Adapt to Survive: Marketing in the Age of COVID-19

As the CEO of a growth marketing & PR agency, I have been immersed in the marketing industry’s struggle to adapt to the new norm. Running a business that is in its fledgling years, we are especially sensitive to fluctuations within the status quo. This, however, means that we have a keen insight into the current state of things day to day, not to mention we’re bristling with solutions to newfound challenges! Having had questions from brands and press asking how audience behaviours and marketing strategies have and will have to change, I thought I’d share some further thoughts on the matter. 

Regarding changes to audience behaviour due to COVID-19, there have been multiple changes - some of which are more positive than others. From a digital perspective, people facing being stuck at home and being forced to engage with others only through digital means presents a great opportunity. When considering stats on the usage of digital devices, we see a huge increase. For example, there has been a 34% increase in social media usage and 33% increase in internet usage. 

We are also aware that certain demographics have had no choice but to engage with digital in ways that they haven't before. Yesterday I was speaking to a fellow digital agency CEO and she shared that across all her clients, the biggest change was the age group of 65+. They showed the highest increase in online shopping, approximately 200%. This has created many opportunities for digital marketers to adapt their planning and even strategies to cater to a more engaged audience, while also reaching new audiences that previously may have been seen as unavailable or ill-fitting.

On the other hand, COVID-19 has affected the types of services and products we are looking for. This in turn has affected a number of our hospitality and lifestyle clients that have no idea when they'll be able to operate again. Fashion retailers have also seen a drop, with more negative statistics yet to come. Their summer collections should be launching now and since there will be few people across the world leaving their homes, let alone travelling internationally anytime soon, this fashion season’s sales will be affected massively. 

Changes have not just been made at the hands of consumers; brands are also having to adapt to the current situation. Many brands will be asking themselves: ‘if we're not right for this pandemic should we even be speaking to our audience?’ The answer is: absolutely. We will never again (hopefully) live through a time where our audience is digitally engaged to the level they are now, with an insatiable hunger for content. It's all about nurturing and staying relevant - a brand is no longer about selling a product but a part of your life. 

Consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, want to bond with a brand to the point that the product or service is secondary to the brand's personality, tone of voice and look and feel. We are seeing a time in which conscious consumers are on the rise in terms of spending power, so this is the prime opportunity to really show a brand’s value.

For example, a restaurant chain that has decided not to do home deliveries must ask itself: ‘why not use this time to build a larger following and capture data?’ How should they go about this? Well, why not share tutorials of quick meals inspired by their menu? Get involved with their community and share their food successes. A lot of people may see this as opportunistic but if it is done correctly, it will be seen as value-adding and useful. We have fitness clients that have shown innovation and are operating 'virtual' gyms. This is in order to stay relevant but more importantly add value and build a community for their customers.

These adaptations will likely become integrated elements of brands’ strategies looking forward. Take Primark as an example. You can find them on every high street of most towns and cities in the UK; they rely on store footfall for their revenue and have never ventured into e-commerce. Prior to the pandemic their revenue was ￡650 million per month, whereas their current revenue is ￡0. 

It seems that, prior to COVID-19, many brands still viewed digital as expendable and non-essential. During, and definitely after the pandemic, digital will be the primary channel for most businesses - even those that thought they may never need it, like hospitality and entertainment. I believe that direct consumer marketing and digital channels will be paramount, the marketing bread and butter for most businesses. The view on traditional channels will change forever and will be seen as riskier than digital means. 

Marketers should be prepared for this shift. Some stats have started emerging from China since their market has slowly started to go back to "normal". These have been highly positive and have shown consumers’ willingness to spend more on items they previously disregarded. However, the most impressive statistics have been around marketing budgets. It appears that many companies are currently pausing or lowering their spends with the view to push these budgets into campaigns after the pandemic. This makes a lot of sense but will also mean that there will be numerous brands competing for space. Digital marketing largely works on bidding: whoever bids the highest will be seen more, which takes us back to my previous point. Brands should engage direct consumer marketing to ensure that, even if their budgets are lower, they can be targeted in their approach to reach those who actually matter to them.

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