Coronavirus and your marketing campaigns

Abi Roman

Now it’s clear that the Coronavirus is a major risk to both people and business, your company is probably dusting off its emergency-response plans, sorting out stricter cleaning procedures and the logistics of working from home. But what about a clean sweep of your marketing plans. How will they be affected?

PromoVeritas have overseen the legalities and delivery of thousands of the world’s favourite promotions since 2002 and we are now actively advising brands and agencies on contingency planning for the Covid-19 virus. Jeremy Stern, our CEO, offers his Point of View on planning ahead.

The impact of Coronavirus on business is increasingly real and tangible. Last week we saw the cancellation of Mariah Carey concerts and Six Nations fixtures and the probability that the Euros and the Olympics will be postponed is now very real. Meanwhile entire countries are on lock-down, supermarkets are introducing rationing and businesses around the world are preparing their contingency plans and following stringent safety measures in their offices.

But what about your promotional marketing campaigns. You may have winners from recent prize campaigns who have won holiday prizes abroad, or tickets to big money events. Or your latest on-pack promotion has prizes that can no longer be sourced? Or you might be a sponsor of a major sporting event this summer and it is all now under threat – but you have spent your money and made your plans. How do you deal with these types of issues, or if you are a brand manager or an agency planning an imminent promotional campaign, what should you do to minimise the threat?

Of course, you need to maintain your revenues, but you must also not forget your responsibility to the public, and how your actions might affect the reputation of your brand. Here’s a checklist of things to watch out for;

  1. First list all your campaigns according to low/medium/high risk and make a plan for each of them
  2. Prioritise campaigns where winners are due to travel or take up prizes that may be cancelled
  3. Review campaigns that haven’t begun but may be affected by future event or travel cancellations
  4. Check your insurer’s policy on cancellations
  5. Determine if prizes held up in customs be replaced by cash or alternatives?
  6. Communicate with winners and entrants via email or websites on the situation over cancellations, future travel or delayed prizes. And keep them updated.

For almost 20 years PromoVeritas have been responsible for the compliance and safe delivery of thousands of campaigns for some of the world’s best loved brands. We know the rules, the tricks of the trades and the issues that matter the most.

Our experienced Legal Counsel and Legal Team can help you with some of the genuine challenges faced by your marketing teams concerning Corona virus such as:

  • Legal contracts – what is covered, what is not
  • Sponsorship issues
  • Reviewing your Terms & Conditions
  • Fulfilling prizes that may be stuck in customs
  • Adapting existing promotions and future-proofing your next ones

Remember that every business is having to make changes that affect their operations, their budgets and their reputations – planning with caution and rationality is the best option for everyone. But you’re not alone, PromoVeritas can help you make sure that you are sticking to the rules and figure out your responsibilities. To speak to one of our legal team call +44 203 325 6000 or email info@promoveritas.com.