COVID-19 has stunned the world and sent economies down. It was late-2019 when the infection initially showed up in the Chinese city of Wuhan. At first, it just affected only China, but later the whole world was affected and many countries turned into lockdowns.
COVID pandemic also resulted in a dramatic disruption in the advertising industry. The consumers got quarantined, companies paused their promotional activities and employees started to work from home.
As the lockdown extends, there was a fundamental shift in consumer buying behaviour and media consumption. Consumers are spending more on essentials and health & hygiene products. The digital content consumption and e-commerce had explosive growth.
The most important question that emerges now is: What should the marketers do in the present situation? What are the opportunities in the current market conditions?
Here are a few points to be noted;
Customers have more time to watch your Ads
After the lockdown, the customers confined to their house and their internet usage increased a lot. According to the reports from Quest Mobile, internet usage increased up to 7.3 hours in this period. So, to utilise this, marketers have to give more focus on digital marketing and must strengthen their online presence.
Communicate right
The advertisers must ensure that the message was conveyed to the customers effectively. In this situation, the Ad must consider consumer values like safety, security, comfort and health. We should choose the most effective and appropriate channels for communication.
Focus on brand building
According to experts, this is the perfect time to invest in brand building. The nature of the Ads will influence your future sales. Announcing the safety measures that are taken by your company will help to increase the reputation of the company. The brand should focus on empathy and express the message that we are all in this together and we will overcome this.
Make your lead in the competition
Now there is a solid competition among the brands for being first in the market. A strong content strategy will help you to be ahead in the competition. The strategies like SEO, SEM, SMM will help you to get more leads to your business.
Strategize for long term
The organizations should utilise this time to make strategies for achieving long term objectives. The management should do some forecasting analysis and make some effective decisions. The whole organisation should acquire proper media knowledge.
