MarTech Minute: ANA creates CMO council to help marketers navigate COVID-19 upheaval

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TASK FORCE. The Association of National Advertisers said it has formed a Coronavirus Coalition of CMOs from major brands like Target, CVS and more to lend its collective experience to help marketing shops deal with this disaster. “This new group’s mission is both clear and urgent. It is to help chief marketers shape intelligent practices and provide functional guidance through this unprecedented time,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice. Why we care. The coronavirus outbreak has upended marketing. Brands, especially in the hospitality, travel or retail industry are hurting, and CMOs are going to have to lead at a time when their budgets will be slashed or paused all together. Hopefully, the collective wisdom will do good. At the same time, ANA says they plan to release a framework to help CMOs navigate all of this. We look forward to seeing that. Source: ANA

THE LIST GROWS. We’ve already mentioned a ton of platforms giving away their software/services to businesses affected by the coronavirus downturns. Here are a few more: Movable Ink’s Critical Messaging app is free now. And Mindsay is giving away 3 months access to its chatbot. Why we care. If it helps your business, we support these kinds of moves. Just remember these tools won’t be free forever so think about whether or not you will be prepared to integrate these things for real ($$) when the downturn ends.