Brand voices in the midst of a pandemic

"Calm”
”Reassuring”
"Confident”

These very common specs found in commercial copy, but over the past month, as brands rush to reassure their customers that they are safe and trustworthy, they feel like the norm.
The auditions in my inbox are, unfortunately, but a speck of all the opportunities circulating right now, and I am not here to declare the demise of the "conversational” “guy/gal next door” style of read, but it seems to me that “in these uncertain times” (how many times have you heard that recently?) a return to an authoritative trusted advisor type of voice may be just what consumers are looking for.

I will now try to disprove that claim, because. . . why not.
Among several crises in the United States, we currently have a crisis of leadership. In a world (no reference to the late, great Don LaFontaine intended) where the earliest messages from our leaders were inaccurate, not from credible sources and often also very overdue, skepticism towards authority figures is running very high. People with a "Dr.” preceding their name are exceptions, predictably, and rightfully so. For these reasons you may think the advice of your friends and loved ones is still the most valuable.

And for my final trick, I will disprove my counter-point, support my hypothesis, and prove myself both wrong and right, simultaneously:

The difference now is that we have distrust of authority amidst great uncertainty in a number of areas. Uncertainty in our economic markets, individual employment prospects, and of course both public and personal health. These are sophisticated and convoluted systems that are beyond the reach of most of us to understand deeply enough to make predictions about. And when we're scared about things that seem dangerous AND confusing, we want an authority on the topic to explain, instruct and reassure us.
Cue this man:

Even the most rebellious of us yield to authority when we are scared/desperate. I think the majority of consumers are well past that point, and ready to listen to someone with experience, even if they may not be the most charismatic, or fascinating messenger. For example, I have heard very little about the danger of vaccines recently.
Update: I did some Google research, and apparently anti-vaxxers are more resilient than I gave them credit for.

Financial and health care brands have always sought reassuring, trustworthy voices, but I expect that many other segments of the market (auto, consumer package goods, food & bev) will start seeking them out too, at least until all this is over, which I hope, for all our sake, is soon.