In 2018, Budweiser did a Super Bowl ad about canned water.

They've donated millions of cans of water over the past few decades. And for the commercial, they showed how they had donated to people in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and others. These are all groups that had been affected by hurricanes.

This works for Budweiser. They are a beverage company already. The infrastructure is in place. And it feels natural for them to make a quick shift from filling cans with beer to filling them with water.

If Doritos had attempted the same move, and started donating free chips to the hurricane victims, it wouldn't work. People who have been hit by hurricane would probably love Doritos if they're low on food. Maybe they're junk food, but they still taste good.

However, it just wouldn't land right.

I notice this same situation right now with the way education companies are responding to COVID-19.

There are many education companies who are Budweiser. Just by their very existences, they are positioned to offer a helping hand to students and teachers who are sent home. A few points about this:

• In almost every case I've seen, companies are offering free access to software or services
• Yes, this might spread company awareness, but it's also a legitimately helpful move. Just consider the added support that will be required from some companies
• I think teachers and school leaders will be generally grateful for these offers

The one thing that might get in the way is the chaos of the whole situation. Let's say I'm a teacher who has never used your online curriculum product. Now, I'm sent home for three weeks and told to post work for my students on Google Classroom. We'll also hold office hours three times a week. With that destabilization of the normal routine, I might be less likely to throw in something new. It's another variable.

But with all that said, the important thing is to make this a natural offer to help. Don't be Doritos trying to bottle water.

Fortunately, I don't see any companies looking to profit off of this. And if some do, because they are naturally setup to benefit form more people learning from home, then that's just the way things play out.

How is your company responding to COVID-19? What examples have you seen that stand out to you as smart, ethical responses? I'd like to include your answer in an upcoming email. Press reply or click "Post comment" below.

Thanks,

Gerard Dawson