Tag Archives: coronavirus

How about an injection of humour to go with our Covid vaccines?

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Should we inject some humour with our Covid vaccine?
Should we inject a dose of humour along with the Covid vaccine?

If it’s good enough for Taiwan, should New Zealand adopt some of the same ‘funny’ medicine?

Taiwan has, for almost a year, adopted a Covid-strategy of “Humour over Rumour”. Within 20 minutes of false Covid news, the island’s government social media team rebuts and replies in a humorous way. 

It works on the premise that humour spreads virally more quickly than fake news.

Well…given the anti-vaxxxxxxxxxxxxx cohort, would lightening up some of the messaging around the Covid vaccines be additionally useful along with the ‘informed choice’ narrative?

Trying to deal head-on with the distortions and fear-mongering of those who oppose such a jab is a thankless task.

By using devices such as parody, satire and pastiche we can reframe the argument, subtly go “yes, but” to the naysayers.

So let’s give some creative licence, some freedom-to-amuse to those charged with convincing the anti-brigade that it’s their own, their children and the country’s best interest to vaccinate against Covid.

There’s light-hearted ways, including metaphors, to explain why Covid vaccination is good for us – and not just some conspiracy.

There’s light-hearted ways to say yep, there could be side effects – but is that worse than Covid’s major side effect, i.e. death?

There’s light-hearted ways to expose anti-vaxxers demented thinking, irrational beliefs, confused craziness…even if if they feel is true.

What it takes is a willingness to have a go, take a risk.

As such though, there’s no risk.

We can’t serious our way to full acceptance and herd immunity.

But you can laugh your way.

We like to think we have a reasonable sense of humour here in Godzone.

What do we have to lose by adopting a lighthearted ‘get vaccinated’ approach alongside a more serious exhortation?

I’m happy to help – but by all means feel free to point out my illogic.

Coronavirus will force a reset of our business stories (as well as everything else)

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Everyone will have to reset their stories as we come out of Coronavirus lockdown
Everyone will have to reset their stories as we come out of Coronavirus lockdown. Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

Exactly how business changes and morphs as we come out of Covid lockdown is a very murky crystal ball.

There is no playbook for the situation the world’s in, and we don’t know the ending…for individuals, for communities and for companies.

One aspect which will evolve are the stories businesses tell of themselves and to themselves.

Even more so, an organisation’s first most important story (their Million Dollar Message) almost invariably will need to be totally reinvented.

The encapsulating 2-10 words that, a mere two months ago, perfectly described a firm’s what and why is now quite probably redundant.

The BBQ or informal function inquiry as to ‘what do you do’ will no longer have the right resonance.

The expression which does all the heavy lifting and acted as a North Star for an institution’s storytelling on its website, sales documents and social media may now seem irrelevant.

For example if international and business travel become (initially at least) minor components of Air NZ’s offer, how should it reframe its value proposition?

How does travel and tourism convince us that they’re actually sustainable?

Can food and food production systems succinctly tell us stories that they’re on the side of the planet?

Post-Covid-reset

The post-Covid-reset by businesses will not only be in product and service offers.

The story and stories promoted post-Covid will need to reflect a new reality of a completely changed world – one where you have to demonstrate sustainability, if not positive contribution, to our planet.

You might be able to unearth an authentic story on your own that reflects this.

But because most of us (myself included), can’t see the wood for the trees, most find it impossible to do by themselves.

Punchline’s promise is that its two-hour questioning-framework will reveal the words that are at least 80% of the way there in describing why someone should be interested in your offer.

By taking this expression – and applying more thought, time and tweaking – a business has the basis for their own bona fide Million Dollar Message.

A firm’s first, most important story is the most difficult one to bring to light. It is a concentrated narrative, very often incorporating a magical metaphor, that most writers and branding agencies shy away from.

But as they say, never let a serious crisis go to waste – tell your story in a different way, today.

Andrà tutto bene – everything will be all right

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By using the term Andra tutto bene, Italians have adopted a we attitude to Coronavirus. So should New Zealand
By using the term Andra tutto bene, Italians have adopted a we attitude to Coronavirus. So should New Zealand. Photo by Joel Filipe on Unsplash

We should avoid using the term self-isolating.

Instead we should use self-containing.

Why?

Because the language we use provides a feedback loop in our brain which can either be positive or negative. And negative or positive – our reactions are also contagious…much like Coronavirus.

So isolate means alone. Isolate implies looking inwards continuously. Isolate suggests we are attempting to single-handedly battle Coronavirus.

Wrong.

We are much better off invoking a collective norm. In other words, we need to battle Coronavirus together – it’s a ‘WE’ not an ‘I’.

Of course we have no playbook or template of how to handle the invisible scourge’s viral effects.

We are in unprecedented (or unpresidented as Trump once memorably said) times. It is only with a unity of purpose, together that we will overcome Coronavirus.

A recent, tragic example already informs us of the power of we as well.

In much the same way that the NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s reaction to the March 15 2019 Christchurch Muslim massacre was ‘They are us’ as a national rallying call, so too must we adopt language that inspires hope, not hopelessness.

So let us start by rewording language, and call it self-containment, not self-isolation.

Let us use language of collective action for the common good, and remain positive in the face of uncertainty.

Above all, let us constantly remind ourselves of an expression (and graffiti) virally turning up in Italy – and of the power of language to lift us rather than lower us.

‘Andrà tutto bene’ – everything will be all right.