As coronavirus—the infection that causes the illness COVID-19—threatens to move from epidemic to pandemic, brands and event teams around the world are working to respond with appropriate precautions.
Since China reported initial cases of an unusual pneumonia to the World Health Organization in December, governments in nearly 70 countries globally have reported cases of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90,000 people have been infected with the virus and over 3,000 deaths worldwide have been reported, per the WHO.
We’ll keep a running list of how the epidemic is affecting the ad world, from event cancellations and precautions to brands’ travel restrictions.
Editor’s note: All times are E.T.
March 3, 2020
8:22 p.m.: SAP cancels all in-person events for the month of March
German business software company SAP has responded to concerns surrounding Covid-19 by canceling all in-person events scheduled for the month of March, which includes SAP Concur Fusion in Orlando, SAP Ariba Live in Las Vegas, SAP NOW events, and third-party events, including South by Southwest.
Alicia Tillman, global CMO of SAP, posted on her Twitter account that the decision was “truly difficult,” but “the best path forward for our employees, customers, partners and communities.” Tillman also announced that SAP’s teams are currently working to find alternatives—”incredible digital experiences”—over the coming weeks.
6:39 p.m.: Qualtrics reschedules X4 Summit
Qualtrics is rescheduling the X4 Summit which is billed as the world’s largest experience management event. More than 16,000 people were expected to attend the summit March 10-13 in Salt Lake City. Qualtrics says the event “is being moved to later this year in order to provide the experience that our customers, partners, and employees expect and deserve.” Ellen DeGeneres, Michelle Obama, Brené Brown, and Chip and Joanna Gaines were among the speakers.
6:09 p.m.: Fox News cancels upfront event
Fox News Channel has canceled an upfront presentation planned for later this month. “In a precautionary effort to keep our employees, client and agency partners safe, we have determined that it would be best to cancel our upcoming event in New York based on public health concerns due to Coronavirus,” said Jeff Collins, EVP of Fox News Media Advertising Sales. The broadcast TV network upfront presentations are still planned for the week of May 11.
5:35 p.m.: TikTok pulls out of South by Southwest
Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok has pulled out of South by Southwest, the Austin, Texas-based festival set for March 13 to 22. TikTok follows Facebook and Twitter in withdrawing from the festival. “TikTok has decided not to participate in SXSW this year,” a TikTok spokesperson told Adweek. “While we think the risk is relatively low, we are erring on the side of caution as we prioritize safety for our team, creators, partners, artists, and brands. We are looking at a variety of alternative ways to bring parts of the previously scheduled experience to audiences in creative new forms.”
4:31 p.m.: The Dow fell nearly 800 points following emergency rate cut decision
Stocks rose after the Federal Reserve announced its decision to cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point in an effort to bolster the economy as Covid-19 fears disrupt the market. The decision was the first unscheduled, emergency rate cut since 2008, CNN reported.
However, after the initial points jump following the announcement, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 800 points. The S&P 500, Nasdaq, Gold and 10-year Treasury indices ended the day’s session off more than 2.5%.
3:49 p.m.: Google cancels its I/O developer conference
Google I/O, the tech behemoth’s largest programmatic event of the year that was set to take place from May 12-14 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Ca., has been cancelled. I/O 2020’s estimated 7,000 attendees will be refunded in full by March 13 and, instead of having to enter next year’s drawing, they will automatically be granted the option to buy a ticket for next year’s conference. Google is currently “exploring other ways to evolve I/O to best connect with our developer community,” an email sent to attendees states.
3:43 p.m.: Growing coronavirus concerns force Andy Awards to go virtual
The International Andy Awards, hosted yearly by The Ad Club—a trade association for the advertising industry that honors global creative talent in the industry—will change the way jurors conduct their deliberations this year due to the growing coronavirus concerns related to travel. 2020’s cohort of jurors, which hail from 13 different cities around the world, will proceed with their judging duties remotely, and discussion and announcements will be made via a livestream during the event’s originally planned dates (March 15-20).
