The restaurant industry has rebounded faster than many of the categories hardest-hit by the pandemic, as many have been able to accelerate pivots to pick-up, delivery and reduced dining room capacities to accommodate ever-changing safety standards. The latest monthly report from the National Restaurant Association found that September restaurant sales were up 2.1% month-over-month compared to August (to $54.5 billion), and only 15% below pre-lockdown sales for January and February 2020.

One one of many hard-hit categories during the pandemic has been beauty, particularly cosmetics. Once it became clear that everyone would be sheltering in place for an indeterminate amount of time, many people began wearing less makeup than before, sometimes forgoing it altogether.

Shelley Haus worked for Ulta Beauty for five years as VP and SVP of Brand Marketing before she was elevated to Chief Marketing Officer in December 2019, just months before the coronavirus pandemic caused all 1,200 of the beauty & cosmetic retailer’s locations to shut down for two months beginning in March.So it came in handy when several forward-thinking initiatives Haus began piloting pre-pandemic suddenly became the norm — including curbside pickup, which was rolled out in select locations by April.

Before pausing its 2019-2020 season on March 12 due to COVID-19, The National Hockey League was just weeks away from completing on April 4 and entering the Stanley Cup playoffs on April 6 when COVID-19 prompted them to pause all gameplay. 

When Burger King launched one of its highest-profile (and some would say off-putting) campaigns in recent years for Moldy Whopper in February, it seemed like a simpler time, when people would be more likely to laugh at the company’s light-hearted and fun tone.