Optimistic ad campaigns clash with rising COVID-19 cases 

With the surge in new COVID-19 cases and spread of the delta coronavirus variant, some marketers are advising companies to pull back their more optimistic ad campaigns, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 3. 

"I don’t think anybody made a mistake," Susan Credile, global chief creative officer of FCB ad agency, told the publication. "I just think the world did not go the direction we thought it would and that requires all of us to be ready to adjust." 

For example, Uber has been running a commercial during the Tokyo Olympics that shows a quinceañera taking place after a yearlong delay with the tagline: "Go anywhere. Go get it," according to the report. Google also has aired an ad that shows people searching for information on how to start a new school, start dating again and start over. 

"I love that they had optimism that we were going to be in a great place by the time we got to the Olympics, but as we got to Tokyo and there were not fans in the stands, you could feel that it wasn’t going to continue as we thought," Ms. Credle said.

Google works with the CDC and other healthcare organizations to ensure its ads don't send mixed signals or misrepresentations, Google Vice President of Global Marketing Marvin Chow told the publication, adding that the company's current commercial shows people's searches as the pandemic continues to evolve. 

"People are starting new jobs, asking questions about how to return to the office, doing searches on road trips," he said. "There’s a safe and responsible way to do these things and part of our role as an information company is to get you that information."

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