How brands are rethinking marketing endeavours to match rapid shifts in the market
Whether small scale or large scale, businesses transitioned to the digital way of operating to stay in touch with their customers and assist them amidst a never-before-seen crisis.
Pandemic-induced restrictions across the globe are slowly giving way to unlocking. As a result, businesses have begun picking up the pace to embrace and adapt to the new normal. The pandemic has radically reformed the relationship between customers and business owners, resulting in a paradigm shift in the way business is done.
Brands are rethinking marketing endeavours to reinstate their relationship with customers. Consequently, consumer behaviour and market trends are witnessing a sea change, making it the need of the hour for marketers to develop a keen eye to keep track of where their customers are heading.
Rethinking and placing customers at the heart of your marketing strategy is what the new normal demands.
In the post-pandemic world, ‘adapting’ becomes the power keyword for the world to carry on with their everyday lives.
As consumer behaviour undergoes unprecedented changes, we must stay on our toes to make necessary adjustments to stay on top of things. Whether small scale or large scale, businesses transitioned to the digital way of operating to stay in touch with their customers and assist them during the time of a never-seen crisis.
Humanity, above all
There’s always cut-throat competition among brands to gain an edge over the other. However, the pandemic demanded everyone to be sensitive and fight together for the greater good. We saw Dunzo, with #MushkilHaiRaasta, talk about the challenges the delivery heroes associated with different brands had to navigate through to deliver essentials.
Brands taking a step forward to support each other while valuing the customer’s desires is just the kind of marketing needed during such uncertain times.
The ‘brand’ power to make a difference
Brands enjoy different platforms to reach and influence the decision-making of the masses. The pandemic cornered the brands into rethinking their marketing strategy from ground zero and remain sensitive to the situation.
Almost all brands, through various channels of dissemination, encouraged staying home. Ambience Group took the communication “Stay hopeful, stay home” to raise the spirits of the masses.
Driving the change with digitisation
With the pandemic immobilising all traditional ways of conducting business operations, several brands quickly embraced digital technologies and made them an indispensable part of their business. Subsequently, digital channels welcomed new numbers during the lockdown.
In addition, brands across categories took to innovating their strategies to meet the ever-changing needs of their consumers. For instance, with site visits gone for a toss, the real estate sector took a sigh of relief thanks to 360° walkthroughs and virtual site visits to engage customers.
Winning with video content
Video content became one of the most promising tools in engaging customers during the days of complete lockdown and isolation. For brands, videos shortened the distance to reach their target audience, from educating to entertaining.
Time and again, video content has proved its worth in driving hopeful metrics. Thus, marketers have begun acknowledging the untapped potential in video marketing, shrinking budgets on traditional advertising, and gradually allocating it to video content.
The focus on OTT
The pandemic restricted the people from stepping out of their homes and enjoying liberties such as theatres and movies. As a result, people moved towards heavy consumption of media on Over-the-Top platforms. OTT became the keyword of 2020 and opened an endless world of possibilities for brands and marketers.
For instance, TVF’s recent series Aspirants gave voice to Unacademy and remote learning, which became relevant amidst the pandemic. Brands are gradually opening their budgets to OTT advertising to reach the audience where they spend most of their time.
The pandemic has changed the landscape of marketing and brought in a far-reaching change in consumer behaviour and trends. Therefore, marketers everywhere are taking the front seat to meet the varied needs of their audience while offering more value.
Edited by Teja Lele
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)