• by Ben Spiegel , Op-Ed Contributor, September 7, 2017

Hurricane Harvey hit southeast Texas hard, and people heavily relied on social media and their mobile devices to get critical emergency-related information such as water levels and shelter locations. While traditional channels like TV were often dead due to limited power, our mobile devices kept us connected and informed via text and email.

This presented an ideal opportunity for brands to show that they truly understand how to communicate with their consumers in the moments that matter to them. Some failed, others rallied.

First, let’s set the stage: Brands have nearly perfected how to talk to their consumers and when. They know what their consumers’ intent is, when they are most likely to buy a product and which product they would prefer. However, as I just learned having lived through the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, when it comes to communicating with consumers in a non-brand / non-product specific context, some brands have no idea what to say or when not to reach out.

Hurricane Harvey’s impact on the citizens of southeast Texas is enormous. But the situation also presented a big impact on marketers who had a prime opportunity to adapt their messaging and provide actual value to consumers in their area of expertise when consumers needed it most. Some acted as if it was business as usual and served preroll ads to users in the middle of a newscast about shelter information. Other brands decided to step back and not communicate anything.

Some brands, however, showed great initiative and executed disaster communication strategies. For example, AT&T did a great job in communicating what it can do for people in affected areas by sending them a message about waiving data overages for affected residents. The big regional grocery chain H-E-B is now well known for its work on the scene to provide meals and disaster relief for thousands of displaced people and Tide’s Loads of Hope has done amazing work to provide clean clothing to those who need it in a large-scale emergency. 

Closer to home, my pool equipment company messaged us about safety precautions and one of our banks reached out with offers on how to get money to pay for repairs or bridge bills. (Our other bank did not communicate a single thing.) 

Brands need to start thinking about what their role is in disasters. How can they connect with their consumers in a time of need and build truly meaningful relationships? Does your brand have a disaster marketing strategy?