Brands should pivot from new product development to marketing their core portfolio to shore up the bottom line in preparation for a possible economic downturn, advises JP Frossard, consumer foods analyst. Consumers increasing direct-to-consumer buys now are likely to resume previous shopping behavior once they return to work, so brands should eventually shift their e-commerce strategy to retail sites, beverage analyst Bourcard Nesin said.

Coffee importers are stockpiling up to a month's worth of inventory as some worry the coronavirus pandemic will interrupt supplies. The spike in demand has caused coffee prices to rise in major coffee exporting countries, including Brazil and Colombia.

Sales of natural food color will attain an 8.4% compound annual growth rate through 2027, according to Meticulous Research. The company found the carmine category commanded the largest share of sales last year due to the need for red coloring during production.

Coca-Cola has joined the UN's Water Resilience Coalition, pledging to create a net-positive impact across all water-stressed areas in its supply chain by 2050. Coalition members also commit to implementing water resilience initiatives across their entire global supply chain.

Agencies are trying to help support coronavirus messaging such as MullenLowe, which is rolling out a version of Speedbag, a proprietary tool that monitors pandemic-related social conversations for businesses related to alcohol, automotive, construction, grocery and other sectors. Anomaly is offering downloadable posters and animations that can be used with official public messaging, and branding consultancy GAD has developed the "Your Brand Also Stays at Home" template that be customized with a logo and #stayhome.

A GumGum study that used biometric sensors to monitor brain activity such as emotion and attention revealed that contextually relevant ads generated 43% more neural engagement and increased recall and purchase intent. "If marketers understand their specific targets' affinity to the content with which their consumers engage, as well as the role of other contexts ... there are real opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of advertising messages," writes the Advertising Research Foundation's Horst Stipp in the Journal of Advertising Research.

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