Yes! It’s a Disaster!

The media loves a disaster.

They love it so much that it takes over entire TV networks (all of them) the airwaves, the newspapers, EVERYTHING. Never before have I been able to get such up to date figures of the death toll of whichever large scale disaster.

(This is obviously a shopped pic, that is probably a little unfair on these two as they've been solid, sincere performers).


This general media thirst for trauma makes me sick. The whole "if people didn't watch it they wouldn't show it" crap wears a bit thin with me. But that's my personal gripe. If your aim is to sell newspapers then you're probably quite satisfied with the result. I guess the question is: what makes channel 10's coverage better than channel 9's? The story is the same so if you want to find out more you need to decide which one you'll watch. Chances are your decision will be based on the personalities of the newsreaders (likability ratings are a very common thing in TV circles, overall it seems to be the determining factor in ratings). This is a really lazy level of differentiation, in fact it is downright pathetic.



But moving on to real marketing for real people: I was asked recently on my thoughts on disaster fundraisers. More specifically the type of promotions that go along the lines of company X donating amount Y to charity every time product Z is purchased. You can call this incidental contribution. The companies that commit to a drive such as this are not diving into their own funds, which means the donation can be achieved without the pain of a lump sum exit.



Personally, I think the strategy is a good thing. It is usually driven by sentiment within the organisation rather than profit seeking. This is a important because customers are becoming increasingly cynical and they seem to have a real eye for being atrificially leveraged for sentiment.



Are you likely to get a huge spike in sales and/or profits because of this? It depends on your product, but the answer is most likely 'no'. What you do get is an increase in the perception of your corporate responsibility.

Just remember – if your customers (or potential customers) get the feeling that you're rubbing your hands together with excitement at the hands of a massive tragedy you will be inflicting untold harm to your brand (unless you're a media outlet!).