Corona Pandemic:
As the coronavirus has become pandemic and spreading so fast, it might become tough for marketers to decide where to start. In a short duration, people have moved into the quarantine phase. Protecting themselves, their families, and the community. Fear of getting infected is everywhere; people are frightened and jobless now. The government is requesting citizens to follow the safety guidelines.
This micro virus has shut the systems of the world. Day by day, it is getting out of control. People are avoiding social meeting you and trying social distancing from each other for this purpose. People are limiting themselves within the walls of the house. Wearing masks, using hand sanitizers, and being reluctant to go outside.
Customers have turned to TV shows, cable, and other media programs for reliable, updated news. They spend time on social media, watching Netflix, playing different games, etc. Universities and various institutions have started taking online classes.
For now, the appeal of e-commerce is increasing to a new level due to more pressure on different channels for the requirements of physical goods. Grocery stores and shops are a means for dairy products, but still, their supply is unreliable. Due to safety reasons, clients prefer a secure payment system.
For example, they pay payments through cell phones without touching a stylus, etc. This change in lifestyle may be temporary, but it could also be permanent because these changes in lifestyles are going beyond the current mode of survival.
Marketing strategies of brands:
Now the question is, what kind of actions can brands take to enhance their customer rate and cope with the risks? In this worldwide crisis, now, brands have to think seriously. Because the Coronavirus Crisis will stay till 2022, Brands need to create a new marketing strategy.
As Sobel said: “There are winners and losers, and the intelligent brands, the competitive brands, are the ones that realize they need to activate their purpose now.
The gesture of kindness by brands:
Many restaurants and coffee shops have been closed to prevent the virus’s transmission. People will remember some brands because of their kind acts in this time of emergency. It can be a donation to food banks, providing medical products, and providing money when the company is closed. Many brands are participating in this act of kindness and generosity.
For example, Adobe generates a Creative cloud for K-12 institutions. Moreover, GE and Ford start making a ventilator for corona patients. And some beverage companies like AB InBev have started making more alcohol for hand sanitizer production. So that’s how people will remember them.
Doing this improves anxiety and supports positive messaging, which would go a long way to highlighting the brand. Anyhow, these brands have to show that their participation is not superficial and not only for profit.
So this will help Marketers and advertisers to gain more perceptions for now. Brands should regularly observe sentimental trends and community status to look for coming opportunities.
Digital ways for promotions:
Brands must create dashboards with this type of statistics to fuel better decisions. Marketers will need to develop a secure link with C-suite fellows to give visions to administrations that will be participating in promoting options. They should work with finance, depending on how long these situations last.
It is appreciable how fast some brands were capable of making arrangements for work. Organizing teamwork can facilitate meetings and document sharing. So the team can continue its work and stay connected. Shareholders are slightly dipping; they know that sales will not emerge in the coming weeks.
Richard Robinson is managing director of consultancies Oystercatchers and Consultancy. He told CNBC by email.
“If you’re a brand or an agency, take this time to ask yourself when the last time was you looked at your shared purpose, joint philosophy, ways of working, commercial terms, and scope of work … Will it prevail?
Final words:
As we all know, we are in this coronavirus transition phase. But for survival now, we have to make a plan beyond this situation. Brands leaders must work visibly to secure their brands and clients’ connections. They should go for digital ways of working and stay connected with clients. Moreover, they should think realistically about migrating risk to the client’s experience.
There is no doubt that digital ways are getting so popular so quickly. Brands have to find different operating ideas if the condition is uncertain or circumstances are quite reasonable. And we all have to learn and adopt them with confidence.
