We all have to make sense of what’s going on the world right now. eskimosoup are privileged to work with many frontline heroes at the NHS, police, charities and public services are in awe of the vital work they are doing in the face of adversity.

For those of not key workers there are many people asking where they fit into all of this. eskimosoup are no different and as such we are sharing our reflection with clients, partners and associates.

As it has with everyone else, a lot has changed at eskimosoup over the past 3 weeks, though our purpose remains: to use media and marketing to achieve social good.

Arguably, media and the social marketing we apply has never been more relevant. We see the government, NHS and peoplepower embracing this to show support for keyworkers, reinforce positive behaviours and provide stimulation an anxious nation.

Whilst we are affected by reduced tools, altered team dynamics and a financial impact we have it comparatively good. We have the skills, time and need to fulfil our purpose.

What are we doing?

Ongoing client campaigns that have great meaning at this time include:

Active Imaginations > working for Public Health and with local authorities we are helping parents and carers find ways that they can keep 2 to 4-year olds physically active in the home. This will help the mental health of everyone in the household and help prevent longer-term health problems for toddlers that could be caused by inactivity at a crucial phase of development.

Got Your Back > working for NHS Hull CCG we have a channel of communication for many young people in Hull to provide them with correct information, reassurance and stimulation during what is a difficult period of life at the best of times, and even more complicated at times like these. Certainly, we will see an increase in emotional and mental health problems. There is much we can do to help.

Diary of a Chimney Kid > working for Hull Public Health we see that the lockdown provides opportunities and challenge when it comes to smoking behaviours for young people. For young people secretly smoking, it might be a time to quit, however if parents and carers are at home smoking this is behaviour more likely to be modelled. The development of resources and lesson plans will be helpful to schools, families and children.

Not in our community > young people are more active on social media than ever. It is likely this is true of predators too. We must be proactive in working with young people to share warning signs and advice on how to deal with groomers. This is in addition to all of the other child sexual and criminal exploitation work we do whilst children have increased vulnerabilities.

In addition to some additional standalone projects, we are also developing a social media movement to help make the world a better place through reduced dickheadery as well as figuring out where eskimosoup fits into the new world.

UPDATE: within minutes of writing this update I can report that we’ve been called up to help with other important social interventions to help reduce harm during lockdown. We are looking forward to working with partners to develop and implement media and marketing for social good on issues that are very close to our heart. What we are doing seems meagre compared to the heroes across the world, though it feels great to have the opportunity to do something of value.