What can brands learn from ads tested during Covid?

There has been a ton of creative content produced during covid, but not much was tested. However, I have been able to receive learnings from 50+ ads from multiple industries. Interestingly, they tend to provide learnings that are simple to understand and easy to execute.

Marketers and Advertisers! Hopefully, you will enjoy reading these and also benefit when you develop campaigns for next year

1. Focus on the right C i.e. Consumer and not Covid. Brands that tried to improve the lives of consumers with a real benefit did better. Ads that just talked about the Covid and how it has changed the world did not do well
2. Stay Positive and Offer a Solution. Consumers know that they have fallen on hard times. They don't want the brands to remind them of their problems. Instead, they want optimism and more importantly, they want solutions. Also, avoid empty optimism.
3. Return to Paradise, but Safely. There is a strong desire to return to normalcy i.e. the world they knew before Covid. We have seen travel ads tend to do well when they reflected how consumers could enjoy the freedom they had before, however, with the right safety measures
4. Show Me the Money. With the economic crunch, consumers are seeking value. Therefore, ads that show a clear benefit (functional or emotional) AND offer value through promotions do better
5. Keep it Simple St*pid. Focus on one benefit and do it well. Ads that had multiple attributes or storylines running in parallel did not do well. Also, if you are giving a promotion, do that math for consumers. Do not complicate it for them.

P.S: If you have not yet seen the Coca-Cola Xmas ad 2020, please click below. This is the best ad you will see today