Susanne Denny of Moxie Promotional Marketing sent out food gifts from supplier Sofia’s Cookies.

Jennifer White was overwhelmed by the torrent of negative news as the coronavirus spread rapidly around the world. She was determined to counter it by disseminating something of her own: a message of positivity and hope.

So the owner of White IMPRiNTS (asi/359700) in Cuba, NY, and her employees took 100 yard signs they had in inventory and chose the same number of clients by lottery. They gave the customers’ logos to White IMPRiNTS’ graphic designer, who had also created a “Sharing Hope” logo, and printed each sign with the two graphics. Then the Whites and a group of volunteers drove throughout the area to put out the signs anonymously at the clients’ businesses.

“These are such turbulent times,” says White. “I’m finding that those around us need to be reached out to more than ever, to be encouraged and uplifted.”

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses have been shuttered, store shelves remain empty and people are uncertain about how best to keep themselves, their loved ones and their businesses healthy.

But there is one bright spot in the darkness: the ubiquity of the situation has given rise to community solidarity across the globe. In the promotional products industry, while business is almost entirely on pause, many distributors have kept in touch with clients in a variety of ways, from sending them gifts, to hosting virtual mentor meetings, to helping them boost their social media presence. While distributors are typically marketing consultants, in these anything-but-normal times they’re offering something else: emotional support.

The sales team at On Promos, Powered by Proforma (asi/300094) in Nashville, while usually reaching out to clients to discuss projects, is now tasked with “wellness checks” – calling clients just to see how they’re doing. “We’re giving them someone to talk to,” says President Kimble Bosworth. “It’s deepening relationships.”

One of Bosworth’s clients is a single mother with a school-age daughter at home; she’s also been laid off in recent weeks because of the virus. Bosworth offered to host a virtual class on fine art, featuring her own collection, for the inquisitive student who’s finishing out her school year at home. The distributor also dusted off some camo-printed rubber duckies left over from a previous project and paired them with handwritten notes of encouragement. She sent them to customers who had said they were having a difficult time dealing with the closures and lack of business. Bosworth and her team left the “emotional support ducks” outside customers’ homes and sent them a text letting them know they were waiting for them.

“It’s just what you do,” Bosworth says. “Our attitude is 90% of how we’ll come out of this. There are opportunities all around us to change what ‘normal’ is.”

Tina Conley, key account manager at Show Your Logo (asi/326179) in Oswego, IL, recently sent more than 1,500 individual emails to clients simply asking how they were doing and letting them know she was there for them if they needed someone to talk to. She was inundated with personal accounts of remote work and grappling with business challenges. “It was overwhelming and heartwarming,” she says. “People shared stories, pictures of their dogs and messy buns, recipes and ways to cope. Of all the gazillion ways I try to stay in front of my customers, this is having the biggest impact on my relationships with them by far.”

Tina Conley of Show Your Logo invited clients to share their isolation experiences; her inbox was flooded with survival tips, recipes and pictures of pets.

White found another unique way to encourage people: She and her husband bought an ad spot on their local radio station and delivered a heartfelt message of encouragement. New York Congressman Tom Reed heard it and contacted White’s husband, Kevin, the president of the Cuba New York Chamber of Commerce, to ask if the Whites would put together a related video on social media. They quickly filmed and posted it to the Chamber’s Facebook page, where it’s been viewed more than 10,000 times.

Food gifts are always a welcome surprise, and they’re especially appreciated during lockdown and isolation. Susanne Denny, owner of Moxie Promotional Marketing (asi/466725) in Larkspur, CA, assembled custom “Work From Home Fuel Kits” in colorful, upbeat packaging from Sofia’s Cookies (asi/88099) and sent them to customers. “The message was simple: We’re all in this together,” says Denny. “My clients were so thankful, and I received nothing but raves. I wanted to gently show how creative I can be, and I’ve got some great projects going now as a result.”

Allison Gutierrez, a California-based branding consultant for Top 40 distributor Brown + Bigelow (asi/148500), raided her self-promo closet to put together work-from-home kits containing items recipients would use during their workdays, including stainless steel drinkware, mint tins, tech accessories and a fun lightbox for their home offices. She first reached out to clients to check on how they were faring and asked them for their “quarantine address.” It spread goodwill and showed them what she could do in turn for gifts for the recipients’ remote teams.

Brown + Bigelow’s Allison Gutierrez put together work-from-home gifts using branded items.

“I strongly believe that people always want connection,” says Gutierrez. “The more we care about our clients as people and understand their struggles, the more we can help them.”

Distributors are also offering free business mentoring services. Hank Yuloff, co-owner of Yuloff Creative Marketing Solutions in Sedona, AZ, has held a weekly mastermind group call with business coach customers for several years. Since the virus hit, he’s opened up that meeting to his full list of prospects and clients.

“We go over business ideas and encourage everyone to help each other,” says Yuloff. “Right now, they’re mostly asking about how to change their marketing efforts and access financial aid. We’re also hosting free webinars on new marketing strategies.”

Meanwhile, and just as importantly, other virtual meetings are a respite from business. Z Promotions (asi/365529) in Columbus, OH, has been hosting “Game Break,” a series of virtual calls over lunch every Wednesday. In recent weeks, attendees have enjoyed Conference Call Bingo, Quiz Show Trivia and What’s On Your Desk?, and winners receive a prize pack of branded items.

“Our views and engagement on social media are climbing by the week,” says sales support specialist Jessica Kull. “We’re considering having it monthly when people return to the office.”

Other firms are leveraging social media to encourage people to patronize their customers. Kelly Groene, owner of GRO Business Solutions (asi/214659) in Torrington, WY, chooses five small-business clients each week and gives them a shoutout on her Facebook page. “We now have businesses asking us to highlight them to help them with sales and their social media presence,” she says.

While Donald Herman, owner of Best Foot Forward Advertising (asi/138459) in Meadville, PA, has halted all client statements and invoices for outstanding balances, he’s also actively referring companies to each other. “We’ve suggested to some of our microbrewery clients that they reach out to certain beer distributors who don’t currently carry their line,” he says.

Since most clients aren’t in a position at the moment to invest in promotional products, distributors are donating them. Groene gave hundreds of pens to restaurant clients because they were in desperate need of giveaways: In order to keep employees healthy, they let curbside customers keep the pens after they signed receipts with them. White in Upstate New York also donated more than 4,000 decals for sanitizer bottles made by a local distillery, cidery and two wineries. And when a client couldn’t get into the office to cut a check for the Postal Service to get a mailer out, Bosworth covered the cost.

“We’re in the beginning of a transformation,” says White. “Every day brings with it new challenges and opportunities. We’re all in this together, and we need to be positive and share some hope and a smile.”