I believe that all brands should exist to make people’s lives better. In that spirit, my attention has been caught by several brands that are turning what they do best into unique offers of support as the Coronavirus crisis unfolds.

These brands, and others, are demonstrating that they have societal good built into their DNA, that they have empathy for what people are going through, and that they have leaders who have acted fast, with their hearts in the right place, to help those in need.  

Zoom

…has stepped up to help school districts quickly transition to remote learning.  This is direct effort to make it easier for teachers to keep teaching and for students to keep learning. CEO Eric Yuan said "Given that many K-12 schools are starting closing, we decided to offer Zoom access to all K-12 schools in the country starting tomorrow.”

CVS & Walgreens

…have stepped up to help people in need get their medications.  Both brands have waived fees for home delivery of prescription medications so that patients can avoid coming to the pharmacy for refills or new prescriptions.

U-Haul

…has stepped up as many thousands of college students are being asked to move out of their on-campus dormitories.  U-Haul is offering 30-days of free storage to any college students nationwide who have been forced to suddenly leave their dorms due to the pandemic.

Grubhub

…has stepped up to support to support thousands of local restaurants across the country who are struggling to stay in business.  Founder & CEO Matt Maloney announced that his company is temporarily suspending the collection of up to $100 million in commission fees from local restaurants for whom it delivers across the nation, as they deal with the coronavirus's economic onslaught.

Disney 

…has stepped up by giving families “some fun and joy during this challenging period”.  In a surprise that many are excited about, Frozen II is now available on Disney+, 3 months ahead of schedule.

As we're all adapting to the rapid changes unfolding around us, and to life disruptions as a result of this pandemic, I for one, am very appreciative of brand leaders who are stepping up to help others in ways that they can.

Thank you to the leaders of these brands and to others who are doing what they do best to make people’s lives better!

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