Like any anxious millennial in COVID-19 quarantine, I’ve been watching far too much TV. I was excited to get back to my daytime TV roots during this time at home only to find a completely different landscape of commercials, programming, and production quality.
While we used to have tons of weird commercials (looking at you, Little Caesars), things have gotten much more serious and inspirational. I mean, even the kings of weird commercials have taken a more somber tone (still looking at you, Little Caesars).
But it’s not just the new driver learning stick for the first time harsh shift into more serious ads that’s notable, it’s also the production of today’s TV content that’s standing out. My trusty smartphone that almost never leaves my sight has secretly been a powerhouse production team this whole time and I didn’t even know it.
Here are some of the major ways TV has changed in response to coronavirus, with evidence gathered from my incessant hours of TV watching.
Webcams and Smartphones Have Become Production Studios
Before even diving into the feel-good, heartwarming, and even somber themes of TV’s new COVID content, we should first explore how video production has seemed to change. Now I should specify, I’m a digital marketer and not a production or film expert, but it’s clear to see when something was shot on an iPhone (hey Popeye’s, not judging you!).
Hell, it’s even happening on TV shows. America’s favorite daytime TV psychological expert is shooting shows from his surprisingly cozy kitchen, the ladies of The View are battling it out over what is clearly a Zoom call, and even the new episode of Tiger King openly relies on iPhones for its filming.
It’s the obvious fix for a problem of needing to create new content during a pandemic, we’ve got to stay apart but everyone is home streaming content at a surprising rate. So, what is a producer, network, or company to do? It’s amazing to be using these technologies for something other than sharing memes, but it’s also interesting to see from the consumer end of things. Even big brands and shows with previously professional production quality have taken a more grassroots approach to producing new content in this COVID world.
The Humanity Behind Homegrown COVID-19 Era Programming
Maybe I’m creepier than the next person, but I love this homegrown feel of content today. I’m not too proud to be fascinated by what Rachel Ray’s at home kitchen looks like or how Jimmy Fallon’s home is decorated.
More than anything else, this content produced in quarantine at home shows us that we’re all human after all. Strip away the professional makeup, the high-quality camera work, and the live band and you’ve got one thing left- humanity. Behind the big brands, the polished exteriors, and the well-planned sets, we’re all humans trying to work, trying to make connections with each other, and trying to get through these weird times with as much normalcy as possible. So if that means filming and splicing a new episode of SNL with webcams, having reality TV stars film and narrate their lives without producers to push a story, or having your youngest son film your cooking show with his GoPro in your massive outdoor kitchen that’s bigger than my whole condo, I’m here for it.
How Commercials Have Changed Post-COVID
As usual, video commercials continue to weave their way into our lives. Whether you’re watching something on YouTube, streaming Hulu like me, watching cable, or streaming with one of the dozens of other apps, you’re likely still seeing your fair share of commercials.
During the first few weeks of March 2020, commercials were all still pretty normal as we all collectively hoped this wouldn’t become what it has. By the end of April 2020, companies have had the time to produce new commercials that are more sensitive to the challenges everyone has been facing in this new COVID-19 reality.
For example, brands like Cotton and Macy’s have been running commercials on the heartwarming end of things. They’re both sharing footage of NYC’s truly beautiful movement of people leaning from their windows and on their balconies cheering, banging pots and pans together, and clapping for healthcare workers as the sun sets between the iconic skyscrapers of the city.
These types of heartwarming ads are brilliant as they are a wonderful way to position a brand as supportive, caring, and loving during these scary times. They are also avoiding being tone-deaf to the fears people are feeling, and though they’re selling the brand, they’re not blatantly selling a product. This can be an especially tasteful approach when the unemployment rate is at 13%. And when things hopefully return to normal, people will remember the warm fuzzies these brand’s ads gave them during a crisis.
Other COVID-19 era commercials are still taking a tasteful approach but pushing their product. The biggest movement in commercials has been ditching humorous or weird and memorable concepts for a more serious tone. I’ve been seeing a lot of restaurant commercials about contactless delivery, food safety, and other pain points consumers are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. As with the TV programs many of these commercials bookend, they’ve clearly been shot on a smartphone or GoPro at best.
What We Can Learn from TV’s Coronavirus Changes
While some other brands are missing the mark when it comes to their advertising and some programs are simply hitting the pause button right now, these COVID-19 fueled TV changes are fascinating to watch. They show us how important the message is above all else, and how receptive audiences are to more grassroots content.
On more of a digital marketing approach, we can learn a lot from brands that have tastefully switched up their advertising in the wake of this pandemic. Brands are following the same guideline for advertising during a crisis by:
- Pushing an empowering message rather than a product
- Changing the tone of their commercials to a more serious or somber one
- Avoiding discussing any potentially offensive topics
- Conveying support for communities over just customers
- Bringing a human side to their brand by including real employees in the ads
- Being agile with their production by filming topical commercials without a full film crew
Hopefully, I’m not the only weirdo who dissects commercials like this. Though I miss my zaney commercials, I am nerding out over the changes advertisers have been making in response to the especially tough times we’re in right now.
