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About

Coronavirus Commercials refers to a trend of television commercials during the coronavirus pandemic in which the brand takes on a serious tone and attempts to position itself as an institution the consumer can rely on during the pandemic, regardless of the product being sold. Typically the commercials will use phrases like "Now, more than ever," "In these uncertain times," "We're all in this together," etc.

Origin

Commercials referencing the pandemic began appearing in March of 2020. On the 29th, Google posted a commercial thanking health care workers (shown below, left). On the 31st, Facebook posted a commercial responding to the coronavirus pandemic (shown below, right).

Spread

On April 13th, 2020 Fox Business^[1] covered the Facebook and Google ads as well as commercials by Nike and Volkswagen which referenced the virus. On April 15th, YouTuber Microsoft Sam parodied the wave of coronavirus-themed commercials by posting a supercut of major brands' commercials which were all tonally very similar, gaining over 1.5 million views (shown below).

The commercials were met with a mixed reception. On April 16th, the Philadelphia Inquirer^[2] complained about the wave of commercials, writing, "Every one of these announcers adopts an overly solicitous tone, like the voice that gives indecipherable warnings in pharmaceutical ads as the people on the screen have way too much fun considering their medical conditions." Mic^[3] wrote, "A majority (of commercials) have leaned on the same basic tropes, in these unprecedented times: somber piano music, voiceover recounting the company’s history, similar We Here For You verbiage, accelerating piano music to rev up the optimism."

Vox^[4] found the commercials "strangely comforting," writing, "This is the real message: We still exist. “For you,” or “to help,” sure, but most just “here!” -- present, accounted for, still standing. Companies with means are volunteering for a vibe check. When it seems the entire economy is crumbling in a matter of weeks, it’s something they need to say. It’s probably something we need to hear."

On Twitter, users tended to express frustration with the trend. User @Its_Gies^[5] posted a starter pack parodying the commercials' tropes (shown below, left). User @Tom30310^[6] posted a Pulp Fiction still about the overabundance of coronavirus ads (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References