By now, it’s hard to be a person alive in the world and be unaware of the Coronavirus. We’re not here to talk about illnesses and pandemics. There are scientists, doctors and experts who know far, far, FAR more about…you guessed it…science than we do. However, Coronavirus has spilled into our area of expertise, and that’s what we’re talking about at the G/L offices lately.
We’ve been seeing all the jokes about Coronavirus and Corona beer on Twitter. A personal favorite: “I prefer my Coronavirus with a twist of Lyme disease.” However, turns out that it’s not all jokes. Some people are quite serious. In fact, according to a survey of American beer drinkers conducted by PR firm 5WPR, 38% said they would not buy Corona beer under any circumstances due to the spread of Coronavirus.
If you’re reading this, then there’s probably no need to explain this to you. But it is our professional obligation to point out that Corona beer is ONLY a tasty beach beverage. NOT a highly transmissible virus.
In an even more telling statistic, only 4% of regular Corona drinkers said that they would stop drinking Corona. But there is a not-insignificant 14% of Corona drinkers who will no longer order it in public. Meaning they know better…but they are still too ashamed to be caught with a Corona!
It makes sense. Sometimes you want to enjoy a frosty beer and not wade into a controversial topic. In fact, most people most of the time would like to keep beer and controversy separate. They’re on two opposite ends of the spectrum as far as we’re concerned. For evidence, joins us at beer:30 every Friday afternoon.
Which brings us to the heart of our discussion. Just because a brand is only very, very loosely connected to an adverse event or news story (or perhaps not even involved in the least) doesn’t mean that they can’t get swept up in it. That’s why we provide extensive PR and crisis management services to our clients through professionals who have been, seen that and weathered the storm. Get in touch and we can talk about how we can guide your brand through any storm.