On 9 March 2020, the South Africa’s Coronavirus stats stood at only 7 positive cases… A year later, over a million positive cases and many lessons learnt. Many lives have been lost, businesses shut, jobs lost and above all of that, the world stood still as we all tried our best to minimize the chances of catching this deadly virus while we also scrambled to stay afloat.
Never in a million years did I think I would live through a pandemic that would affect the whole world and change how we live. Reflecting on the year – despite everything, things have not been that bad – there are a few positives to take away.
My top 2 lessons from COVID-19.
Saving is Essential.
I remember the 23rd of March 2020 like it was yesterday, I felt my body go cold the moment the President announced the 21 day lock down. My thoughts quickly raced to food, as basic a need as that is, it was my biggest concern at that time.
Lesson: Always have savings for rainy days – you never know when a global pandemic or a personal problem may arise.
Allan Gray Investments has a TVC about a fathers share; this ad stands out for me when it comes to the thought of always being prepared for the future.
The value of mental and physical health.
Mental and physical health became a big topic around the big lockdown. The month of level 5 lockdown pushed me to work out more and really focus on my mental health by prioritising my sleep and listening to a lot of mental health related podcasts
Nike aired a TVC about not stopping and going the extra mile, I absolutely loved how all the athletes in the ad went through hardships but still picked themselves up to get on with the show
In the beginning of the pandemic, commercials were mostly focused on being comforting reminders that we are all going through the same thing.
With us slowly adapting to life with COVID and masks as a part of our daily attire, TV commercials have become more than our comfort, but making us realise that its possible to rebuild all that we have lost, marketers are helping us realise our strength.
The best ‘back to business’ TVC has to be the Volkskwagen Drive Local TVC.
This ad came just as the restrictions were slowly being eased. In the TVC we see the small businesses opening up and serving their customers, this is a constant reminder that everything will be alright.
Vaccine rollouts have to be paused due to a shortage of vaccines, but we can still be positive and future focused because we are still breathing and that means that we still stand a chance.
