It doesn’t need to be said that in the last few months everything that we knew to be true about the world around us has changed. We’ve lived through an on-going global pandemic followed by several cases of police brutality which have caused social justice protests to erupt all over the nation. Calling this a time of crisis feels like a bit of an understatement.

It’s hard to put into words the range of emotions that we’ve felt since the beginning of the year. At different times in life, we experience various degrees of loss and heartache but in the last few months, it feels like we’ve been on a roller coaster ride through all seven stages of grief. The world as we knew it has been forever lost and everyone is trying to come to terms with the new reality left in its wake.

Prior to the pandemic when you watched TV what was the first thing you did when a commercial came on? Chances are you were already on your laptop or phone and you turned your full attention to that device. Scrolling through your social media channels or catching up on the latest news. Tuning out until your show came back on. The options were and continue to be endless. Social media and the internet have allowed us to live a life that is highly customized to our own tastes and likes leaving advertisers who use broadcast TV as part of their marketing mix struggling to stay relevant to their audiences.

And then we learned about the coronavirus, and as we scrambled to prepare to shelter in place we started turning back to the TV for information and news. We were paralyzed by shock. And for the first time in several years, we put down our laptops and phones while we watched TV and we paid attention to the commercials. Advertisers were back in the spotlight and people were really paying attention to the messages in them.

At first, many brands canceled their ad spends completely. They weren’t sure how to react and didn’t want to seem tone-deaf by running the same old campaigns that didn’t speak to the changing world outside. It seemed insensitive and unrelatable to do so. Everyone was struggling with how to cope with the new reality, including brands. The world went quiet and so did the commercials. And then panic set in.

How do you stay relevant in a time of disbelief and mourning? You show those who are hurting that you care. And like a flash of lightning, everyone suddenly cared. We were all in this together, even the car dealerships and the pizza delivery guys. All this outpouring of love and support didn’t go unnoticed because it started to feel like every commercial was written by the same person using the same messaging with a quick logo change so you knew who was thinking of you.

In a world where differentiators are what make strong brands this trendy repetition of messaging became almost unbearable to watch, but people did take notice. Today’s consumer is savvy and has grown up surrounded by marketing messages vying for their attention. They are intelligent and they want to be treated that way and they can smell insincerity a mile away. People want honesty and transparency in all aspects of their life, including from their relationships with the brands they have grown to trust.

So when medical workers and first responders starting showing up in commercials for brands that have nothing to do with those industries people started to become skeptical of the messages and the intention behind it. In some ways, these commercials seem to be advertising the coronavirus itself. Some have even cried foul saying that showing images of medical workers is a form of exploitation.

There is no doubt that the people who have had to confront the coronavirus day in and day out truly are heroes. They work long shifts, have to deal with shortages of vital protective equipment and none of us truly know the mental health repercussions that they are currently experiencing and are yet to come as a result of what they have had to deal with. These people stare death in the face every day and they deserve to be honored in a loving and respectful way.

As mentioned before, today’s consumers are savvy and they have no problem deciding for themselves if a brand shares their values. In many ways, consumers are using this time to reflect on their own values and to draw a line in the sand to decide who will cross over with them. Brands have to choose sides and for many consumers, if a brand shows the wrong image, says the wrong thing, or stays silent they get left on the other side of the line. This is particularly true as our country stumbles from one crisis right into the next.

Just as we were starting to figure out how to deal with our emotions surrounding the coronavirus, as a country we were plunged into a whole range of new emotions brought on by the social injustice our fellow citizens are facing. It’s an issue that can’t be ignored by individuals or brands and it has to be dealt with head-on in order to protect the freedoms everyone in this country values.

As we continue to make our way into this uncharted territory as a nation one thing has become clear. We need to be very thoughtful about the messages we put out into the world. People are paying attention very closely. And now more than ever they want authenticity from everyone they hold dear, including the brands they allow into their life. The substance of a brand’s message is always important, but it could not be more paramount during these times.

So where do we go from here? At the end of the day even though the world has changed completely advertising and consumer expectations have not. Honesty and transparency will always win the day whether or not the world is in crisis. As a brand, you have to relate to your audience with sincerity and following trends and gimmicks is the quickest way to get left behind.