How marketing needs to change during the Coronavirus
When countries (and then continents) began to fall victim to COVID-19, businesses around the world began to sweat. Quarantine means people staying home, which means less money spent on products and services.
However, as in nature, when there’s a sudden change in the environment, adaptation is key. If companies can adapt the way they market, they can prove to be very effective. Advertise right, and this situation could give your business a new lease of life.
Here are our 7 tips for advertising during the Coronavirus:
1: Recognise your Advantage
Don’t get bogged down in the downsides of the Pandemic, as glaring as they may be. Recognise that when it comes to your advert, you have one thing very much in your favour: an audience. People are hunkered down indoors, and they are spending more time than ever watching TV and scrolling online. If you have a great advert / online video, then there’ll be an audience watching.
2: Be Sensitive
Before you let creativity rip, remember: tread carefully. This is a serious global pandemic. The last thing you want, is to make your business seem cynical by blatantly capitalising on it. So, if you decide to talk about the coronavirus in your ad, make sure it’s not a hard sell, and don’t use distasteful jokes.
Sensitivity also applies to concepts that may have been created before this situation arose. KFC got widely criticised for releasing an ad in the UK showing people lick their fingers (not the most hygienic idea).
3: Be Uplifting
Let’s face it, it’s an easy time to feel down, being stuck indoors with an uncertain future. People need a spark of hope, and a tasteful moving ad might just do that. Guinness got a great response for their St. Patrick’s day spot, which made it clear that being at home with the ones you love is a great way to celebrate. Have a video that makes people smile, give them comfort. God knows we need it.
4: Show the Humanity
It’s easy for people to feel disconnected from companies and brands, which can sometimes seem like faceless entities. This is a great opportunity to remind customers that at the end of the day, companies are just made of people too. They are in this with the rest of us. Whether the ad is a message showing support to those working to fight the disease, or social media videos showing employees from home, this is a chance to connect with the public on a more personal level.
5: Emphasise Online
As spectacular as your showroom may be, it’s of zero importance to people staying indoors. So make sure your ad puts an emphasis on the website, and how easy it is to use it. Show off the online features, the speedy customer service…because, for the foreseeable future, we’ll all be shopping online.
6: Emphasise Delivery and Safety
Much like the above point, if you deliver to your customer’s door, make sure that’s clear, otherwise the customers won’t give your ad a second thought. Also, if you can boast of some safety measures such as contactless payment, or contactless delivery, make sure it’s included. Little things like that can give you a lot more peace of mind.
7: Animation
On a practical level, it’s unwise to think of live-action commercials that require a large crew and cast. So, another option is graphic videos and animation. They’re eye catching, fun, easy to understand and nobody needs to leave the house to create them.
If you need help creating the perfect ad during these troublesome times, get in touch.
