2021: The Good, The Bad, And The Funny

| Peppercomm |

The following blog post was written by Peppercomm Vice President Diandra Binney

Let’s be honest: 2021 wasn’t the world’s best year on record. Most of us were still licking our wounds from 2020, professionally, financially, personally or otherwise.

And yet, despite the blows the pandemic continued to rain down, we still found ways to laugh – often at ourselves and based on the common ground we discovered through shared circumstances.

We rounded up 5 of our favorite corporate “LOL” moments from 2021, highlighting that even in the darkest of times, we can find ways to keep it light:

  1. trivago CEO has an unexpected visitor on CNN Zoom interview
    In early 2021, when people were still largely working (and living) at home, Peppercomm secured a coveted CNN spot for trivago CEO Axel Hefer. As Axel talked about the future of the travel industry with anchor Richard Quest, Axel’s son Victor walked in demanding a nighttime story. Axel, showing the seemingly endless patience and humor required of parents now sharing their workspace with young children, put Victor on his lap and calmly continued the interview. Whether you have young children yourself or work with someone who does, we all experienced something similar throughout the past 18 months – and have certainly laughed through it.
  2. Filter turns lawyer into cat during Zoom hearing
    This was another Zoom “#fail,” but this time, one that ended up highlighting the humor behind the endless filter options introduced during the pandemic. During a Zoom court hearing in Texas, an attorney showed up looking like a kitten and was unable to deactivate the filter. Wouldn’t we all love our famous last professional words to be, “I’m not a cat”?
  3. Speaking of which, brands also get catty – and we’re here for it
    Naturally, during the pandemic, nearly all advertising/PR campaigns had to be conducted digitally, and given the somber period we continue to endure, many brands decided to lighten it up… and goad each other on Twitter. If anything, the pandemic gave brands the green light to learn the #artofthecomeback. See here are a few of the harshest.
  4. Peloton’s response to Mr. Big’s untimely death in the SATC reboot
    Although certainly diminished following sexual misconduct allegations aimed at Chris Noth, Peloton’s response to Mr. Big’s death via one of their bikes in the “Sex and the City” reboot was nothing less than quick-witted genius by a brand willing to poke fun at itself. In less than 48 hours, they released a commercial, quickly garnering more than 45K likes on Twitter and a slew of related headlines. Viewers absolutely loved it.
  5. Restaurants – and the hospitality industry as a whole – lean in
    Perhaps no other industry was harder hit by the pandemic than hospitality, where formerly bustling airlines, hotels and restaurants became ghost towns nearly overnight. But many responded to the moment with incredible resiliency and humor. Now, as Omicron surges and people once again reconsider their social and travel plans, workers in this industry are still finding ways to laugh. Take Vasilios Tsiampas, who owns a small Greek restaurant in Wisconsin with the unfortunate name of – you guessed it – Omicron. Tsiampas decided to lean into the unfortunate connection: He now offers Corona beer, which previously wasn’t on the menu, so patrons can leave saying they “got Corona at Omicron.” Opa!