Swine flu here again - will we learn the lessons of 1976?

The media has proved that it loves the threat of a disaster. Panic sells newspapers.

Malaria kills 3,000 people every day, yet it is considered ‘a health problem’ and not worthy of media coverage generally. At time of writing, there are ten confirmed deaths from H1N1 (popularly known as ‘swine flu’).

The warnings coming through now may be justified. And it is possible we have a very serious health issue facing the global community.

However, it was only in 1976 that the US Government very sternly warned that one million Americans were likely to die of swine flu.

In fact, the Great Swine Flu Epidemic of 1976 never took place. The 1976 to 1977 flu season in the US was the most flu-free since records had been kept. The President at the time, Gerald Ford, attempted to gain credit for keeping America safe. But the people knew better. He was kicked out of office.

Worse, countless people suffered paralysis from the vaccine, some ended up as paraplegics and the vaccine itself was blamed for 25 deaths.

More recently than President Ford, in 2005 our dear friend President Bush said two million Americans would die as a result of bird flu!

Now, as fears of swine flu spread, US companies ranging from soap and hand-sanitiser manufacturers to makers of designer face masks are ramping up their marketing efforts. Mostly these companies are pitching prevention messages starring their products.

At the same time, in Sydney, a box of 40 simple surgical masks was selling last week for a cool $130. Apparently, way above above the pre panic price.

Most consumers would say there is something particularly distasteful about price gouging with medical supplies.

In the US, the soap makers, whose ads don’t explicitly mention swine flu, but focus more broadly on germ-fighting, already have a key endorsement. “Frequent hand-washing” is put forward by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as the best tip for preventing the spread of swine flu.

However, marketers have to act with care and thoughtfulness.

It’s OK to promote a product during a public-health emergency. But it is how you do it that’s important. It will come across as sleazy and opportunistic if you try to capitalise on fear. If you go out of your way to inform, then that’s a different thing.

The renowned New York branding consultant, Dean Crutchfield, says instead of increasing their ad budgets, marketers should be donating resources to schools and hospitals and creating an aura of goodwill around their brands.

Such an approach would certainly build a better brand image and would more than likely prove to be effective over the longer term.