• 0

Marketoonist | Tom Fishburne

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne. Marketing cartoons, content marketing with a sense of humor, keynote speaking.

  • Campaigns
  • Speaking
  • About
  • Cartoons
  • Contact
  • Book
  • 0

the new normal

May 24, 2020

The New Normal cartoon
  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

A cafe in northeast Germany implemented a quirky new policy to encourage physical distancing as they re-open.  Cafe & Konditorei Rothe is asking customers to put on colorful hats made out of swimming pool noodles that stick out several feet in all directions.

I think the image of customers wearing swimming pool noodle hats is emblematic of “business as unusual.” It not only reveals how strange this next chapter feels, but how businesses large and small are trying to find creative ways to adapt.  As I heard someone say recently, “we’re not going back to work; we’re going forward to work.”  

A telling chart released by CB Insights this week tracked the number of times the words “new normal” have been mentioned in Earnings Calls transcripts every quarter since 2008.  No surprise it’s a hockey stick curve, with a spike in early 2020.

Another expression that spiked in recent Earnings Calls is “unprecedented times.”  

Simon Sinek recently took issue with the expression “unprecedented times” in a video conference with his internal team that he released publicly.  In the call, he said:

“These are NOT unprecedented times. 

“There are many cases … where change, or something unexpected, has put many companies out of business, and made other companies come out stronger and reinvent themselves…

“The invention of the internet put many, many companies out of business; the ones who could not reinvent themselves for the Internet Age but rather doubled down on the old way they did business… 

“Every video store is out of business because of streaming. 

“When Starbucks moved into neighborhoods, many coffee shops went out of business. Not because of Starbucks, but because they refused to change the way they did business. 

“Uber is putting taxi companies out of business — not because of Uber, but because the taxi companies refuse to change.

“This is not unprecedented. More sudden? Absolutely. More shocking? Absolutely. But this is not unprecedented in the business world.

“So for us it’s to say not, “How will we do what we’re doing?” but rather, “How will we do what we’re doing in a different world?”

And the world is different.”

Here are a few related cartoons I’ve drawn over the years (including a couple I drew during the 2008 recession):

“Winning Hand” November 2008 (license here)

“Brand Drought” December 2008 (license here)

“More with Less” February 2015 (license here)

“Digital Transformation and Organizational Change” April 2020 (license here)

Digital Transformation cartoon
Your Ad Ignored Here
"If marketing kept a diary, this would be it."
- Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs
Order Now

Filed Under: covid, most popular

Get a new marketoon each week:

Previous Post Next Post

communicating in a crisis

brands on TikTok

Browse similar cartoons in: covid, most popular

Browse By Category See All Marketoons
  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
Your Ad Ignored Here Book Image

15 years of Marketoonist compiled for your marketing pleasure.

Order Now

About Marketoonist

tom_image

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne a career marketer and cartoonist. Learn More...

Subscribe

Get a new marketoon delivered to your inbox each week.

 

Browse Blog Posts

Most Popular Cartoons Browse Categories

Marketoon Campaigns

contentmarketing

Content marketing with a sense of humor.

Learn More

Keynote Speaking

speakingworkshops

Insightful, funny, and visual keynote talks and workshops.

Book Tom to Speak

Search Blog Posts

Interested? Let’s Talk!

Marketoons

Browse Categories

Get New Cartoons Weekly

About Marketoonist

Tom Fishburne is the Founder and CEO of Marketoonist, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons.

© 2023 Marketoonist