A recent interaction I had with a stranger on the interwebs got me thinking about something I wanted to talk about here. During times like these, when people are fearful of the unknown, some people are sick, and the world feels scary - are businesses supposed to stop advertising?

The original comment had to do with the tonedeaf-ness of Kim Kardashian posting that her shapewear is back in stock. Now, I'm not one to defend a Kardashian; I couldn't care less what they do - but the comment struck me. I'll admit, my own fears during this crisis got the best of me. I responded. Not attackingly, because that's not my intent, but in a way that helped the commenter think about the situation realistically. Kim is running a business. Why should she completely cease all operations, including advertising and marketing right now? As far as I know, the majority of her sales happen online, not brick-and-mortar. If her consumers are still financially capable of spending money on her items, shouldn't they be allowed to continue purchasing online while they're housebound?

I really want to be sensitive to people's needs during this time, but I'm also a realist. I see things through the lenses of a business owner AND a consumer, so while I don't want to lose business, I also want to advertise in a way that's sensitive to the state of everyone's mind right now. Perhaps Kim never sent out one of those "what I'm doing about COVID" emails we've gotten from every other company. Maybe if she had included some type of comment on COVID *within* the shapewear restock post, it would've been taken better.

Or, it could just come down to the size of her platform and her followers' expectations of her (and other celebrities) - people do tend to look to them for support, relief, guidance, whatever. People expect accounts like hers to lead them through scary times. Do people have that same expectation from other businesses? Perhaps the original commenter held her to a different standard because they don't see her as a "business", but rather a person who holds power? With that, I agree. Kim does have a massive, massive following - and a responsibility. She really should address the elephant in the room, before touting her shapewear. But to expect her to cease all talk of the things she sells that bring her income - is that really realistic?

Watching TV last night, the commercials struck me. I noted that none of them mentioned COVID. It was businesses as usual for all the companies continuing to advertise - appliance stores, home improvement, outdoor stores, etc. I'm also getting snailmail from companies like PayPal, Fred Meyer, local dentists, and yoga studios. Should I be offended that their continued advertising feels tonedeaf? Does that even affect me personally? I'll admit, I noted it, but I didn't feel any certain way.

So I really just wanted to open a dialogue and find out what goes through everyone's mind during times like these. What drives your feelings when you see advertising - of any kind? What are your expectations of businesses right now? Where do you see the economy in 2 months/4 months/6 months? Please comment below and know that I'm monitoring the comment section; this is a safe space!