4 Brand Marketing Lessons to Learn During Coronavirus Crisis

The Coronavirus crisis has not only caused people to mitigate community differences and pose a united fight against the invisible threat, but it has also changed consumer behavior. Ecommerce needs have skyrocketed, digital modes of payment have bloated, and time spent on social media platforms has increased exponentially among many others. A few of these habits will perish with the virus but some changes will persist for long. This is why brands have to change the way they function. This article focuses on 5 brand marketing lessons that will help brands increase their customer base and stand resilient during these tough times.

1. Show empathy

The coronavirus crisis has caused trouble for everyone – Governments, Businesses, NGOs, Societies, Communities, and common people. This is the time when companies can show empathy and make an everlasting mark in people’s memories. A good brand marketing lesson can be learned from SAP, which is providing its Qualtric Remote Work Pulse Platform for free. This initiative is targeted for helping companies who are planning to adopt new digital ways keeping in mind the post coronavirus crisis scenario where there will be increased demand for everything digital.

Also Read: What happens when the COVID-19 storm calms down?

2. Use of media

At a time when people are staying within their homes, the use of digital media has skyrocketed. News, OTT platforms, and e-gaming are the three sectors that have experienced rapid growth. Brands are vying to increase their presence in high consumption video streaming applications but they should take care that their ads are not over-exposed as it can damage brand equity.

A great example of how companies are using the media to deal with the coronavirus crisis comes from Fevicol. They recently launched an ad campaign showing their symbolic elephants moving away from each other, thus endorsing the idea of social distancing. The line reads “Kal ke mazbot jod ke liye, aaj thodi doori maintain karona”, which roughly translates to “For tomorrow’s strong joint, maintain some distance today”.

3. Show your gratitude to the society

A society provides multiple things such as an efficient workforce, unlimited resources, and a never-ending supply of raw materials to a company. Also, by consuming products, it fills the company’s coffers. Thus, it is imperative for companies to return the favor by standing resolutely with society at times of crisis.

Many companies have pledged their support. For instance, RIL has set up a 100-bed hospital in Mumbai in collaboration with BMC. Similarly, Diageo has announced to donate 1,50,000 masks to state public departments. Moreover, Paytm has pledged to donate Rs. 5 crores for developing medical solutions to counter the coronavirus crisis.

4. Track trends

The coronavirus crisis has bought a major change in consumer behavior. Marketers should keep a close watch on it by tracking social media trends, blogs, e-commerce portals, community sites, etc. and do sentiment analysis to adapt their messaging that is more empathetic to current times. Marketers should also keep in touch with C-level employees and heads of other departments – Supply chain, Finance – to see how conditions are evolving and develop a comprehensive solution accordingly.

Brand marketing is an ever-evolving domain. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges and opportunities. And companies that use a mix of both – tried and tested brand marketing lessons and innovate new revolutionary marketing theories – will make a lasting impact in the hearts of their consumers.

At Sage, we are home to world-class CRM, ERP and HRMS software that will make remote working a piece of cake, boost employee productivity, synchronize inter-departmental activities, and generate more profits. To know more about it, SMS SAGE to 56767. You can also write to us at sales@sagesoftware.co.in.

Disclaimer: All the information, views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and their respective web sources and in no way reflect the principles, views or objectives of Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd.