Since March, Americans have felt as if their lives have been on hold due to COVID-​19. They’ve had to socially distance themselves from their friends and family, change their living habits, and either cancel or rethink their summer plans. They don’t need the advertisements they see to be a constant reminder of the state they’re in currently. That’s why WARC says advertisers need to switch their focus to life-​enriching ads.

WARC writes that, “Advertisers hoping to connect with consumers who are still dealing with the impacts of COVID-​19 need to demonstrate how they are ‘enabling life to continue.’” Scare tactics and ‘we’re all in this together’ ads can be effective in their own way, but you want your client’s customers to feel happy about their purchases. This is where life-​enriching ads come into play.

TV ads are particularly well suited to showcase life-​enriching ads since they can directly show consumers examples of Americans living fuller lives, even in the midst of a pandemic, with the help of the advertised products or services. According to WARC, the more creative TV commercials get with advertisements, the better the commercial’s success will be among consumers. Commercials that are less literal and include brand characters resonate better with the American public and create lasting impressions. The use of local locations and messages that focus on a sense of community also fare well among American consumers.

According to AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel, 27.4% of U.S. adults are Heavy TV Watchers (they watch more than five hours of TV per day), 35.5% are Moderate TV Watchers (three to five hours per day), and 24.3% are Light TV Watchers (one to two hours per day). This means that nearly all (87.2%) U.S. adults watch TV every single day, and that percentage has likely been continuing to rise since the beginning of the pandemic in March. Life-​enriching ads aired on TV are the perfect way for your clients to connect with consumers during these trying times.