Mask-wearing in Commercials: Yes or No?

2020 has been quite the year and the COVID pandemic is still very much a part of our daily lives. Living in NYC, wearing a mask has become a daily necessity and a norm, but this is definitely not the case everywhere in the U.S. If you live in the suburb, you can easily walk outside without seeing another person and not need to wear a mask (and also forget that the pandemic is ongoing). I'm sure we all had a moment sometime this year, when we were watching TV and all of sudden felt weird seeing people in crowded places not wearing a face mask. Once in awhile, an advertisement will also remind us of how things "used to be". 

So the question is, should commercials have people wearing masks? In my opinion, they should. Mask wearing reduces the spread of COVID and having masks in commercials would help reinforce wearing masks as the norm and the right thing to do. However, for companies, the goal of an advertisement is to promote the brand or a specific product and more often than not aims to connect with the consumer emotionally. Consumers don't want to be reminded of the pandemic and want their moods uplifted. It really depends on the context, but ultimately companies need to be responsible for whichever decision they end up choosing.