Brands Expressing Compassion and Care through Advertising

In this article we examine how brands express compassion and care through their advertising amid the Covid-19 crisis. Drawing from organizational theory research, we theorize how brands enact compassion organizing, which refers to the process of noticing, feeling, and responding to human suffering in a coordinated manner. We employ a grounded theory inspired Gioia methodology to analyze more than 200 pandemic-related ads that were released in the United States over a six-month period. The findings reveal three main themes of compassion organizing—solidarity, trust, and resilience—and showcase how brands may use advertising to address care deficits in times of crisis. The study underscores the institutional role of advertising and brands and informs extant research on corporate advertising and cultural branding.