SOLIDARITY IN TIMES OF CRISIS: INFORMATION AND SOCIAL MARKETING MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

We are facing a health crisis that has also become an economic and social crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted globally, however, like all problems, it is not lived or will not be lived in the same way by everyone; unfortunately some have been and will be more affected than others, be they countries, institutions or people.

This situation has shown our fragility, how interconnected we are in today’s world, and the fact that individual actions impact others in one way or another, especially the most vulnerable. Fortunately, the effect of this interconnection is also positive and shows in the intention and actions to help others. Hence the relevance of having adequate information and dissemination mechanisms to coordinate efforts and respond with solidarity and collaboration to a situation of this nature.

We have witnessed the importance of information and media campaigns to make society aware of the impact of this problem. In this sense, we speak of social marketing, which is understood as “the application of marketing principles and techniques to programs or actions aimed at contributing to the well-being of the community, that is, modifying ideas, beliefs, attitudes and values to in order to improve life within a community ”.

In this context, social marketing becomes a central actor, since priorities have changed in this scenario that confronts us as a society and that will impact even more by pushing changes in our life models, habits and customs.

FROM THE NATIONS

International organizations such as the United Nations (UN) or the World Health Organization (WHO), are presumed as a coordinating force and with the capacity to convene. The UN has published initiatives and events in which leaders from different countries participate and it is recognized that in the face of the true global challenge that we face with different dimensions and for the global economy to recover, a “coordinated world plan” is required.

Likewise, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, makes a call to combat what he considers another pandemic at the moment: disinformation. He affirms that “it is time for science and solidarity” and announces a new communication initiative of the United Nations to disseminate facts and science on the Internet, and at the same time combat what it calls the “infodemic”, which is putting in danger even more lives.

On the other hand, the report “Shared responsibility, global solidarity: a response to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19” was published in which a call to action is made to all actors to end the pandemic and address the many social and economic dimensions derived from this crisis. Among its main conclusions, in addition to strengthening the resilience of health systems, it indicates that “Now more than ever, we cannot leave anyone behind.”

In general, international cooperation has been a constant, from how the countries that began facing the crisis have shared valuable information with others to face the most difficult stages of this battle, to their ability to provide equipment, materials and efforts to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, thus promoting a global solidarity movement to help countries in greatest need.

IN THE PRIVATE INITIATIVE AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

In recent years, the leading role that private sector companies have played within various social programs has been evident. Many of them combine their marketing activities with their social responsibility initiatives, which is related as committed marketing or social causes, any activity that links the contributions of the company to a social cause with customers, who are directly or indirectly engaged in transactions carried out to raise funds. This practice has an impact on image improvement and definitely, given the current crisis, it becomes a trend and a great opportunity to transcend.

Although unfortunately some companies have had to lay off employees due to the temporary closure, others have promised to maintain their workforce as far as their finances allow, having those who have made a turn by contributing, on the one hand, with millionaire donations and clear international aid and direct, and on the other, from their different specialties, as in the case of renowned brands in the fashion industry that, despite being one of the most affected, have joined either by producing masks or protective suits for professionals. of health, or, funding causes of foundations to help entrepreneurs in the sector.

In the same way that some cosmetic brands have allocated their factories to the production of antibacterial gel to donate to different health institutions, luxury car brands have donated hundreds of vehicles to the International Red Cross and are manufacturing medical equipment, and others they have allocated a production area and their experts to manufacture respirators. Thus, innumerable actions have emerged from the private initiative that, although they have a positive impact on its brand image, in the end and in short, generate great support to mitigate the crisis experienced by those most affected by this pandemic.

In this sense, in Mexico we have also seen both local and national initiatives and programs that call for solidarity, such as “Nobody here thunders” from the restaurant sector, “Jalisco without hunger, together for food” from the government and society , “FONDO Despensamx” promoted by CEMEFI, “Solidarity salary” from COPARMEX, the “National Day of Healthy Distance” from the federal government, “Stay at home”, among many others. These campaigns and their adequate dissemination in the indicated communication channels play a fundamental role in meeting the objectives.

AMOUNG THE POPULATION

According to the study of the perception of Mexicans in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, carried out by ACSI Research last May of this year, the interviewees consider themselves to be between “fully informed” (37.4%) and “informed” (52.6%) of the topic (Illustration 1); the news and radio, followed by the internet are its main sources. However, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is the minimum and 5 is the maximum, they evaluate with an average 2.9 their level of confidence in the official information presented on the pandemic in Mexico (Illustration 2).

On the other hand, 6 out of 10 interviewees indicate that they are “very afraid” of the contagion / death by coronavirus of older adults, followed by fear of the contagion / death of minors and finally that of their own person; Hence, solidarity is also reflected to a great extent between individuals. It becomes evident that the action of staying at home (for those who have been able to do it), not only represents the possibility of keeping ourselves safe, but is also a means to help others.

Now, although staying at home is generally considered an act of solidarity, this crisis is not faced in the same way by everyone, so that asking the population to take shelter in their homes for safety has been taken by some as a “luxury of class”, because for those who the sustenance is obtained day by day, this is something impossible to carry. However, many people have managed to survive in the short term thanks to forms of local solidarity that are spreading everywhere.

In this sense, it is perceived that we have suddenly become more aware of the problems of the other, but regardless of the current crisis due to COVID-19, let us not forget that there are other worrisome data; According to the Save the Children organization, an average of 8,500 children die every day from problems associated with severe malnutrition, that is, more than 3 million a year. It seems that we ignored the existing problems before the one we are currently experiencing arrived, and one of the differences is undoubtedly the dissemination of information and the perception that we may have to live it up close.

Hopefully this “new reality” will make us more sensitive to the crises that many others experience every day and that, as a society, we will look for mechanisms to make a difference. And beyond charity, provide solutions that contribute to transforming traditional structures and systems that have proven not to be sufficiently robust and fair. That public and private institutions make use of information and social communication campaigns to make the population aware of the different problems and their proposed solutions, since their effective management constitutes an action capable of improving transparency, promoting social trust and the reputation of organizations, where the effective application of communication and marketing strategies that achieve social ties that are necessarily strong to translate into solidarity and collaborative activities becomes a priority.