“If they’re advertising differently, it sets the tone for what they want their brand to mean,” says Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst at market research agency NPD. “With more people opting to shop online, it’s harder to get that impulse purchase so there’s still a need for these companies to make themselves known and to tell consumers, ‘Hey, we’re here for you. We have that stress relief you’re looking for.
Seifer says NPD saw an uptick in snack food sales at the end of March, as consumers shifted from stocking up on essentials to treating themselves to quarantine treats. Two months later, ad messaging caught up, just as some states are loosening lockdowns and attempting the return of normal life. While humorous food ads offer much-needed emotional release from the mass ennui experienced by consumers, the commercials run the potential of undermining vigilance against the virus. While disastertizing ads are problematic because they tend to co-opt a collective grief for financial gain, they at least reinforce messages from public health authorities to take the pandemic seriously.
The M&M’S ad hits the right balance; it’s funny without being crass or careless about a tragic and dangerous situation. Yellow’s kitchen scene is familiar to anyone who has attempted a too-ambitious recipe during lockdown, and the tagline “no baking necessary” might sound pretty appealing after baking a fifth loaf of sourdough.
Regardless of snack brands’ advertising tone, the demand for products is unlikely to wane. Seifer points out that even as some states reopen, schools and summer camps remain closed, leaving parents with energetic kids in need of feeding. People flocked to comfort foods during the Great Recession, he says, so snack and alcohol brands may continue to see increased sales should the pandemic morph into a long-lasting economic downturn.
Read the room.
I looked to see if this was the Onion. In the worst of times, you have to laugh to keep from crying.
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