Selective Companies Banking off of Quarantine

As everyone else is in a total panic about COVID-19 and the state of the economy, many companies have the perfect opportunity to advertise and cash out. This of course has to be a fitting product or service due to the current situation we are in. In these times of desperation and being stuck at home, companies that allow you to continue your hobbies from home or even just get you the necessities to try and continue with a normal lifestyle are excelling. These companies are also attacking possible consumers in need through the apps we use on our phone. Everyday on Instagram, Facebook, or Spotify I see these sponsored advertisements tailored to target those stuck at home.

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Continuing hobbies from home is possibly one of the most entertaining activities that makes you feel like you're still living a somewhat normal lifestyle. So many people are desperately looking to pick up hobbies as well, in hopes that something new would captivate them and consume a lot of this free time we now have. Many companies were on the ball and saw this as an opportunity to promote their product and skyrocket their sales. One thing that I have been seeing a lot of I assume because of the activity watched on my phone are 'golf nets.' Personally, I know that "golf people" are some of the most obsessive people on Earth. They are constantly worrying about their swing or when they're going to get out and play again. Collectively making them an easy target audience, I know five people that have already told me they bought a net so they could hit in their backyard without leaving their home. Perfect Practice Golf is also advertising their at home putting setup all over the place as well which gives golfers the same concept that they're still working on their game at home. With golf courses collectively closing all over the country the more companies and products like these continue to advertise their sales will certainly escalate.

I recently gave in to an advertisement for an app I swore I didn't need for a very long time, due to my desperation to escape boredom. I saw a Hulu add on Facebook about a week ago and thought "I already have Netflix I really don't need another app to anxiously search for new movies or shows to watch." Not a coincidence that a couple days later I gave in and bought Hulu, since then I have spent at least a few hours a day watching the new series' I have become invested in. For me, I didn't realize how hard a bit the bait until I started thinking about examples for this paper. Just a textbook quarantine sale for an app that already had millions of users. 

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Due to the attempt to practice crowd control safety many Americans are doing their best to avoid the fast food places that are still open people are using ways to get food but avoid the public. Another company I have seen placing ads everywhere is Fresh N' Lean,  this company makes pre-made meals that they will deliver to your home. Another attraction to this is eating healthy at your convenience during this pandemic. Personally, I haven't bought into this due to the copious amount of venison and pastaroni I have at my house at all times, but for others that are tired of eating peanut butter and jelly this would be strikingly refreshing. Another company excelling is Favor, which picks up and delivers your orders from your favorite restaurants. Favor was relatively popular before the pandemic but, I have seen them advertising a lot more recently doing their best to capitalize on the opportunity they have in front of them.      

The most out of nowhere explosion of an app that was rarely heard about to me was Zoom. I had personally never heard of Zoom, apps like this like Skype were very popular before Apple created Facetime. I have heard a few people say they had used it before for work but it was a relatively unpopular tool. Now colleges and workplaces are using it all over the country, immediately I wondered how Universities or companies found this. Almost overnight, Zoom exploded and every college student and workplace are using the app every day. Even though I don't believe this happened through advertising it amazes me thinking about how this app has succeeded and changed peoples' live coincidentally through this pandemic.

Although we can agree that COVID-19 is an extremely unfortunate experience, I am amazed when I think about what it has done for certain companies that have basically exploded from out of nowhere. Between people desperately trying to hold onto their hobbies, just trying to entertain themselves, trying to eat something that isn't from their pantry, keeping their schooling afloat, or keeping their companies' communication together companies like these have been the glue holding the world together. Hopefully one day soon we won't desperately need these products, services, or apps to keep us sane but, it amazes me how things that would have never sold or that we had never heard of are now nearly saving the world.