Haiku, COVID-19, Bandwagons, and Seize The Days

I have a blogger friend named Ashi Akira. He writes haikus. I love his work.

Sometimes I’ll read one of his haikus and an image will jump into my head.

Like this one. (click to enlarge)

I encourage you to visit his site. His backstory, what he saw as a child, is riveting. Unlike anything else you’ve read.

I created a short video for another of his haikus, which you can see here.

Ashi’s published two collections of his haikus. They’re available at both Amazon and Lulu.com.

We are, of course, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Doing the above illustration prompted a few thoughts about same.

Anybody else tired of all the COVID-19-related posts and emails from brands? There’s a bandwagon quality to it. Every brand feels obliged to say something. They don’t want to appear insensitive or oblivious to the pandemic. So they churn out virus-related content, regardless of whether it’s helpful.

I loved what Jodi Harris said in a recent CMI post:

Could painstaking descriptions of the steps your brand is taking to protect the community come off as pointless or opportunistic? Sure. Are there also risks for saying nothing? Absolutely.

If you’re going to say something, make it matter. That’s at
the heart of all content marketing – create content that your audience would find (helpful) and that is relevant to your brand.

She gave some examples of brands doing it right.

I’d never heard of Two Bit Circus. It’s an interactive amusement park out in Los Angeles. They “take escape rooms into the future… with immersive stories and a keen focus on group interaction…
Our fully themed interactive environments will have you piloting spaceships, looting dungeons, and even performing surgeries…”

Beam me out there, Scotty– I’m ready!!

They’re a hip, youth-oriented “fun” brand, so their brand voice is “rah-rah, smart-aleck humor.” They had to close their physical space because of the coronavirus, but they stayed true to their brand/voice/image by posting the following on their site:

CLOSING FOR NOW. THE SHOW MUST… HELP FLATTEN THE CURVE!…

Here are some things you can do at home to recreate the Two Bit Circus experience:

Make a cardboard arcade of your own. That 72-pack of toilet paper you bought from a scalper came in a box just the right size to make a brilliant carnival game for the whole family…

Create your own escape room! “Escape from Quarantine” is maybe a bit too on-the-nose, but use your judgement…

Get the gang together for drinks over Skype. The recipe for a Quarantini is… the same as a Martini, except you drink it alone.

What they did: they acknowledged the virus and its impact (OK, they pretty much had to), but they helped their audience with their smart-aleck humor– because laughter is a potent weapon against despair. They did it in a way that’s true to their brand and voice. And that’s doing it right.

One of the best brand responses to the pandemic, IMO, comes from Udemy.

Udemy is a global online learning platform. They specialize in teaching specific skills. You purchase courses and learn at your own pace. They offer 150,000 courses in over 65 languages. Categories include Finance & Accounting, Programming, Business, Software, Design, Marketing, Photography, Fitness, Music, and more.

I’m on their mailing list because I bought one of their guitar courses.

A few days ago, I received an email from them that said:

In these uncertain times, many Udemy students are facing unprecedented challenges. Our mission to improve lives through learning has become more important than ever before…

This week, we released the Udemy Free Resource Center, a curated collection of more than 150 free Udemy courses to
help students adapt to working from home, search for a job, maintain balance, and more. We will continue to add new courses on an ongoing basis.

We hope these courses provide you with some guidance and support during these difficult times.

I’ve scrolled thru all 150 free courses. It’s a great collection– something there for everybody. Please do take a look. It’s a beautiful example of a brand providing real value in response
to a crisis.

One last thought:

Most of us are working from home– or not working at all. We
have this unexpected time. It can be a source of stress, or… we
can choose to see it as a gift and try to use it wisely.

We can take courses (see above). Other options: check out Trent Hamm’s post, 25 Simple, Free Things To Do While Stuck at Home.

But we can also use the time to reflect: how we live our lives, what’s really important, how we treat others. The Big Questions.

Full disclosure: I’m a practicing Catholic. I don’t believe God causes evil. I don’t believe He caused this pandemic. I do believe He has the power to bring good out of evil.

Some of that good probably hinges on our pondering what the pandemic has to teach us. I think that’s worth pondering no matter what your faith tradition, or whether you have one or not.

Just a thought, FWIW, offered in a spirit of good will.

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About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, editorial, branding, social media, and content marketing. My images are different, like your brand needs to be.

You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Questions? Send me an email.

Follow @mrstrongarm