Bottoming at $30 million in March, their stock was valued at more than $200 million just a few months later. Some advertisers settled for merely reflecting the new norms of remote life and work in their advertising, with mixed results. If we weren’t tired of the Zoom-focused Progressive ads featuring Flo and cohorts back in spring 2020, we’ve surely grown tired of their hard-to-parse antics by now. No matter who’s doing the advertising, studies done as early as April 2020 found that many consumers were tired of being reminded of the pandemic every time they sat down to watch TV. With national anxiety at an all-time high and mental illness spiking during the pandemic, that’s no surprise. People didn’t want to face the reality of the virus every 10 minutes due to advertisements. On the other hand, some businesses were just hampered by circumstance. Carnival and Norwegian Cruise lines both ran aground with their streaming ads focused on spring and summer getaways. These seemed especially tone-deaf given that cruise ships made headlines at the time as vectors for massive COVID-19 spread.
Anger
Action
Pride
Shame
Desire
Guilt
Fear
Grief/Regret
Apathy
Surrender
Peace
Joy
Willing
Love
Acceptance
Understanding
Selfless/Noble
Here’s how: Next time someone verbally attacks you, gather your courage and say, “You’re right. I should try harder, and I’m going to. Will you help me?” This will turn their shame into surrender. It might not feel like winning, but it’s the smartest response for your mental health and theirs. Later, you can reconsider your relationship privately and decide whether their selfishness (or yours) is holding you back. In last month’s newsletter, Randy wrote about three ways to embrace optimism this year. To continue those steps toward increasing positivity and reducing conflict in your life, give this strategy a try.
2 • www.sklartechnology.com .................................................................................... Security. Availability. Support. But the true loser of 2020 advertising was Corona beer. The poor beverage company never stood a chance.
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