Governmental communication and brand advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted governments and brands around the world to produce short audiovisual spaces with different objectives. This research examines the governmental and business communication within the Ibero-American sphere. Audiovisual products belonging to YouTube official channels of governmental institutions were observed. These productions have been categorized according to their intention (informative, appealing, emotional or poetic). Results show a predominance of referential videos in government communication, followed by the appealing intention and somewhat less by the emotional and poetic intentions. The intention of the business spots can also be categorized into the following: informing about what companies do during the COVID-19 crisis, their support of the StayHome campaign, messages of encouragement, sales of products or brand image, gratitude campaigns towards professionals and citizens, and focusing on the return after the pandemic. It is concluded that governments and businesses are marking arduous media efforts during the health emergency, with special differences in terms of quality and quantity. Finally, recommendations are made in this regard.