Tone-deaf promotions...major turnoff?

There have been many blog posts by our class about brands who are adapting to the new environment and consumer needs during COVID-19, and some are successfully integrating this into their campaigns, perhaps even going a little overboard. But for some reason, I am still seeing brands who seem to be clueless and are coming across as tone-deaf in their digital marketing. For example, Sandals resorts just sent an email titled "Saying Hello To Paradise has Never Been Better", where nothing in the body of the email indicates that they are aware of the virus or the fact that people are not travelling. 

Brands during this time need to consider deleting, postponing, or altering content that could be considered tone-deaf, because it has a negative impact on customers and can turn them off from working with the brand in the future. 

Here are two interesting articles which provide good and bad examples of ways that brands and advertisers can adapt, and should be mindful of being potentially insensitive during this time:

"Many advertisers have adjusted their messaging during the COVID-19 outbreak. Hershey just had to pull ads that showed people hugging and touching, because it was seen as potentially insensitive to promote close contact while most people are practicing “social distancing.” Coors Light pulled the plug on a campaign for March Madness with the slogan: “Official beer of ‘working’ remotely.” That, too, could have come off as tone deaf while more people are working at home, not to watch college basketball, but to avoid the contracting the disease."

https://today.yougov.com/topics/resources/articles-reports/2020/03/18/delete-or-postpone-tone-deaf-content-can-damage-br

https://adage.com/article/digital/twitter-gives-brands-advice-how-communicate-coronavirus-climate/2243871